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Hamlet main character analysis
Hamlet main character analysis
Shakespeare literary techniques
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In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the play provides Hamlet with the proof he has needed to carry out his vengeance against Claudius. Up to this point, Hamlet had doubted the uprightness of the ghost, whom he believed could be a devil trying to damn him by tricking him into murdering Claudius. The major turning point is when Hamlet is unable to kill Claudius in the prayer, because he shows a tragic flaw- an emotional high point when he draws his sword, unlike when he killed Polonius and no tragic flaw was present. While Claudius was praying, he was absolved of all sin- something that had “no relish of salvation in ‘t”. Once again, Hamlet has found a reason not to kill Claudius. He says that doesn’t want to kill the man while he is praying otherwise he was afraid Claudius’s soul would be sent straight to “heaven”. In Hamlet’s mind, revenge is not simply killing Claudius- but making him suffer in ‘hell’ just like he imagines his father to be. However, in this case, then why does not Hamlet simply wait until Claudius has finished his …show more content…
He assures the audience that he intends no harm to his mother “Let me be cruel, not unnatural/ I will speak daggers to her, but use none”. But, Gertrude takes offence and starts calling for the guards in the belief that here son is ‘mad’ and is also armed “What wilt thou do? Thou wilt not murder me? Hamlet is faced with no time to reflect, and impulsively draws and thrusts his sword through the arras, killing Polonius. Another tragic flaw is Hamlet’s inability to balance reason and passion (rational vs. irrational). His rational side makes Hamlet overthink his plans, while his irrational side leads him to commit needless crimes, like murdering Polonius, and this flaw ultimately leads to his undoing. His ability to think is stressed in Hamlet’s famous soliloquy (Act 3, Scene 1), and the passage shows Shakespeare’s ability to manipulate
Again Shakespeare wants to show the audience the character although it is weakened, does still have a conscience. This scene also creates dramatic irony, as he tries to pray but cannot because of the guilt he feels, Hamlet thinks he is praying so doesn’t kill him Shakespeare chose to have this build up and this soliloquy to show the dramatic irony and another more guilty more humane side to Claudius. Shakespeare shows the character of Claudius as been a villain, yet he shows other sides to him which have feeling of guilt showing that the character is not entirely bad. Claudius is shown as an ambitious and ruthless king but also as the main source and theme of evil throughout the play.
The vengeance of his father 's death is the prime cause of Hamlet 's obsession with perfection, his tendencies of over thinking philosophically, and idealistically, are what cause Hamlet 's delay. Hamlet is exposed to multiple opportunities to take the murderer of his father, Claudius ' life, the most notable being when Hamlet stumbles upon Claudius alone, praying; when about to act Hamlet says "When he is drunk asleep, or in his rage, or in the incestuous pleasure of his bed, at gaming, swearing or about some act that has no relish of salvation in 't: then trip him, that his heels may kick at heaven and that his soul may be as damn 'd and black as hell, whereto it goes"(3.3.90-96) This inability to act when the chance is given exclaims how Hamlet is not willing to send Claudius to heaven and he will only act if he is to arrive in hell, which will in turn fulfill his need for the perfect
The main character, Hamlet, is a character that is not true to others, nor to himself. When the Ghost of his father tells him he was murdered by Claudius, Hamlet doubts the truth. He does not trust the ghost of his father, so has to find a way to prove it. Deciding on how to prove or disprove the Ghost, Hamlet predicts: “The play’s the thing / Wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the King” (2.2, 616-17). Because he distrusts the Ghost, Hamlet is not true to his father. However, when his plan proves to him that the Ghost’s words are true, Hamlet still does not act; he still cannot avenge his father’s murder. Hamlet decides not to kill Claudius, using the fact that he is praying as an excuse. Hamlet does not want Claudius’s soul to go to heaven, therefore he decides not to kill him, explaining: “A villain kills my father, and for that, I, his sole son, do the same villain send to heaven” (3.3, 76-78). However, after trying to pray, the King claims that his prayers were not heard: “My words fly up, my thoughts remain below. / Words without thoughts never to heaven go” (3.3, 97-8). Therefore, had Hamlet chosen to kill Claudius at that time, his soul would have gone to Hell. Hamlet uses God as an excuse for not acting. He is not true and is lying to himself, because he wants to kill Claudius, yet does not.
Why Hamlet is Too Smart for Himself Hamlet only kills Claudius when he has also murdered the queen, Laertes, and has also poisoned himself. It takes a threat of death to do what his own dead father orders him to do. A largely held opinion is that he is too emotional to do it, but it is when his emotions all come together that he murders Polonius. Another opinion is that he is too full of morals to kill, but how then can he alter a note and literally sentence two old friends who were just following orders to death. It is also believed that he is too cowardly to go through with it, but if a man is bold enough to face a ghost, confront a queen and kill an eavesdropper, than what should stop him from avenging his father and ridding Denmark of the disease that infests its royal line.
In the prayer scene, Hamlet misses his best opportunity to kill Claudius and avenge his father’s death. With no guards around, Claudius is alone and he is unaware that Hamlet is lurking in the shadows. The scene is set for Hamlet to take vengeance for his father’s unsettled spirit. However, Hamlet does not kill him, because Claudius is repenting for his sins, allowing him to go to heaven when he is to die. As one’s religion often dictated the afterlife of one’s soul, King Hamlet is doomed to an eternity in purgatory. Hamlet does not feel it is fair for Claudius to go to heaven, while his father is at unrest, so he decides instead to kill Claudius while he is doing something sinful. This is ironic because Claudius says he is not really praying; he is just going through the ...
Hamlet’s curiosity caused him to not only suspect his mother, but also kill poor Polonius. He believed Gertrude was an accomplice in the murder of his father.Hamlet has violent outbursts towards his mother. His anger increased as Gertrude misinterpreted the situation. She believed that she was in danger of being assaulted and therefore cries out for help. Hamlet, who was full of rage, runs his dagger through the arras and kills Polonius, mistaking him for Claudius. "O me, what hast tho done/Nay, I know not. Is it the king?" (III-iv.27-28) Hamlet's passion was furiously aroused, and his words to his mother grew increasingly bitter and sharp. His words acted like daggers that shattered Gertrude's peace of mind. "Nay, but to live in the rank sweat of an enseamed bed, stewed in corruption, honeying and making love over the nasty sty.
It could be said that Hamlet is deliberately delaying his revenge for fear of actually committing it. However, religion was a focal part of people’s lives at the time the play was set and at the time it was written, one would be justified in claiming that Hamlet genuinely didn’t want to kill Claudius while he was praying to prevent him from going to heaven.
He sits on the steps, almost asking for forgiveness, but talks himself out of it. “Then I’ll look up. My fault is past. But oh, what form of prayer can serve my turn, “Forgive me my foul murder”? (3. 3. 51-53) This is Claudius’ own soliloquy. He battles God and his own conscience and almost repents before using mental gymnastics to get out of it. However, just as that happens, Hamlet gets the courage to try to kill him once again. Hamlet sees what he believes to be Claudius praying and being a righteous man. Hamlet, like Claudius, talks himself out of doing this painful deed. He exits, once again being too much of a coward to
At first, Hamlet sees the ghost of his dead father and vows to avenge his death. “Christianity forbids followers to seek out spirits for advice or communication” (Ja) Hamlet has his faith tested because he is unsure about what his father is telling him. If the truth is that Claudius is the one who murdered Hamlet’s father then Hamlet will need to commit murder himself in order to fulfill his promise to his father’s ghost. “Hamlet, after the shock of his discoveries, becomes virtually another person and re-evaluates the situation in accordance with his religious views. Perhaps the ghost is just an illusion or mental disorder making him imagine this tale, and the murder of his father is illusory because he is not able to accept this kind of marriage and he wants to justify his crimes.” (****) Hamlet wrestles with his feelings and decides he must arrange for Claudius to admit to the murder instead of murdering Claudius himself. He is aware of the moral dilemma he finds himself in, if he kills Claudius then he, Hamlet may go to hell. If he refuses to kill Claudius then his father may be sent to hell. Hamlet knows from his religious background that murd...
Hamlet is unlike the other two characters in the way that he uses reason and logic before he acts and decides to kill his uncle, Claudius, because he is aware of the consequences. For example, when Hamlet is trying to determine how he can prove Claudius the murderer, after conversing with the players about the play, following Hamlet’s reasoning that the ghost could be a devil trying to deceive him, in his soliloquy he states, “I’ll observe his looks… If he do blench, / I know my course… I’ll catch the conscience of the King.” (II, ii, 625-634). He reattaches himself to his revenge based on the logic of Claudius’ guilt. If Claudius does not feel guilty and has no reaction to the play, Hamlet will not act because logically Claudius was not to blame. Subsequently, Hamlet discovers that Claudius is guilty and commits himself to taking his life, but when Hamlet approaches Claudius and sees him praying he thinks to himself, he shouldn’t kill him there saying, “That would be scanned:/ A villain kills my father, and for that, / I, his sole son, do this same villain send/ to heaven… this is… not revenge.” (III, iii, 80-84). As Hamlet over thinks his actions he reasons himself out of killing Claudius because he compares how Claudius would die, to his father’s death. By over thinking this he stalls and has more time to think about w...
with his idealistic Christian reality. Claudius is caught praying, this shows that even though there is evil in his uncle there is also pure guilt that proves to be his conscience coming back. Hamlet wants to kill him while he is praying, but that would immediately send him to heaven, so he wants to catch him while he is performing an act that would have "no taste of salvation in it." His Christian beliefs teach him not to seek revenge, however, revenge is what he is told he must seek by his deceased father that is seemingly suspended in a ghostly purgatory for his unfinished business. The ghost's thirst for revenge conveys that his father is not as perfect and saintly as Hamlet thinks he is throughout the play. His father's words and his rage
The book Hamlet is a very complex story. There are any turning points within the reading that make you want to keep reading but the most useful one is in Act V, The graveyard scene. When he sees Yorick's skull it makes hamlet realize that death makes a difference between people.Within in the reading the total amount of people who die is still questioned. Even after reading the story there are still questions you begin to ask yourself about. Such as suicide, death or what even happens after death. All questions are left unanswered and it keeps you wondering. Just when you think the sors over its still going. As you keep asking yourself questions.
In the play, Hamlet seeks revenge on his uncle Claudius. Claudius killed Hamlet’s dad and then married his mom to become the leader of Denmark. Later in the play, Hamlet sees his dad’s ghost and is informed of the horrific act committed by his uncle. Hamlets’ dad’s ghost says, “Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” (I. V. 25). Hamlets’ dad says this to Hamlet so that his uncle could get retribution for his action. Hamlet has many opportunities to kill Claudius but is unable because of the wrong timing. While Claudius is praying, Hamlet has an opportunity to slay him but doesn’t because if he killed him in his prayers he will make him go to heaven instead of hell. Another minor reason for Hamlet’s revenge against his uncle is his affection towards his mother. As the play progresses, we are able to determine that Hamlet’s relationship with his mom is close to incest status. With this information, we are able ...
Once Hamlet has learned of his father’s death, he is faced with a difficult question: should he succumb to the social influence of avenging his father’s death? The Ghost tells Hamlet to “revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” (1.5.31) upon which Hamlet swears to “remember” (1.5.118). Hamlet’s immediate response to this command of avenging his father’s death is reluctance. Hamlet displays his reluctance by deciding to test the validity of what the Ghost has told him by setting up a “play something like the murder of (his) father’s” (2.2.624) for Claudius. Hamlet will then “observe his looks” (2.2.625) and “if he do blench” (2.2.626) Hamlet will know that he must avenge his father’s death. In the course of Hamlet avenging his father’s death, he is very hesitant, “thinking too precisely on the event” (4.4.43). “Now might I do it…and he goes to heaven…No” (3.3.77-79) and Hamlet decides to kill Claudius while “he is drunk asleep, or in his rage, or in th’ incestuous pleasure of his bed” (3.3.94-95). As seen here, Hamlet’s contradicting thought that Claudius “goes to heaven” (3.3.79) influences him to change his plans for revenge. Hamlet eventually realizes that he must avenge his father’s death and states “from this time forth my thoughts be bloody or be nothing worth” (4.4.69). From this, Hamlet has succumbed to the social influence and has vowed to avenge his father’s death.
Hamlet draws his sword and whispers, “Now I might do it… and now I’ll do’t” (3.3.74-75) but he does not act. Hamlet, much like the Elizabethan audiences of the day, is very religious. From Hamlet’s point of view King Claudius has taken a knee to pray and to ask forgiveness. Although this is untrue, Hamlet has taken it upon himself to ensure that King Claudius goes to hell. Hamlets moral fortitude and his sense of honour do not allow him to finish the task when he knows Claudius will go to heaven. Hamlet whispers to himself, “Why this is hire and salary, not revenge” (3.3.79), proving his belief that if he kills King Claudius, the task will not be valid as he will go to heaven. Delaying the step-patricide and ensuring King Claudius’s position in hell is another senseless detour in Hamlet’s given quest, and furthering the depth of procrastination that has plagued Hamlet from the first scene of the play.