People are obsessed with the interrelation between different demeanors. Weather it be art and literature, matching shoes and shirts, or between men and women. We live in a society full of irreverent and dysfunctional relationships. In-fact, we were lucky enough to live during the time of The Break-up Heard 'Round the World, other wise known as when Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt broke up. The reason why the masses of literate minds are sucked into this timeless display of courtship is because they themselves have experienced similar relationships and knowing that they are not alone in the miserably bleak world of despair in the vain quest for love and acceptance. The many degrees of alliances, how strong they are, why they are being maintained, and what possible stresses can be applied to them by antagonists are all real world situations. People like to critique other people, and Hamlet is full of many archetype characters. Hamlet is based off of consanguinity, and the ext ream effect it has on people. People have aspirations and people want love.
The relationships displayed in Hamlet revolve around personal lives clashing around ambitions. Ambitions driven by greed or revenge. "The serpent that did sting thy father's life/Now wears his crown." (Ghost 1,5) Hamlet talks to his fathers ghost and finds out that his uncle, his fathers own brother killed his father. From here on he is driven to get revenge for his fathers death. The rest of the play he puts on an antic disposition so he can get the information he wants and not have to explain why he is acting they way he is. If everyone thinks that Hamlet is crazy then they will not be suspicious. Hamlet is determined at all costs to kill Claudius from then on. "Does it not, think the, stand me now upon-/He that hath killed my king, and whored my mother,/...is't not perfect conscience/ To quit him with this arm?" (Hamlet 5,2) Hamlet is on the brink of killing Claudius and will soon have the chance. "Here, thou incestuous, murderous, damned Dane,/ Drink off this option. Is thy union here?/ Follow my mother." (Hamlet 5,2) This was said after his duel with Leartes, after he knew he was going to die. He makes Claudius drink from the poisoned cup his mother drank from. One of the last things he does is ensure that his vengeance is complete.
In William Shakespeare 's Hamlet, there are many characters that allow themselves to be manipulated and be consumed by their own emotions. The way that this type of irrational behavior occurs is when Claudius killed Hamlet Sr, this causes a chain reaction of unfortunate events. Gertrude and Claudius plan to immediately marry after the death of the king. On going with the repercussions of the event; Hamlet is later visited by the dead spirit of his father. This happening caused Hamlet to realize that he needed to avenge his dead father by killing Claudius and rightfully taking the throne back after the ghost of his father told him to do so. Along with all the supernatural things that occur Hamlet is faced with technicalities in the Kingdom of Denmark. His love for Ophelia is rebuffed do to Polonius and Laertes insisting to her that Hamlet only wants to be with her for her only for lust. Claudius hires people to spy on Hamlet and report his every move to him. Hamlet attempts to
This is a crucial element in the development of the revenge plot for the reason that it will confirm that the murderer is indeed Claudius, thus allowing Hamlet to further proceed with his revenge. If, on the other hand, Claudius does not show any signs of guilt, the revenge plot will be delayed as Hamlet will have to find other ways to prove that Claudius is responsible for his father’s death. Furthermore, through Hamlet’s display of antic-disposition, it results in Claudius to come to a decision to send Hamlet off to England. In this particular scene, further character development of Claudius can be seen as he explains to Gertrude, “The sun no sooner shall the mountain touch / But we will ship him hence; and this vile deed” (IV.I.29-30). As noted from the previous act, when Claudius attempts to repent for his sins, he explains that he wishes to keep all that he received as a result from killing the King. For the reason that Claudius decides to send Hamlet away in fear that he is in danger, his character is further developed as being a man of fear who values materials and power more than anything else. All in all, it is evident that external conflict between Hamlet and Claudius is present throughout the play as they continuously plot against each
In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Hamlet the king of Denmark is murdered by his brother, Claudius, and as a ghost tells his son, Hamlet the prince of Denmark, to avenge him by killing his brother. The price Hamlet does agree to his late father’s wishes, and undertakes the responsibility of killing his uncle, Claudius. However even after swearing to his late father, and former king that he would avenge him; Hamlet for the bulk of the play takes almost no action against Claudius. Prince Hamlet in nature is a man of thought throughout the entirety of the play; even while playing mad that is obvious, and although this does seem to keep him alive, it is that same trait that also keeps him from fulfilling his father’s wish for vengeance
An important factor of any fictional story is the antagonist, or a person who conflicts with the protagonist – the “hero” of the story (Encarta). As many have come to the realization already, Claudius is the main antagonist to Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Uncle to Prince Hamlet, King of Denmark and Husband of Gertrude, Claudius is quite a character. Imagine the guilt and anxiety brought about by killing one’s own brother, claiming his kingdom as your own, and then going so far as to marry his widow. These were the crimes of King Claudius of Denmark, and one can see that he was pretty much written to be despised by the reader, a noticeable aspect of Shakespeare’s age-old work. Moreover, many often quickly assume, upon their first reading of the play, that Prince Hamlet ought to kill the king (Goddard).
Claudius is seen in Hamlets eyes as a horrible person because he convicted murder and incest. Claudius had killed the king of Denmark, Old Hamlet, to obtain the position of the throne. He had been jealous of Old Hamlet’s wife Gertrude and wanted to marry her for her power. Although, such an act would be called incest and considered unnatural he did not care, all he had cared about was the power that he would be stealing from Hamlet and Old Hamlet, Gertrude’s son and husband (R). When Hamlet had talked to his f...
Hamlet was told by the ghost of king hamlet to get back at Claudius for his death, or his soul will travel on earth forever. Even before hamlet knew about Claudius killing his father he had problems. It made hamlet mad that his mother would marry so fast and with his uncle. What Claudius did was an outrageous, back stabbing, and unbelievable thing. It was clearly an act of jealousy for his brother's throne and the wife. Claudius did pay back for his actions. Claudius lost his wife, his messenger, and died and even after his death kept loosing because he lost his castle to Fortinbras.
After several attempts to kill Hamlet fail, Claudius teams up with Laertes and tries to murder Hamlet once and for all. Each of these plans directly or indirectly caused Hamlet’s death. After Hamlet talks to the ghost of his father, he finds out that Claudius killed him to gain the throne of Denmark. Hamlet has to get revenge by killing Claudius. To do this, he must act insane to draw away suspicion from himself. Hamlet says to Hortaio "How strange or odd some’er I bear myself as I perchanse hereafter shall think meet to put an antic disposition on,"(I;v;170-172).
Both men plot, and kill, but before acting they take a great deal of time to think about their actions. Hamlet likes to set up and get everything right before acting on his suspicions or ideas. He thinks about how his actions will affect everyone and this is because of the substantial amount of common sense he has. Before killing Claudius, he came up with a plan to take him down and exploit him for killing his father. He knows that he cannot just kill him right away because people will be confused and blame Hamlet, so he plans to crack him first. He puts on a play portraying a young man poisoning his uncle, which riles Claudius because he poisoned Hamlet’s father. By putting on the play Hamlet alerted Claudius about how much he knew which scared Claudius. Hamlet goes on to a more elaborate plan to act “mad” which instills much fear into Claudius because he thinks Hamlet now poses as a threat to him which is what Hamlet wants. Claudius’ reaction to Hamlet’s madness is shown when he...
The relationship between Hamlet and Claudius is problematic, largely due to the fact that they both wish death upon the other. For instance, they view each other as a threat, which is a foreboding sign within a royal family. When Hamlet learns that his father was murdered by his own uncle - Claudius, Hamlet vows to avenge his father’s death by killing Claudius when he is told, “But know, thou noble youth, The serpent that did sting thy father’s life now wears his crown” (1.5.38-40). In other words, the ghost of Old King Hamlet informs Hamlet that Claudius has murdered him. He compares Claudius to a serpent, a large deadly
In the play, Hamlet seeks revenge on his uncle Claudius. Claudius killed Hamlet’s dad and then married his mom to become the leader of Denmark. Later in the play, Hamlet sees his dad’s ghost and is informed of the horrific act committed by his uncle. Hamlets’ dad’s ghost says, “Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” (I. V. 25). Hamlets’ dad says this to Hamlet so that his uncle could get retribution for his action. Hamlet has many opportunities to kill Claudius but is unable because of the wrong timing. While Claudius is praying, Hamlet has an opportunity to slay him but doesn’t because if he killed him in his prayers he will make him go to heaven instead of hell. Another minor reason for Hamlet’s revenge against his uncle is his affection towards his mother. As the play progresses, we are able to determine that Hamlet’s relationship with his mom is close to incest status. With this information, we are able ...
Claudius is Hamlet’s uncle and stepfather. He had an affair with Hamlet’s mother and murdered Hamlet’s father. Claudius cared for no one in the play but himself. There were very few happy moment for Hamlet in the play, but one came when he made a play within the play. Hamlet wanted to see the reaction the Claudius had to the scene on the play where they show how the king was murdered. Claudius’ reaction to the scene was astounding. “Give me some light. Away!”(III.2. 255). Hamlet saw his reaction and knew for sure that Claudius killed his father. Claudius was a horrible uncle ...
Hamlet's character lends itself to a possible motivation for his unwillingness to kill Claudius. He is a scholar, and a student of theology. It is a moral dilemma for Hamlet to kill without a just cause, or kill at all. He wants proof of the part his uncle and his mother played in his father's death. His royal birth leads him to consider his responsibilities to his country, which is Hamlet's internal conflict throughout the play.
Being the primary character, there is a greater focus on Hamlet’s pursuit of revenge, since throughout the play his mind and actions plagued by both uncertainty and angry notions towards his mother’s infidelity rather than the “murder most foul”. Unlike both Laertes and Fortinbras, Hamlet's desire for revenge is not implanted by his own will but rather by his father’s ghost; through his encounter the ghost pleads his son’s loyalty by promising the murder Claudius. Initially Hamlet's interaction with the Ghost was one of curiosity and glee which opposes his prior melanch...
Hazing in universities across the nation has become a common tradition that develops mostly in Greek organizations. Hazing is seen in many different social groups such as schools, military units, sport teams, fraternities, and sororities. Prohibited by law for unnecessary reasons; hazing is a way to grow with friends in a closer way than independent students will ever have the chance to. Every year there are thousands of teenagers that pledge for a fraternity knowing of the possible chance of being hazed. People that join fraternities join for a sense of belonging and to meet people with similar interests. Trying to fit into a new college campus can be hard for a person to do. Almost every group pressures the new pledges to participate in hazing activities to create a sense of brotherhood. Hazing is a process that creates a sense of unity, also it teaches the one being hazed about himself and his brothers; being hazed into a group will help someone become a well-rounded person and will help them overcome struggles later in life.
After Hamlet’s father passed, Claudius took the opportunity to take over the throne and marry Hamlet’s mother. Through this union, Claudius increased his power and social status. Even though Claudius tried to be on Hamlet’s good side as a ‘father’, Hamlet still classified him as “A little more kin, and less than kind” (1.2.65). The phrase “more kin” stands out significantly because the word “kin” means to cousin. By stating “more kin”, Hamlet implies he still classifies Claudius as an uncle. Hamlet also indirectly jabs at Claudius, stating an opinion on what Hamlet thinks of him. This jab is shown through completely ignoring Claudius and only responding to his mother: “I shall in all my best obey you, madam” (1.2.120). This raises the question whether the irony of Hamlet’s jabs are lost on Claudius. Hamlet’s connection with his biological father exhibited stark contrasts to his relationship with Claudius. He not only continued seeing his father as a role model but could not move past that fact that he was no longer able to rely on his counsel. When given the chance to kill Claudius for his father, it not only shows that Hamlet, as well as his father, are seeking revenge at Claudius but also illustrates how he looks up to his father: “May sweep to my revenge” (1.5.31). The term “revenge” typically adds intensity and depth in a phrase. By using “revenge” it brings up the assumption that Hamlet wants to free his father’s soul but also wants to get back at Claudius even more so than before. Factors such as Hamlet’s power, political and emotional status are what influence his reactions to Claudius and his loyalty to his biological