Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
nature of revenge in hamlet
theme of appearance vs reality in hamlet
the understanding of Hamlet's famous speech
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: nature of revenge in hamlet
Hamlet
What is a tragedy? A tragedy can be defined as a form of drama that depicts the suffering of a heroic individual who is often overcome by the very obstacles he is struggling to remove (Tragedy 1). Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, is considered a tragedy in literature and the character of Hamlet in the play is considered to be a tragic hero. In addition, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is considered to be a type of tragedy called revenge tragedy. Basically, this type of play consists of a murder that has to be avenged by a relative of the victim (DiYanni 1394). Ultimately, the play is about a son that is called upon by the ghost of his father to avenge his death.
On the surface, the play about Hamlet may appear to be a typical revenge tragedy. However, crime, madness, ghostly anguish, poison, overheard conversations, conspiracies, and a final scene littered with corpses: Hamlet subscribes to the basic ingredients of the formula, but it also transcends the conventions of revenge tragedy because Hamlet contemplates not merely revenge but suicide and the meaning of life itself (DiYanni 1394). There are three crucial points in the plot in which Hamlet expresses his particular thoughts and positions. In each of these scenes, Hamlet displays his character in and through the manner in which he chooses to act in the situations in which he finds himself, and provides information about his stance on life as a whole. In addition, in each of the scenes there are reoccurring themes of revenge and appearance versus reality. As mentioned before, the major theme of the novel is revenge and this can be seen because Hamlet must avenge his father’s murder by killing Claudius. The second major theme of the play is the theme of appearance versus reality. The play makes several references to how things appear versus the truth (Hamlet 6). For example, King Hamlet’s death appears to be a snakebite in the beginning of the play, but it turns out to be a calculated murder (Hamlet 6).
The first crucial point in the plot where Hamlet’s thought and character are displayed takes place during the first scene during Act III, Scene 1. In this act, some of the most famous and most important lines in the play are spoken. In Hamlet’s soliloquy during Act III, Scene 1, Hamlet asks a question concerning the nature of bei...
... middle of paper ...
...d not learning anything of providence, the play would be a complete tragedy. However, this is not the case, and the play is not as tragic as it could be.
Lastly, by observing Hamlet’s character and thoughts throughout these three specific points in the play, the themes of revenge and appearance versus reality can clearly be seen. At the beginning of the play, Hamlet is unsure if he should seek revenge because he is not able to differentiate between appearance and reality. However, by the end of the play, Hamlet has realized that it is his fate to kill Claudius and seek revenge for the murder of his father. Also, Hamlet has found a deeper understanding of providence and realizes that the reality of his life is to avenge the death of his father.
Works Cited
DiYanni, Robert, Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry and Drama. New York:
McGraw-Hill, 2002.
Hamlet. 2001-2002. Bookwolf. 14 Dec. 2004 .
Hamlet. 1997. PinkMonkey.com. 14 Dec. 2004 .
The World of Hamlet. 5 Mar. 1992. Dr, Gerald Lucas. 14 Dec, 2004
< http://litmuse.maconstate.edu/~glucas/archives/000382.shtml>.
Tragedy. AllRefer.com. 14 Dec, 2004 < http://reference.allrefer.com/>.
In conclusion, throughout Hamlet the idea of revenge is very prominent and important. Critics may state that guilt is the most important theme for the way in which is helps move along the play. However, revenge also moves the play along and does it from start to finish. As well, the theme of revenge allows the reader to learn more about character development, foreshadowing of characters death and in the end it is the main reason of the majority of main characters deaths.
Appearance can be defined as a superficial aspect; a semblance; or pretending something is the case in order to make a good impression. Reality on the other hand can be defined as the state of being actual or real; the state of the world as it really is rather than as you might want it to be. It is undeniably noticeable that throughout Shakespeare’s Hamlet many characters are playing roles: acting rather than being. This unquestionably reminds the reader of reality, where a person can play various roles. In reality, as well as in the play, it is not always easy to distinguish what is true from what only appears to be true. Throughout Hamlet, Shakespeare illuminates the theme of appearance versus reality by portraying principal characters. The principal characters put on an act to conceal their true motives and use it to carry out that motivation as well.
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.
In Lesson 19 of the videotape “Literary Visions';, the actor performs two interpretations of the monologue, “To be or not to be';. As said in the video, there are many ways that an actor can choose to interpret that particular speech in Hamlet. Many actors relish the opportunity to perform Hamlet, because of that particular speech. In a play, the actors’ interpretation of the character is what gives the audience the background and insights into the characters’ feelings, since there is not a narrator, like in a short story. Each actor’s version of Hamlet is different, and therefore the interpretation by the audience will be different. There is not a right or wrong interpretation, but a change in the actor’s tone of voice or facial expressions, can transform the meanings of the words. As seen in the video, the actor’s two interpretations of “To be or not to be'; from the video are very different from each other.
In Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, protagonist Hamlet, experiences many rises and falls throughout the play that have a major impact on his mentality decline. The way in which readers interpret the character, Hamlet, can vary in many ways. For instance, Hamlet delivers many soliloquies throughout the work, giving readers a better insight of his state of mind. Additionally, two significant soliloquies in both Acts II and III show a clear view of Hamlet’s mental and emotional state.
William Shakespeare is seen to many as one of the great writers in history. More specifically, the characters in his plays are reviewed and criticized and have been so for nearly four centuries. The character that many have revered Shakespeare for is perhaps the greatest such character ever in literature, Hamlet from Shakespeare's Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. The commentary and response to this legend of literature is of wide array and opinion, though most, such as Pennington, believe him to be a truly magnificent character: "Hamlet is perhaps the cleverest hero ever written, the subject of the first European tragedy, a form of genius. A type Shakespeare despaired of writing thereafter, having perceived that the heroes of tragedies must be sublime idiots" (185). However, despite his clear gifts and aura, Hamlet was a doomed character from the beginning: Hamlet is dominated by an emotion that is inexpressible. It is thus a feeling he cannot understand, he cannot objectify it, and it therefore remains open to poison life and to obstruct action" (Eliot 25). Thus, Hamlet, while possessing the traits of no other men of his time, a true Renaissance man, was doomed from the beginning of the play partly by forces he could not control, and also partly by his own character. It leads to a slow but definite ending to one of literature's great characters, one that he could not control. In the end, Hamlet was out of place in his environment, he was simply not meant to be.
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.
One of the most popular characters in Shakespearean literature, Hamlet endures difficult situations within the castle he lives in. The fatal death of his father, and urge for revenge leads Hamlet into making unreasonable decisions. In William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, Hamlet’s sanity diminishes as the story progresses, impacting the people around him as well as the timing and outcome of his revenge against Claudius.
The three main turning points of Hamlet all revolve around Hamlet seeking revenge for his father’s murder. The three scenes depict Hamlet’s growth of character from a hesitant philosopher to a rash man of action. In the players’ scene, Hamlet takes extra care in confirming the authenticity of the ghost’s story, while deeply debating the morality of killing Claudius. In the prayer scene, Hamlet remains indefinite in the decision of taking vengeance for his father, as he neglects his best opportunity to end Claudius’ life. Hamlet makes a drastic change of character in the closet scene when he kills who he thinks is Claudius without hesitation. This shows he is now ready to take action for his father. However, it is Polonius behind the curtain, and his death sets off a chain of unexpected events that alters the plot and characters of Hamlet.
To begin with, many scholars have suggested that Hamlet’s motives directly correlate to Shakespeare’s own life and experiences. With such an intricate work of literature, it is easily assumed that "anything which will give us the key to the inner meaning of Hamlet will necessarily provide a clue to much of the deeper workings of Shakespeare’s mind" (Jones 25). While this may be true, one cannot necessarily assume that unlocking Hamlet’s motives and frame of mind will bring us closer to William Shakespeare, as a person and personality. Rather, it is safe to say that in exploring Hamlet’s intentions, one can find insight into the mentality of Shakespeare; the ideas which he molded into the character of Hamlet, in order to build the persona which he used to explore the subject of revenge. Like with many great works, a reader cannot always assume that the main character is modeled after the author who penned it. This is a biased way to look at literature, and often detracts from the piece as a whole. One should only take that the ideas portrayed in the work are those that stemmed from the writer’s mind, and therefore links the dramatist with the piece, as in Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
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.
Throughout Hamlet, each character’s course of revenge surrounds them with corruption, obsession, and fatality. Shakespeare shows that revenge proves to be extremely problematic. Revenge causes corruption by changing an individual’s persona and nature. Obsession to revenge brings forth difficulties such as destroyed relationships. Finally, revenge can be the foundation to the ultimate sacrifice of fatality. Hamlet goes to show that revenge is never the correct route to follow, and it is always the route with a dead
Hamlet’s mourning about the death of his father and the remarriage of his mother drives him to madness. This is the main characters inner tragedy that Shakespeare expresses in the play. First he considers suicide but the ghost of King Hamlet sends him on a different path, directing him to revenge his death. Shakespeare uses Hamlet to articulate his thoughts about life, death and revenge. Being a moral character he must decide if revenge is the right thing to do. Shakespeare relays many scenarios of reasoning to the audience about mankind His hero sets the wrongs on mankind right again.
Like all Shakespearean tragedies, Hamlet’s ending is no different in end-result. Hamlet’s separation from society and his self-imposed confusion caused by over-thinking results in the unnecessary deaths of most of the major characters. In turn, Hamlet’s pre-occupation with factors inessential to his mission of revenge slows down his action. It is this internal struggle that illustrates the intensity and complexity of Shakespeare’s revenge tragedy, something that is often looked at from a psychological perspective.
Hamlet is one of the most often-performed and studied plays in the English language. The story might have been merely a melodramatic play about murder and revenge, butWilliam Shakespeare imbued his drama with a sensitivity and reflectivity that still fascinates audiences four hundred years after it was first performed. Hamlet is no ordinary young man, raging at the death of his father and the hasty marriage of his mother and his uncle. Hamlet is cursed with an introspective nature; he cannot decide whether to turn his anger outward or in on himself. The audience sees a young man who would be happiest back at his university, contemplating remote philosophical matters of life and death. Instead, Hamlet is forced to engage death on a visceral level, as an unwelcome and unfathomable figure in his life. He cannot ignore thoughts of death, nor can he grieve and get on with his life, as most people do. He is a melancholy man, and he can see only darkness in his future—if, indeed, he is to have a future at all. Throughout the play, and particularly in his two most famous soliloquies, Hamlet struggles with the competing compulsions to avenge his father’s death or to embrace his own. Hamlet is a man caught in a moral dilemma, and his inability to reach a resolution condemns himself and nearly everyone close to him.