Characters in Shakespeare's Hamlet

These word battles reveal how the characters truly feel, and hint towards what will happen later in the play. The final way that Shakespeare uses rhetoric in Hamlet is through plays within a play. He uses these to confirm suspicions, and also to prepare the audience for the tragedy that is in store at the end of the play because of what is found out during the play within the play. Shakespeare was a very skilled writer who was able to pack a lot of meaning into his

In Hamlet, Shakespeare develops the character of Hamlet through numerous soliloquies and long speeches. Not only is the use of these literary devices difficult for the actor, but it is also draining on the audience, who must listen to the monotony of the same person speak continually for several minutes, without any interruption. Playwrights developed plays to appeal to both the audience and the prominent stage actors of the period. Shakespeare needed a means to reduce the amount of time Hamlet talks to himself. The addition of another character, Horatio, provides this, by turning what might have been a tedious monologue into a more manageable dialogue between two characters.

The two main characters - Hamlet and Claudius, are also created very effectively. Shakespeare uses them to play off each other and create two 'false' characters and opinions about each one. This is very skilful, but as examined, the portrayal of Hamlet's double personality is not as good as Claudius', and so it decreases the impact of his entrance into the play. Later on though, when he is developed, it becomes evident that he is a person who is the protagonist to Claudius' antagonistic ways. This means two very powerful men have been created, ones that the audience can both fear and respect, yet sympathise with at the same time.

William Shakespeare once said "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them" Greatness is within ourselves. Some more known than others. William Shakespeare is timeless for his creative and brilliant writing. He cunningly uses many techniques. In the epic tragedy Hamlet, William Shakespeare craftily designs the supporting characters of Ophelia, Laertes, and Fortinbras as foils to the main character of Hamlet; in so doing, this literary technique compares and contrasts their natures and reveals Hamlet's true character.

However, Iago's achievement also hinges on his ability to exploit the character's innate weaknesses. Iago perceives the protagonists 'seeds' of self-destruction and merely fertilisers them with base bestial language and non-'ocular' proof. This ability to find and exploit weakness has made him such an accomplished villain. Although there is contention surrounding Iago's significance in the downfall of Othello, one thing remains true: Iago is one of Shakespeare's most complex, intriguing and malignant characters. Without Iago there would be no tragedy.

Claudius responds to situations with a decisive manor, has few morals if any and he is always power-hungry and will do anything to get that power. Hamlet has a more of an impulsive nature, that he struggles to control through out the play, however Claudius has a more methodical nature. He is very indecisive and sometimes this leads to a hasty decision in which he gives his enemies the advantage. When he encounters the Ghost for the first time, he wants to appear brave in front of Marcellus and Horatio, so he decides to say, "My fate cries out And makes each petty artere in this body As hardy as the Nemean lion's nerve. Still am I called.

He is constantly thinking, and questioning new concepts throughout the play. All of these things that Hamlet evidently displays directly contradict whether Hamlet is truly insane or just feigning madness. Prince Hamlet’s critical and rational way of thinking shows his ability to understand concepts and consider things in greater depth than an unstable mind could. When he is able to wrap his mind around something that others may find unfathomable, it gives him an advantage because he is able to reach higher levels of thinking that others cannot obtain. When he first sees Rosencrantz and Guildenstern he says: What (a) piece of work is man!

The style of the writing creates a particular connotation that the author couldn’t have captured otherwise. Shakespeare implements innumerous literary devices throughout the whole play and especially concentrates them in soliloquys as they tend to emphasize the importance of the passage and help us feel the tone of the scene. All of the literally devices that were scattered amongst Hamlet’s soliloquy in Act 3, Scene 4 enabled us to get a full sense of his anger and truly observe his disgust.

People such as Romeo, Friar Laurence, and Capulet are people who are made out to be wise, but,in the end, they make all the wrong decisions. Mercutio serves as a foil to all these characters. He is considered by every character in the play to be a fool, but, in the long run, he is the one whois the wisest. He brings a sense of comic relief as well as a reality check to many of the character’s inthe play. Although he can be seen as a laughable youth, his character serves to show how manyof the so-called wiser characters are actually fools.

The Theme of Appearance vs. Reality in William Shakespeare's Works Characters within one of William Shakespeare's greatest tragic plays, Hamlet, appear to be true and honest but in reality are infested with many falsehoods and deceptions. Characters such as Polonius, Claudius, and Hamlet give an impression of a person who is sincere and genuine, but behind their masks are plagued with lies and evil. As a result of Shakespeare's ingenious character development, there is a dominant and overwhelming theme that is concurrent throughout the play. The theme of appearance versus reality engages the reader to overlook apparent behavioural fallacies of the character to achieve a greater sense of understanding of the decisions made by that character.