The complexity and effect of father-son relationships seems to be a theme that Shakespeare loved to explore in his writings. In Hamlet, the subject is used as a mechanism to identify the similarities between three very different characters: Fortinbras, Laertes, and Hamlet. They have each lost their fathers to violent deaths, which leads them to seek vengeance. As different as they may seem, they all share the common desire to avenge their father’s deaths. The method they each approach this is what
Hamlet – the Character Laertes In “The World of Hamlet” Maynard Mack describes the interference of a possessive Polonius in the life of his son, Laertes: “The apparel of proclaims the man,” Polonius assures Laertes, cataloging maxims in the young man’s ear as he is about to leave for Paris. Oft, but not always. And so he sends his man Reynaldo to look into Laertes’ life there – even, if need be, to put a false dress of accusation upon his son (“What forgeries you please”), the better
Dramatic irony in the Shakespearean tragedy Hamlet has long been the subject matter of literary critical reviews. This essay will exemplify and elaborate on the irony in the play. David Bevington in the Introduction to Twentieth Century Interpretations of Hamlet identifies one of the “richest sources of dramatic irony” in Hamlet: Well may the dying Hamlet urge his friend Horatio to “report me and my cause aright To the unsatisfied,” for no one save Horatio has caught more than a glimpse of
Hamlet – the Irony The existence of considerable irony within the Shakespearean tragedy Hamlet is a fact recognized by most literary critics. This paper will examine the play for instances of irony and their interpretation by critics. In his essay “O’erdoing Termagant” Howard Felperin comments on Hamlet’s “ironic consciousness” of the fact that he is unable to quickly execute the command of the ghost: Our own intuition of the creative or re-creative act that issued in the play
Truth versus Self in Hamlet by William Shakespeare "This above all, to thine own self be true" (Act I scene 3 line 78) as expressed in Shakespeare's Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is a philosophical idea that strips away moral standards, accountability, and that selflessness is evidence of true love, as taught by Jesus Christ. Professor Sir Walter Murdoch writes in The Policy of Polonius, "As a matter of fact, of course, the lines are nonsense, and Shakespeare was well aware that they are nonsense;
Going Beyond Revenge in Hamlet The simplest and superficially the most appealing way to understand Shakespeare’s Hamlet is to see it as a revenge tragedy. This genre was well established and quite popular in Shakespeare’s time, but it was precisely part of his genius that he could take old forms and renew them by a creative violation of their standards. As this essay will explore, Hamlet stands the conventional revenge tragedy on its head, and uses the tensions created by this reversal of type
Shakespeare Young sons and daughters take center stage in several of William Shakespeare’s plays, including the tragedies of Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet. However, the treatment of the sons in comparison to daughters differs substantially. Although both are constrained by similar forces, these work to very different extents based on their genders. While young men such as Romeo, Hamlet, and Laertes are given relatively free reign to do as and go where they please, Juliet and Ophelia are much more constrained
Hamlet’s Dashing Laertes The character of Laertes in Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet is an interesting one. Though seemingly relatively low-ranking as the son of the lord chamberlain, he nevertheless commands such respect from the populace that they rally to make him king at one point. Let us, first of all, see how he fits into the royal lineup at Elsinore, examining them on the basis of most apparent personal qualities. Helen Gardner, by way of overview, compares Laertes to Hamlet and King Claudius
Claudius the Bad Guy in Hamlet This essay will thoroughly delineate the character of King Claudius in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, show his place in the drama, and interpret his character -- with the assistance of literary critics. Philip Burton in “Hamlet” discusses Claudius’ sudden rise to the Danish throne upon the death of King Hamlet I: The fact that Claudius has become king is not really surprising. Only late in the play does Hamlet complain that his uncle had "popped in between
The Inner Turmoil in Shakespeare's Hamlet Contained in the tragic tale of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, there are numerous conflicts plaguing the youth, which he struggles with to the death. The prince battles within himself, with his royal sense of duty to his country, with his friends, his love, and his family. This essay will attempt to explain and elaborate on these internal and external frays and which opponent emerges victorious in the end. Perhaps the most tormenting blow and the one that
Hamlet -- the Unlike Characters of Gertrude and Ophelia The Shakespearean tragedy Hamlet features two ladies who are very unlike in character. Queen Gertrude, denounced by the ghost as faithless to King Hamlet, is pictured as evil by many, while Ophelia is seen as pure and obedient and full of good virtues. Let’s explore these two unlike people. Rebecca Smith in “Scheming Adulteress or Loving Mother” presents an unusually “clean” image of the present queen that is not consistent with
Contrast of Gertrude and Ophelia in Hamlet Queen Gertrude and Ophelia, the main female characters in Shakespeare’s dramatic tragedy Hamlet, have a variety of contrasting or dissimilar personal qualities and experiences. This essay, with the help of literary critics, will explore these differences. John Dover Wilson in his book, What Happens in Hamlet, discusses what is perhaps the greatest dissimilarity between Ophelia and Gertrude – their morality: His [Hamlet’s] mother is a criminal
Appearance versus Reality in Hamlet Shakespeare's play, Hamlet, is a tale of a young prince who must ascertain the truth regarding his father's death. Throughout the play, the fundamental theme of appearance versus reality is constant. The majority of the main characters hide behind veils of lies and deceptions, obscuring the truth to the point that nearly nothing of their actual selves are visible. The labyrinth of deception is so twisted that only Hamlet is aware of the truth, and only because
Being in Hamlet In Elaine Showalter's essay, "feminist criticism allows Ophelia to upstage Hamlet [and] . . . brings to the foreground . . . the cultural links between femininity, [and] female sexuality" (221). In most of his plays, William Shakespeare has many women in secondary roles, only filling dead space or causing strife between men. During Shakespeare's time, thoughts of women bordered on weak and deceitful images, leading to the idea of frail, yet conniving creatures. In Hamlet, the character
state of mind. At the beginning of the play, all Hamlet sees is a terrible situation which he has no power to change. The ghost's command therefore gives Hamlet purpose; a reason to live. Its instruction is unmistakable: "if thou didst ever thy dear father love...revenge his foul and most unnatural murder." The apparition, armed "from head to foot", then relates the story of Claudius' treachery in graphic and horrible detail. It is now apparent to Hamlet what is "rotten in the state of Denmark". Shakespeare
Delving into the character of King Claudius in Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet, we find a character who is not totally evil but rather a blend of morally good and bad elements. Let’s explore the various dimensions of this many-sided character. Peter Leithart in “The Serpent Now Wears the Crown: A Typological Reading of Hamlet,” considers the gravity of the main sin of offense of Claudius: Claudius's murder of King Hamlet, the act catalyzing the drama of the play, is presented as a sin of
Summary -The tragedy of Hamlet is one of the most important of Shakespeare’s plays and one that is published and performed as part of the rainbow of world literature. This paper investigates the role of religion for the characters and their actions, and presents a new interpretation using religion to understand the characters’ motives. The paper concludes that although Christianity is the main influence on Hamlet, Shakespeare also used Grecian religious symbols. Hamlet suffered from a psychological
in many other novels. This was the beginning of Ophelia's afterlives, her story being told -and sometimes reinvented- from different points of view and described with cognizance and attention to her feelings. This essay will analyse how the figure of Ophelia evolves in Shakespeare's Hamlet, in John Updike’s Gertrude and Claudius and in Graham Holderness’s The Prince of Denmark. In particular, it will examine how these texts convey some of the main differences regarding her character, always connected
Search for Meaning in Shakespeare's Hamlet But I will delve one yard below their mines And blow them at the moon (3.4.208-10) What is real? This question, begged by humanity from day one, seems to grow in importance and urgency as the twenty-first century looms on the road ahead. When religion, culture, family, and meaning are all forced to play second fiddle to the almighty dollar, where do we turn for understanding? I think the answer is that we turn inward. After all, there must be
In Shakespeare's tragedy, Hamlet, the character of Hamlet feigns insanity. For a person in his situation, having one's peers think of one as crazy can be quite beneficial. His father, the king, had just died, and he is visited by a ghost who appears to be his father's spirit. The ghost tells Hamlet that he was murdered by his brother Claudius, who is now the current king and who recently married the former king's wife. Hamlet vows revenge and, as a tool to aid him in that plan, convinces people that