Hamlet Essay

1053 Words3 Pages

The story of Hamlet William Shakespeare is about a young man suffering from mental illness after his father’s death. His father then later comes back as a ghost to tell Hamlet that he had been murdered by his brother; who had also married Hamlet’s recently widowed mother. Hamlet’s illnesses become more apparent through out the story. Shackspere tells the story with the use of sarcasm, suicidal tendencies, insanity, and procrastination.
Sarcasm is used in the play “Hamlet” to enlighten the story. It can help with the mood of the characters and helps to convey their feelings. One of most memorable quotes of sarcasm from act 1 was said by Hamlet, “The funeral baked meats did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables” (1.2 .180-181). Hamlet is clearly upset about his mother’s marriage to his uncle and he is being blunt about how quickly the marriage was arranged after his father’s death. In this moment there is a glimpse of the mental illness that was present in Hamlet’s psyche. Hamlet used sarcasm to explain his feelings towards the death and marriage. It contributes to the sassiness and conveys his annoyance towards the situation. “A little month, or ere those shoes were old with which she followed my poor father’s body.”(1.2.147-148) His animosity towards his mother shows through when he describes how his she had not broken in her shoes for the funeral by the time the wedding occurred. Hamlet shows anger towards his uncle as well when he describes his actions. “As he guzzles down his German wine, the musicians make a ruckus to celebrate his draining another cup” (1.4.11-13). Obviously Hamlet does not approve of his uncle’s behavior as king. He sees flaws in everything Claudius does and seeks to annoy him. The message behind his d...

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...crastination. If Hamlet had decided had decided to kill Claudius when he had the chance then he would never of accidently killed Polonius making Laertes angry. Ophelia’s life may have been saved if Hamlet had killed Claudius earlier as well. The story of Hamlet can be seen as eccentric; never knowing if Hamlet was truly mad will always be a mystery of the story. William Shakespeare’s Hamlet was different from all of his other writings. It was much darker and much less romantic. Hamlet’s vengeance was present in the beginning but seemed to turn into enjoyment as his illness progressed. He was seen as insane but most of his actions were too thought out for a crazy man. Hamlet may have been indecisive, but his character had many strong morals that were kept throughout the whole story. His procrastination had gotten to the best of him, making his death much deserved.

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