What Is Imagery In Hamlet

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Response to Imagery in Hamlet-Acting

Jaqueline E. M. Latham's The Imagery in Hamlet-Acting was published in October 1962. In order to understand this essay, an understanding of the title needs to be reached. Imagery in Hamlet may imply that this is an analysis of the literal imagery, meaning things like the curtains and the sky, but it is not. This essay focuses on the Hamlet's image. An image is something that a person portrays through the way that they speak, the clothes that they wear, and the way that they act. This essay is a closer look into how Hamlet uses his acting to set an image for the other characters in the play to convince them of his insanity and to hopefully pardon him of his crimes.

The author's thesis claims that Hamlet's dramatic behavior results from his attempt to escape the real world "into an imagined world where moral and social responsibilities do not exist". In other words, Hamlet is portrayed as a manipulative character who aims to create an environment that somehow permits his malicious acts. He wants to avoid punishment, although he is unaware of it. According to the author, Hamlet's "'antic …show more content…

This piece was published in 1962, but the evidence that was provided was not science based so it continues to stand against the test of time. The evidence presented was slightly repetitive in nature, but the manner of the paper, an opinion based essay, has to be taken into account as well, especially when the author used phrases such as "my feeling is that". Latham did not provide sufficient counterarguments to her statements, which were primarily opinion based statements. This creates a speculative essay, meaning that it is based off of theories instead of concrete knowledge. In addition, although the author mentions and analyzes the character of Claudius, it only focuses on a new argument. Certain aspects of Hamlet as a play cannot be assessed with complete

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