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Character development in Shakespeare
Characters And Characterization In Shakespeares Works
Character development in Shakespeare
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When one performs an act several times, eventually that act will become natural. Aristotle once said: “You are what you repeatedly do.” In William Shakespeare’s, Hamlet, Hamlet pretends to act insane after he finds out his father has been murdered. Hamlet himself is not mad, but he acts as if he is to hopefully get away with more than usual. With the King and Polonius, Hamlet impersonates a crazy person; with Ophelia, Hamlet tries to turn the tables and create the illusion that she is crazy; and with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Hamlet uses them to pass false information off to the King. In order to better manipulate those closest to him, Hamlet uses antic disposition, emotional blackmail, and misinformation, which eventually loses the trust …show more content…
Initially being sent by the King and the Queen in hopes of helping Hamlet with his “depression”, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are already seen as puppets. As the play progresses, it is revealed that the boys are being used to spy on Hamlet for the King. Hamlet eventually catches on with this, and begins to play around with them by giving them false information: “Sir, I lack advancement,” (3.2.368). Referring to his line to the throne, Hamlet lies to Rosencrantz knowing that he will return this false information to the King. The reason Hamlet does this is to give power to the King by letting him know that his status is not at risk of being taken away and handed down. Hamlet realizing that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are not loyal friends, he admits that he believes they should be killed: “Those bearers put to sudden death, not shriving time allowed,” (5.2.51-52). Regardless of whether or not Hamlet was the bad guy in this friendship conflict, he still creates this sense of authority to the audience as if he can sentence anyone to death if they cross him.
In William Shakespeare’s, Hamlet, Hamlet pretends to act mentally unstable around Claudius (the King) and Polonius, emotionally blackmails Ophelia, and gives false information to his friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Hamlet uses antic disposition, emotional blackmail, and misinformation in order to better manipulate those closest to him. This eventually causes the audience and those around him to lose trust in
In their case, it is Hamlet 's intention to make sure Rosencrantz and Guildenstern 's plan works against them. Since Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s mission is to make sure that Hamlet goes to England to be killed, Hamlet takes it upon himself to ensure their heads are on the chopping block, not his. Hamlet does this by taking the letter that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are going to give to the king of England and replacing it. The letter that Hamlet replaces it with says that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are the ones to be killed. Since Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are out of the picture this allows for Hamlet to return to Denmark to continue his plot of revenge on the King. When Hamlet returns back to Denmark Horatio asks Hamlet if he feels that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s deaths are a burden to him. Hamlet replies, “Why, man, they did make love to this employment. / They are not near my conscience. Their defeat / Does by their own insinuation grow” (Shakespeare 5.2.64-66). Since Hamlet is back in Denmark, this allows for Laertes to attempt to gain revenge on the murderer of his
In William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, we, as readers, increasingly question the sanity of the protagonist, Hamlet, as the play continues. His seemingly psychotic banter with the other characters of the play begins to convince us that Hamlet is, indeed, insane. Hamlet, however, states, “How strange or odd soe’er I bear myself, as I perchance hereafter shall think meet to put an antic disposition on” (1.5.171). He specifically tells Horatio and Marcellus that he will be acting mad, as a front. Hamlet has an exceptional grasp on mental philosophy and the uses and effects of logic, more so than the other characters of the play. Because of this, Hamlet appears insane to others, but in fact remains true to his original statement of simply using an “antic disposition.”
Throughout Shakespeare?s play, Hamlet, the main character, young Hamlet, is faced with the responsibility of attaining vengeance for his father?s murder. He decides to feign madness as part of his plan to gain the opportunity to kill Claudius. As the play progresses, his depiction of a madman becomes increasingly believable, and the characters around him react accordingly. However, through his inner thoughts and the apparent reasons for his actions, it is clear that he is not really mad and is simply an actor simulating insanity in order to fulfill his duty to his father.
Shakespeare 's play "Hamlet" is about a complex protagonist, Hamlet, who faces adversity and is destined to murder the individual who killed his father. Hamlet is a character who although his actions and emotions may be one of an insane person, in the beginning of the book it is clear that Hamlet decides to fake madness in order for his plan to succeed in killing Claudius. Hamlet is sane because throughout the play he only acts crazy in front of certain people, to others he acts properly and displays proper prince like behavior who is able to cope with them without sounding crazy, and even after everything that has been going on in his life he is able to take revenge by killing his
A second example of Hamlet’s immaturity, which stems from his plotting against Claudius, can be seen in his treatment of Ophelia, the daughter of a court advisor. Hamlet himself gives cause for belief that he is in love with Ophelia. He writes to her informing her that she is his “…soul’s idol…” (Polonius 2:2). How ever when Hamlet affects insanity he treats Ophelia in a very ribald manner. After a litany of insults directed at Ophelia because of Hamlet’s belief that she is in league with Polonius in trying to trap him he goes so far as to proclaim “I loved you not.” (Hamlet 3:1) Hamlet used Ophelia quite cruelly in order to strike a blow at her father and Claudius. Instead of acting like a man and telling them directly what he thought of them he abused a trusting, loving, girl in order to deliver his message of loathing.
Throughout the novel, William Shakespeare takes his readers through many twists and turns and several of the characters exhibit odd or unnatural behavior, most noticeably Hamlet. However, it leaves readers questioning whether Hamlet’s “antic disposition” is genuine or if it is fabricated. Many may argue that Hamlet is truly mad since it eventually results in his downfall, but there are several reasons suggesting that Hamlet’s madness is feigned. While he appears to be a lunatic on the outside, Hamlet is sane, as seen through his ability to investigate his father’s murder, gain new information, plot against other characters in the novel, and discover the truth.
Many people question the psychological condition of the character Hamlet in the sixteenth century play Hamlet written by William Shakespeare. One of the reasons that the mental health of hamlet is in question by many people is the result of hamlet's actions as well as his reactions to events that occur during the play. Some people argue that the character Hamlet is insane, while others may argue that his insanity can be justified by several means such as his need for justice of his father's murder. However, Hamlet's need for justice or revenge does not necessarily justify Hamlet's behavior in the play. In addition, Hamlet's behavior falls into several categories of insanity such as shizophrenia. Therefore, there are many ways in which it can be proven that hamlet may truly be insane.
Shakespeare's play "Hamlet" is about a complex protagonist, Hamlet, who faces adversity and is destined to murder the individual who killed his father. Hamlet is a character who although his actions and emotions may be one of an insane person, in the beginning of the book it is clear that Hamlet decides to fake madness in order for his plan to succeed in killing Claudius. Hamlet is sane because throughout the play he only acts crazy in front of certain people, to others he acts properly and displays proper prince like behavior who is able to cope with them without sounding crazy, and even after everything that has been going on in his life he is able to take revenge by killing his father's murderer. In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare Hamlet is sane but acts insane to fulfill his destiny of getting vengeance on his father's murderer.
Throughout the Shakespearian play, Hamlet, the main character is given the overwhelming responsibility of avenging his father’s "foul and most unnatural murder" (I.iv.36). Such a burden can slowly drive a man off the deep end psychologically. Because of this, Hamlet’s disposition is extremely inconsistent and erratic throughout the play. At times he shows signs of uncontrollable insanity. Whenever he interacts with the characters he is wild, crazy, and plays a fool. At other times, he exemplifies intelligence and method in his madness. In instances when he is alone or with Horatio, he is civilized and sane. Hamlet goes through different stages of insanity throughout the story, but his neurotic and skeptical personality amplifies his persona of seeming insane to the other characters. Hamlet comes up with the idea to fake madness in the beginning of the play in order to confuse his enemies. However, for Hamlet to fulfill his duty of getting revenge, he must be totally sane. Hamlet’s intellectual brilliance make it seem too impossible for him to actually be mad, for to be insane means that one is irrational and without any sense. When one is irrational, one is not governed by or according to reason. So, Hamlet is only acting mad in order to plan his revenge on Claudius.
An individual may portray a false appearance for sometime until that false self becomes part of the person and causes the lines between false personality and true self to become blurred. In Shakespeare's Hamlet, the corruption in the kingdom of Denmark and Hamlet's internal grief as he seeks to avenge his father's murder influence his mental state. Hamlet's inner turmoil of emotions: anger, grief and frustration cause him to be in a state of mental instability which is perceived by others in Denmark as Hamlet's insanity. Hamlet's internal strife is a result of his intense grief over his father's death, anger at his mother Gertrude's hasty marriage to his uncle Claudius and his own frustration with himself for being indecisive at times when
In Act III, Scene I, he says, “To die, to sleep.—ay, there’s the rub, for in that sleep of death what dreams may come when we have shuffled off his mortal coil, must give us pause.” This theme undoubtedly shines through Hamlet’s soliloquys. This theme is also apparent in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. The “game of question” evokes deep thought in the reader. Questions such as “Is there a God? “ (43), “Is there a choice?” (43), and “Who do you think you are?” (44), are posed. As the rules demand that only questions are uttered, none of the questions posed are truly answered. This game provides the spectators with a new viewpoint to the existing theme of uncertainty and meaninglessness. Rosencrantz’s and Guildenstern’s deaths are not incorporated in either of the plays, thus leaving the audience to question what had truly occured. The meaninglessness in their deaths reveal the lack of control they have over their own fate is more evident in Stoppard’s play. They recognize the lack of answers in their lives and are constantly questioning their surroundings. In the final scene, Rosencrantz expresses frustration that no explanation is provided about their lives, nor their deaths. Upon realization that Guidenstern’s life is as meaningless as his death, he attempts to kill the Player. As he runs a sword through the Player, he shouts “If there are no explanations for us, then let there be none for him” (Stoppard 96). Even the certainty of death is meaningless and Stoppard’s play aids in the exemplification of this theme though the in-depth depictions pf Rosencrantz and
William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is filled with many schemes and situations that are a challenge to interpret. The play centers around Hamlet, whose uncle murdered his father and married his mother. Certainly no one could blame Hamlet for appearing a little bit crazy after having to deal with that type of trauma. There are several times during Hamlet when Prince Hamlet appears to be crazy. What makes assessing the prince’s mental state more challenging is the fact that Prince Hamlet sets up a play within the play to expose his uncle for killing his father. Hundreds of years after Shakespeare first wrote Hamlet in 1603, scholars still disagree over whether Prince Hamlet is actually
When Hamlet is with a trustworthy friend, he is rational and symptom-free; as soon as those persons appear, however, whom he wants to convince that he is mad, he changes his behavior so as to implant different explanations in their minds for his noticeable irrational behavior. With Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, he makes believe that the reason for it is frustrated ambition; with the Queen and King, that it is their marriage that has upset him; and with Polonius and Ophelia, that it is frustrated love that has driven him mad. These rapid and clumsy changes from rational speech with those he trusts to irrational conversation with those whom he wishes to impress are strong evidence of fraud.
In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the poor treatment of Hamlet by Claudius in his feigning of madness leads to the deterioration of Hamlets true mental state. After hearing the news of the murder of his father, Hamlet devotes
For Guildenstern and Rosencrantz to betray Hamlet the way they did is utterly despicable. Especially considering that their taking the orders from Claudius. Claudius turns out to be quite a good lire, and shows his skill of being able to manipulate people, into doing what he wants. "Welcome, dear Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Moreover that we much did long to see you, the need we have to use you did provoke our hasty sending". ( II;ii; 1-4). Since Rosencrantz and Guildenstern spied on Hamlet, and brought back the fact that he is mad to Claudius. Claudius could then figure out Hamlet’s next move, and counter act it with his own. " Was not like madness. There’s something in his soul." ( III; i; 161). If Claudius hadn’t had Guildenstern or Rosencrantz to aid him in his efforts, I think Hamlet could have had a chance at survival.