Food in Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Unlike some of Shakespeare's other plays Hamlet doesn't seem to
contain as many references to food. When researching food in reference
to The Merry Wives of Windsor, it was easy to see much of the
symbolism behind the many references. One of the most interesting
references to food in Hamlet we discussed in class. I found it really
interesting how Shakespeare used posset as a way to describe poison
clotting in the ear. Unfortunately though, references like this are
few and far between in Hamlet. One scene that I found fascinating was
in act four, scene five. This is the scene where, apparently mad,
Ophelia begins to distribute various flowers. These flowers, some of
which double up as herbs and spices, carry specific meaning and
symbolism. In the text it is unclear to whom Ophelia is distributing
the flowers and herbs to. However, if you take a closer look at their
meanings along with what is going on in the plot of the play, it is
possible to make an educated guess as to who the flowers and herbs are
intended.
The first herb that Ophelia distributes is rosemary, which she cites
as being for remembrance. It is unclear in the stage direction whether
she hands these over to the King, the Queen, or her brother Laertes.
Ophelia at this point seems to be in a mad state due to her father's
death. Ever since Hamlet killed Polonius, Ophelia has been singing and
dancing around in a crazed state muttering incomplete thoughts.
Ophelia is saddened by the death of her father and distraught that
Hamlet was the murderer. I believe that Ophelia handed the Rosemary
over to Laertes as a reminder that he must a...
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...rn period I would have had
to try to use one of the medications in The English Housewife. And
while I'm sure their food was good, even by our standards, I do not
think I would trust their medical treatments, even for something
simple like a stomachache.
As a whole, I have had an enlightening experience with early modern
cookery, to say the least. I now have a whole now outlook and respect
for cooks in the early modern kitchen and for the cooks of today. I
also should say that I now realize how important modern medicine, a
hot shower and comfortable bed can be when you are sick.
Works Cited Page
Markham, Gervase. The English Housewife. Ed. Michael R. Best. Canada:
McGill- Queen's UP, 1994.
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine.
New York: Washington-Square Press, 1992.
shall firstly do a summery of the play and give a basic image of what
It tells us what happens at the end of the play, in this case in
...onnects his audience to the characters and although the play is written for the Elizabethan era, it remains pertinent by invoking the notion of human nature. He implements themes of love, anger, and impulsiveness and demonstrates the influence these emotions have on human behavior. It is evident that because human nature is constant, people have and will continue to be affected by these emotions.
Ophelia in the fourth act of Hamlet is demonstrably insane, but the direct cause of her slipped sanity is something that remains debatable, Shakespeare uses the character Ophelia to demonstrate how women during this time were unable to break away from social norms. While it is evident that Ophelia is grieving over the death of her father, Polonius, as Horatio says of her “She speaks much of her father, says she hears / There’s tricks in the world, and hems, and beats her heart” (4.5.4-5), as lines from one of her many “songs” points towards grieving over an aged relative, “His beard as white as snow / All flaxen was his poll” with flaxen indicating a white or grayed head of hair (4.5.190-191).
He moreover addresses how she has been talking madly. Everybody who tunes in to Ophelia is starting to come to a conclusion that she is crazy and they trust that it has a ton to do with her the passing of her father. As different characters turn out to be exceptionally stressed over Ophelia's madness, they start to address what Ophelia could do to herself or others. This relates with the audience because many individuals end up demoralized when they lose a companion. A couple individuals actually wind up insane. This may be the motivation in which the audience can identify with Ophelia on the grounds that losing a companion is never simple. Ophelia tries to similarly manage the downfall in her own particular manner by going out and conversing with different characters regardless of the way that she is viewed as crazy. That is another reason the audience can identify with Ophelia, in light of the fact that large portions of people endeavor to manage demise in their own specific manner. A significant number of the characters now trust that Ophelia's brain has been hurt in perspective of her father's passing. They feel that Ophelia ought to be observed nearly in light of the fact that they are not aware of what she could do to herself or others. They feel that her judgment has been blurred by her madness, and that she has has now completely lost
Tragedies in the Greek theater when compared to tragedies in the Renaissance theater varied in similarities and differences. Greek theater encouraged the use of religious figures while Renaissance theater was supposed to be strictly pagan in its ideologies. Theater was most dominantly used to depict the social and religious constraints of the time period. For example, Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex are both portrayals of deceit, murder, and revenge all of which lead to the demise of its leading characters. Hamlet is depicted as a young man who is seeking revenge for his fathers death. Oedipus is a king who means to free the people of Thebes from a disease that has been plaguing them. They share similarities in that each of their love interest are conduits of their pain and anguish, further pushing the protagonists over the precipice. The voice of reason that they share is Creon in Oedipus Rex and Horatio in Hamlet. Their tragic flaw is that they are both ultimately and utterly doomed and no amount of guidance will steer them away from what has been predestined by fate. They are ultimately doomed to be their own Achilles heel.
Ophelia’s madness is because of what she encounters throughout the play by everyone around her. Her character is often looked past, people really don’t give her a second thought, and her emotions and wellbeing are almost entirely forgotten about. When her father and brother are telling her to stay away from Hamlet, she tries to speak up and tell them that she knows that Hamlet truly loves her. She tells them her feelings, but they say no, she is not to speak to Hamlet again and must obey. They didn’t take a second to try and look things over from her perspective. After Polonius and Claudius plan for Ophelia and Hamlet to meet and talk while they hid to listened, Ophelia is verbally abused by Hamlet and her father is too caught up with Hamlet’s
themes of the play and helps us gain insight on other characters. I find the following quote to be
This play shows the importance of the staging, gestures, and props making the atmosphere of a play. Without the development of these things through directions from the author, the whole point of the play will be missed. The dialog in this play only complements the unspoken. Words definitely do not tell the whole story.
The men in Ophelia's life are wrong about her true personality. They make demands that are impossible to resolve due to the conflicting forces that influence her life. There is no way that she could possibly live up to these demands because they contradict each other. Due to the absence of Ophelia's mother, her life is completely dominated by the will of men. All of her decisions and choices in life are determined by the men around her, therefore Ophelia is a character that lacks freewill. She is deprived of the most basic intuition of humans, so therefore she loses the will to live.
In order to understand the main idea of the play, it is important to understand details of the background of the author as it will help to illustrate a possible connection to the play.
...the betrayal and dishonesty that is omnipresent in the play. Not only do they simply embody this concept, but they also serve to conclude the events of the play, by being the ending to what started the beginning.
comparing the quote to the rest of the themes of the play, we interpret a deeper meaning in the
...ith the lack of closure the author has paved many paths, making one unable to give a proper retelling of the play due to various interpretations. The play has also slyly inserted a philosophy on human life, the uncertainty and how it is a major part of human life is portrayed through this play. All these characteristic together make this play a very good play, it makes one want to live forever as to see what future generations would interpret the play as. In conclusion, this text is written to make the readers think and participate as active members in the reading of the play.
ending of the play is an integral part to the structure of the play in