More handpicked essays just for you.
Literary criticism of William Shakespeare's work
Shakespeare's plot and characterization
William Shakespeare literary criticism
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Analysis of William Shakespeare's Hamlet To understand a play, you must first understand the fundamentals for the play: protagonist, antagonist, exposition, rising action, crisis, climax and resolution. I will examine Hamlet by William Shakespeare. This is a great example for the purpose of this paper it provides a clear and great examples. The protagonist, the central character in the play. It is his or her story that is being told. Exposition is the establishment of the status quo, the laying of the pattern for the rest of the play. The status quo is what gives the reader the, where and when. In the exposition we learn that Hamlet is the protagonist. He is the son of the late King Hamlet, who was killed by his brother Claudius. Then Claudius took the throne and married Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother. These actions make Claudius the sworn enemy of Hamlet, making him the antagonist. Claudius clearly opposes Hamlet throughout the play. He begins by killing his father and taking the thrown. Even though in the beginning Hamlet does not know this he is still upset due to the fact that Claudius has married his mother. In the play the inciting action happens in the scene where Hamlet actually has the conversation with the ghost of his father. Inciting action is what starts the rising action. In this scene the ghost reveals himself to Hamlet and tells the new king Claudius killed him that did not die of natural cause but instead. Now his ghost is unable to rest in peace, because that fact is not known. This causes Hamlet to start investigating the story of the ghost. Hamlet is distressed due to the fact of his fathers ghost telling him of the horrid death that he suffered and wanting him to make things right. Hamlet questions the ghost and wonders if all this information could be true. He wonders if the ghost is just really an evil ghost that is lying to him. Rising action is all the events that lead the play to the climax. In acts two and three the events are helping the readers anticipate what will happen. Claudius has chosen two of Hamlet’s school friends to spy on him to see why he is acting so strange. Meanwhile Hamlet plots with the players to re enact the death for Claudius. Because of the reaction of the king the story of the ghost was confirmed.
Hamlet was not sure if the ghost was really his father or if it was the devil trying to trick him to commit a crime. He needed to prove to himself that what the ghost said was true or not. Therefore he is going to stage a play that will reenact the killing of his father to see if the King is guilty.
Could it be or could it not be? That is the question. Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet was indeed the first uncut film version of Shakespeare’s masterpiece. It was set in a generic 19th century European setting that kept a modern and ancient look from distracting the content. The production design was eye-catching during each and every scene, which was a necessity to include, seeing as though it was a four-hour film. I felt as though Branagh accomplished the heavy task of making it a movie rather than a version of the play. Kenneth Branagh in his 1996 film Hamlet, uses mise-en-scene to characterize Hamlet’s sword, Yorick’s skull, and Hamlet’s dagger in order to carefully utilize and depict the tragedies that took place during Shakespeare’s play.
Minor characters play a very crucial role in Shakespear's Hamlet. They serve as narrators for events that occurred outside the immediate play: the Dane's ghost. Distinct contrasts are created through the usage of the play's minor characters. The reader gains new perspective on Hamlet's character when he is compared with Laertes. The presence of these minor characters can also have a direct effect on the action of the play. The actors in the play within the play are used to expose the guilt of Claudius; Hamlet then has proof of the King's crimes. The expertise use of these characters - either to exemplify good and purity, or to spread the vile corruption which permeates Elsinore - is one of the main reasons for Hamlet's success as one of the greatest plays ever written.
Originally titled The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke, this tragedy has been reproduced more times than any other play written by William Shakespeare (en.wikipedia.org 1 of 9). Prince Hamlet also has the lengthiest appearance of any character in all of Shakespeare's plays (en.wikpedia.org 6 of 9). In the play, Prince Hamlet is caught between balancing his need to avenge his father's death, dealing with the disgust he felt for Gertrude and Claudius' love affair, and maintaining the relationship he has with Ophelia without exposing his plans to kill his uncle Claudius for the murder of King Hamlet.
When he sees the apparition of his late father he is astonished at the mere sight of it. He questions whether it is from heaven or hell. Why has it appeared before him in such a manner? What are it's intentions with Hamlet? Hamlet is unaware, until the ghost speaks, that his father was murdered. It was a cruel and cold murder at the hand of his uncle, and now his stepfather, Claudius. The ghost asks Hamlet to avenge his death, to which Hamlet agrees.
The main story of the drama revolves around outer and inner conflict of Hamlet, it tells how the different incidents incorporate with the Hamlet psyche and builds up different behaviors of the character in transitional stages of drama from beginning till end.
Hamlet starts with the King dead and Hamlet is already in a miserable mood. The first step that pushes him over the border into madness is his meeting with the ghost and even Horatio can see it as
In William Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet” there are many different events throughout the play that affect and shape the main character Hamlet. The biggest event being when Hamlet meets the ghost of his father, the king, who then proceeds to tell him that his uncle murdered him. This event will lead Hamlet to madness with sanity while plotting his revenge on his uncle which will ultimately end in his, his uncle and several other’s deaths at the end of the play.
A key moment in the play comes in the first act, when the ghost of Hamlet’s father informs the prince of his duty: “If thou didst ever thy father love/...Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder.'; [1.5: 29, 31] With these words, the Ghost puts the play in motion, for the rest of the story will be governed by Hamlet’s quest for this revenge. Furthermore, the spirit emphasizes the need for Hamlet to act quickly:
... to make choices as to how they wanted to act out those scenes. Nevertheless, the ghost is an important part of the play that will always lead to questions in the readers mind. Does the ghost cause Hamlet to go mad or is that madness within that causes the ghost to be revealed? Is it the ghost who causes Hamlet to seek revenge or the unraveling truth of Claudius’s murder? These questions may change with every generation but as some questions get answered others come forth which leads audiences to always be captivated by Hamlet.
The question of why Hamlet delays in taking revenge on Claudius for so long has puzzled readers and audience members alike. Immediately following Hamlet's conversation with the Ghost, he seems determined to fulfill the Ghost's wishes and swears his companions to secrecy about what has occurred. The next appearance of Hamlet in the play reveals that he has not yet revenged his father's murder. In Scene two, act two, Hamlet gives a possible reason for his hesitation. "The spirit that I have seen / May be a devil, and the devil hath power / T' assume a pleasing shape" (2.2.627-629). With this doubt clouding his mind, Hamlet seems completely unable to act. This indecision is somewhat resolved in the form of the play. Hamlet comes up with the idea of the play that is similar to the events recounted by the ghost about his murder to prove Claudius guilty or innocent. Due to the king's reaction to the play, Hamlet attains the belief that the Ghost was telling the truth the night of the apparition.
Hamlet is considered a tragedy, but it is also quite similar to a modern-day murder mystery. As such the most crucial plot element is Claudius' guilt, or, rather, the extent of Hamlet's knowledge of this guilt. One does not know if the ghost is the doomed spirit of Hamlet's father or a vision sent from Hell. It is impossible to determine how much Hamlet is aware of, how much can he guess, and how much is he deluding himself.
Being the primary character, there is a greater focus on Hamlet’s pursuit of revenge, since throughout the play his mind and actions plagued by both uncertainty and angry notions towards his mother’s infidelity rather than the “murder most foul”. Unlike both Laertes and Fortinbras, Hamlet's desire for revenge is not implanted by his own will but rather by his father’s ghost; through his encounter the ghost pleads his son’s loyalty by promising the murder Claudius. Initially Hamlet's interaction with the Ghost was one of curiosity and glee which opposes his prior melanch...
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.
Hamlet is a paradox; he is a perplexing character that throughout the play has more to show. Hamlet is a person of contradictions he is inquisitive and profound yet indecisive. The experiences Hamlet goes through led to dramatic changes in his character. In the beginning we are introduced to a young man who is mourning for the death of his father and struggling with the sudden marriage of his mother to his uncle. Hamlet faces the dilemma of wanting to avenge his father’s death and suppressing his intense emotions in order to calculate a plan.