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.
As A.C. Bradley states, “The rashness of his division of the kingdom troubles us [the readers]” and his “motive is mainly selfish” (Bradley). King Lear’s infatuation with himself leaves him satisfied with the false professions of love an... ... middle of paper ... ...ome of which are character flaws and some of which are deliberate, that preclude them from comprehending reality. As later seen in the play, Gloucester’s hasty decision to disinherit his son Edgar based on a false perception, led to Gloucester’s ultimate death. Similarly, King Lear’s misperceptions of his children also led to thoughtless decisions that brought about his death. Even though King Lear eventually regained the ability to distinguish between appearance and reality, it was too late.
Hamlet on the other hand looks at life only for its negative qualities and it almost seems that Hamlet wants to have more bad things to look at and have a reason to be depressed about. His very first sentence, "A little more than kin, and less than kind. ", shows that Hamlet is very suspicious of the current king although he has no justifiable reason to be. One of the most important sentences in comparing Hamlet and Laertes I believe is, "Seems, madam! Nay, it is; I know not "seems.".
Your fat king and your lean beggar is but variable service—two dishes but to one table. That’s the end” (4,3,22). In a weird response to say the least, no one sane would ever dare say this to a king for fear of reprove. Hamlet, on the other hand, acts insane to somewhat protect himself from the kings harm and quietly threaten him at the same time. This cunning way for threatening Claudius reveals Hamlet’s rather high intelligence and scheming ways.
Relationships are built off a balance of trust and communication. As soon as one end fails, the other one will hit the ground as well, causing the relationship to crumble into a pit of distrust and despair. In a family perspective, through the traumatic divorce and remarriage, sometimes the children will not agree with the new step-father, allowing for the scale to tip and the relationship ruined. This balancing of the scales breaks in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” between Claudius—the murderous stepfather who only cares for his well-being—and Hamlet—the vengeful son feeling as if the whole world is against him—during the progression of the play. Shakespeare conveys this hostile and vitriolic relationship through language that invokes Hamlet’s
Hamlet on the other hand has a very hasty and impulsive nature, but he learns to tame it as the book goes on. He starts off being a show off and following the ghost, then he learns about his fathers' murder which "drives him mad" (or so everyone thinks he is for no defined reason), but he does not let these emotions control him completely be... ... middle of paper ... ...ns hastily without much premeditated thought, while Claudius plots everything out before actually does anything. The morality of an issue worries Hamlet while Claudius has no appreciation for moral law. Finally, Claudius does whatever it takes to get power, while Hamlet does the same type of things, although they are not right he feels bad about them and has moral conflicts unlike Claudius who murders without moral consent. Shakespeare wrote in characters like Claudius to help his audience understand more about the main character.
During various points in the play, Hamlet is presented with opportunities and chances to retaliate on behalf of his father. However, he lacks the resolve and guts to do so. Hamlet himself is discouraged by his lack of action; “But I am pigeon-liver’d, and lack gall” (Shakespeare 2.2.526). He calls himself a wimp who is not daring enough to kill Claudius and instead “must like a whore, unpack my heart with words” (2.2.535). Hamlet’s cowardice, in this part of the scene, is easily noticed.
Hamlet was to shy to tell Ophelia what his true feelings were for her; until it was too late. Hamlet’s emotional state when he’s around Claudius is very blunt. You could tell that Hamlet doesn’t really care for him. Since he became his uncle/Step-father. Hamlet loathes Claudius even more after he found out that he was the one responsible for his father’s death.
In this play, Hamlet is the king of soliloquies. Since he is trying to convince everyone that he is crazy, the only time that the audience gets a real sense of who Hamlet is, is when he is doing these long speeches. These are not just thrown into the play at random, Shakespeare was very crafty with the placement of these speeches. The most famous soliloquy comes from Act Three, Scene One. “To be, or not to be, that is the question: Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous misfortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing end them.” In this speech Hamlet discusses whether or not it is better to be dead or alive.
If he had friends who could prove to Laertes the play would not have ended as a tragedy, but because of his failure in relationships- failure in personal life Hamlet loses the battle. Unless there isn’t anybody to guide or torch when stress and indecisiveness overcome a man, that man will fail like the unpropitious Hamlet. Hamlet fails as a prince and as an individual because he was under stress, indecisiveness as he surrendered to the soldier, the battle of inner voice and the external roar, which led to his downfall. Hamlet wanted to kill Claudius; finally he lost his life also. Double thinking is good but if it prolonged as unending it is destructive in result.