...2016 In William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, Shakespeare reveals the tragedy of the young prince of Denmark, Hamlet. After the ghost of his father, King Hamlet, appears Hamlet and tells him that his very own uncle Claudius, killed his father, Hamlet swears vengeance. Claudius took over Denmark and married Hamlet’s mother Gertrude, making Hamlet hate Claudius. Gertrude, Hamlet’s friends and his love Ophelia all die during his mission to kill Claudius. Hamlet does eventually avenge his father by stabbing Claudius with a poisoned blade, but also dies from a scratch on the back from the same sword used in a duel. Feminist theory focuses on analyzing the inequality between genders. Feminist literary theory illuminates how power relations in the play are dominated by only men which shown in the characters of the play with Hamlet and Ophelia, Polonius and his daughter Ophelia, and Gertrude and Claudius, and Hamlet and Gertrude. Firstly, Polonius' ascendancy over Ophelia, Polonius' death and Polonius' relationship with Laertes in comparison to Ophelia's all illuminate the dominance Polonius has on his daughter. Ophelia is really devoted when it comes to the relationship with her father Polonius. Polonius does control her choices when Ophelia says she likes Lord Hamlet; he says "I would not, in plain terms, from this forth, have you so slander any moment's leisure, As to give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet" (1.4.130-134). Polonius tells her not to associate with Hamlet because he...
Words: 971 - Pages: 4
...The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. Set in the Kingdom of Denmark, the play dramatizes the revenge Prince Hamlet exacts on his uncle Claudius for murdering King Hamlet, Claudius's brother and Prince Hamlet's father, and then succeeding to the throne and taking as his wife Gertrude, the old king's widow and Prince Hamlet's mother. The play vividly portrays both true and feigned madness – from overwhelming grief to seething rage – and explores themes of treachery, revenge, incest, and moral corruption. Hamlet is Shakespeare's longest play and among the most powerful and influential tragedies in the English language, with a story capable of "seemingly endless retelling and adaptation by others." The play was one of Shakespeare's most popular works during his lifetime It has inspired writers from Goethe and Dickens to Joyce and Murdoch, and has been described as "the world's most filmed story after Cinderella". Shakespeare based Hamlet on the legend of Amleth, preserved by 13th-century chronicler Saxo Grammaticus in his Gesta Danorum as subsequently retold by 16th-century scholar François de Belleforest. He may also have drawn on or perhaps written an earlier Elizabethan play known today as the Ur-Hamlet. He almost certainly created the title role for Richard Burbage, the leading tragedian of Shakespeare's time. In the 400 years since, the role has been performed by highly acclaimed actors and actresses from each successive age. Three...
Words: 5201 - Pages: 21
...and Origin of Hamlet Although I enjoyed reading many of the texts throughout the semester during this course, my favorite reading was Hamlet. Only the first part of the book was assigned to read, but I was very interested to hear about the end of the book. I decided that this would be a good opportunity to read the rest of the book and use it for my final paper in the class. Not only did I get to finish the book, I also learned much about the author William Shakespeare and the country of England. I hope to make it clear of my understanding of the text, author, and country in this final paper. Hamlet has not only taught me the importance of family and struggle with fate, but has also given me a better understanding of whom and where the novel originated. The text begins in Denmark where a ghost walks the embankments of Elsinore Castle. The ghost is first discovered by some guards, then by Horatio. Horatio is a close friend and former classmate of Hamlet. The ghost resembles the recently deceased King Hamlet, Hamlet’s father. King Hamlet’s brother, Claudius has inherited the throne and married the king’s widow, Queen Gertrude. Gertrude is Hamlet’s mother. When Horatio and the guards bring Prince Hamlet to see the ghost, it speaks to him. The ghost threateningly states that it is his father’s spirit, and that he was murdered by Claudius. He orders Hamlet to seek revenge on the man who seized his throne and married his wife, and then disappears. Prince Hamlet decides to devote...
Words: 1402 - Pages: 6
...of William Shakespeare’s best work climaxes with gruesome bloodshed and tragedy. Unlike much of the entertainment we seek today, Shakespeare’s plays revolve as much around the flaws of its protagonists as it does their journey in seeking justice. In Hamlet, a heartbroken Danish prince embarks on a journey in avenging his farther who was murdered by his uncle. Claudius, Hamlet’s greedy uncle, is the root cause of much agony in Elsinore but can the audience really hold him solely responsible for the tragedies which befell the other characters? The answer is that Claudius’ treachery was the catalyst of all disorder in the play but, Polonius and Hamlet himself are also to blame. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Polonius’ tendency to overthink and meddle in others’ business leads to the death of several characters. Whether your intentions are good and your heart is in the right place is besides the fact that you are at fault for any and all trouble you cause. When Polonius says, “Ay, springes to catch woodcocks. I do know, when the blood burns, how prodigal the soul lends the tongue vows” (1.3.115-17), he tells his daughter Ophelia that Hamlet does not really love her but is deceiving her as a means of seduction. As a result, he orders her to quit making herself available for him. This sniveling behaviour ends up setting a new tone for the rest of the play. Once Hamlet secretly puts up an act of insanity in his pursuit to kill Claudius, Polonius offers advice to both Gertrude and...
Words: 926 - Pages: 4
...In the past, women have been subject to the “cult of domesticity.” This ideal lasted for centuries and ensnared women within a value system created by society that defined what a woman’s role should be. The cult presented women with four cardinal virtues: piety, purity, domesticity, and submissiveness. In the ages when these ideals were held at a high standard, works of literature written during this time reflected the societal standard. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, various essays, and our culture also depict the cult of domesticity that still exists regardless of the success of the feminist movements throughout history and in present day; meanwhile, William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, is a great example of women who lived within the “cult...
Words: 1529 - Pages: 7
...In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet experiences his mother’s remarriage to his uncle and Ophelia’s rejection which makes him feels very upset and angry about women. “Frailty, thy name is woman.”(1.2.146) This suggests that Hamlet thinks that all women in the world are weak and act in the same way. At the beginning of the play, Ophelia describes Hamlet’s love for her that Hamlet has a great affection on her and he has made the holiest vows to her. However, Polonius still asks Ophelia to leave Hamlet. Later in the play, Ophelia follows her father’s advice and rejects Hamlet’s love. Hamlet starts to treat Ophelia terribly. It brings to a question that whether Hamlet loves Ophelia or not. Hamlet is angry for Gertrude’s remarriage to Claudius because he loves and cares about his mother. It is the same for Ophelia. His mad and angry acts towards Ophelia show readers that he loves and cares about Ophelia because no one will be mad if he is betrayed by someone who is insignificant to him. The ways Hamlet talks and treat Gertrude are almost the same with the ways treats Ophelia. This shows Ophelia is as important as his mother. Hamlet is upset for his mother’s hasty remarriage and his thought of his mother worsen when the ghost tells him that Gertrude marries to a person who is the murderer of his father. He loves his mother so much that draws him to madness. He starts to treat his mother badly. “What wilt thou do? Thou wilt not murder me? Help, help, ho!” (3.4.22-23) He is being...
Words: 1060 - Pages: 5
...2014 The Madness of Hamlet In William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, the character of Prince Hamlet has just gotten back to Denmark from school to learn that his uncle and mother are now getting married, the same uncle that killed his father, the king. There is much debate as to whether or not Hamlet truly did go crazy from these series of events. However, Hamlet, much to his dissent, did indeed go crazy when his late father died, although he persisted in believing he had not; through his demeanor, words, and inner turmoil, it was shown that he was simply in denial about this fact. When Hamlet’s late father’s ghost told him to kill his uncle as an act of vengeance, Hamlet wholeheartedly agreed. He also decided to act crazy, something his family and friends attributed to either grief or love, however Hamlet told his friend Horatio that he was simply acting. He might have began off simply acting, but he did gradually fade into madness. Hamlet went to see Ophelia after his meeting with the host of his father, where he demonstrated his first act of madness. “He took me by the wrist and held me hard…/ Long stayed he so,/ At last, a little shaking of mine arm,/ And thrice his head thus waving up and down/ He raised a sigh so piteous and profound” (II. i. 98-106). This is where his family got the idea that he was mad with love. And so, deciding to prove this, Claudius and Polonius had Ophelia help them, insisting she go talk to Hamlet whilst they spy on their...
Words: 1058 - Pages: 5
...See: Appearance versus Reality in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet In William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, things are not always as they seem. Hamlet’s father has just died and his uncle, Claudius, weds Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude, shortly after the king’s death. As Hamlet discovers more information about his father’s death, he must go undercover and feign insanity in order to ascertain if his source is correct. Throughout Hamlet, Shakespeare uses a murder, a ghost, and a revenge seeking Hamlet to portray his theme of appearance versus reality. At the beginning of the play, Hamlet is angry with his mother and uncle for marrying so suddenly after his father’s death. He is soon visited by the ghost of his father who tells Hamlet that “[Hamlet’s] uncle stole, / With juice of cursed hebona in a vial, / And in the porches of my ears did pour” (I.v.61-63), and he learns that Old Hamlet was poisoned by Claudius while he was sleeping...
Words: 735 - Pages: 3
...Mirabelli, 1 Hamlet Tragedy reveals the true identity of a person as it draws out one’s deepest inner emotions; this is evident in William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet. In the play, the newly appointed King and brother of the late King Hamlet, is responsible for the murder of his own brother and Denmark’s beloved ruler. The new King, Claudius, displays several different sides of himself to his audience when all begins to go awry. He now knows that the former King’s son, Hamlet, knows of his murder, his friend Polonius was killed by a seemingly insane Hamlet, and Polonius’ children are losing their sense of sanity and are blaming Claudius for their father’s murder. Within his speech, Claudius shows his true inner guilt over murdering his brother now that everything seems to be falling apart. Also, his sensitive side is portrayed for Polonius’ children and the loss of their beloved father. Finally, the King is shown to be deceiving and manipulative with others, showing himself as innocent and hurt when he is far from innocent. In Shakespeare’s original version of Hamlet, Claudius’ speech in Act IV, scene v, effectively captures the attention of not only the Elizabethan audience of the play, but also his wife Gertrude. Just like any villain, Claudius has a very guilty conscience that slowly comes out during the play. Firstly, he mentions that everything is going horribly, and the audience can identify a sense of guilt when Claudius brings up this point. Within the speech...
Words: 1098 - Pages: 5
...Spying is a recurring theme in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet as it creates an abundant amount of dramatic intensity throughout the play. It causes the death of Polonius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and it reveals significant characteristics of major characters. Shakespeare specifically incorporates spying into certain scenes known as observation scenes or ‘closet scenes’. An observation scene dramatically enhances the climatic moments of the play and develops the complex reasoning behind many major characters such as Hamlet. The most important observation scene in the play is Act III scene IV as Hamlet discusses his true feelings to Gertrude while Polonius overhears the conversation. It probes the sexuality of Hamlet and Gertrude and is the turning-point in which Hamlet demonstrates a change in character. Throughout the play, Hamlet displays hostility towards his uncle Claudius due to the marriage between him and Gertrude. This is especially evident in the closet scene as Hamlet berates his mother with many sexual and incestuous references. In order to explain the relationship between Hamlet and his mother, Sigmund Freud’s theory the Oedipus Complex identifies this situation as a male’s unconscious sexual desire for his mother (Losh). Freud believes that these sexual desires are repressed unconsciously which in turns creates a lasting effect in a boy’s life (Losh). An example in this scene is when Hamlet says: “But to live / In the rank sweat of an enseamed bed, / Stewed...
Words: 1524 - Pages: 7
...In William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, the protagonist Hamlet shows a negative view towards the women in his life. He considers the fact that his mother, Gertrude, remarried so quickly after his father’s death an act of betrayal towards himself and his father. Hamlet also feels betrayed by Ophelia following her father authority by agreeing to stay away from Hamlet despite admitting of her love. Hamlet perceives both these women as fragile and too reliant on the men in their lives, he expresses this in Act 1 Scene 2 of the play, “Frailty, thy name is woman.” Towards the end of Sophacles’ play Oedipus Tyrannus, Oedipus’ past is revealed to him and the mystery of Laius’, also his father, murder is solved, also his incestuous relationship with his mother is also revealed. Unknowingly Oedipus married his own mother who had given birth to four children, two twin boys and two girls. As these children are the product of an incestuous relationship, all four children are more than likely to be excluded from society. In Ancient Greek times women were strictly wives and mothers and what might be considered as homemakers. Oedipus’ concern for his daughters rather than for also for his sons is justified as his two older sons, Eteocles and...
Words: 595 - Pages: 3
...Dolabaille ENG 4U Tuesday, July 17th, 2015. Hamlet William Shakespeare's longest play Hamlet is a late 16th century tragedy set in Denmark. It revolves around the son of a deceased king, Hamlet, of which the name of the play is coined. Hamlet is perturbed by the death of his father, and becomes vengeful upon learning the truth about his murder. This play takes a twist by involving the subplot romance between Hamlet and Ophelia, and the dangerous role their love plays in the death of majority of the characters. This play crosses the importance of many of the characters values, the problems ensued, and the consequences. In this essay I will argue that the audience's cultural, economic, and social values do affect their interpretation of the play by using the speech given by the gravedigger. "Her obsequies have been as far enlarged As we have warranty. Her death was doubtful, And, but that great command o'ersways the order, She should in ground unsanctified have lodged Till the last trumpet. For charitable prayers Shards, flints and pebbles should be thrown on her. Yet here she is allowed her virgin crants, Her maiden strewments, and the bringing home Of bell and burial." (V, i, 200-208) Culturally, suicide is considered a sin or an act of blasphemy to a Christian. In Shakespeare's Hamlet the character Ophelia was thought to have committed suicide after the loss of her father, Polonius, and her love, Hamlet. She is denied a full Christian funeral by the...
Words: 685 - Pages: 3
...humorous play that is William Shakespeare's "Hamlet" is a story of complete lunacy. Prince Hamlets Uncle Claudius kills his father King Hamlet so he could have the throne. After becoming King, Claudius takes the opportunity to become Prince Hamlet's "Uncle Father" by marrying Queen Gertrude (Prince Hamlet’s mother, King Hamlet's easy, now ex-wife) in what seemed like a mere minute after King Hamlet's funeral. Prince Hamlet was told by the ghost of his father that Claudius was his murderer. Hamlet goes mad at the fact that not only was his mother now his "Aunt Mother", and his Uncle was now his "Uncle Father", his dead father appears from the dead telling him to avenge his murder that came at the hands of his now "Uncle Father" aka King Claudius. Hamlet is just as mad (only in love) with Ophelia, who is daughter of Polonius (King Hamlet's ex "right hand man"), whom Hamlet ends up killing during the story. Ophelia ends up killing herself because Hamlet makes her go insane. Hamlet is torn between how he should deal with all of the drama surrounding him. He sort of taunts Claudius with the fact that he knows what he's done to King Hamlet and tries to expose his guilt by directing a performance of how the murdered played out during a pageant. Claudius tries to have Hamlet killed during his return to studying abroad. Hamlet knows that Claudius tries to have him killed and outsmarts him completely. Upon returning from his schooling, Hamlet finds out that Ophelia drowned herself and...
Words: 559 - Pages: 3
...Analysis: Hamlet In the tragedy Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, Hamlet is this young man who experiences close relation death which was his father. He later finds out it was his uncle who murdered his father just to take heir to the throne. Hamlet constant brooding about death and humanity comes ahead. (Tennen) Hamlet is arguably the greatest dramatic character ever created from the moment we meet the crestfallen prince we are enraptured by his elegant intensity. (Mabillard) William Shakespeare hamlet follows the young prince Hamlet home to Denmark to attend his father’s funeral. (Stockton) In “Hamlet” the tragedy hamlet the prince holds a great internal conflict throughout the play. (Studymode) On a dark winter night a ghost walks the ramparts of Elsinore castle in Denmark. (Sparknotes)The first edition of hamlet was published in 1603 from a previous sketch composed several years earlier the second one following 1604. (Bates) Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy Bernado’s question betrays the mood of uncertainty that prevails throughout the play. (George) So speaks Shakespeare’s prince hamlet of the transient nature of all mankind throughout the play humanity and frailty is a common theme. (Mortensen) In Hamlet the tragedy, hamlet, the prince of Demark with holds a great internal conflict throughout the play. (Directessays) Hamlet is Shakespeare’s longest play and the play responsible for the immortal lines “to be or not to be that is the question” (Taylor) The story hamlet is set...
Words: 3813 - Pages: 16
...Who was William Shakespeare? Shakespeare is William Shakespeare, one of the English-speaking world's greatest playwrights and poets, who possessed a great knowledge of human nature and transformed the English theatre. Yet many facts of his life remain a mystery. Some have been acquired from painstaking looks at the records of the time, so that this summary is based on generally agreed facts. It has been said that we only know three things about Shakespeare: that he was born, married and died. He was baptised on April 26, 1564; we do not know his birth date, but many scholars believe it was April 23, 1564. His father was John Shakespeare (who was a glover and leather merchant) and his mother Mary Arden (who was a landed local heiress). John had a remarkable run of success as a merchant, alderman, and high bailiff of Stratford, during William's early childhood. His fortunes declined, however, in the late 1570s. William lived for most of his early life in Stratford-upon-Avon. We do not know exactly when he went to London but he is said to have arrived in 1592. There is great conjecture about Shakespeare's childhood years, especially regarding his education. It is surmised by scholars that Shakespeare attended the free grammar school in Stratford, which at the time had a reputation to rival that of Eton. While there are no records extant to prove this claim, Shakespeare's knowledge of Latin and Classical Greek would tend to support this theory. In addition, Shakespeare's...
Words: 6999 - Pages: 28
