Hamlet: Hamlet The Idealist
In Hamlet, Elsinore is a society which people are seen acting in a
deceitful manner in order to gain personal measures and prestige. These people
mask their true in intentions to acquire selfish desires. In doing so they
develop a theme of the discrepancy between the way things appear and their true
realities. Hamlet, on the other hand, is an honest, moral individual trapped in
this deceitful society. Hamlet is faced with the dilemma to either lower
himself to their level by utilizing deception, or leave wrongs unrighted by
remaining true to himself. In Hamlet, the theme of appearance versus reality is
prevalent in Hamlet's decision between his morals and his father as he decides
to utilize the deceit of his society, starts recognizing it in others and
finally in using it to avenge his father.
When Hamlet is introduced he is seen acting as he feels and this is what
prevents him from repaying in kind for his father's murder. Hamlet grieves over
the loss of his father so long and intensely that no one understands, for
Gertrude and Claudius tell him he needs to move on like they have done, yet
Hamlet can't understand this. His actions are reflections of his true feelings
while the rest of his peers seem to be ignoring their grief. When Hamlet finds
out that he is supposed to kill Claudius for his father he becomes distraught.
This is because Hamlet's morals won't allow him to kill even if it releases Old
Hamlet from his purgatory. He later realizes that he must start appearing
differently than usual in order to carry out his father's word. Hamlet decides
to put on an "antic disposition" and in doing so has started becoming deceitful.
He is trying to mask his true feelings in order to prepare himself for his
dilemma.
When Hamlet starts being deceitful he starts to recognize the deceit in
others and how they make themselves appear differently from their realities.
Hamlets decision to put on an "antic disposition" was not honest to himself but
he felt that he must appear differently than he feels to fulfill his needs.
Hamlet first recognizes the deceit in Claudius after his father visits.
Claudius committed the sin of fratricide (especially horrendous in this
Christian society); but was now enjoying the fruits of his sin at the cost of
his community. He tricked Elsinore into thinking he was a good king who stepped
in to save the kingdom, yet in reality he was the cause of all the trouble.
Claudius knew he had done wrong, for he later laments his action, but was now
There are many factors that lead Hamlet into putting himself in a difficult position. There are many incidents where it’s not Hamlet’s poor attitude that gets him in trouble, but his great ambition to uncover the truth. Once Hamlet discovers that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are spying on him, he never lets them out of his sight. Hamlet suspects that his mother, Gertrude, was an accomplice for the murder of his father. Polonius was slain by Hamlet who had mistaken him for Claudius. His pretense of madness drove Ophelia to her death. All of these incidents show that its Hamlet’s great ambition to uncover the truth that gets himself in difficult positions.
He is known as the drunken person who does not have his life together and he is lazy and does not care about anything. What makes him ambiguous is the fact that even though he is this careless man he also has a side to him that has a kind heart. After he meet Lucie is when he began to realize how people see him and his love for her transformed him into a good person. This transformation leads him to saving Charles Darnay’s life by poisoning and switching clothes with him and dying in place of Charles to show his abundant love for Lucie Manette. In the end, after Sydney is killed. Charles Dickens writes, “it is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done: it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known” (Dickens 382) to summarize what he thinks Sydney Carton would have said before he died. To show that Sydney has done something he feels pride in and that there was a purpose to his
...ain, should definitely be taught in every high school classroom. By using the powerful relationship of Huck and Jim, Twain illustrates the morals that these characters had attained during the course of the novel. Tom started off as a troublemaker and turned into a young man that truly cares for his friends, no matter what color skin they had. And Jim turned out to be a caring and compassionate friend that most people back then would have never even thought of. The fact that Mark Twain accomplished all of these feats even with the use of the “n-word” makes the novel even more noteworthy. It should never be prevented from being taught to any student; every student should have the opportunity to read and take in the important messages this book has to offer. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a lifelong American classic that will never fade away in American history.
Sydney Carton, “one of Dickens’s most loved and best-remembered characters” (Stout 29), is not just another two-dimensional character; he seems to fly off the pages and into real life throughout all the trials and tribulations he experiences. He touches many hearts, and he even saves the life of Charles Darnay, a man who looks surprisingly similar to him. In Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities, Sydney Carton is a selfish man of habit, a cynic, a self-loathing drunk, and an incorrigible barrister until he meets Lucie Manette; throughout the novel Sydney is overcome by his noble love for Lucie and transforms from a cynic to a hero as he accomplishes one of the most selfless acts a man can carry out.
Gertrude, his mother and Claudius? new wife; and Polonius, counsel to the King and father
noble birth and he had a lot of responsibility in his kingdom. He is looked up to by most for leadership and guidance.
In Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Jane uses the novel to show the common day romance of the time period. In the novel, Elizabeth Bennet, a sophisticated, lively girl manages to change Mr. Darcy, a cocky, stubborn man into a person who is head over heels in love. Although it takes her some time, Elizabeth is able to change the way Mr. Darcy feels about love in general and causes him to act differently then he has ever done before. Mr. Darcy’s self- discovery in response to Elizabeth Bennet’s blunt honestly allows him to re-evaluate his approach to love.
Displaying an 'antic disposition', Hamlet first attempts to side step his trepidation by feigning madness. After meeting with his fathers proposed ghost, Hamlet attempts to distance himself from the thought or evidence of death. Hamlet notifies his friends, Marcellus and Horatio, of his plan to distract the kingdom from his real intentions. Although Hamlet proposes this as a way to fool those in Denmark, in the last lines of his meeting with Horatio and Marcellus, he curses that this revenge be placed upon him. This is the first indication of Hamlets reluctance to perform murder. Hamlet then returns to Claudius and Gertrude, at the castle, and acts out his madness for them and for the visitor, Polonius. Upon speaking to Polonius, Polonius picks up upon Hamlets 'madness', yet decides that this unnatural nature is because if Ophelia's behavior toward Hamlet. Indication of Hamlets fear is presented when Polonius asks leave of the prince. Hamlet then states that Polonius can take anything from him, anything but his life. Hamlet repeats thrice this idea of taking anything 'except [his] life.' Not only does this indicate how compulsive Hamlets fake insanity is becoming, but how afraid he is of dying. During the 'To be or not to be' soliloquy, Hamlet contemplates his view of death. As he go...
Dickens responded to this "dog-eat-dog" social climate by writing A Tale of Two Cities as a vehicle to reform society. He intends to fortify Christian values within English culture, such as self-sacrifice and kindness, in a time when he feels these values are threatened and sometimes completely overlooked. In this essay, I will show how Dickens interweaves his moral agenda of Christian values into the novel by using contrasts, symbols, and the motif of doubles as well as the evolution of Sydney Carton into a Christ-like figure with the goal of inspiring the reader to the point of evolving into an ethically "good" human being.
In life, one goes through different experiences which makes and shapes us into the person who we become. Whether something as little as a "hello" by a crush or a death in a family, they contribute to the difference, as they are all equal in importance. In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the protagonist Hamlet struggles throughout his life as he is in search of his true identity. The Webster's dictionary, under the second definition, defines identity as "The set of behavioral or personal characteristics by which an individual is recognizable as a member of a group." As life only moves forward for Hamlet, he struggles to find his place in life, nonetheless to revenge the murder of his father.
Hamlet's response to grief is a trait starkly contrasted by Laertes. Laertes response to the death of his father is immediate. He is publicly angry, and he leads the public riot occuring outside Castle Elsinore, which Polonius' death and quick burial served as a catalyst. He is suspicious, as is evident in his speech to Claudius. "How came he dead? I'll not be juggled with. / To hell, allegiance!"(Act 4, 5:130). Hamlet, however is very private with his grief. His mourning for King Hamlet is long and drawn out, two months after his father's death, he is still observed to be wearing "...suits of solemn black."[(Act1, 2:78) Claudius and Gertrude comment on his unhappiness, however it is not until Hamlet's first soliloquy that the audience is made aware of the depth of his suffering. Although dismayed at his mother's quick remarriage to his uncle, Hamlet suspects nothing of his father's murder until the ghost discloses this to him.
...ternal conflict as soon as the play began. Though he only expresses his true emotions to himself, the audience benefits from his profound soliloquies and can understand his decisions and behaviours more easily despite the complex plot. In addition to recognizing the reasons behind his actions, his soliloquies also provide an opportunity for the audience to connect to his elusive nature and temperament. Since speech is a supporting foundation for conveying thoughts and opinions, the speeches that are performed regarding his depression, cowardly character, and decision whether or not to live and fulfill his father’s wish, are the keys to grasping the true story line that Shakespeare intended to create. Not only do Hamlet’s brilliant soliloquies bring the story of Hamlet to life, but it has also helped to make it one of the most famous pieces of literature of all time.
Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a tragic play about murder, betrayal, revenge, madness, and moral corruption. It touches upon philosophical ideas such as existentialism and relativism. Prince Hamlet frequently questions the meaning of life and the degrading of morals as he agonizes over his father’s murder, his mother’s incestuous infidelity, and what he should or shouldn’t do about it. At first, he is just depressed; still mourning the loss of his father as his mother marries his uncle. After he learns about the treachery of his uncle and the adultery of his mother, his already negative countenance declines further. He struggles with the task of killing Claudius, feeling burdened about having been asked to find a solution to a situation that was forced upon him.Death is something he struggles with as an abstract idea and as relative to himself. He is able to reconcile with the idea of death and reality eventually.
Claudius now knows that Hamlet has figured him out and what he has done, so Claudius
As often associated with a tragedy, a conflict usually ensues between a protagonist and another force in the play. A tragedy is ‘a serious drama typically describing a conflict between the protagonist and a superior force and having a sorrowful or disastrous conclusion that elicits pity or terror’ (Webster's dictionary). Given its structure and depth in characterization, this play will or can be analyzed and interpreted from various perspectives and beliefs. However, my analysis of the play is conducted on the basis of various components which are: Hamlet as a tragic hero, the ironic message conveyed in the play, the roles of its characters, the role and personification of madness, the role of paranormality, the role of friends and family, the role of inaction, the role of sex and violence, and the role of death as portrayed in the play. Based on literary definitions and portrayal of his character, there is popular belief that Hamlet as the protagonist acted to satisfy his own conscience but could his actions be attributed purely to his desire or was he being influenced by other factors?