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Metaphors, symbols and motifs in Hamlet
Shakespeare's influence on theater
Hamlet's character analysis
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In the words of Harvey Fierstein, “What looks absolutely fabulous in rehearsal can fall flat in front of an audience. The audience dictates what you do or don't change”. Clearly, the success or failure of any work of art depends, almost entirely, on its ability to engage and connect with its audience. Shakespeare, one of the greatest playwrights in history, certainly understood this concept. He targeted his Elizabethan audience skillfully, drawing them in and manipulating the way they interpreted his works. This is evident in one of his renowned plays, Hamlet. Attempts to target the audience are evident throughout the play, but focusing on one speech can provide a greater appreciation for Shakespeare’s deliberate efforts. In act four, scene two, while explaining that Polonius is dead, Hamlet says: 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. (Shakespeare, 4.3.21-27) In this speech, Shakespeare targeted his Elizabethan audience through allusions to the Great Chain of Being, which governed their society, with the intent of influencing the themes that his audience interpreted. Targeting the audience with that aspect of their lives had the effect of developing Hamlet’s underlying themes: the frailty of man, appearance versus reality, and the uncertainty of death. In Hamlet’s speech, Shakespeare’s efforts to target his Elizabethan audience develop the theme of the frailty of man. Shakespeare conveys this underlying theme of the play by subt... ... middle of paper ... ...amining the masterpiece that is Hamlet, it becomes clear that Shakespeare was a successful playwright because he understood his audience and knew how to connect with them through his work. Even four hundred years after Shakespeare, this is still undeniably a crucial quality in anyone who is required to interact with an audience. Hence, much can be learned from Hamlet and from Shakespeare’s other works of art; the context of his plays may no longer resonate in today’s world, but the methods he used to engage and target the audience are timeless guidelines. Works Cited Fierstein, Harvey. BrainyQuote. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2014. Mularski, Jessica E. "The Divine Order - The Great Chain of Being." Shakespeare Fun Facts. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2014. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Rev. ed. No Fear Shakespeare. SparkNotes LLC. 2005. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
The motif of acting is a central literary device of Hamlet – the audience witnesses Hamlet, as well as the other characters of the play, adopt ‘roles’ as no one is truly who they ‘seem’. This is first addressed by Hamlet in the beginning of the play when he responds to his mothers’ request to “cast thy nightly colour off”, and not to forever mourn his father as “all that lives must die,/Passing through nature to eternity”. He expresses that his “shows of grief” can ‘seem’ as “they are actions a man might play”. This is the first instance the play directly addresses the motif of theatrical performance, as it insinuates that Hamlet is the only one who truly mourned his fathers loss – this is especially stressed during his first monologue, in which he expresses moral struggle with his mothers marriage to Claudius, and his suggestion she never mourned her husband: “Within a month?/Ere yet the sa...
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet (The New Folger Library Shakespeare). Simon & Schuster; New Folger Edition, 2003.
An understanding of William Shakespeare’s philosophies reinforces the meaning of the human condition found in the play Hamlet. The revenge tragedy is an example in the exploration of good versus evil, deceit, madness, inter-turmoil, and utter existence. Shakespeare, fascinated by the human mind and human nature, clearly and completely illustrates the meaning of “self.” Hamlet is a drama that examines one’s personal identity. From the beginning of the story atop the castle when the guards enter the platform to the conclusion of the performance as Hamlet lies, dying in Horatio’s arms every characters’ psychological type is
Hamlet covers a plethora of issues that range from shocking incest to normal grief. The issues are universal across cultures, classes, and age groups. Popular culture often utilizes Shakespeare to some degree to tackle these difficult ideals to try to make them more attainable to the modern audience. Some artists try to leech off this relationship to gain some sort of second hand recognition for including a Shakespeare quote, or they try to feed into the idea that Shakespeare is a hopelessly abstract idea that only the most intelligent of minds can partake in. Shakespeare was not meant to live on a pedestal; his works were meant to be reenacted and kept alive. Hamlet teaches and normalizes stigmas that should be discussed with everyone, not just the elite. Books, films, television shows, movies, songs, magazine articles, and advertisements of all genres and kinds have all used Hamlet to reach audience members of all ages. Unlike Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet is used by popular culture to teach, unify, and interact with a variety of complex yet universal
The author of 154 sonnets, the author of 37 plays and the creator of over 1700 words, William Shakespeare is undoubtedly regarded as one of the most influential poet and playwright today. Many people have devoted their lives to studying Shakespeare’s work and even a university program is dedicated to the high-school students who wish to further their knowledge of him. Out of the numerous plays Shakespeare has written to this day, Hamlet was declared – as of November 23, 2008- his greatest play through a survey conducted by the Sunday Telegraph; however, the question of whether or not Hamlet, written 400 years ago, is a valuable and worthwhile text for students to study. In arguably the greatest play to ever be written, Shakespeare’s Hamlet, proves to be a suitable and beneficial text for teachers to study its themes, characterization and entertainment value with their students as it manifests aspects of our society that students can learn from, relate to, and further their ability to evolve as a person. Through the different themes of appearance versus reality, the uncertainty of life after death and the misogynistic tendencies that is attributed regularly in the play, readers can use this knowledge as a platform to gain awareness of the surrounding themes in their society and the effects it has on the people in it. Additionally, through the different characters Shakespeare has created in the play, Hamlet, Horatio and Polonius offers a parallel of the people its readers will often come across and associate with today. Lastly, through the classic plot of the tragic hero, the rich and alluring allusions, and Shakespeare’s use of dramatic irony, does a great deal to engage with their audience and to bring them into experiencing the s...
understanding of the play. The messages and themes prevail in Hamlet because of his strong textual
Hamlet, a dispirited victim of unfortunate family circumstance, or a man plagued by a serious and debilitating mental illness? This is a topic that has intrigued literary and psychological critics alike for many years and has produced many interesting theories about Hamlet’s less than stable behavior throughout the length of the Shakespeare’s play. While the question of Hamlet’s sanity is debatable, his inability to act on his decisions and his constant depressed and agitated mood do inspire some curious questions about his methods and behavior towards other characters in the play. While it is true that the death of a loved one can propel any being into a state of grief and depression, Hamlet seems to exaggerate the situation of his father’s death by constantly bruiting and wearing “the trappings and suits of woe” (Shakespeare, 1.2. 89), and makes no real effort to move on as he seems content to wallow in his grief. What is even more fascinating is the way in which he treats the people who clearly care about him and want nothing more but the best for him. He constantly badgers the ones who are closest to him, and while he meticulously analyzes his every thought, his actions towards others are still rash and sometimes needlessly harsh. These complex characteristics of the man Hamlet, have baffled and mesmerized literary scholars and the general public alike for decades, sometimes making the play hard to comprehend and even frustrating for the audience at times. The frustration of relating to such a complex character however can be easily alleviated by perceiving Hamlet not just as a man weakened by a complicated domestic situation, but as a man tormented by what we know today to be Major depressive disorder.
Shakespeare, William. The Norton Shakespeare. Edited Stephen Greenblatt et al. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1997.
Shakespeare, William. The Norton Shakespeare. Edited Stephen Greenblatt et al. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1997.
Through the elements of technique portrayed in this essay, it is clear to see that Shakespeare is able to influence the reader through soliloquies, imagery, and dual understanding. This overall influence being both the communication of a deeper meaning, and a more complex understanding of the events and statements within Hamlet.
Hamlet is a dramatic play written by William Shakespeare. It’s about how Prince Hamlet takes revenge on his uncle Claudius for murdering King Hamlet, Claudius 's own brother and Prince Hamlet 's father. Shakespeare’s main objective was to impress his Elizabethan audience because entertainment through theater was very important to everyone in that era. This essay will explain how an Elizabethan audience was targeted by Hamlet’s speech (act 4, lines 32-66). This speech effectively targeted Elizabethan audience because its format, revenge, and exciting nature caused the audience to sympathize with Hamlet’s decisions and feelings, and become involved in the play.
Perhaps the most notable aspect of Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, is its intense focus on its eponymous character.
As the play’s tragic hero, Hamlet exhibits a combination of good and bad traits. A complex character, he displays a variety of characteristics throughout the play’s development. When he is first introduced in Act I- Scene 2, one sees Hamlet as a sensitive young prince who is mourning the death of his father, the King. In addition, his mother’s immediate marriage to his uncle has left him in even greater despair. Mixed in with this immense sense of grief, are obvious feelings of anger and frustration. The combination of these emotions leaves one feeling sympathetic to Hamlet; he becomes a very “human” character. One sees from the very beginning that he is a very complex and conflicted man, and that his tragedy has already begun.
Corum, Richard. Understanding Hamlet: A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical Documents. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1998. Print.