...Dramatic Irony in “Hamlet” By: Narek Edjiu In Act 2 scene 1, Ophelia returns to her father Polonius, clearly upset. Hamlet grabbed her, held her, and sighed heavily, but did not speak to her. Her father believes the reason for his attitude is due to the fact he is deeply in love with Ophelia. The dramatic irony in Hamlet shows features of dishonesty and harm, while incorporating tragedy. The ironic situations often take place when Hamlet is finally in pursuit of action. Hamlet is the son of the dead king and nephew to the new king. Hamlet discovers the truth of his father’s death and therefore creates a front of emotions to make others believe that he is angry. His unusual behavior greatly affected Ophelia causing her to panic and influencing her to inform her father. Polonius immediately concludes that Hamlet is 'madly in love' with Ophelia: "This is the very ecstasy of love" (2.1.102) and that he has gone mad because she has obeyed his instruction in spurning Hamlet's love: "That hath made him mad." (2.1.111) The purpose of this scene is to develop all the characters and to understand the thought of Polonius. This specific dramatic irony surprisingly causes me to feel sympathy for Polonius because he is not aware of the current situation and eventually will suffer the consequences. I learned that dramatic irony is used to engage the audience into what is taking place and the audience is able to witness a character’s error which...
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...Known for its grand introduction to sin,seduction, and suspense, Shakespearean plays deem to the reputation of leaving readers balancing on the tip of their toes. Throughout Shakespeare's several works , one can not tell whether his pieces became very famous in literature for its clever wordplay, or its endearing dramatic irony. In Hamlet, by no other than Shakespeare himself, a glimpse into the suspenseful world is given to readers right from the first line of the play. Having the ability to truly finesse suspense in the first line of a play, is not a talent that is seen everyday. As uncommon as it is, the play begins with a question being asked from one soldier to the other. Right from the start, this develops the format of the this play...
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...Explain how Shakespeare uses literary elements (irony, tone, mood) to develop two or more themes in the text. Use evidence from the text to support your explanation. Have you ever been confused of why someone you thought loved you betrayed you? In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, There is different emotions throughout act 3. These emotions portray what happens. These themes of confusion and betrayal develop the irony, tone, and mood in act 3 scene 1. Two element’s Shakespeare uses in Hamlet is situational and dramatic irony. A example of this is when Hamlet expresses how he feels about ophelia and says “ You should not have believed me, for virtue cannot so inoculate our old stock but we shall relish of it. I loved you not..” This shows act of betrayal when Hamlet tells ophelia he never loved her when she thought he did and was blindsided by him. Another example of irony is dramatic irony when the king and Polonius are spying on Hamlet and ophelia conversation. This shows act of confusion of what’s wrong with Hamlet as they have seen the betrayal before their eyes. In addition to irony, Shakespeare uses tone to develop the themes....
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...In the Tragedy of Hamlet, Shakespeare uses dramatic irony to keep the audience engaged in the play. A good example of dramatic irony in Shakespeare’s Hamlet is found in Act I Sc.5. The king’s ghost appears to Hamlet and reveals to him the truth about his death. The whole country of Denmark knows that the king had been bitten by a snake, but only Hamlet and two of his friends know that in reality it was the king’s own brother Claudius who killed him. Through this incident, Shakespeare manipulates audience’s sympathies, develops character and the conflict of the play. Claudius is a character that awakes antipathy in the audience from the beginning of the play, because of reasons such as him marrying his brother’s wife and being insensitive at Hamlet’s mourning the loss of his father. Finding out that Claudius was the one who killed the king intensifies the audience’s feelings of antipathy towards Claudius. At the same time, Shakespeare uses the same incident to awake in the audience feelings of sympathy towards Hamlet, who is deeply affected by his father’s death and by finding out that his father was killed by his uncle. By revealing to the audience emotionally charged incidents, Shakespeare manages to manipulate the audience’s sympathies. Shakespeare develops Hamlet’s character in this scene, as his feelings of anger and sorrow are intensified. He expresses that he has had a suspicion about his uncle even before the Ghost could tell him what he did. Following the encounter...
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...In the Tragedy of Hamlet, Shakespeare uses dramatic irony to keep the audience engaged in the play. A good example of dramatic irony in Shakespeare’s Hamlet is found in Act I Sc.5. The king’s ghost appears to Hamlet and reveals to him the truth about his death. The whole country of Denmark knows that the king had been bitten by a snake, but only Hamlet and two of his friends know that in reality it was the king’s own brother Claudius who killed him. Through this incident, Shakespeare manipulates audience’s sympathies, develops character and the conflict of the play. Claudius is a character that awakes antipathy in the audience from the beginning of the play, because of reasons such as him marrying his brother’s wife and being insensitive at Hamlet’s mourning the loss of his father. Finding out that Claudius was the one who killed the king intensifies the audience’s feelings of antipathy towards Claudius. At the same time, Shakespeare uses the same incident to awake in the audience feelings of sympathy towards Hamlet, who is deeply affected by his father’s death and by finding out that his father was killed by his uncle. By revealing to the audience emotionally charged incidents, Shakespeare manages to manipulate the audience’s sympathies. Shakespeare develops Hamlet’s character in this scene, as his feelings of anger and sorrow are intensified. He expresses that he has had a suspicion about his uncle even before the Ghost could tell him what he did. Following the encounter...
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...Cause and Effect Hamlet Essay William Shakespeare, arguably the greatest language in the English language and England’s national poet, has written numerous histories, tragedies, comedies and poems. Throughout his plays, his use of dramatic irony, immaculate word choice and wording, and his vast imagination has made him a successful playwright even in his time. Shakespeare’s scripts for his theatrical company, needed to pertain to the needs and fascinations of the Elizabethan audience. It is safe to assume that all his sonnets, poetic speeches, electrifying action and soliloquies in his play were created for the delicate and quickly appreciative of language Elizabethans of his time. A particular example out of the many soliloquies present in the tragedy of Hamlet is the beautiful and moving speech in Act IV, Scene IV (IV, iv, 35-70) of Hamlet depicting his admiration of Fortinbras and his disappointment in himself. The poetic loving audience is noticeably the cause while this splendid speech, along with the many others, is the effect. This soliloquy is a mere example of Shakespeare’s disgust for the political manipulations of his time, the acceptance of murder, and the change of self brought on by others. In the brilliant vocalization of Shakespeare’s feelings through the speech made by Hamlet, it is evident that Shakespeare despises the waste of lives due to war without justification. Perhaps, knowingly that the audience would share this view or dissentient of lives lost...
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...fulfillment and endless enjoyment. Sometimes, however, peace and happiness does not last forever and comes hardships. These hardships are something that the characters in Hamlet have to deal with, and it is also something the audience can relate to. This way of life is very relevant in Shakespeare's play Hamlet, which covers the competency of love, hate and power struggles found within the characters which later leads to an unfortunate ending. Hamlet, the main character of William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, is one of the most complex characters ever created. His intricacy can be seen in the amount of soliloquies he speaks throughout the play. Each one of Hamlet’s soliloquies reveals his innermost thoughts and gives the reader or audience insight as to what he is feeling at that time. The audience cannot help but to show some feeling towards the characters such as Hamlet, Fortinbras and King Claudius. All throughout the play, Shakespeare uses various characters to represent the social, economical, and cultural effects that are shown in Hamlet that may also correspond to the Elizabethan audience. Some characters that represent these effects include Hamlet, Fortinbras, Claudius, and Rosencrantz. It is through these characters’’ speeches and actions that really target the audience. The numerous soliloquy presented by Hamlet is one of the speeches in the play that captivates the audience. This is because the audience can relate to it, and they can anticipate what's to come and see the development...
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...Travelling Players in Hamlet: New Historicist Issues Travelling Players in Hamlet: New Historicist Issues In Hamlet, Shakespeare makes use of a play within a play, as the device through which Prince Hamlet hopes to prove King Claudius’s guilt in the murder of the old King Hamlet. This idea suggests itself to Hamlet in Act 2, Scene 2, when Rosencrantz tells him that a group of actors will soon be arriving at Elsinore, at which point their conversation digresses briefly to the circumstances surrounding these itinerant players. In the space of the next 45 lines, Shakespeare informs his audience of several important issues affecting the real actors of his time. This is of particular interest from the viewpoint of New Historicism, which treats literature as a part of history, and as an expression or representation of forces on history (Holman and Harmon, 318). New Historicism emerged as a theoretical movement in the late 1970s and early 1980s with one of the earliest proponents being Louis A. Montrose. In his essay “Professing the Renaissance: The Poetics and Politics of Culture,” Montrose says that the focus of New Historicism “…has been upon a refiguring of the socio-cultural field within which canonical Renaissance literary and dramatic works were originally produced; upon resituating them not only in relationship to other genres and modes of discourse but also in relationship to contemporaneous social institutions and non-discursive practices”...
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...ANALYZING NOVELS & SHORT STORy Good feedback is kind, thorough and timely. It’s professional and focused. It leaves the writer feeling challenged to do better but great about their strengths. Even if that just means the location they chose was cool. Give your feedback relative to the skill set of the writer. Never lie or obfuscate. Just serve it up gently. An upset writer isn’t going to hear your points anyway. But an encouraged one will. Trust me on this. — Julie Gray PRINTER FRIENDLY PAGE Literary analysis looks critically at a work of fiction in order to understand how the parts contribute to the whole. When analyzing a novel or short story, you’ll need to consider elements such as the context, setting, characters, plot, literary devices, and themes. Remember that a literary analysis isn’t merely a summary or review, but rather an interpretation of the work and an argument about it based on the text. Depending on your assignment, you might argue about the work’s meaning or why it causes certain reader reactions. This handout will help you analyze a short story or novel—use it to form a thesis, or argument, for your essay. Summary Begin by summarizing the basic plot: “Matilda by Roald Dahl is about a gifted little girl in small town America who learns to make things move with her mind and saves her teacher and school from the evil principal.” This will help ground you in the story. (When you write your paper, you probably won’t include a summary because your readers...
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... Spelling not yet standardized, thus name spelled in different ways • Shakespeare, Shakspere, Shackspere, Shaxper, Shagspere, Shaxberd, etc. Shakespeare: The most well known playwright of Elizabethan times is Shakespeare. But there were also other writers who in their time were just as, or even more famous than him. WHAT MAKES SHAKESPEARE STAND OUT? – The volume of his works Plays firmly attributed to Shakespeare ■ 14 COMEDIES – funny play – with amusing events – ended in marriage / or happily o Midsummer Night’s Dream, Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night, As You Like It, Much Ado about Nothing… ■ 10 HISTORIES – Richard III, Richard II, Henry IV… ■ 10 TRAGEDIES – ends in death ← Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, Julius Caesar… ■ 4 Romances – ( chivalry and love) Pericles,...
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...Home > Why Hamlet Delays His Revenge Why Hamlet Delays His Revenge (Excerpt from Quintessence of Dust: The Mystical Meaning of Hamlet) Kenneth Chan ... Hamlet is finally alone, and the stage is set for the soliloquy that gave rise to one of the most persistent mysteries in literature: Why does Hamlet delay his revenge? Hamlet Ay, so, God buy you. Now I am alone. Oh, what a rogue and peasant slave am I! Is it not monstrous that this player here, But in a fiction, in a dream of passion, Could force his soul so to his whole conceit1 That from her working all his visage wanned, Tears in his eyes, distraction in his aspect, A broken voice, and his whole function suiting With forms to his conceit? And all for nothing! For Hecuba! What's Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba, That he should weep for her? What would he do Had he the motive and the cue for passion That I have? He would drown the stage with tears, And cleave the general ear with horrid speech, Make mad the guilty and appal the free,2 Confound the ignorant, and amaze indeed The very faculties of eyes and ears. Yet I, A dull and muddy-mettled3 rascal, peak Like John-a-dreams,4 unpregnant5 of my cause, And can say nothing--no, not for a king, Upon whose property and most dear life A damned defeat was made. Am I a coward? Who calls me a villain, breaks my pate across, Plucks off my beard and blows it in my face, Tweaks me by the nose, gives me the lie i'th'throat As deep as to the lungs? Who does me this? Ha, 'swounds, I should take...
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...Revenge William Shakespeare’s, “The Hamlet,” has many themes used to reflect the Renaissance period. Shakespeare used revenge as the main theme of this play to get a more dramatic connection between the actors and the audience. The characters show this by acting mindlessly through anger instead of through reason. Hamlet is based around the principle, an eye for an eye, which means a person who has injured another person will be penalized at a similar degree. The characters go about their conflicts very differently than perceived because they all acted on negative emotion to seek revenge. The actions of the characters led to major conflict throughout the play, leading to death in multiple occasions. At the beginning of the play, Hamlet’s...
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...Hopkins, "In the Valley of the Elwy." Antagonist A character or force against which another character struggles. Creon is Antigone's antagonist in Sophocles' play Antigone; Teiresias is the antagonist of Oedipus in Sophocles' Oedipus the King. Assonance The repetition of similar vowel sounds in a sentence or a line of poetry or prose, as in "I rose and told him of my woe." Whitman's "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer" contains assonantal "I's" in the following lines: "How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick, / Till rising and gliding out I wander'd off by myself." Character An imaginary person that inhabits a literary work. Literary characters may be major or minor, static (unchanging) or dynamic (capable of change). In Shakespeare's Othello, Desdemona is a major character, but one who is static, like the minor character Bianca. Othello is a major character who is dynamic, exhibiting an ability to change. Characterization The means by which writers present and reveal character. Although techniques of characterization are complex, writers typically reveal characters through their speech, dress, manner, and actions. Readers come to understand the character Miss Emily in Faulkner's story "A Rose for Emily" through what she...
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...A TEACHER’S GUIDE TO THE SIGNET CLASSIC EDITION OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S MACBETH LINDA NEAL UNDERWOOD S E R I E S E D I T O R S : W. GEIGER ELLIS, ED.D., ARTHEA J. S. REED, PH.D., UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA, EMERITUS and UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA, RETIRED A Teacher’s Guide to the Signet Classic Edition of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth 2 INTRODUCTION William Shakespeare developed many stories into excellent dramatizations for the Elizabethan stage. Shakespeare knew how to entertain and involve an audience with fast-paced plots, creative imagery, and multi-faceted characters. Macbeth is an action-packed, psychological thriller that has not lost its impact in nearly four hundred years. The politically ambitious character of Macbeth is as timely today as he was to Shakespeare's audience. Mary McCarthy says in her essay about Macbeth, "It is a troubling thought that Macbeth, of all Shakespeare's characters, should seem the most 'modern,' the only one you could transpose into contemporary battle dress or a sport shirt and slacks." (Signet Classic Macbeth) Audiences today quickly become interested in the plot of a blindly ambitious general with a strong-willed wife who must try to cope with the guilt engendered by their murder of an innocent king in order to further their power. The elements of superstition, ghosts, and witchcraft, though more readily a part of everyday life for the Renaissance audience, remain intriguing to modern teenagers. The action-packed...
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...Narrative A narrative is a sequence of events that a narrator tells in story form. A narrator is a storyteller of any kind, whether the authorial voice in a novel or a friend telling you about last night’s party. Point of View The point of view is the perspective that a narrative takes toward the events it describes. First-person narration: A narrative in which the narrator tells the story from his/her own point of view and refers to him/herself as “I.” The narrator may be an active participant in the story or just an observer. When the point of view represented is specifically the author’s, and not a fictional narrator’s, the story is autobiographical and may be nonfictional (see Common Literary Forms and Genres below). Third-person narration: The narrator remains outside the story and describes the characters in the story using proper names and the third-person pronouns “he,” “she,” “it,” and “they.” • Omniscient narration: The narrator knows all of the actions, feelings, and motivations of all of the characters. For example, the narrator of Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina seems to know everything about all the characters and events in the story. • Limited omniscient narration: The narrator knows the actions, feelings, and motivations of only one or a handful of characters. For example, the narrator of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland has full knowledge of only Alice. • Free indirect discourse: The narrator conveys a character’s inner thoughts...
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