...willing to admit that they are crazy” (www.brainyquotes.com). William Shakespeare, the Prince of Denmark, writes an interesting play called Hamlet. People have taken sides on whether or not Hamlet, the main character, crazy or not. I believe that Hamlet acts on impulse about any of the consequences, which makes him insane. Murdering others, thinking about suicide and somehow seeing ghosts all bring up different conclusions about his sanity. Hamlet is in fact crazy throughout most of the play, lacking remorse in Polonius’s death, seeing his father’s ghost, while losing his own grip when Ophelia takes her own life. After Hamlet accidentally kills Polonius he feels absolutely no regret or remorse in one bit of his body. Polonius is planning to eavesdrop on the Queen’s and her son’s conversation hoping to figure out why Hamlet has been acting bizarre. Hamlet realizes someone is behind the arras, and the Queen thinks it’s Claudius and yells “how now! a rat?”(III.iv). Hamlet, by drawing his sword and powerfully stabbing it through the tapestry while hoping it is the King. Gertrude, the Queen, asks Hamlet what he has done. Hamlet replies by saying “Nay, I know not:/Is it the King?”(III.iv). Gertrude tells Hamlet Stone 2 that his insane act was “rash and bloody”. He tries switching the subject by bringing guilt onto the Queen by saying “it was almost as rash and bloody as murdering a King and marrying his brother”(III.iv). Hamlet never admits to his wrongdoings...
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...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...
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...innocent young girl, who dutifully obeyed her father, Polonius. Ophelia did as she is told, even if in her heart she felt strongly against what she was being asked to do. It was obvious that she was behaving like well mannered, aristocratic, young ladies of the time were expected to behave. Obedience and compliance were desirable traits, and Ophelia assumed that and here love and devotion to Hamlet would secure a happily ever after. But, unfortunately, her exceptional obedience would be her downfall. Ophelia is found betraying her one true love, Hamlet, by merely obeying her father, Polonius, and king Claudius, who believe that Hamlet has gone mad. Polonius seemed to bear a grudge against Hamlet, which should have been a signal to Ophelia that something was amiss. But being the good daughter, she did as she was told when Polonius instructed Ophelia not to ever speak to Hamlet again. When Hamlet comes running into her room looking like he has just seen a ghost, which in fact he has, and she does not say a word to him. She just looks at him like he is crazy and watches him go out the door without saying a word. Hamlet feels betrayed by his love for her and lack of response to his distress. She obeyed her father and did not speak to him, even when he looked like he had gone through something very terrible. Ophelia agreed to Polonius’s schemes to spy on Hamlet, even when it went against her feelings for Hamlet. The second thing that Ophelia does, which causes her to lose Hamlet's...
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...Hamlet Journal (1) Act 1, Scene 5, line 32 Ghost: I find thee apt, And duller shouldst thou be than the fat weed That roots itself in ease on Lethe wharf, Wouldst thou not stir in this. Now, Hamlet, hear. 'Tis given out that, sleeping in my orchard, A serpent stung me. So the whole ear of Denmark Is by a forgèd process of my death Rankly abused. But know, thou noble youth, The serpent that did sting thy father’s life Now wears his crown. (2) Paraphrase: a. The ghost is glad that Hamlet is so excited about revenging the father’s death. The ghost explained how his death was meant to look and that his death was a lie. Then the ghost informed Hamlet who was responsible for his death. Hamlet’s uncle is the one who murdered his father. (3) My comments b. I think that this is the start of the book; before this the book was just getting you use to the characters. When the ghost appears to Hamlet he is eager to get revenge for his father’s death. But when the ghost tells Hamlet that his uncle is the one who kills him; I feel like when this is revealed it took the story to a new level. First your father just died, your mom married your uncle and now all of a sudden a ghost appears to tell you that his death was a lie. On top of it being a lie, the person who did it was your uncle. I think this is going to make Hamlet lose control over him. He will either go into a deep depression or he is going to be so angry and not be able to control himself...
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...ROLES Hamlet: Son Huynh Laertes: Queenie Lee Ophelia: Cecilia Young Horatio: Sam Ng Messenger/ Captain: Mark Bengco Queen (Gertrude): Maggie Guan Gentleman: Brian Flores Narrator: Tracy Santa Ana Fortinbras: Hung Dam King (Claudius) Eric Tan Sailor: Hannah Ramierz Guildenstern: Norman Chen Rosencrantz: Delmy Lopez ACT IV Scene 1: [Enter KING and QUEEN, with ROSENCRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN] King: What’s wrong? Where’s Hamlet? Queen: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, can you give us a moment? [ROSENCRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN exit] You won’t believe what I saw today! King: What do you mean? What did Hamlet do? Queen: He was acting crazy! He was mad as hell. He apparently heard something behind the curtains and thought it was a rat so he pulled out his knife and stabbed it. The rat turned out to be Polonius! King: What?! Well, well, well.. what should we do now?! We were supposed to keep an eye on him and now look what happened… We can’t let anyone know about this. Where is he? Queen: He took the Polonius’s body with him. But please don’t be too harsh on him. He’s my only son. I think he regrets what he has done. King: Gertrude, you don’t understand. We need to send Hamlet away before anyone finds out about this. Rosencrantz! Guildenstern! Come in! [Enter ROSENCRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN] Listen to me, you two. Hamlet just killed Polonius and took the body with him. You need to find him immediately and bring the body back to church. HURRY! [ROSENCRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN...
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...Drama Connections Drama Connections After reading the play, Hamlet, I’ve come to a great understanding of the actual character of Hamlet. Hamlet was a prince who felt like he was stuck in a castle full of betrayal. Claudius, the King of Denmark, was his uncle/stepfather. He had murdered the former King, Hamlet Senior, whom was also his brother. Claudius then married young Hamlet’s mother a couple months after the death of the former king. In the beginning of the story, young Hamlet knew of his father’s death, but did not know that it wasn’t an accidental death. The ghost of the former king paid a visit to a couple of guards and Hamlet only to tell Hamlet the story of his death. The ghost let Hamlet know that Claudius was the one at fault for his death because he had murdered him. He also told Hamlet to seek revenge upon Claudius. After the ghost’s visit, Hamlet felt like he had gone mad! He felt crazy and he couldn’t believe that Claudius had killed his father so he could become King of Denmark and marry his mother and take her as Queen. Another possible reason for Hamlet’s madness was his love for Ophelia. Although, in the story, it’s said that his madness comes from the rejection from Ophelia, I did not see it. I thought his madness resulted from the appearance of the ghost of his father. His father’s death left him devastated and the fact that his mother married his uncle right away left him flustered. Combined, the death of his father with the marriage of his mother and...
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...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 husbands. Hamlet also tells Ophelia that if she does...
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...Shakespeare's play Hamlet , Hamlet vows to seek revenge for his fathers death however, he procrastinates throughout the play and doesn't seek revenge until the end. Hamlet is stopped in seeking revenge by a number of factors throughout the play. Through the attitudes of the characters, Hamlets high education and Analysis paralysis When his father's ghost came to him and told him to avenge his murder, Hamlet was eager to take immediate action. However before seeking revenge he needs to know if the ghost is telling the truth about his murder. Hamlet feels that if the ghost isn't telling the truth and he acts, he too will become a murderer. In order to determine if Claudius is truly guilty, Hamlet produces a play in which the plot...
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...Hamlet suddenly opened Ophelia’s door in shock and Ophelia glared at him absentmindedly. He grabbed her hand physically and observed her like there was a spider on her face. Ophelia examined him in confusion thinking about what is wrong with him. In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Hamlet shows Ophelia how much he loves her with a letter that he writes her. However, sometimes he does not show it at times. Although, when he finds out that Ophelia died, he shows everyone that he loves her with all his heart. Hamlet undeniably loves Ophelia because he cares, he is protective, and he made sure she was happy. Hamlet shows he loves Ophelia by reacting strongly after she dies. For example, when Hamlet finds out that Ophelia died, he screams to Laertes,”Will you cry? Fight? Stop eating? Cut yourself? Drink vinegar? Eat a crocodile? I’ll do all that,” (Shakespeare 297). Hamlet explains to Laertes that he will do anything to have her around one more time. He is devastated that Ophelia died. He just wishes to spend one more moment with her if she were alive. For example,...
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...Example of Dramatic Irony from Acts I & II | CharactersInvolved | Sympathy? Antipathy? | Reason your sympathies lean as they do | Evidence – Lines and Explanation of Effect | Claudius and Gertrude think Hamlet is crazy but the audience knows he is faking it. | Claudius | Antipathy | I don’t feel sorry for Claudius not knowing because he deserves to be treated the way he is being treated by Hamlet because he killed his father | But to perseverIn obstinate condolement is a courseOf impious stubbornness. 'Tis unmanly grief.It shows a will most incorrect to heaven,. Hamlet when he is by himself or with other friends acts sane and normal but when he is around other friends and family he acts insane. | | Gertrude | Antipathy | I don’t feel sorry for Gertrude because she betrayed hamlets trust by marrying his father’s brother. | Please answer my prayers, Hamlet, and stay with us. Don’t go back to Wittenberg. Hamlet obeys his mother by not going to Wittenburg he is making his mother feel a bit better because she is concerned for him. | When Polonius speaks with his son Laertes, who is about to return to France, the father gives advice to his son. But, buried in conversation are the themes honest vs. deceit and love vs. betrayal as, after Laertes leaves, Polonius instructs Reynaldo to spy on his son | Laertes | Sympathy | I feel sorry for Laertes because his father is sending his Reynaldo to spy on him and to talk to people and spread lies about Laertes. It also proves that...
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...“Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.” This quote is by Confucius an author who is explaining on your journey to revenge you need two graves because it usually ends up with more than one death, which could include yourself. In the story Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, Hamlet seems to struggle with the fact that his dad was killed without his sins being forgiven so he never got to go to heaven. Throughout the whole story Hamlet seeks revenge on his uncle, who killed his dad. He goes about this plan by pretending to be crazy and along the way hurts people physically and mentally. He begins to overthink everything and that leads to his death at the end of the play. He had opportunities to get revenge on his uncle...
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...tragedy Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, Gertrude can be viewed as being morally ambiguous at many times in the play causing the reader to question whether she is an evil character or somewhat good. Moral ambiguity reveals the true feelings and often mixed emotions, making it difficult to determine one’s motives, guilt, or regret. In the play, there are many instances in which Gertrude exhibits moral ambiguity and leads the reader to question her intentions. At the beginning of the play, the reader is introduced to a character who has married her former brother-in-law almost immediately after her husband’s death. This causes many to question whether she really loved her husband or not. If she had truly loved him, she probably would not have married so quickly. She would most likely be grieving over her loss and have no desire to marry any one else, especially in such a short amount of time. This also leads to another question of whether or not she was involved with Claudius even before her husband’s death. Their relationship most likely did not start after the death of Hamlet Sr., because most women would not have recovered from their loss and found love within a month’s time. This reveals that she most likely did not in fact, love her husband. If she were involved with Claudius before Hamlet Sr.’s murder, it is presumable that she knew something about her husband’s impending death. The fact that she knew anything at all about it causes the reader to question why she did not tell...
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...In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the main protagonist, prince Hamlet,loses his father to death at the hands of his uncle. When Hamlet becomes informed about the true nature behind his father’s death, he is faced with several consequential events. Despite his desire to avenge his father, Hamlet struggles internally with the potential consequences of killing his uncle. In Mccloskey’s criticism of Hamlet, “Hamlet Quest for Certainty” he says, “Now it is Hamlet who is in active danger and not the King…After slaying Polonius he hides the body”, but here lies a flaw in McCloskey’s argument. (McCloskey 449). Instead Hamlet’s fatal error is he is ahead of his time. While the Ghost tries to incite Hamlet to commit mindless murder in the name of vengeance,...
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...Development of Heroes (+Hamlet) The Heroes of the Greek and Rome poetries share few common uniqueness. They are heroic in that they all sacrifice, they are all intelligent, they all have their own faith or luck, they are all remembered or also known as Kleos and they all wander and deal with many problems. We have read many of them in this course such as Odysseus, Oedipus, Aeneas, Achilles and Beowulf. Then there is the great Hamlet who is not one of the Greek Heroes but a character from a play by William Shakespeare. Today in this essay, I want to compare some of the Greek poetry characters with the Prince Hamlet. First of all, I want to talk about few similarities between Hamlet and one of the Greek poet characters we have learned from this course. In my opinion, the story of Hamlet itself can be very analogous to the story of the poetry Oedipus. Both of the story have a plague or a outbreak going on from the beginning of the story. In the Oedipus the King, it starts with the Plague of Thebes where then Oedipus start to take actions for his people. This is where he shows his heroic features being a great leader for his city and sacrificing himself to solve the problem. The play Hamlet also starts with an outbreak and there seems to be something strange. The play starts with, "who’s there?" (Act 1 scene 1 line 1) by one of the guards. The fact that the play starts out with a question and with a guard, it foreshadows that there is something wrong and the Prince Hamlet would have a lot...
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...Love Love can be an intensive feeling of lust from one individual to another, as well as an obsession that leads to people doing unusual things. The different types of love conveyed between the stories “A rose for Emily” and “Hamlet and Ophelia” are over compassionate ties and misleading love associations. Between these two stories the true dimensions portrayed of love are both ordinary and extreme. Once reading these books a reader can conclude that love itself can make you do some crazy things. “A rose for Emily” is a fictional analysis of horror or gothic tales between an over protective father, a psychotic spoiled daddy’s girl, and her lover. The relationship shown here between the girl and her father can be perceived as a typical father-daughter scenario played into today’s society. As most fathers, Emily’s dad never saw anyone up to his standards for his beloved daughter. With this being said Emily was never allowed to date or find a man’s love beyond her father’s. This put her in a distressful emotional state when she had to come to terms with her father passing away. Emily was an extremely over-bearing individual when it came to love. Her family and father had always been highly overrated people. They looked at other human-beings who did not fit their upbringings as “outsiders” and below them. In this narrative, the citizens of the town which Emily resides in are very judgmental when it comes to her personal life. Once her father died a new man came into her life...
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