One staple line from Shakespeare's Hamlet is “and in that sweet sleep of death what dreams may come.” My school’s theater program performed Hamlet last winter, this line stuck out to me. For one, it was printed on our show shirts, for another, during our Saturday night performance, David Hahn, a freshman from my school, committed suicide. I didn’t know David personally, he was in the marching band with me, and I was friends with his older sister. I talked to him a few times, but our relationship consisted mainly of smiles or waves when we passed in the hallway. I remember crying when I found out, then being extremely frustrated with myself for crying. After all, I didn’t know him personally, what right did I have to be upset over this? The morning after it happened, the theater was supposed to put on our final performance, instead we were informed of the incident and told our last performance of Hamlet would be postponed until the following weekend. The …show more content…
It was a generally kinder environment. Some students and I came together to finish some works of music David had started composing. Mr. Lunn, my English teacher, was struck particularly hard by this loss. He had a hard time coping because David was his student. My English class has always been close to each other, specifically with him, as we were his only AP class and there were only 17 of us. The week following this tragedy, we all wrote letters to Mr. Lunn, expressing to him what difference he had made in us and how loved he was. After the letters to Mr. Lunn, each AP student took the time to write to his freshman English students. The AP Class wrote 4-5 letters each. It was worth it to ensure every kid got a letter. In those letters, we told them it was okay to cry, something I had figured out for myself following this incident. We also gave phone numbers or social media accounts to the freshman, telling them to contact us if they ever need
When Hamlet Senior dies Hamlet seems lost. Depression commonly follows a loved one’s death. He finds no true meaning in life. He wonders if we are only here to eat and sleep.
Hamlet passed away young, a mere 30 years of age, and I sincerely regret that I will never be able to see such a fine young man take command of the throne and restore nobility to the state of Denmark. He was the son of the great King Hamlet, one of the best kings this country has ever seen, and Queen Gertrude, our countries finest lady who has also now sadly passed away. I am sure that all of you here today looked up to Hamlet as a fine young prince, but I knew him as much more than that. To me he was the best friend a man could have, loyal, witty, and extremely trustworthy. I remember the days back when we studied together in Wittenberg, we spent a lot of time together and he was always there to support and help me. He was always cheerful but quiet and had a quick wit, which fascinated me. Hamlet delighted in “flashes of merriment that were wont to set the table in a roar.” His ability to read my mind always astounded me, al...
It is clear Hamlet can be interpreted from a multitude of perspectives on numerous levels. I cannot quite grasp Mr. Bloom's contention that this is a work of near biblical importance nor can I accept his allusions to Jesus or the Buddha. "Hamlet remains apart; something transcendent about him places him more aptly with the biblical King David, or with even more exalted scriptural figures."(Bloom, 384). My immediate response is that when Mr. Bloom shuffles off this mortal coil, I don't believe Billy Shakespeare will be waiting with a pint of ale.
This soliloquy by Hamlet is where he first devises the plan of the “Mouse Trap” (Act III, scene 2). It begins with Hamlet describing how he has heard that people can be overcome with guilt and remorse of their “malefactions” that they openly proclaim them, when viewing a scene of a play similar to that of their crime. As a result of this Hamlet resolves to set a trap for Claudius, in which he will watch a play that has a scene closely resembling the murder of Old King Hamlet. Hamlet reasons that upon viewing this scene, if Claudius is indeed guilty of Old King Hamlets murder, he will surely show some visible sign. And so Hamlet will “observe his looks … tent him to the quick”. The meaning of these two lines is that Hamlet will watch his uncle closely, and probe his conscious to see if he flinches. By gauging Claudius’ reaction, Hamlet will be able to determine whether or not he is guilty, if this is the case Hamlet states “I know my course.” Hamlet will avenge the murder of his father by killing Claudius. Hamlet then proceeds to describe how the spirit he has seen may be the devil trying to trick him into doing its work. Hamlet concludes that he will “have grounds more relative than this [the spirit]” and that “The play’s the thing” that he will use to “catch the conscience of the king.”
Hamlet is a famous play created by an amazing writer, William Shakespeare. The original play is set in Denmark and is based on the revenge Prince Hamlet has upon Claudius. The plot of the play induces dramatic irony, and context that targets its Elizabethan audience who are consumed of social values and perspectives. In act 4 Hamlet states:
Euripides , a great tradegian once said, “Death is a debt we must all pay” which is relevant to not only Hamlet but life in general. Hamlet, a tragedy by William Shakespeare, is a play about a series of horrific events occuring in Denmark. Problems arise and blood is lost. Hamlet, the son of the late King Hamlet faces life and death situations for himself and also for those around him. Death is contemplated, but for some death is succsessful. Hamlet reacts to the deaths of each character very differently. The deaths of King Hamlet, Polonius, Ophelia, Claudius, and even his own have very different effects on the outcome of the play.
William Shakespeare intended for Hamlet to be a tragic play of a hero: Hamlet. He does exactly that by allowing Hamlet to be exposed to suffering and being able to endure it without committing suicide. Although if one was to analyze the content of Hamlet’s “To be or not to be…” soliloquy once would realize that Hamlet is not really all that suicidal. However, there are moments throughout the play that arise the suspicion of Hamlet to no longer be able to endure the suffering and pain in his life. Hamlet’s judgment can be distorted when he does not act using reason but rather emotional impulse. His ability to accept and embrace suffering and pain, allows him to realize how valuable his life truly is.
A majority of people will say that in the play “Hamlet”, by William Shakespeare, the main theme is revenge. A majority of people will say this until they have read Hamlet’s soliloquy/speech in Act four Scene four. When readers are finished reading through the speech, they realize that the real theme of the play was about how Hamlet was going to get over his inner struggle to take action about his father’s death. When looking back at the play with this new theme, you can understand why this does make sense to be the theme. A theme like this made great sense to have for an Elizabethan audience. The Elizabethan audience really enjoyed more realistic plays as to ones that could never happen. They could have understood Hamlet’s inner struggle
After a death, we find ways to overcome grief in this painful world. Some people binge eat their way out while others find the easy way out, which is suicide. In the play Hamlet, Shakespeare portrays mortality in the image of death and suicide. Shakespeare develops Hamlet as a man who is sensitive and uncontrolled by his actions. Hamlet faces challenges that mess with his subconscious, making him feel vulnerable to making decisions that will affect his life.
Hamlet is a tragedy about the prince of Denmark. When he is met by his father 's ghost and is told to avenge him by killing his Uncle, he plans to exact his revenge so his father can rest in piece. While this seems like a straightforward plot , there are actually many other subplots worked into this Shakespearean tragedy. Although it is viewed by many as a work of art, Aristotle 's poetics provide an entirely different criteria to look at for this play.
In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Hamlet the king of Denmark is murdered by his brother, Claudius, and as a ghost tells his son, Hamlet the prince of Denmark, to avenge him by killing his brother. The price Hamlet does agree to his late father’s wishes, and undertakes the responsibility of killing his uncle, Claudius. However even after swearing to his late father, and former king that he would avenge him; Hamlet for the bulk of the play takes almost no action against Claudius. Prince Hamlet in nature is a man of thought throughout the entirety of the play; even while playing mad that is obvious, and although this does seem to keep him alive, it is that same trait that also keeps him from fulfilling his father’s wish for vengeance
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.
William Shakespeare's Hamlet is, at heart, a play about suicide. Though it is surrounded by a fairly standard revenge plot, the play's core is an intense psychodrama about a prince gone mad from the pressures of his station and his unrequited love for Ophelia. He longs for the ultimate release of killing himself - but why? In this respect, Hamlet is equivocal - he gives several different motives depending on the situation. But we learn to trust his soliloquies - his thoughts - more than his actions. In Hamlet's own speeches lie the indications for the methods we should use for its interpretation.
In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, the protagonist exhibits a puzzling, duplicitous nature. Hamlet contradicts himself throughout the play. He endorses both the virtues of acting a role and that of being true to one's self. He further supports both of these conflicting endorsements with his actions. This ambiguity is demonstrated by his alleged madness, for he does behave madly, only to become perfectly calm and rational an instant later. These inconsistencies are related with the internal dilemmas he faces. He struggles with the issue of revenging his father's death, vowing to kill Claudius and then backing out, several times. Upon this point Hamlet stammers through the play. The reason for this teetering is directly related to his inability to form a solid opinion about role playing. This difficulty is not present, however, at the start of the play.
Hamlet is one of the most often-performed and studied plays in the English language. The story might have been merely a melodramatic play about murder and revenge, butWilliam Shakespeare imbued his drama with a sensitivity and reflectivity that still fascinates audiences four hundred years after it was first performed. Hamlet is no ordinary young man, raging at the death of his father and the hasty marriage of his mother and his uncle. Hamlet is cursed with an introspective nature; he cannot decide whether to turn his anger outward or in on himself. The audience sees a young man who would be happiest back at his university, contemplating remote philosophical matters of life and death. Instead, Hamlet is forced to engage death on a visceral level, as an unwelcome and unfathomable figure in his life. He cannot ignore thoughts of death, nor can he grieve and get on with his life, as most people do. He is a melancholy man, and he can see only darkness in his future—if, indeed, he is to have a future at all. Throughout the play, and particularly in his two most famous soliloquies, Hamlet struggles with the competing compulsions to avenge his father’s death or to embrace his own. Hamlet is a man caught in a moral dilemma, and his inability to reach a resolution condemns himself and nearly everyone close to him.