Irony in Hamlet
This essay will discuss the issue of irony in Hamlet by dealing with the problems that arise as a result of Hamlet's attempt to avenge his father's death. One of the central problems is the clash between Hamlet's overpowering need to believe in the ghost of his father, who is the authoritative figure in his life, and the awareness that he lacks empirical knowledge of the truth. In trying to achieve this knowledge, Hamlet sets out on a mixed mission of accusation, revenge and the search for truth, finally causing the upset of the original revenge plot when it ricochets off Polonius' dead body and hits Hamlet in the name of Laertes.
As a tragedy, Hamlet deals very heavily in anguish and frustration that are not necessarily allowed the means to be resolved or dissipated. Marvin Rosenberg notes in his essay, "Subtext in Shakespeare", that in tragedies, there are greater uncertainties and the "mystery of the character deepens, and the subtext is subtler, more open to variable interpretation"(82). Hence, unlike Viola, Hamlet's actions overlay motivations of greater ambiguity and these actions, as the play progresses, seemed that they are not primed to make the situation come a full circle. Instead of a an equilibrium, therefore, one finds a form of usurpation where the crown of Denmark, represented by both Claudius and Hamlet, is removed and taken by a foreign prince, Fortinbras.
Hamlet's desire for vengeance came about as a result of the ghost's appearance and his accusatory speech in which he extorts his son to "Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder" (1.5.25). Hamlet is at once struck with the problem of whether he should believe that the ghost is really that of his father and ...
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Kreiger, Elliot. "Malvolio and Class Ideology". Bloom (19-26).
Leverenz, David. "The Woman in Hamlet: An Interpersonal View". Schwartz, Murray M. and Coppelia Kahn, eds. Representing Shakespeare: New Psychoanalytic Essays. Baltimore: John Hopkins U P, 1980.
Nevo, Ruth. Comic Transformations in Shakespeare. London: Methuen & Co., 1980.
Rosenberg, Marvin. "Subtext in Shakespeare". Thompson, Marvin, and Ruth Thompson, eds. Shakespeare and the Sense of Performance. Newark: U of Delaware P, 1989. (79-90).
Shakespeare, William. The New Cambridge Shakespeare: Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Ed. Philip Edwards. Cambridge: Cambridge U P, 1985.
Thatcher, David. Begging to Differ: Modes of Discrepancy in Shakespeare. New York: Peter Lang, 1999.
Vickers, Brian. Appropriating Shakespeare: Contemporary Critical Quarrels. New Haven: Yale U P, 1993
Autobiographer, essayist, playwright, poet, satirist, Enlightenment writer and philosopher – these are just a few of the hats worn by French born François-Marie Arouet, more famously known by the adopted pen name Voltaire. Beyond his written work Voltaire was an outspoken advocate for the freedom of religion, expression, and the separation of church and state. He used his versatile literary work as a tool to criticize the Catholic Church and overall intolerant French society. Voltaire’s cynical writing reached its highest potential in his rapid-fire satire Candide, or Optimism. In the novella, Voltaire told the story of Candide – a young man on a quest for happiness and spiritual fulfillment who encountered tragic setbacks that eventually led to bitter disillusionment. The purpose of Candide was to mock philosophers of the
...in the time that he had here on earth with us. He was the most decorated man in Military History and today now there is a club named after him which is known as the “Audie Murphy Club”. He has also made many films that many people do not know about, but hopefully now they will. I hope many more people will know now who he is and what he has done, I know I do and being in the Military we know about him, but people in the civilian world don’t. Audie Murphy is a big part of our History and hopefully now people will see that.
While Jem was young in his childhood, Atticus influenced Jem through multiple ways. For instance, when Jem and Scout received there airsoft gun, Jem was determined to shoot all the birds he saw however Atticus denied that and stated, “Shoot all the Blue Jays you want if you can hit’ em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (Lee, 90). This quote portrays how Atticus is teaching Jem a life lesson, and through this, he explains to Jem the importance of never harming an innocent thing, especially one that does not negatively impact others. Another incident where Atticus influenced Jem for his future is when Walter Cunningham’s father brought the Lynch Mob to the jail cell where Tom Robinson was. The day he was talking to Jem and Scout, he states, “I don’t want either of you bearing a grudge about this thing no matter what happens” (Lee, 158). Atticus tells Jem and Scout to always keep a fresh mind and forgive other people when they hurt you. This displays how Atticus advise...
Shakespeare, William. The Tradegy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark. New York: Washington Square Press, 1992
Warren, Roger. Shakespeare Survey 30. N.p.: n.p., 1977. Pp. 177-78. Rpt. in Shakespeare in the Theatre: An Anthology of Criticism. Stanley Wells, ed. England: Oxford University Press, 2000.
Voltaire’s most classic work, Candide, is a satiric assault on most everything that was prevalent in society during the author’s lifetime. The entire novel can be regarded as a bleak story where every character compares life stories to see whose life is worse. Just when the novel cannot get anymore morbid or depressing, it does, to a much greater degree. While Candide is generally considered a universal denunciation, it is optimism that Voltaire is attacking to the greatest degree. However, there are numerous other satirical themes throughout the novel worth discussing. These other areas of mockery include aristocratic snobbery, religious bigotry, militarism, and human nature.
Bernstein, D., & Loftus, E. (). How to Tell If a Particular Memory is True or False. Association for Psychological Science, 4, 370, 371, 373.
There are many topics deeply hidden in the works of William Shakespeare. One of his greatest pieces of works is the story of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Not only are the words of Shakespeare meaningful, but there are also many follow up pieces of literature that contain important interpretations of the events in this play. These works about Hamlet are extremely beneficial to the reader. I have found four of these works and will use them as sources throughout this essay. The first source is “The Case of Hamlet’s Conscience,” by Catherine Belsey, and it focuses on the topic of Hamlet’s revenge in the play. The second source is “’Never Doubt I Love’: Misreading Hamlet,” by Imtiaz Habib, and it explains a lot of information about Hamlet’s “love” for Ophelia. The third source is “Shakespeare’s Hamlet, III.i.56—88,” by Horst Breuer, and it talks in depth about the issue of suicide in Hamlet. The fourth and final source is “Shakespeare’s Hamlet 1.2.35-38,” by Kathryn Walls, and it describes the significance of the role the Ghost plays throughout Hamlet. There are many different confusing parts in Hamlet and the best way to fully understand the play is to understand all of these parts. By understanding every miniscule detail in the play, it creates a different outlook on the play for the reader. In this essay, I will explain these confusing topics, as well as explain why the sources are helpful and what insight they can bring. At the end is this essay, the reader will have a complete understanding and appreciation of the play Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.
Shakespeare, William. The Tradegy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark. New York: Washington Square Press, 1992
Dilley, Patrick. "Practices and Policies to Control Gay Students." The Review of Higher Education 25.4 (2002): 409-31. Print.
Smith, Kevin B. The Politics of Punishment: Evaluating Political Explanations of Incarceration... Journal of Politics. Aug2004, Vol. 66 Issue 3, p925-938. 14p. 2 Charts. DOI:
Shakespeare, William. The Tradegy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark. New York: Washington Square Press, 1992
Shakespeare, William. The Tradegy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark. New York: Washington Square Press, 1992
Cohen, Walter, J.E. Howard, K. Eisaman Maus. The Norton Shakespeare. Vol. 2 Stephen Greenblatt, General Editor. New York, London. 2008. ISBN 978-0-393-92991-1
Clark, W. G. and Wright, W. Aldis , ed. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. Vol. 1. New York: Nelson-Doubleday