...The Foils of Hamlet Hamlet is dominated by an emotion which is inexpressible, because it is in excess of the facts as they appear.... We should have to understand things which Shakespeare did not understand himself." T.S. Eliot (Hamlet and His Problems) In the play Hamlet [Titles] by William Shakespeare the cast of main characters use the support given to them by the foils to enhance the play. A foil is a minor character who by simulations [?] and differences reveals character, and who, as an element of plot, is there for the more important character to talk to (vevra [sic] ). Such an example is Laertes is a foil to Hamlet. [SS -1] [Is the last sentence in this paragraph the thesis?] Before the events of the play Ophelia[,] the daughter of Polonius and sister of Laertes, tells us that Hamlet was a model courtier, soldier, and scholar, ["?]The glass of fashion and the mould of form, Th’ observed of all observers."( pg 676) [Citation] With the death of his farther [sic] and the hasty remarriage of his mother to mother [sic & sloppy] to his uncle, throws Hamlet into a frustrated state were [where-H50] he lashes out at evil he sees and then relapse into a suicidal misery. [SS] It is in the [this?] state of mind that he meets the ghosts [more than one?] of his father. When he meets the ghost he isn’t afraid of the ghost but instead wants to confront the ghost face to face. It is at this point in the play were [that] Hamlet finds out that his uncle murdered his father[...
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...Hamlet and Horatio enter a hall in the castle. Hamlet is in the middle of telling Horatio his experiences since he left for England with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Hamlet recalls that that the first night he crept from his cabin and located the cabin of the two agents where he found the sealed packet containing Claudius' instructions to the English King. When he returned to his cabin, and opened the packet, he discovered that Claudius had ordered that Hamlet be beheaded in England. Acting quickly he wrote new instructions requesting the English king to execute the agents who brought the commission. The prince folded up the instructions just as the original ones were folded, sealed them in the packet with the seal on his father's...
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...common motivation for characters in a story. In Hamlet by William Shakespeare it is a motivation for the characters Hamlet, Laertes, and Fortinbras. In the play all three characters lose their fathers in by acts of murder, which causes the characters to want get vengence on those responsible. Having different personalities the audience gets to see different approaches and outcomes to the same situation by the three characteres. By the end of the story they are characters who ultimately reach their goals in similar but different ways as avengers. First looking at the character Hamlet, the audience can see a change of the character throughout the play, because of this it allows the audience to think about the character state of mind, based on the actions he takes throughout the play. At the beginning of the play we see that Hamlet is very saddened by the sudden loss of his father, only to find out after meeting the ghost of his father that his death was not a cause of age but murder, which was committed by the new king who has taken power, his uncle Claudius “ The serpent that did sting thy father's life Now wears his crown.” ( Shakespeare I.v, 7). Gaining this information from the ghost of his father we see where Hamlet wants to avenge his father which is proven by his soliloquy, “ that one may smile and smile and be a villain” (Shakespeare I.v, 63), “ now to my word...” ( Shakespeare I.v, 63). It is from this point we see that Hamlet starts to plan out his revenge by putting on...
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...Hamlet The prince of Denmark, and a student at the University of Wittenberg. At the beginning of the play, Hamlet’s father, King Hamlet, has recently died, and his mother, Queen Gertrude, has married the new king, Hamlet’s uncle Claudius. Hamlet is melancholy, bitter, and cynical, full of hatred for his uncle and disgust at his mother for marrying him. When the ghost of Hamlet’s father appears and claims to have been murdered by Claudius, Hamlet becomes obsessed with avenging his father’s death but keeps thinking of reasons why he should wait before killing Claudius—then chastizes himself for failing to act boldly. Hamlet is a character of contradictions. He admires characters like Fortinbras and the Player King, who behave passionately and even violently for no good reason, but is himself thoughtful, reflective, and philosophical. At times Hamlet is indecisive and hesitant, but at other times he is prone to rash and impulsive acts of violence. Claudius The king of Denmark, Hamlet’s uncle. The villain of the play, Claudius is a calculating, ambitious politician, adept at manipulating others for his own ends and willing to execute, assassinate, or murder to stay in power. He doesn’t understand Hamlet or Hamlet’s motives, but he is quick to perceive Hamlet as a threat and take decisive action against him. Claudius does occasionally show signs of remorse and human feeling—his affection for Gertrude, for instance, seems sincere. Gertrude The queen of Denmark, Hamlet’s mother...
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...Essay #4 Revenge causes the characters in Hamlet to act blindly through anger and emotion, rather than through reason. It is based on the Old Testament principle of an eye for an eye; this action is not always the best means to an end. Fortinbras, Laertes, and Hamlet were all looking to avenge the deaths of their fathers. They all acted on emotion driven by the want for revenge for their father's deaths, and this led to the downfall of two, and the rise to power of one. Since the heads of the three major families were each murdered, the eldest sons of these families felt that they needed to take some kind of action to avenge their father's deaths; this need to bring honor to their respective families was ultimately the demise of Laertes and Hamlet. To set the background we will start with Hamlet himself. Hamlet is the prince and heir to the Danish throne, under the King, his father, also Hamlet. His father has recently enjoyed a wildly successful military campaign against the King of Norway and actually killed King Fortinbras in a one on one battle to the death. By doing this, he is made a clear target of Prince Fortinbras, the son and soon-to-be-king of Norway. Also looking at his recent successes is his brother Claudius, who allegedly plots to kill the elder Hamlet in order to steal wife and Kingdom. Once the deed is done, Hamlet is visited by a ghost who explains the plot of Claudius. In order to divert attention, Hamlet begins to act as though he was mad. An idea...
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...In Shakespeare’s classic tragedy, Hamlet, there are several sets of foil characters. The foils, similar but different to their more prominent counterparts, highlight the worse and the better in those characters. The most obvious foil would, of course, be Laertes to Hamlet--they have different views and sides, but are both violent men who seek revenge for their fathers’ murders. However, there are also foils within the side characters: in this case, we see Horatio, a devoted servant and companion to Hamlet, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, hands for the opposing side. Just as with any foils, they have clear differences, but are quite similar in their roles. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern act as a foil to Horatio in their role as the corrupt version...
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...curiosity was encouraged. William Shakespeare lived in the Elizabethan era, and he noted things about society that he emphasized in his plays. While it was illegal, revenge occurred frequently, as did corruption (as exemplified by Queen Elizabeth’s Court ). In Hamlet, Shakespeare intertwines the two themes of corruption and revenge, and throughout the piece, he makes it evident that the two are part of a relentless cycle. Throughout the play, Hamlet, Shakespeare makes it known that when...
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...Shakespeare uses the motive of corruption throughout the entire play. It starts with Claudius Hamlet’s uncle calling Hamlet’s mourning for his father a crime against heaven further tainting it with egocentric selfishness and pride. Throwing the guilt trip at Hamlet, demanding that he think about him as his new father. Corruption again reveals itself in the chat between Ophelia and her brother Laertes. He asking her to refrain from falling for the seductive ways of Hamlet. Acknowledging g his good advice she reminds him of his sinful debouched lifestyle frolicking with the court’s virgins. Polonius Ophelia’s father makes matters worse as he in his misguided corrupted perception of who Hamlet is and does his worst to destroy Ophelia’s and Hamlets...
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...Decay in Hamlet Decay is defined as “a gradual decline; deterioration,” disease as “any departure from health.” Both have multiple forms: physical, psychological, and social. Numerous examples of illness and deterioration can be found in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. In this drama, Shakespeare uses imagery of decay and disease and the emotional and moral decay of his characters to enhance the atmosphere of the play and create a sense of impending doom. For example, in Act I, Laertes uses the analogy of plant disease to convince his sister Ophelia to preserve her virginity: The canker galls the infants of the spring Too oft before their buttons be disclosed, And in the morn and liquid dew of youth Contagious blastments are most imminent. (I, iii, 43-46) Furthermore, Hamlet’s description in Act IV of Polonius’ corpse being eaten by worms evokes a strong sense of decay and disgust: Not where he eats, but where he is eaten. A certain convocation of politic worms are e’en at him. Your worm is your only emperor for diet. We fat all creatures else to fat us, and we fat ourselves for maggots. Your fat king and your lean beggar is but variable service -- two dishes, but to one table. That’s the end. (IV, iii, 22-28) While references to literal sickness and rottenness are made throughout the play, decay is perceivable in other ways as well. The characters in Hamlet decay emotionally throughout the play. For example, at the beginning of Hamlet, Queen Gertrude is happy, but...
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...Story of Hamlet in Hamlet Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet has one outstanding character, namely the protagonist Hamlet. His character is so complex that this essay will scarcely present an adequate portrayal of his character. John Russell Brown in “Soliloquies and Other Wordplay Let the Audience Share Some of Hamlet’s Thoughts” explains the interplay of dialogue, soliloquies and narrative in Hamlet’s role: By any reckoning Hamlet is one of the most complex of Shakespeare’s characters, and a series of soliloquies is only one of the means which encourage the audience to enter imaginatively into his very personal and frightening predicament. The play’s narrative is handled so that a prolonged two-way chase is sustained between him and the king, during which the audience knows more than either one of them and so thinks ahead and anticipates events. In interplay with Rosencrantz, Guildenstern and Polonius, and perhaps with Claudius, Gertrude and Ophelia, Hamlet has asides to draw attention to what dialogue cannot express(55-56). Marchette Chute describes the opening scene of the drama: “For two nights in succession, just as the bell strikes the hour of one, a ghost has appeared on the battlements, a figure dressed in complete armor and with a face like that of the dead king of Denmark, Hamlet’s father. [. . .] The hour comes, and the ghost walks” (35). Horatio and Marcellus exit the ramparts of Elsinore intending to enlist the aid of Hamlet. There...
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...Ranking the Play Hamlet The Shakespearean tragedy Hamlet is among the best ever written, and perhaps the very best. Why do the literary critics say this? In this essay let’s examine the play to see what makes it a prizewinner. Phyllis Abrahms and Alan Brody in “Hamlet and the Elizabethan Revenge Tragedy Formula” give some detail about the reasons for the undying popularity of this play: No play demonstrates the power and glory of Shakespeare’s tragic vision more than Hamlet, which for over 350 years has excited us with its action, its insight, its brilliant language. Hamlet is an unparalleled adventure story, complete with suspense, intrigue, murder – even a battle at sea with pirates. It is a play of intense emotional and physical violence. Yet underlying all of this are some of the most profound explorations of the mysteries of human existence. (43) This play is ranked by many as the very greatest ever written. Cumberland Clark in “The Supernatural in Hamlet” gives the consensus regarding Hamlet that exists among literary critics of today: At least six or seven years pass after the writing of Midsummer Night’s Dream before we find Shakespeare engaged on Hamlet, the second of the great plays with an important Supernatural element, and, in the opinion of many, the greatest tragedy ever penned. (99) There is no more exalted ranking than the above. Richard A. Lanham in the essay “Superposed Plays” maintains that no...
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...Ophelia goes crazy from having her boyfriend kill her dad and then dies. Her brother Laertes is angry and is influenced by Claudius to murder Hamlet. The two fight, and both are seriously injured. Gertrude unintentionally drinks the poison that Claudius had arranged for Hamlet and dies. Hamlet then was able to kill Claudius before finally dying. At the beginning it is obvious that Hamlet wants to seek revenge and execute Claudius since he killed his father. In this dialogue between the ghost and hamlet it shows his initiation for revenge. “Ghost: Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder. Hamlet: Murder! Ghost: Murder most foul, as in the best it is; But this most foul, strange and unnatural. Hamlet: Haste me to know't, that I, with wings as swift as meditation or the thoughts of love, May sweep to my revenge.” (Shakespeare, line 25-31). Hamlet however is not the only vengeful character in the play King Claudius also chooses to get even with Hamlet since he killed Polonius and was the cause of Ofelia’s madness so he ends up convincing Laertes to...
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...The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark ASCII text placed in the public domain by Moby Lexical Tools, 1992. SGML markup by Jon Bosak, 1992-1994. XML version by Jon Bosak, 1996-1999. Simplified XML version by Max Froumentin, 2001. The XML markup in this version is Copyright © 1999 Jon Bosak. This work may freely be distributed on condition that it not be modified or altered in any way. Table of Contents Act 1 .................................... p. 5 Scene 1 .................................... p. 5 Scene 2 .................................... p. 11 Scene 3 .................................... p. 20 Scene 4 .................................... p. 24 Scene 5 .................................... p. 28 Act 2 .................................... p. 36 Scene 1 .................................... p. 36 Scene 2 .................................... p. 40 Act 3 .................................... p. 61 Scene 1 .................................... p. 61 Scene 2 .................................... p. 67 Scene 3 .................................... p. 81 Scene 4 .................................... p. 84 Act 4 .................................... p. 92 Scene 1 .................................... p. 92 Scene 2 .................................... p. 93 Scene 3 .................................... p. 95 Scene 4 .................................... p. 97 Scene 5 .................................... p. 100 Scene 6 .................................... p. 108 Scene 7 ......................
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...Horatio, to watch with them. When he sees the ghost, he 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...
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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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