Hamlet Compare And Contrast Essay

Shakespeare often uses language to convey a characters intelligence and mental condition. He consistently uses iambic pentameter in the speeches of his most noble characters. For characters of lower class, or for characters who have gone insane, Shakespeare writes their speeches in prose, or prosaic language. In the play Hamlet, Shakespeare uses both iambic pentameter and prose speech to show Hamlets attempt to act insane in certain situations and sane in others. Hamlet chooses to “stand and unfold himself” in both types of language, just in a different style. Although Hamlet speaks in these two very distinct styles of language throughout the play, he conveys the same emotions, questions and ideas within both of his prose and poetic speeches,

When first discovering his father’s murder, Hamlet proclaims in the soliloquy of act I scene ii that he wishes God had not made suicide a sin. He is so distraught and disgusted towards his mother and King Claudius that he wishes to end the suffering by any means possible. He also becomes increasingly frustrated with his lack of action in his plan to kill King Claudius for revenge. He insults himself, proclaiming that he is a weak coward and asks why he cannot murder Claudius, when he has all the means? He watches men fight over a small patch of land, a matter with little meaning, so why can he not avenge his father, which is a deeply important matter? Hamlet appears similarly judgmental of himself and suicidal in his conversation with Ophelia, in which he speaks in prose. Hamlet proclaims to Ophelia that “it were better my mother had not borne me” (III, i: 134). He also asks her rhetorically, “What should such fellows as I do crawling between earth and heaven? We are arrant knaves, all.” (III, i: 138-139). In contrast to his feelings about his mother, Hamlet does not have to oppress his suicidal feelings in his prose speech, because suicide is a common subject for an insane person to consider. This leaves the reader questioning, is this all part of Hamlets insanity act, or does he actually feel this