Brutal Truth Revealed in Hamlet Shakespeare Disillusionment. Depression. Despair. These are the burning emotions churning in young Hamlet's soul as he attempts to come to terms with his father's death and his mother's incestuous, illicit marriage. While Hamlet tries to pick up the pieces of his shattered idealism, he consciously embarks on a quest to seek the truth hidden in Elsinore; this, in stark contrast to Claudius' fervent attempts to obscure the truth of murder. Deception versus truth; illusion versus reality. In the play, Prince Hamlet is constantly having to differentiate amongst deception and truth. However, there is always an exception to the rule, and in this case, the exception lies in Act 2, Scene 2, where an "honest" conversation, sans the trappings of deceit, takes place between Hamlet and Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern. Via the use of prose and figurative language, Shakespeare utilizes the passage to illustrate Hamlet's view of the cosmos and mankind. Throughout the play, the themes of illusion and mendaciousness have been carefully developed. The entire royal Danish court is ensnared in a web of espionage, betrayal, and lies. Not a single man speaks his mind, nor addresses his purpose clearly. As Polonius puts it so perfectly: "And thus do we of wisdom and of reach / By indirections find directions out" Act 2, Scene 2, Lines 71-3 The many falsehoods and deceptions uttered in Hamlet are expressed through eloquent, formal, poetic language (iambic pentameter), tantamount to an art form. If deceit is a painted, ornate subject then, its foil of truth is simple and unvarnished. Accordingly, when the pretenses of illusion are discarded in Act 2, Scene 2, the language is written in direct prose. Addressing Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern, Hamlet pleads with them to deliver up honest speech about the intent of their arrival: "[offer up] Anything but to th' purpose." Act 2, Scene 2, Line 300 In a gesture of extreme significance, in a quote complementary to Polonius' aforementioned one, Hamlet demands: "Be even and direct with me whether you were sent for or no." Act 2, Scene 2, Lines 310-11 Being the bumbling fools they are, Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern disclose their intentions and purposes to Hamlet, revealing the King and Queen's instructions. Thus does truth prevail in this passage. For this reason, the whole passage is devoid of the "artful" poetic devices that are used in the better portion of the play. The recurring motif of corruption also appears in the passage. Due to the wicked internal proceedings in the state of Denmark (e.g. murder, incest), Shakespeare implies that the whole state is "soiled", which in turn has a direct negative consequence in the grand universal scheme of things. Imagery of warped and distasteful plants, in place of the traditional "aesthetically correct" beautiful flowers in a garden, serves to further reinforce the degeneration theme: "'Tis an unweeded garden that grows to seed. Things rank and gross in nature possess it merely." Act 1, Scene 2 Essentially, all of life, and all that was good and beautiful in life (e.g. the garden) is sullied. Hamlet, the disillusioned idealist, continues with the motif when he disheartenedly declares: "the earth, seems to me a sterile promontory" -Act 2, Scene 2, Lines 321-2 [the air] "why, it appeareth nothing to me but a fouled and pestilent congregation of vapors." -Act 2, Scene 2, Lines 325-6 The above lines represent Hamlet's cosmic view on the planet. He finds the world to be empty and lifeless, dirty and diseased, and his particular place in it to be desolate and lonely. Indeed, he feels so isolated and entrapped in his native land that he says: [the world is a prison] "A goodly one, in which there are many confines, wards, and dungeons, Denmark being one o' th' worst." -Act 2, Scene 2, Lines 264 -6 This view of the world exemplifies the micro/macro concept, where Denmark is the "micro" manifestation of a prison for our hero. The taint of "micro" Denmark leads to repercussions that in turn affect the whole universal order, leading to the consequence of the world itself becoming the "macro" manifestation of a prison in Hamlet's eyes. Further along in the same paragraph, Hamlet offers up his opinion on man, extolling his virtues and excellent qualities ("what a piece of work is man^+"). Yet, it is tremendously ironic, that the ideal type of man Hamlet is describing is nowhere to be found in the play. Hamlet himself is indecisive, unable to take action, Claudius is a slave to his lusts and passions, Polonius is a simpering, servile old fool, and Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern are mindless ninnies. Quite simply, no "true man" as Hamlet describes him exists in the play. As a result of this dismal realization, and because of his inability to adapt to the "unnatural state of things in Denmark", Hamlet has lost the love for life he once had. This loss of enthusiasm also stems from the fact that he intrinsically knows there is more wickedness brewing under the superficial illusionary surface of calm that Claudius is trying to promote. As a culmination of all these factors, Hamlet loses all faith in man: "And yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust?" Scene 2, Act 2, Lines 332-3 Drawing on Biblical allusions, Hamlet redefines the position of man as simply "that which came from dust". From this stance, it is inferred that solely God is Truth. Man, coming from the lowly earth, cannot be depended upon to deliver pure and true thoughts, as his source of origin itself is impure and unclean. If one establishes this rationality for mankind's nature, then all the characters in the play can be accounted for.
This was one of my favorite books during my childhood days. The book is a classic, and Disney later made it into a motion picture. the story’’s climax develops quickly by telling stories and adventures of a boy named Travis and his old stray yellow dog named Yeller.At the introduction of the book Travis is plowing corn in the garden when an old yellow darts bye and causes the mule to jump. He chases the dog out of the garden and curses at him. Then a few days later the stray dog ate some of the deer meat that was very important for the family’’s survival. Travis was very angered and threatened to kill the mischievious yellow dog, but his younger brother, Arliss, would not allow this.
Hard work was a big part of the family’s survival but the family also needed loving care supplied by Mama. Mama showed her loving care by keeping her family well fed. When Bud Sanderson comes to claim Old Yeller Mama ma...
After reading the novel it is very apparent that Lennie is obsessed with touching soft things. The last job Lennie and George had Lennie was caught inappropriately touching a woman’s dress, all of the men were after him. George took ahold of the situation by quickly leaving with Lennie to look for more work. This is a great example of his loyalty to Lennie. Whenever they come across trouble, George stays with Lennie to move on to the next place instead of abandoning him. George continues to travel with Lennie helping him get jobs and helps protect him once he’s on the job. An example of George protection Lennie on the job is found on page 22 when George and Lennie arrive on the farm. “The boss pointed a playful finger at Lennie. ‘He ain’t much of a talker, is he?” (pg. 22). George does all of the talking for Lennie and explains how he doesn’t talk much but how he is a strong, hard worker. George does this because he knows Lennie cannot verbalize his points well. Immediately Slim recognizes their friendship and wants to have the same type of relationship with someone as they have with each
The emotional symbiosis between George and Lennie helps each man. Lennie’s attachment to George is most strongly visible when Crooks suggests George is not coming back. Lennie is almost moved to hysterics and his fear does not quickly abate. George prefers to feign dislike for Lennie to Lennie’s face: “I could get along so easy and so nice if I didn’t have you on my tail” (7). When pressed, George reveals his true feelings for Lennie. “I want you to stay with me Lennie” (13). They stay together because “It’s a lot easier to go around with a guy you know” (35). Both men need and value their strong emotional relationship.
It is then revealed that Lennie’s obsession with all things soft has gotten him and George in hot water. One particular incident featured Lennie stroking a woman’s dress, because he enjoyed the softness. The woman confused this for attempted rape, and when she jolted back to escape his grasp, Lennie held on, she threw a fit, which lead to Lennie and George hiding, or rather George hiding Lennie, from police officials.
John Steinbeck was inspired by the line "The best schemes o' mice an' men [often go awry]" by Robert Burns in one of his poems. This line refers to ambitions that went off track during the process. There are multiple examples in the novel that refers to the line in the poem, that inspired John Steinbeck. Those examples are Curley's boxing career coming to an end, Curley's wife not becoming a actress, and Lennie's plans of tending the rabbits, but messed everything up.
Shakespeare uses soliloquy as a dramatic tool to unveil the man behind the disguise. The true nature of the protagonist, Hamlet, is riddled by false appearances and deliberate attempts to deceive characters within the play, mainly characterised by his conscious intention “To put on an antic disposition”. Whilst the audience is disorientated by Hamlet’s erratic moods and inconsistent behaviour – the alternation between passive inaction, failing to act when he has an opportunity to avenge and kill Claudius whilst he prays, and volatile linguistic attacks in Gertrude’s chamber – the soliloquies provide consistency. They are intimate, private, confessional accounts in which Hamlet does not have to ‘act’ as he does around other characters. Therefore they serve to distinguish the original Hamlet from the specious character he plays within the play itself. Similarly in The Revenger’s Tragedy, Middleton attempts to separate Vindice from the role he adopts as the pander. However, the consequences of these revelations of truth are divergent. Whilst in The Revenger’s Tragedy, Vindice is able to disconnect genuine feeling from necessary action, and acts contrary to the emotions revealed in his asides, Hamlet’s soliloquies indicate his course of action. The reluctance to act that Hamlet expresses in his soliloquies translates to his ineffectuality at revenging his father’s death. Throughout the play, Shakespeare’s use of soliloquies provides commentary and insight for the audience so that they can decipher between false impressions and the real Hamlet behind the disguise.
Hamlet is inhuman. He has seen through humanity. And this inhuman cynicism, however justifiable in this case, on the plane of causality and individual responsibility, is a deadly and venomous thing. Instinctively the creatures of earth-Laertes, Polonius, Ophelia, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, league themselves with Claudius: they are of his kind. They sever themselves from Hamlet. Laertes sternly warns Ophelia against her intimacy with Hamlet, so does Polonius. They are, in fact, all leagued against him, they are puzzled by him or fear him: he has no friend except Horatio, and Horatio, after the ghost scenes, becomes a queer shadowy character who rarely gets beyond "E'en so, my lord," "My lord-," and suchlike phrases. The other persons are firmly drawn, in the round, creatures of flesh and blood. But Hamlet is not of flesh and blood, he is a spirit of penetrating intellect and cynicism and misery, without faith in himself or anyone else, murdering his love of Ophelia, on the brink of insanity, taking delight in cruelty, torturing Claudius, wringing his mother's heart, a poison in the midst of the healthy bustle of the court. He is a superman among men. And he is a superman because he has walked and held converse with Death, and his consciousness works in terms of Death and the Negation of Cynicism. He has seen the truth, not alone of Denmark, but of humanity, of the universe: and the truth is evil. Thus Hamlet is an element of evil in the state of Denmark. The poison of his mental existence spreads outwards among things of flesh and blood, like acid eating into metal. They are helpless before his very inactivity and fall one after the other, like victims of an infectious disease. They are strong with the strength of health -but the demon of Hamlet's mind is a stronger thing than they. Futilely they try to get him out of their country; anything to get rid of him, he is not safe. But he goes with a cynical smile, and is no sooner gone than he is back again in their midst, meditating in graveyards, at home with Death. Not till it has slain all, is the demon that grips Hamlet satisfied.
So much is going on in Hamlet's life, his father's death, his uncle's rise to power, Fortinbras at the ready to strike and invade Denmark, and his relationship with Ophelia, that he is feels helpless and not even in control of his own life. He feels trapped and confined by his situation and therefor not in control of it. Hamlet feels as if the situations that he is in are controlling him rather than he being able to control them and he feels trapped by them, particularly the situation with Claudius. "Hamlet: …What have you, my good friends, deserved at the hands of Fortune that she sends you to prison hither? Guildenstern: Prison my lord? Hamlet: Denmark's a prison" (Act 2, Scene 2, verses 242-247) Hamlet even goes so far as to call Denmark a prison because he feels so trapped in his life there and feels so helpless to change his situation, as if he were locked into it like a prison cell.
The protagonist Hamlet is tasked by the ghost of Old Hamlet, his father and the former king, to kill his murderer Claudius, who also hastily married Hamlet’s newly widowed mother. Hamlet feigns madness and tries to find ways to get revenge, but is faced with multiple moments of indecision. These lines serve to introduce the idea of sickness as well as build a sense of unease to darken the mood in preparation for the appearance of the ghost. Later, in a soliloquy, Hamlet reveals to us his anger, disgust, and sorrow towards Claudius and his mother for marrying too quickly, especially so soon after the death of Old Hamlet. His speech is full of words that suggest disease and corruption, especially when he says “tis an unweeded garden, that grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature” (1.2.145-36).
Curley’s wife suffers from loneliness also. Her only companion is very controlling. Curley makes sure his wife doesn’t talks to anyone. She is a victim of herself because she married a man that she hardly even knew. She married him though to have a companion. She killed herself and Lennie because of her need for companionship. She craves companionship because she is an attractive woman with need for interaction. Curley’s wife says,” Think I don’t like to talk to somebody ever’ once in a while? (Pg. 77)”.
Hamlet is a play by William Shakespeare about a prince named Hamlet who was spoken to by the ghost of his dead father telling Hamlet to kill his uncle Claudius (the new king) because Claudius killed him. The story revolves around Hamlet's dillema of how to kill his uncle while being deceptive enough so that no one finds out about the ghost. This essay will prove how deception is often used in Hamlet for many reasons. Claudius uses deception to protect himself from being prosecuted for his crime of killing the King. No one knows what the deal is with Gertrude because she deceives everybody by keeping to herself all the time keeping everyone from knowing anything. By using quotes from the book I will prove how these two (Claudius and Gertrude) and among a few others , use deception for different reasons and in different ways. A lot of the times it is to protect someone, or themselvs because they believe that the truth will hurt more than their lies.
In the beginning of the story, Hamlet’s character was struggling with the sudden marriage of his mother, Gertrude, to his uncle, Claudius, a month after his father is death. For a young man, it’s hard to believe that he understood why his mother quickly married Claudius especially since, Claudius is his uncle. Later he learned that his father’s ghost was sighted. Intuitively, he knew there had to be some kind of “foul play.” At this point, Hamlet is a university student; his morals and way of thinking are defined by books and what was taught to him. This is seen when he speaks about the flaws of men, setting a bad reputation for all, and the man’s flaws causing their “downfall.”(a.1, sc.4, l.)
In addition to revealing Hamlet's plot to catch the king in his guilt, this soliloquy uncovers the very essence of Hamlet's true conflict. Characters such as Polonius, Rosencrantz, and Claudius are all hiding behind a mask of fallacy. Yet they appear to others as exactly what they are not. Hamlet, in his soliloquy, coincides with the idea of appearance differentiating from what is actually the truth. Hamlet portrays himself to be something far worse than he really is.
As the play’s tragic hero, Hamlet exhibits a combination of good and bad traits. A complex character, he displays a variety of characteristics throughout the play’s development. When he is first introduced in Act I- Scene 2, one sees Hamlet as a sensitive young prince who is mourning the death of his father, the King. In addition, his mother’s immediate marriage to his uncle has left him in even greater despair. Mixed in with this immense sense of grief, are obvious feelings of anger and frustration. The combination of these emotions leaves one feeling sympathetic to Hamlet; he becomes a very “human” character. One sees from the very beginning that he is a very complex and conflicted man, and that his tragedy has already begun.