The Importance of Minor Characters Minor characters serve important roles in many works of literature. In a tragedy, these characters are used predominantly for the sole purpose to relieve tension through humour. Although typically true, it does not apply to William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, which is a tragedy about Danish prince Hamlet and his battle to avenge his father’s murder. Some may claim that the comedic scenes of minor characters, Polonius, Osric, and the grave diggers, only serve to provide humour. However this is inaccurate because Shakespeare uses these minor characters to reinforce the themes of appearance vs reality and death and the afterlife as well as to reveal Polonius and Hamlet’s character traits. When analyzing the play in …show more content…
The player King is delivering a speech to Hamlet and Polonius when Polonius interrupts and says that the speech is too long. Hamlet, who is obviously annoyed with Polonius, tells the players to continue. He makes fun of Polonius by saying that he is only interested in plays if there is dancing or bawdry. The player king continues with his speech and when Hamlet mutters a question about the mobled queen, Polonius hastily comments “That’s good: “mobled queen” is good” (2.2.500). Polonius makes a hasty statement without even knowing what he is talking about which gives the impression that he is dim-witted. This line reveals Polonius’ desire to please others who are of royalty as well as his devotion to becoming of value to the royals. After displeasing Hamlet earlier, Polonius tries to make amends by quickly agreeing that what Hamlet said is good and that he is now interested in the player king’s speech. Polonius’ statement shows that he is loyal to Hamlet, as he wants Hamlets approval. It also shows that Polonius is the type of person that strives to be well liked by the royal family. It is evident that Polonius’ hasty comment to please Hamlet is used to accentuate Polonius’ character as well as the play’s theme of …show more content…
When Hamlet returns from England, he meets up with Horatio near the graveyard. From a distance, they come across two grave diggers who are digging a grave for Ophelia, of which Hamlet is unaware. After Ophelia’s tragic death, the grave diggers relieve the tension by telling jokes that the commoners in the audience would find amusing. This humour also prepares the audience for the bloodbath that has yet to come. After one of the grave diggers leave, the remaining one begins to throw the bones and skulls of previous corpses out of the grave. Hamlet observes him tossing the bones out of the grave as if they are worthless. The sight of the grave digger tossing what once was a person disgusts Hamlet so he approaches the grave digger and confronts him. After a brief conversation about the grave he is digging, the grave digger pulls out a skull and informs Hamlet that “This same skull sir, was Yorick’s skull, the King’s jester” (5.1.174-175). Unbeknownst to the grave digger, Hamlet knew Yorick for he was once responsible for entertaining Hamlet. He picks up the skull and begins to examine it. Hamlet reminisces about his time spent with Yorick and how he was a funny guy with an amazing imagination. He states how sick it makes him feel to know that this is all that is left of Yorick. He makes an allusion to Alexander the Great, stating that no matter who someone is, a
Although the play Hamlet is largely centered around the “tragic hero” Hamlet, it is the minor foil characters that gives us a deeper understanding of the text and a more conscious understanding of the internal struggles experienced by Hamlet. Each of these characters contrasts a specific aspect of Hamlet that would otherwise be overlooked. Horatio consolidates all of the desirable features that Hamlet wants to be into one person. Fortinbras, although in the exact same situation as Hamlet with his father dead and his uncle on the throne, is the complete opposite of Hamlet by choosing action over inaction. Finally, Ophelia personifies Hamlet’s innocence and the death of his innocence after the death of his father. Despite being opposites of each other, each of these characters bring a new outlook on the tragedy of Hamlet.
There are many parents who are too strict and do not let their children do things that might embarrass them. Other times a parent may use their child to do certain things in order to gain social prestige. Polonius demonstrates a similar type of behavior in Shakespeare's Hamlet. Polonius is "a domestic tyrant wreaking on his son and his daughter revenge for his own spoiled life" (Bloom 111) and "is an elderly and longwinded courtier and chief counselor" (Dominic 96) to the king. Polonius is in a high position in the Danish court, and he has a problem with talking too much. He is only concerned about his reputation, not Ophelia, "the young and innocent daughter of Polonius . . . ("Polonius" Benet). The main character, Hamlet, is the son of Queen Gertrude and King Hamlet of Denmark. King Hamlet has recently died, supposedly from natural causes. Hamlet despises the fact that his mother has remarried his uncle, now King Claudius, so soon after the death of King Hamlet. Later Hamlet sees the ghost of his father and King Hamlet tells him Claudius murdered him by putting poison in his ear. The ghost wants Hamlet to kill the new king, but to not harm his mother. Meanwhile, Hamlet is in love with Ophelia, but Polonius refuses to let her see him. Ophelia believes this obedience to her father has caused Hamlet's madness. However, in order for Polonius to please Claudius, he uses her to figure out the cause of Hamlet's abnormal behavior. After Polonius' death, Ophelia dies, and her death was because of her father's selfishness and poor decisions in doing all he could to satisfy Claudius.
The main plot of Shakespeare's Hamlet centers around Prince Hamlet's desire to repay King Claudius for his evil deeds. Around this central action revolve the stories concerning the minor characters of Polonius and Ophelia. Though they do not motivate Hamlet's actions towards the King, these characters act as forces upon Hamlet himself, trying to spur him to do things he does not want to do. Both Polonius and Ophelia try, unsuccessfully, to manipulate Hamlet into a place of inferiority.
Minor characters play a very crucial role in Shakespear's Hamlet. They serve as narrators for events that occurred outside the immediate play: the Dane's ghost. Distinct contrasts are created through the usage of the play's minor characters. The reader gains new perspective on Hamlet's character when he is compared with Laertes. The presence of these minor characters can also have a direct effect on the action of the play. The actors in the play within the play are used to expose the guilt of Claudius; Hamlet then has proof of the King's crimes. The expertise use of these characters - either to exemplify good and purity, or to spread the vile corruption which permeates Elsinore - is one of the main reasons for Hamlet's success as one of the greatest plays ever written.
Hamlet’s sanity began to deteriorate when learned that his father’s death was not an accident, but rather a foul deed committed by the newly crowned King of Denmark. “If thou didst ever thy dear father love – Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” [Act I, v l .23-25]. As a mysterious ghost appeared in the terrace, Hamlet learned of a murderer that would prove his fealty towards his father. As he contemplated the appalling news recently brought to his attention, the control Hamlet had over his actions was questioned. “O villain, villain, smiling, damned villain! My tables meet it is I set it down, That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain. At least I am sure it may be so in Denmark,” [Act I, v l. 106-109]. Hamlet’s hatred toward his father’s killer caused him to relate the tribulations between murder and the aspects of Denmark as a country together. As with most of the conflicts Hamlet faced, his lack of ability to avenge his father’s death, furthered the deterioration of his life and surroundings.
Polonius, the lord Chamberlain, a counsel to the king, is the first character to be killed. As the play opens up, Polonius is depicted as a rather good person, with noapparent flaws. However, as the play progresses, Polonius possess a flaw in his character, which becomes increasingly evident throughout the play; he is extremely nosy and scrutinizing. Many times during the play Polonius is either seen spying on other characters, or arranging for characters to be spied upon. The first such incident of this occurs when his son Laertes is going off to Paris. He instructs his servant Reynaldo to spy on his while in Paris. Polonius tells him:
The finding of Yorick’s skull troubles Hamlet greatly because he remembers him when he was alive, and how he affected Hamlet’s life in a positive way.
As you begin to read and understand the tragedy of Hamlet, you should begin to see how the many characters affect what happens as the story progresses. The further you get into the plot, however, it is quite clear that there is one strong supporting character that shapes the role of the main character of the story. When Prince Hamlet, the main character learns that his uncle Claudius was the person who had killed his father, Prince Hamlet becomes enraged by this and vouches to honor his father's death by slaying his uncle for his wrongdoing. Prince Hamlet is further enraged and disgusted by the acts of his mother, Queen Gertrude who has most hastily agreed to marry the brother of the former king of Denmark. When this occurs, we begin to see the mental constitution of Prince Hamlet unravel. As the play progresses, we further see the toll that all of this plays on the main character when he begins to doubt whether or not the apparition that he is seen is really that of his father or not and begins to think that the specter is possibly evil in some way or another.
Claudius’ first speech effectively reveals his character to the audience. Shakespeare’s use of diction and doubling suggests Claudius’ façade conceals his true intentions. Claudius’ artful yet manipulative use of language and his diplomatic foreign policy, prove him to be a commanding politician. This speech sets the stage for the rising action of the play. It plays a major role in revealing plot elements key to an understanding of the play and enables the audience to make an impression of Claudius and decide for themselves his possible role in King Hamlet’s death.
By asking the player to add extra lines into the play, Hamlet is showing his ability to manipulate others as he sets up his uncle to see if he shows any signs of crime or guilt. In response to Polonius’ question, “Do you know me?” Hamlet responds, “Excellent. Well, you are a fishmonger” (II,ii,174). This is the first of much ridicule that Hamlet directs at the ignorant Polonius.... ...
Polonius is over-eager and tries to give unwanted advice, during the play he is tactless and often rude. For instance, Polonius is a comic relief during his conversation with Gertrude and Claudius regarding Hamlet’s madness. Polonius rambling through his conversation contrasts with Gertrude’s seriousness of wanting to find out the reason to Hamlet’s madness. As Polonius begins to deliver to the king and queen the results of his investigation, he makes this statement, “My liege, and madam, to expostulate/ What majesty should be, what duty is,/ What day is day, night is night, and time is time,/ Were nothing but to waste night, day, and time;/ Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit,/ And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes,/ I will be brief. Your noble son is mad. . . .”(IIii,86-92) . Polonius’ speech is windy and nonsensical he wastes ti...
In the Shakespeare's play Hamlet is not the tragic hero, Polonius is. Polonius is the loving father that died for his false convictions .Hamlet on the other hand is the main antagonist of the story and is the cause of all the calamities. With these two characters Shakespeare knowledges and criticizes the fundamental dilema with how royal families function. How innocent people are left in the crossfire of royal feud.
As often associated with a tragedy, a conflict usually ensues between a protagonist and another force in the play. A tragedy is ‘a serious drama typically describing a conflict between the protagonist and a superior force and having a sorrowful or disastrous conclusion that elicits pity or terror’ (Webster's dictionary). Given its structure and depth in characterization, this play will or can be analyzed and interpreted from various perspectives and beliefs. However, my analysis of the play is conducted on the basis of various components which are: Hamlet as a tragic hero, the ironic message conveyed in the play, the roles of its characters, the role and personification of madness, the role of paranormality, the role of friends and family, the role of inaction, the role of sex and violence, and the role of death as portrayed in the play. Based on literary definitions and portrayal of his character, there is popular belief that Hamlet as the protagonist acted to satisfy his own conscience but could his actions be attributed purely to his desire or was he being influenced by other factors?
The perfection of Hamlet’s character has been called in question - perhaps by those who do not understand it. The character of Hamlet stands by itself. It is not a character marked by strength of will or even of passion, but by refinement of thought and sentiment. Hamlet is as little of the hero as a man can be. He is a young and princely novice, full of high enthusiasm and quick sensibility - the sport of circumstances, questioning with fortune and refining on his own feelings, and forced from his natural disposition by the strangeness of his situation.
Hamlet is the son of the late King Hamlet (of Denmark), who died two months before the start of the play. After King Hamlet's death, his brother, Claudius, becomes king, and marries King Hamlet's widow, Gertrude (Queen of Denmark). Young Hamlet fears that Claudius killed his own brother (Hamlet's father) to become king of Denmark, greatly angering Hamlet. Two officers, Marcellus and Barnardo, summon Hamlet's friend Horatio, and later Hamlet himself to see the late King Hamlet's ghost appear at midnight. The ghost tells Hamlet privately that Claudius had indeed murdered King Hamlet by pouring poison in his ear. Hamlet is further enraged and plots of how to revenge his father's death.