...read Shakespeare’s Hamlet unanimously agree upon her morally frail and fickle nature. In the play’s opening scenes, Queen Gertrude is presented as a victim of her own moral missteps and lapse of judgment. Upon hearing of the death of her late husband, she appears indifferent and callous. She betrays both the late King Hamlet and her son through the incestuous act of marrying King Hamlet’s brother, Claudius. However, as the play progresses, a Gertrude’s pivotal encounter with Hamlet disintegrates the persona she has hidden behind for so long. By the conclusion of the play, Gertrude realizes the ramifications of the tangled web of lies she has wrought, shedding her mask of deception and betrayal to reveal her genuinely benevolent and kind nature. Further scrutiny of the three focal scenes involving Gertrude delve into the acknowledgement of her vices, and the actions she takes in order to abolish them. When Act 1, Scene 2 begins, the audience is aware of King Hamlet’s death and the stage is set for the introduction of the play’s primary characters, the freshly-minted King Claudius, the sartorial Queen Gertrude and her grieving son, Hamlet. In an ensuing discussion between the three, the queen sheds few tears over King Hamlet’s death, brushing off Hamlet’s lengthy lamentation of his father’s passing. “Good Hamlet, cast thy nighted colour off/ And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark (Act 1, Scene 2)” she chides, urging him to wipe his tears and act like the regal prince...
Words: 1281 - Pages: 6
...Hamlet Notes Tragedy is the downfall of a man because of a weakness in his personality. This weakness leaves him unable to negotiate successfully the conflict that he experiences in the outside world. Consequently, when he encounters evil, he is unable to make the right decision. A tragic hero has a moment of insight in which he realises his error. However, this insight comes too late for him to address his sillinesses/error. The tragic hero always dies. The key to understanding this play is a close and insightful study of the soliloquies in the play. Act 1 Scene 1( pg 3-13) Horatio will be the fall for the mercurial Hamlet. Horatio is quiet and well balanced and becomes a notable witness. At the beginning of the play, Denmark is not only socially, morally and culturally questionable but politically unstable. Norway, lead by Fortenbras is leading a campaign to reclaim the lands lost to Norway as a consequence of the Danish King Hamlet. At the end of this scene, the appearance if the ghost. King Hamlet. He was poisoned by Claudius. He was married to Gertrude, Claudius was Gertrude's brother-in-law—-> affair Act 1 Scene 2(pg 13-31) Set against the splendour of the court, scene 2 juxtaposes the mysteries and frightening opening scene. The court of Denmark represents hypocrisy and excess. We are introduced immediately to Claudius. He is suave and worldly wise. His idiom, register and tone of speech will create a suspicion. He is of course the antithesis of Hamlet as...
Words: 2779 - Pages: 12
...decides they should tell Hamlet, the dead King's son. Hamlet is also the nephew of the present King, Claudius, who not only assumed his dead brother's crown but also married his widow, Gertrude. Claudius seems an able King, easily handling the threat of the Norwegian Prince Fortinbras. But Hamlet is furious about Gertrude's marriage to Claudius. Hamlet meets the ghost, which claims to be the spirit of his father, murdered by Claudius. Hamlet quickly accepts the ghost's command to seek revenge. Yet Hamlet is uncertain if what the ghost said is true. He delays his revenge and begins to act half-mad, contemplate suicide, and becomes furious at all women. The Lord Chamberlain, Polonius, concludes that Hamlet's behavior comes from lovesickness for Ophelia, Polonius's daughter. Claudius and Gertrude summon two of Hamlet's old friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, to find out what's wrong with him. As Polonius develops a plot to spy on a meeting between Hamlet and Ophelia, Hamlet develops a plot of his own: to have a recently arrived troupe of actors put on a play that resembles Claudius's alleged murder of Old Hamlet, and watch Claudius's reaction. Polonius and Claudius spy on the meeting between Ophelia and Hamlet, during which Hamlet flies into a rage against women and marriage. Claudius concludes Hamlet neither loves Ophelia nor is mad. Seeing Hamlet as a threat, he decides to send him away. At the play that night, Claudius runs from the room during the scene of the murder, proving...
Words: 10550 - Pages: 43
...In Act 3, Scene 4, Hamlet is asked by his mother, Gertrude, to reveal what was making him act like he was crazy. Hamlet believes that Gertrude is truly having a heart to heart with him and really desires to put Hamlet’s troubles to ease. However, what Hamlet does not know is that Gertrude allows Polonius to hide being the arras to overhear their conversation for King Claudius. As the audience, we are aware that Polonius is in the room with Gertrude and Hamlet, but Hamlet is unaware of his presence. By arguing to Gertrude over her marriage to his uncle Claudius, Hamlet’s emotions of hate towards Claudius were beginning to boil and it was as if Hamlet would commit to anything under impulse. At this point, Hamlet is in complete control over Gertrude, using physical force to pressure her to admit her guilt. While still listening from being the arras, Polonius, believing that the Queen could be in danger, calls out for help. Tragically, as an audience, we know that Hamlet will act on impulse by confusing Polonius for Claudius. Although Hamlet is unknown of the identity of the man hiding being the arras, he assumes it is Claudius and acts irrationally, killing Polonius. Even immediately after the incident, it is revealed that Hamlet was not sure that he had killed Claudius when he says “Is it the king?” (Act 3, Scene 4, Line 32). It is tragic that the dramatic irony of this scene made is predictable for the audience to determine Polonius’ fate. In this case, Polonius suffers for his...
Words: 970 - Pages: 4
...The Theme of Hamlet - Revenge In Hamlet, Shakespeare created three revenge plots; all of the revenges involve a son seeking vengeance for the death of a father. Revenge has caused the downfall of many people. In my opinion, revenge is a very dangerous theory to live by. It will consuming ones nature and causes one to act recklessly through anger rather without any reason. Throughout Hamlet, revenge is a dominant theme. Prince Fortinbras, Laertes, and Hamlet all seek to avenge the deaths of their fathers. But in doing so, three of them rely more on emotion than thought, and take a very big risk, the risk which eventually leads to the downfall and death. In Act 1 Scene 1, Shakespeare was written about Prince Fortinbras's attempts to reclaim the land his father lost to Old Hamlet and that is the first of three revenge plots in the play. King Fortinbras was killed by King Hamlet in a sword battle. This entitled King Hamlet to the land that was possessed by Fortinbras because it was written in a sealed compact. "…our valiant Hamlet-for so this side of our known world esteemed him-did slay this Fortinbras."(Hamlet, Act 1 Scene 1 Lines 85) Prince Fortinbras was enraged by his father’s murder and sought revenge against Denmark. He wanted to take back the land that had been lost to Denmark when his father was killed. "…Now sir, young Fortinbras…as it doth well appear unto our state-but to recover of us, by strong hand and terms compulsative, those foresaid lands so by his father lost…"(Hamlet...
Words: 1291 - Pages: 6
...Otu Ms.Cincinelli ENG4U1 July 19, 2016 Hamlet Quotations Choice 1 Mad as the sea and wind when both contend Which is the mightier. In his lawless fit, Behind the arras hearing something stir, Whips out his rapier, cries, “A rat, a rat!” And in this brainish apprehension kills The unseen good old man. This quotation is said by Gertrude, the Queen, also known as Hamlets mother, in Act 4, Scene 1, 8-12. This passage serves to develop the character of Hamlet, and show how much he has grown mad in comparison to his visitation to Ophelia, which is when they begun to believe he has actually lost his mind. This passage also serves to develop conflict because Hamlet has just killed Laertes’s father, and Claudius’s good friend. This can develop conflict between the men because just as Hamlet wanted to seek revenge for the murder of his father, Laertes will also desire to do the same, as we see in Act 4, Scene 5, 104-110. This passage also serves to develop theme of death because this makes two deaths. Two deaths that have driven the characters to insanity. As we see in the text Hamlet first decides to put on an act, as he said he may find it fit to in Act 1, Scene 5, 171-173. Although, as we can see, the events that begin to take place in his life gives way for his acting to become reality, and the death of his father being one of the few reasons. As for Ophelia, she became crazy very soon after the death of her father, whom Hamlet killed. A key literary device used to achieve...
Words: 1139 - Pages: 5
...Shakespeare uses references to corruption to highlight the inappropriate relationship between Gertrude and Claudius. As Hamlet talks to his mother about what she has done, he describes the situation as an “ulcerous place” where “rank corruption, mining within, infects” (Act 3, Scene 4, Line 147-149) and leaves hurt and sin in the place of virtue. Hamlet’s uncle killed his father and committed incest with his mother. The crimes that have been committed has left Hamlet in a state of anger as his perfect life is turned into a mess filled with pain that continues to spread each time he has to face the king. As Claudius prays, he admits that his “offense is rank” (Act 3, Scene 3, Line 39), while Hamlet tells his mother that she is making love in...
Words: 286 - Pages: 2
...personalities for his characters in Hamlet were, Ophelia’s legitimate madness is one trait that isn’t easily proven otherwise. Poor Ophelia is a young girl conditioned to the medieval dogma that her father is the ultimate authority in her life until marriage, while also heavily drawn to her sense of romance characteristic to the Renaissance. Also, Ophelia cannot express herself the way the men around her can, reserving her to a balloon of emotions, which, in addition to being left stranded after the men in her life essentially disappear, bursts into her ultimate insanity. Every person with influence in Ophelia’s life are men: Polonius, her father, Hamlet, her lover, and Laertes, her brother. These are the people who most of the time dictate her decisions for her. In the first scene of the play involving Ophelia, her lines are not many in number or lengthy by any means. This is because Polonius and Laertes spend the bulk of the scene instructing her. Both men discourage her from trusting Hamlet’s love. Laertes says, “His greatness weighed, his will is not his own. For he himself is subject to his birth.” (1.3.1718) Laertes is saying that Hamlet cannot be devoted to her because his focus has to be on Denmark as the heir to the throne. He also tells her to protect her virginity, which is a very authoritative statement and possibly an uncomfortable command to receive from your brother. Polonius in the same scene after Laertes leaves forbids Ophelia from seeing Hamlet again, telling her Hamlet may ...
Words: 1152 - Pages: 5
...Drama Review of Hamlet By studying the Stage Show of Wuhan University Abstract As the longest masterpiece of Shakespeare, Hamlet impresses us with its tragic revenge of prince Hamlet. This stage show presents us the core part of Hamlet through performance of “nunnery scene”, “closet scene” and Hamlet’s monologue. Thus, this article will mainly focuses on drama review of the stage show from aspects of technical arts, adaption and editing as well as performance of the actor and actresses and a character analysis combing with Oedipus complex, Electra complex together with the author’s personal reactions. Keywords: drama review; technical arts; performance, character analysis Contents I. Introduction………………………………………………………………………....3 II. Technical arts………………………………………………………………………4 A. Lighting &Music.……………………………………………………………..4 B. Stage Properties…………………………………………………………..........4 C. Costumes………………………………………………………………………4 III. Editing& Adaption………………………………………………………………..5 IV. Performance……………………………………………………………………….6 A. Hamlet…………………………………………………………………………...6 B. Ophelia………………………………………………………………………….6 C. Gertrude…………………………………………………………………………7 V. Character Analysis………………………………………………………………....7 A. Hamlet………………………………………………………………………….7 B. Ophelia…………………………………………………………………………8 C. Gertrude………………………………………………………………………..9 VI. Conclusion…………………………………………………………….................9 Introduction The original play of Hamlet is a masterpiece...
Words: 2097 - Pages: 9
...Scene One Summary: Claudius, Gertrude, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern talk about Hamlet and his lunacy. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern tell the King and Queen that they have tried to find out the reason for Hamlet’s madness, but he avoids their questions. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern tell the King and Queen about the actors that have arrived at the court and will be giving a performance. After Rosencrantz and Guildenstern leave, Claudius tells Gertrude that he has arranged for Hamlet to run into Ophelia, and Polonius and the King will hide and spy on their conversation to see if Hamlet is truly going crazy because he is in love. Gertrude tells Ophelia that she hopes that Hamlet’s madness is due to his love for her. Polonius tells Ophelia to read from a prayer book while waiting for Hamlet, which makes Claudius feels guilty as he remembers his own sin that he disguises with kind words. Then, Hamlet arrives speaking his famous to be or not to be speech. He is contemplating suicide, but he decides against it because he is worried that the environment after death will be even worse than the one he is living in right now. Ophelia then tells Hamlet that she has some of his mementos that she needs to return, which Hamlet denies ever giving her. Hamlet then goes into a dialogue with Ophelia that focuses on women and marriage. He is telling Ophelia to go to a nunnery because he does not believe in women or marriage anymore. Hamlet says that women use their beauty and power to fool their...
Words: 8879 - Pages: 36
...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...
Words: 2124 - Pages: 9
...Hamlet is thought to be one of William Shakespeare's most honored works and is a piece of art in its form that has been studied in depth by many scholars since its time. The storyline of Hamlet follows a vein of madness that begins with Claudius' murdering King Hamlet and ending with the tragic killing of almost every main character. Many reasons have been proposed for the ultimate tragedy, which occurs at the conclusion of the play. Indeed Hamlet is mad, but the other characters' madness also helped in contributing to his own. It is or is it not true that Hamlet was faking his insanity? Highly doubtful that Hamlet was faking the whole thing. The meaning for insanity on Dictionary.com is “a permanent disorder of the mind.” Hamlet didnt have a permanent disorder of the mind he knew what he was doing and even planned the majority of the events that happened. Most of the time anyway. Having your father die is bad enough, but to have your mother marry your uncle, within a few weeks of your father’s death? Then to see the ghost of your dead father. That would drive anyone a little insane, but maybe not to the extent that everyone thought Hamlet was acting. Hamlet is torn between acting sane and letting everyone else see him as insane. Throughout the story Hamlet pretends to be insane and even dies acting out this front of insanity. At first it seems as though Hamlet is just acting, but then it appears that he does truly indeed go insane. Even after he has gathered evidence against...
Words: 1932 - Pages: 8
...Friedrich Nietzsche once said, “There is always some madness in love, but there is also always some reason in madness. Love and revenge lead to strong motif of madness in William Shakespeare “Hamlet”. Hamlet like most sons, loved, his father dearly. Hamlet tries to seek revenge for his father’s death so he decides to act mad. When Rosencrantz and Guildenstern try not to see what’s wrong with hamlet he says, “I am but mad north – North West when the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw” (scene 2 act 2 page 57). He explains that he is mad, but he still knows what he is doing. There is no need to worry about him. Over and over again each character explains how they think Hamlet is mad, even his mother, and the queen. She says, “Alas,...
Words: 500 - Pages: 2
...activity 7 FINAL The soliloquy in act 4 scene 4 that starts with “how all occasions do inform against me” echoes a monologue recited to Hamlet’s two friends, Rozencratz and Guildenstern. The monologue earlier in the story paints the picture that Hamlet is still struggling with his thoughts of all the events that are happening and he is still unsure of what to do. He is adamant that murdering his uncle is against his character so he finds himself in a dilemma. Following the soliloquy in act 4, the Elizabethan audience is left with a favourable scenario. The lords would favor his philosophical thought process and the lower classes would favor the anticipation of bloody mess end of the act brings. The main reason for this is Hamlet’s soliloquy. This soliloquy serves as a continuation of the monologue to show the audience that Hamlet is getting over all that and is finally set on his mission. It also serves to show the audience how Hamlet came to those final decisions and gives the audience something to be excited for. As Hamlet approaches his destination England, he comes across Fortinbras marching with his army to Poland to fight a way for merely nothing. Hamlet in shock claims that man will fight and act so violently for something of little gain. This encounter reminds Hamlet of what he has to gain from his plan of murdering the king. Following this encounter is when Hamlet recites the soliloquy mentioned before. It is at this point that Hamlet realizes that his duty to his father...
Words: 744 - Pages: 3
...demonstrate the idea that revenge arises from the pain of the aggressor. In the view of this statement and in relation to ‘Hamlet’ and ‘The Duchess of Malfi’ it is important to define what pain actually is. Pain relates to grief in terms of Hamlet grieving for his father’s death. It also relates to suffering and injury – be that of the mind or body. There are instances in ‘Hamlet’ and ‘The Duchess of Malfi’ where the motivation for revenge may arise from the emotional pain of the aggressor; there are however acts of revenge shared in these plays that cannot be explained as a confession of pain but rather as a result of self-preservation and duty. Somroo explains that ‘The motive of revenge is a primitive emotion to be found in natural man, though it is a dangerous emotion.’ Somroo explains that revenge is primitive therefore it can be explained as an impulsive emotion born of pain or suffering. This shows that suffering and revenge are closely linked; the idea that revenge is born out of pain has excited audiences throughout history as a theme of revenge tragedies. In this genre of play both Webster and Shakespeare use the theme of revenge to show that it has consequences for every character that is unfortunate enough to be involved as it often results in multiple and an almost comical amount of dead bodies. Shakespeare more than Webster has used the character of Hamlet to explore a motivation for revenge deep within the character in their pain and affection for the cause of revenge. ...
Words: 1734 - Pages: 7
