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Hamlet
Shakespeare's play Hamlet is essentially a character study of one man's slow descent into insanity. The play opens with the Danish prince presented rather innocently, as his father recently died and it is understandable that he might be caught up in grief. However, the appearance of his father's ghost shakes Hamlet to the core. He is faced suddenly with the arduous task of avenging his father's murder. Hamlet believes himself to be a weak man, as he states that his uncle Claudius is "no more like my father / Than I to Hercules," (Act I, scene ii). Yet Hamlet feels a keen sense of ironic moral duty to kill Claudius. If he listens to his conscience and refrains from committing murder, he risks being damned by not fulfilling his father's wishes from beyond the grave. On the other hand, if Hamlet fulfills his father's desire for revenge, he will become a murderer who is as immoral as his treacherous uncle. Hamlet is caught between two difficult and undesirable positions throughout the play, creating an insurmountable existential...
At first, he seems pumped with anger and swears to kill his uncle. "So, uncle, there you are. Now to my word / It is 'Adieu, adieu! Remember me.' / I have sworn 't" (Act I, scene iv). His confidence is false, though. Hamlet falters and flounders for much of the play, revealing the deep rift in his mind. He does not want to believe that his uncle could be capable of a deed as evil as killing his own brother, stealing his wife, and then ascending to the throne. Especially because the truth would also implicate his mother, and Hamlet does not wish to believe that his mother is a bad person, either. At the close of Act II, Hamlet devises a tool by which he can "catch the conscience of the king," (Act II, scene ii). By this, Hamlet means that he requires further proof if he is to execute his plan for revenge. Hamlet sees himself as being an "ass" and berates…
William Shakespeare's play Hamlet puts across a series of concepts related to treachery, honor, and impulsiveness. In spite of the fact that they initially appear to be very different in nature, Hamlet (the central character), and Laertes are more similar than one might be inclined to think. The two are principally concerned about avenging their fathers and believe that nothing can stop them from reaching their goal. In spite of
" This madness likely leads to Ophelia's suicide but, consistent with the entire theme of this play, the exact nature of Ophelia's demise is left to speculation. The fascination with Hamlet is uncanny. What provides this fascination is the fact that there is always more to what is going on in the play than what actually appears to be. Observers of the play are left with an overwhelming feeling that they
Hamlet's enigmatic behavior so upsets Ophelia that she drowns herself, making Laertes even more set on revenge. Eventually these two deaths lead to a duel (provoked by Claudius) between Hamlet and Laertes, No one wins. Laertes kills Hamlet with a poison-tipped sword; Hamlet kills Laertes. Gertrude drinks poison intended by Claudius for Hamlet. Hamlet, dying and seeing his mother already dead, forces the remaining poison down Claudius's throat. Conrad suggests
Hamlet The play "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare contains a rich diversity of issues and relationships, some of the greatest of which concern those between father and son. These relationships, most notably those between Hamlet and the late King Hamlet, Fortinbras and Old Fortinbras, and Polonius and Laertes, demonstrate a number of significant, unique characteristics as well as several themes that are both timeless and universal. The first evidence of father/son conversation occurs
Hamlet's Ghost has presented a problem for critics and readers since it first appeared on stage some four hundred years ago. Serving as the pivot upon which the action of the play is established -- Hamlet's father's ghost delivers him important information about his death and the throne -- one is likely to ask whether the ghost is truly the soul of King Hamlet or rather a devil appearing in
Hamlet's attitude towards the other female characters in the play, such as Ophelia is shaped by the distrust of women that is engendered by the mother's actions. Many critics have noted the strange and extreme attitude that Hamlet has towards women in general. As one critic notes, ...there is a distinctive pattern in Hamlet's language and behaviour whenever he is thinking about or dealing with Ophelia and Gertrude in fact, Hamlet's