The Meaning of Hamlet
When I think of argumentative writing or impressive use of speech I immediately refer to the famous Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Reading the popular monologue from Hamlet- “to be, not to be—that is the question” is a tremendous way of displaying balance in a rhetorical situation. As many of you all know the first line of this monologue because those legendary words have been used in conversations today. In reality does anyone really know William’s purpose for his passage? Shakespeare’s speech in Hamlet was written about life versus death. He contemplates about his life here on earth, suicide. He continues on with his thoughts by comparing death to sleep, debating whether it’s pleasant or dreadful to live this life.
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The further down the monologue he begins extending his discussion whether to last another day with difficult obstacles or to end it. William Shakespeare’s rhetorical style without this segment in Hamlet was stability. The stability shown was the continuous subject of an inner argument with himself about existence and death. In Hamlet the purpose was to show the comparing and contrasting of an idea that lasted through the monologue. This display is the best example of a rhetorical style of writing done by William Shakespeare.
For starter let us begin with one side of his memorial monologue, death. Throughout Shakespeare’s script he pinpointed several reasons why leaving these troubles or suffering is reasonable. He states for killing himself could be as easy as sleeping, resting his misfortunes away. “No more—and by a
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Hamlets reflect has been switched to the views and feelings toward the opposite mentality of the spectrum. Midway between Shakespeare’s writing, Hamlet’s imagination shimmers down as the reality of it all sinks in. Not only was revenge for the passing of his father but also the unidentified outcome of death was on the horizon. Hamlet was drawing near to constructing a choice, a choice that intimated some moral qualities. For an example given in the text, “ When he himself might his quietus make, with a bare bodkin?” The word “quietus” was used to finalize his battle between two legitimate cases throughout his act scene. Quietus is unknown for all the complicated past those who “sweated” because of the hardships of living. Which is mentioned in next sentence, “Who would fardels bear, to grunt and sweat under a weary life.” Now Hamlet’s deliberating or examining the odds against taking a life in a simple matter. The illustration that was meant to expose was the frustration Hamlet develop for cowardly thoughts of killing himself might have been. Shakespeare compared his simple thoughts of suicide to the simple use of bodkin. As we all know the handle of a bodkin to knit is a smooth process but getting the thread through the bodkin can be difficult. The mind of Hamlet begins to ponder about the unknown aftermath of death. Would it be as easy
Shakespeare uses rhetorical appeals in his writing. The soliloquy by Hamlet for example uses more the expression of pathos. Pathos interferes with emotional appeals, the sentimental imagery, and the visualizations represented in the writing. The character expression of pathos is obvious since he says everything from his heart and is serious about considering suicide. He has an effect on the reader by making the reader feel sympathy towards him and his situation. For example, he says, “For who would bear the whips and scorns at time” (Shakespeare, Pg.4), which means who would deal with life struggles. He also says, “Thus conscience makes coward of us all” (Shakespeare, Pg.4), which means our own inner self stops us from doing what we want.
The Love of Ophelia It is never easy to see into a person’s heart and find their true emotions, especially when their feelings are intentionally masked to give off a different impression. Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, attempts to mask specific emotions throughout the play. He tries to give off the impression that he is insane when he is near his murderous uncle and other characters because he doesn’t want them to suspect his plan of revenge. However, he silently expresses his love towards the sweet Ophelia, his girlfriend.
The “slings and arrows”, “whips and scorns”, and the “grunt and sweat” express the realistic and well-known burdens of living. These simple yet intense descriptions are purposeful to stick with the audience regarding the negative light in which Hamlet views his life. While the descriptions of life remain realistic, Shakespeare uses comparisons for death to emphasize the unknown parts of it. Comparing death to sleep brings a sense of familiarity, but adding in the fact that there is only a chance of dreaming peacefully- not a guarantee- emphasizes the terror of the unknown. Metaphorically, Shakespeare refers to death as an “undiscover’d country” in which no one returns from to share their experience. These two comparisons display Hamlet’s caution yet unsettling thoughts of
In this paper I will be analyzing and discussing how these four soliloquies reflect changes in Hamlet’s mental state; his
The soliloquies expressed by many characters throughout the play, signify a critical point within the plot or change of tone. For example, Hamlet’s monologue in (II.ii.563-622), he is justifying his actions, reaffirming himself that what he is planning to do to seek revenge for his father’s death, is the best thing to do. In this speech, Hamlet states, “Is it not monstrous that this player here,/ But in a fiction, in a dream of passion,/ Could force his soul so to his own conceit/That, from her working, all his visage wanned.(II.ii.565-568)” These lines can be inferred as Hamlet is questioning his own state of mind and validity of his plan. Hamlet is questioning how can a player, who acts out false emotions, can truly “catch the conscience of the King”(II.ii.622). However, he believes that the creativity exuded from the soul(II.ii,568), can effectively allow a player to perform as if they are real emotions. Hamlet’s only concern is seeking revenge for his father’s death done at the hands of his uncle, Claudius, who now has the throne. The plot of the play to parallel to the real death of King Hamlet, allowing Hamlet to make Claudius feel uncomfortable and guilty(II.ii.578). Also, in this monologue, Hamlet states that the ghost of his father may have actua...
To begin with, Hamlet starts off his speech asking, “Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer/ The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune/ Or to take arms against a sea of troubles/ And by opposing end them” (Shakespeare 3.1.57-60). He wonders if he would be more noble if he took his own life and end his sorrows than if he continued to endure him. This question shows the pain and grief that Hamlet has experienced since the death of his father. According to Ophelia, later in Act 3 Scene 1, she reveals that Hamlet was once the obvious successor to the throne since he was charismatic and admired by the people. Clearly, in this part of the play, he is suicidal, and he is uncertain about many of the big decisions in his life. This extreme change in Hamlet’s behaviors makes the audience worry about Hamlet’s mental health. Is his feigned madness transforming into true insanity? However, his comparison to death and sleep suggests that Hamlet is in a state of reflection and learning. Hamlet’s analogy between death and sleep is the musings of an ordinary man who wonders what happens to a soul once its body dies. Just as no one knows what dreams they will experience when they lay in bed, no knows what they will experience when their body is finally laid in a grave.
Platt, Peter. "Shakespeare and Rhetorical Culture." A Companion to Shakespeare. Ed. David Scott Kastan. Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishers Ltd., 1999. 277-296.
Hamlet appears to be a rather philosophical character. He is skeptical and expresses views that nowadays can be described as existential and relativist, but those terms did not exist in Shakespeare’s time. Existentialism analyzes existence and the way humans appear to exist in this world. It is concerned with the individual; finding oneself and finding a meaning to life by one’s own measures.That is exactly what Hamlet is going through. Presented with the jarring conflict of avenging his father’s death, Hamlet finds his meaning to life shortly before dying himself among others tangled in this mess. He was tasked by the ghost of his father to kill Claudius in an act of vengeance, which would be considered noble (though in this case, it is a regicide avenging a regicide; treason for treason). The ideals of society demand that he...
William Shakespeare intended for Hamlet to be a tragic play of a hero: Hamlet. He does exactly that by allowing Hamlet to be exposed to suffering and being able to endure it without committing suicide. Although if one was to analyze the content of Hamlet’s “To be or not to be…” soliloquy once would realize that Hamlet is not really all that suicidal. However, there are moments throughout the play that arise the suspicion of Hamlet to no longer be able to endure the suffering and pain in his life. Hamlet’s judgment can be distorted when he does not act using reason but rather emotional impulse. His ability to accept and embrace suffering and pain, allows him to realize how valuable his life truly is.
In his tragedy Hamlet, William Shakespeare explores and analyzes the concept of mortality and the inevitability of death through the development of Hamlet’s understanding and ideology regarding the purpose for living. Through Hamlet’s obsessive fascination in understanding the purpose for living and whether death is the answer, Shakespeare analyzes and interprets the meaning of different elements of mortality and death: The pain death causes to others, the fading of evidence of existence through death, and the reason for living. While due to the inevitable and unsolvable mystery of the uncertainty of death, as no being will ever empirically experience death and be able to tell the tale, Shakespeare offers an answer to the reason for living through an analysis of Hamlet’s development in understanding death.
Shakespeare’s Hamlet very much rests on major themes of death, revenge, action, and deception. Shakespeare uses a series of soliloquies in the play in order to convey these messages and present characters, Hamlet in particular, in a way that is in depth, contemplative, and known to the audience while hidden from the remaining characters. The soliloquies seen in Hamlet provide structure and depth to the play as a whole, creating and exemplifying dynamics between characters and action, and the way in which characters respond to differing situations, often bring an existential element of the conflict between two realities (life and afterlife). The audience also sees Hamlet’s own character come through very strongly in these soliloquies, and we see his internal struggles and turmoil with notions of life versus death, taking action, and seeking vengeance against his father’s murder. It is in these soliloquies that the audience sees into the inner thoughts of Hamlet and his reactions to the world around him. While not all soliloquies in Hamlet are Hamlet’s, for example Claudius’s, the combination acts as an outlet for understanding the motivations and thought processes behind the events that take place throughout the course of the play. For example, we see Hamlet and Claudius placed in opposition to each other and we discover their intentions thorugh their soliloquies. They act as a function to propel characters to action, and reflect back on that action (or lack there of) as a means of furthering the depth and development of each character as the play progresses. Even though a particular soliloquy is only spoken by one character, what they reveal in these inner reflections are reflective of the nature of the cast of characters as a wh...
In this soliloquy, Shakespeare strikes a chord with a fundamental human concern: the validity and worthiness of life. Would it not be easier for us to simply enter a never-ending sleep when we find ourselves facing the daunting problems of life than to "suffer / the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune"? However, it is perhaps because we do not know what this endless sleep entails that humans usually opt against suicide. "For in that sleep of death what dreams may come / When we have shuffled off this mortal coil / Must give us pause." Shakespeare seems to understand this dilemma through his character Hamlet, and thus the phrase "To be, or not to be" has been immortalized; indeed, it has pervaded our culture to such a remarkable extent that it has been referenced countless times in movies, television, and the media. Popular movies such as Billy Madison quote the famous phrase, and www.tobeornottobe.com serves as an online archive of Shakespeare's works. Today, a Shakespeare stereotype is held up by the bulk of society, where they see him as the god of drama, infallible and fundamentally superior to modern playwrights. However, this attitude is not new. Even centuries ago, the "holiness" of Shakespeare's work inspired and awed audiences. In a letter dated October 1, 1775, Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, commenting on David Garrick's production of Hamlet (1742-1776) to his friend Heinrich Christian Boie, likens the "To be, or not to be" soliloquy to the Lord's Prayer. He says that the soliloquy "does not naturally make the same impression on the auditor" as Hamlet's other soliloquies do,
Through the elements of technique portrayed in this essay, it is clear to see that Shakespeare is able to influence the reader through soliloquies, imagery, and dual understanding. This overall influence being both the communication of a deeper meaning, and a more complex understanding of the events and statements within Hamlet.
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.
...World of Hamlet.” Yale Review. vol. 41 (1952) p. 502-23. Rpt. in Shakespeare: Modern Essays in Criticism. Rev. ed. Ed. Leonard F. Dean. New York: Oxford University P., 1967.