The Trap Motif in Hamlet
Hamlet, William Shakespeare's greatest tragedy, is a story of murder and deceit. The "trap" is a major motif in Hamlet because it is set by various characters, it is motivated by a variety of reasons and the results are often ironic.
The first trap is set by Hamlet for the king. Hamlet is enraged by his fathers murder and is seeking vengeance. Hamlet sets a trap by persuading the actors to re-enact his fathers murder on stage. * He sets this trap because he wants to be sure that Claudius is the killer; Hamlet is delighted to see Claudius's reaction to the play.
Ah, ha! Come, some music; come, the recorders.
For if the King like not the comedy, Why then,
belike, he likes it not, perdy. Come, some music.
(3.2)
It scares Claudius and makes him afraid of Hamlet. * Hamlet is now sure that Claudius is the murderer, but Claudius is so worried that he sends Hamlet to England with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern with an order for Hamlet to be killed.
I like him not, nor stands it safe with us to
let his madness range. Therefore prepare
you. I your commission will forthwith
dispatch, And he to England shall along
with you. (3.3)
The next trap Hamlet sets takes place at sea. While Hamlet is on his way to England he boards another ship during a battle and he sets a trap for Rosencratnz and Guildenstern. Hamlet leaves a letter with the Kings seal on it ordering them to be executed when they arrive in England. Hamlet does not like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern because they worked so closely with the King and were always troubling Hamlet.
Why, man, they did make love to this employment.
They are not near my conscience. Their defeat by
their own insinuation grow. `Tis dangerous when
the baser nature comes Between the pass and fell
incensed points of mighty opposites. (5.2)
When Rosencrantz and Guildenstern arrive in England they are executed.
The final trap is set by Claudius and Laertes. * When Claudius gets word from Hamlet that he is coming back from England alone he decides to set a trap for Hamlet, at the same time, Laertes is seeking revenge on Hamlet for killing his father.
Checks and Balances. Checks and balances is a system that is a part of out U.S. Constitution. This system was put in to place so that no part of government would have too much power. The three branches: judicial, legislative and executive are constantly granting and checking the other branches actions, this is to make sure no one person can gain an excessive amount of control in government. For example according to ," the legislative branch is in charge of making laws. The executive branch can veto the law, thus making it harder for the legislative branch to pass the law. The judicial branch may also say that the law is unconstitutional and thus make sure it is not a law.The legislative branch can also remove a president or judge that is not doing his/her job properly. The executive branch appoints judges and the legislative branch approves the choice of the executive branch. Again, the branches check and balance each other so that no one branch has too much power".
Techniques Used by the Nazis in Converting German Youth to the Ideals of the Volksgemeinschaft
... Guildenstern. Finally Shakespeare includes The Mousetrap, the play Hamlet prepares to ‘trap’ Claudius and reveal his involvement in his fathers passing, to further highlight the playing of these roles by the characters of Hamlet. Hamlet also makes use of the motif in Hamlet’s instruction to the players; in telling them how to act convincingly not only does Shakespeare confirm Hamlet is feigning madness, he is further instructing his actors how to realize their roles.
The Founding Fathers knew that our country needed a strong central government. They did not want one part to have more control than another. They came up with the three branches of government to equally spread out the power. Each branch has their own separate duties and roles to make sure our government runs smoothly, and so no one branch can overthrow another. The three branches are Legislative, Executive and Judicial. The Legislative branch makes the laws, and is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Next, the Executive branch where the President and Vice president stand, and this is where laws are “executed”. Finally there is the judicial branch, which consists of the Supreme Court. This branch oversees the court system, and they decide whether a law is unconstitutional or not. Even though each branch is just as important as the other, and was supposed to be created “equal” which one holds more power? Which branch should hold more power? Out of the three branches, the Executive branch is the most powerful branch.
Hamlet is a character that we love to read about and analyze. His character is so realistic, and he is so romantic and idealistic that it is hard not to like him. He is the typical young scholar facing the harsh reality of the real world. In this play, Hamlet has come to a time in his life where he has to see things as they really are. Hamlet is an initiation story. Mordecai Marcus states "some initiations take their protagonists across a threshold of maturity and understanding but leave them enmeshed in a struggle for certainty"(234). And this is what happens to Hamlet.
First, we have the legislative branch, which makes up most of our United States government. The legislative branch consists of two parts: The House of Representatives and the Senate, which together, make up the United States Congress. Congress has the power to veto any laws made by the president, make their own laws, and declare war. The House of Representatives is made up of 435 members that is divided among 50 states according to that states population. Members of the House are elected every two years and must be at least 25 years old. The House has many powers that come with it. They have the power to make laws, impeach many federal officials, and elect a president in the result in an electoral tie.
Even though Hamlet is a prince, he has little control over the course of his life. In that time many things were decided for the princes and princesses such as their education and even who they married. This was more or less the normal way of life for a child of the monarch. But in the case of Hamlet, any of the control he thought he had, fell away with the murder of his father. Having his father, the king, be killed by his own brother, sent Hamlet into a state of feeling helpless and out of control. Cooped up in a palace with no real outlet, he tries to control at least one aspect of his life. Hamlet deliberately toys with Ophelia's emotions in order to feel in control of something since he cannot control the situation with Claudius.
Hamlet does not have much time to mull over his choices, for time is not on Hamlet's side. The king has his own plans to be rid of Hamlet. He sends Hamlet with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to England for “My head (to) be struck off”(V.ii.27). Hamlet revises the sentencing papers, fully aware that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern would be executed instead.
Hamlet is Shakespeare’s most famous work of tragedy. Throughout the play the title character, Hamlet, tends to seek revenge for his father’s death. Shakespeare achieved his work in Hamlet through his brilliant depiction of the hero’s struggle with two opposing forces that hunt Hamlet throughout the play: moral integrity and the need to avenge his father’s murder. When Hamlet sets his mind to revenge his fathers’ death, he is faced with many challenges that delay him from committing murder to his uncle Claudius, who killed Hamlets’ father, the former king. During this delay, he harms others with his actions by acting irrationally, threatening Gertrude, his mother, and by killing Polonius which led into the madness and death of Ophelia. Hamlet ends up deceiving everyone around him, and also himself, by putting on a mask of insanity. In spite of the fact that Hamlet attempts to act morally in order to kill his uncle, he delays his revenge of his fathers’ death, harming others by his irritating actions. Despite Hamlets’ decisive character, he comes to a point where he realizes his tragic limits.
The imagery in the play of Hamlet is composed of disease, poison, and decay this adds to the overall atmosphere of horror and tragedy. First, hamlet uses images of disease to show the state of the country of Denmark and his mother. Second, the imagery of poison is used to describe his father’s death. Lastly, Hamlet describes his feelings toward himself and Claudius and his feelings toward his mother by using images of decay. In Hamlet, as in all literature, imagery adds to reader’s ability to imagine the feeling of the story.
Hamlet the Hero There are various ways to define a hero. There is an endless amount of people who are heroes. A hero can be, "one who exhibits courage and/or daring," a hero can be, "one who is supremely noble or self-sacrificing," a hero can be a champion or a winner. A hero can save the day, or even save your life.
Hamlet the Anti-Hero Hamlet certainly isn't a hero in this game. He exhibits many of his weaknesses that contradict other characters in the play. A hero is a person who shows great courage through his actions, and one who is noble and self-sacrificing. He does exhibit courage in parts like when the ghost came and Hamlet followed it, but yet he certainly isn't self-sacrificing. He sacrifices other characters' lives to benefit his chance of getting revenge with Claudius.
With his thinking mind Hamlet does not become a typical vengeful character. Unlike most erratic behavior of individuals seeking revenge out of rage, Hamlet considers the consequences of his actions. What would the people think of their prince if he were to murder the king? What kind of effect would it have on his beloved mother? Hamlet considers questions of this type which in effect hasten his descision. After all, once his mother is dead and her feelings out of the picture , Hamlet is quick and aggressive in forcing poison into Claudius' mouth. Once Hamlet is certain that Claudius is the killer it is only after he himself is and and his empire falling that he can finally act.
Hamlet's problem is not exact; it cannot be pinpointed. In fact, Hamlet has numerous problems that contribute to his dilemma. The first of these problems is the appearance of King Hamlet's ghost to his son, Hamlet. Hamlet's morality adds a great deal to his delay in murdering the current king, Claudius. One of Hamlet's biggest drawbacks is that he tends to think things out too much. Hamlet does not act on instinct; however, he makes certain that every action is premeditated. Hamlet suffers a great deal from melancholy; this in turn causes him to constantly second guess himself. The Ghost is the main cause of Hamlet's melancholy. Also, Hamlet's melancholy helps to clear up certain aspects of the play. These are just a few of the problems that Hamlet encounters throughout his ordeal.
There are many reasons why Hamlet had his downfall. One being his decision to keeping the murder of his father a secret. Another one being the betrayals of his closest friends. Perhaps if Guildenstern or Rosencrantz had been there for Hamlet, to rely and place trust upon, he might not had to fell so alone. A little sympathy from his girlfriend Ophelia, and even his mother Gertrude would have been nice as well. Unfortunately Ophelia is held back from Hamlet, due to her father. Gertrude marries his uncle Claudius, who is responsible for his fathers death, and is looking to kill him next. And Guildenstern and Rosencrantz are ordered by Claudius to spy on Hamlet, and betray him as a friend.