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Hamlet and his undecisive decisions
Concequences of hamlet's decisions
Concequences of hamlet's decisions
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Recommended: Hamlet and his undecisive decisions
Harmony Barrows
Period. 2 1/14/15
Hamlet: Name Your Poison
I believe that there wasn't a higher power that set Hamlet to his death. I will be going over why there isnt a higher power or karma that caused everyone to kill themselves to create such a dramatic, and domino effect in the play. I do believe that if Hamlet did a lot of things way differently, though a lot of people would still be alive till the end of the play.
This is the story of a man who could not make up his mind. "O wicked spite that ever I was born to set it right," Is a quote from Hamlet Even agreeing that he wished he did a lot of things way differently. Hamlet dies in the play because Laertes stabs him with the poisoned sword. Laertes stabs him because they are having
a duel because Laertes was upset that Hamlet killed Laertes' father. If Laertes made the choice not to kill Hamlet because of his anger, which diminishes the point in the end, then Hamlet would be alive. Hamlet could have changed the times with Ophelia and the Queen to also prevent his death. That theory is if he arrived earlier to hear the Queen talking about Hamlet marrying Ophelia then all of these events would not have happened. “Neither a borrower nor a lender be; For loan oft loses both itself and friend, and borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.” I believe that if Hamlet would have gone to Ophelia and wouldn't have been so rude to her, like maybe she wouldn't have killed herself and maybe she wouldn't have felt abandoned. “This above all: to thine own self be true." was a quote by Polonius, there was time after times where Polonius could have saved Ophelia by standing up for his daughter when Hamlet would say such rude things to her. I believe Polonius to be quite ironic because he would kiss the kings butt and act like a nobleman, yet never care about the fact that his daughter was suicidal. "Through this be madness, yet there is method in't." Said by Hamlet his meaning was empty after his he could not fulfil his duty of becoming king and he killed everyone in the process. “O, that this too too solid flesh would melt Thaw and resolve itself into a dew! Or that the Everlasting had not fix'd His canon 'gainst self-slaughter! O God! God! How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable, Seem to me all the uses of this world!” The only way the King would have not died is if he was not the person he was. There are too many characteristics and actions he has taken that make him a cruel person that leads to his death. From killing his brother to marrying his brother's wife, and from not feeling guilty at all and wanting Hamlet dead, the King deserved the fate he received based on how he is as a person. “How strange or odd soe'er I bear myself, As I perchance hereafter shall think meet To put an antic disposition on” Work Cited Hamlet. William Shakespeare. McDougal Littell, IL 1997.
One of the foils important to the play is Laertes. Although Laertes does not appear often in the play, he brings much to the plot and to Hamlet's character. These two are similar in many ways. They both seem to be about the same age, are well educated, and gentleman. One main thing that they have in common is they both are seeking revenge for their father's deaths. Both of their fathers were unnecessarily killed. Hamlet's father was killed by his father's brother for the crown and his wife, and Hamlet killed Laertes' father over mistaken identity. It was the revenge of these two that made up the plot of the story. Because of Laertes, the two could finally fulfill their revenge in the battle at the end that killed both Hamlet and the new king. If Laertes had not challenged Hamlet, the king would have died by some other way; however, the king died by poisoning just as he had killed his brother.
It is too late though, the poisonous sword had cut Hamlet. In anger, Hamlet steals the poisoned sword and runs it into Laertes. He then charges Claudius and runs into him. He also takes the wine and forces Claudius to drink from it. Both Claudius and Laertes died before Hamlet.
As presented in the movie, Laertes is a sore loser. The text version of the play has Laertes simply say "No" after Hamlet scores his first hit. In the movie, Laertes shows much more emotion. His anger at Hamlet is obvious, and his frustration at being hit is evident, as he screams in protest to the mediator's call. Then, to show what a poor sport he is, he lunges at Hamlet when Hamlet turns his back to Laertes. Laertes didn't have enough courage or faith in his own fighting ability to take a fair shot at Hamlet and succeed. After the second hit, Laertes demonstrates much the same emotions, screaming in frustration and anger. In the text of the play, Laertes agrees with Claudius to fight Hamlet and use poison on his blade to kill him. As presented in the text, Laertes killing Hamlet will be enough for his revenge. However, in the movie, it is obvious through his actions and mannerisms that it is not enough for Laertes to merely kill Hamlet, but he has to make Hamlet look like a fool while he is doing it. That is why Laertes becomes so upset in the movie when Hamlet gains a hit; Laertes wanted to discredit Hamlet before he killed him.
father's death, then Laertes, Polonius' son, arrives on the scene enraged. and ready to kill Hamlet for what he's done, and just when you thought. things couldn't get any worse, unbeknownst to Hamlet, Claudius has been. plotting to kill him. Talk about your bad days. & nbsp; A duel takes place between Hamlet and Laertes where Laertes, using a poison-tipped sword, cuts Hamlet, thus giving way to his impending. death. Hamlet eventually gets hold of the sword and kills Laertes, then.
Like Hamlet, Laertes in this play was fighting to achieve a similar goal. Following his father’s death by Hamlet, Laertes took it upon himself to duel Hamlet in order to seek revenge. Humans often have a similar motive which is to achieve their goals regardless of the consequences they would have to deal with for the sake of bettering their futures. For Laertes to continue on with his life being shadowed by the guilt of his father’s murder while he was away meaning to enjoy life would be more than what he could live with. His need to duel Hamlet not only for the sake of being a good son, but also proving himself to others around him shows that his ego and pride also played a role in his goals and we understand that motive when he says “Let come what comes; only I 'll be revenged most thoroughly for my father”. His battle with Hamlet not only resulted in Hamlet’s death but also his, which for most readers would seem an honorable death. Although Laertes’ character was not a major example of “reconciliation” in the play, it portrayed a vivid idea behind a human’s need to revisit the past to rid themselves of any guilt that may come back to haunt
...le there will always be many critics who argue that Hamlet waited too long to take revenge, the violence was, as Laertes points out, King Claudius’ doing. The actions of Claudius -and the Queen as well- establish an inevitable violent conflict that will take place no matter what; when it takes place is not of paramount importance. It is worth noting however, that throughout the play, when characters act with great haste, great misfortunate follows. For Hamlet, he resists stooping to the level of his mother was far too quick to marry Claudius. Instead, Hamlet plans his actions against Claudius, and in doing so proves himself noble and earns the forgiveness of Laertes. The destruction at the end of the play was the fault of Claudius. The exchange of forgiveness between Laertes and Hamlet – a glimmer of hope and reconciliation amidst the destruction, is Hamlet’s doing.
Laertes has the ability to perform tasks that may be unpleasant or dangerous. Laertes does not simply try to kill someone by thinking cautiously the whole time, but by directly confronting them and facing them head-on. When Laertes returns home to Denmark he even confronts Claudius about the death of his father. Swearing Laertes says “I dare damnation. To this point I stand,/That both the worlds I give to negligence,/Let come what comes, only I’ll be reveng’d/Most thoroughly for my father.” (IV. v. 133-136). With this declaration Laertes plots with Claudius to kill Hamlet and they construct a plan to have Laertes fence with Hamlet and for him to kill him. They instrument a plot of revenge for the death of Polonius, quickly coming up with three ways to kill Hamlet: stabbing him with an unblunted sword, placing poison on the sword, and poisoning Hamlet’s drink (IV. vii.). After they construct this plan they swiftly utilize the plan. Laertes did not wait for the perfect moment, at the perfect time, and at the perfect place. He created the place, time, and moment to carry out the dangerous task. Hamlet, however, waited and waited for what he thought one day would be the perfect moment in which he could kill his uncle. Even when Hamlet had an opportunity to kill Claudius, he talked himself out of it. When compared to Laertes, Hamlet is a coward because of his inability
Finally we arrive at the sword match between Hamlet and Laertes. Hamlet is unaware of Claudius’ poisoned goblet and the poisoned tip of Laertes’ sword. When Laertes cuts Hamlet, he makes the choice to stab Laertes, who would see him dead as well.
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
Throughout Shakespeare’s play, revenge intertwines to bring about the deaths of most of the main characters. Hamlet’s course of revenge initiates the first fatality when Polonius gets caught spying on him and Gertrude (III. iv. 24-25). By pursuing revenge, Hamlet killing Polonius paves the way for more lives to be lost. Claudius sees the murder as an opportunity to eliminate Hamlet, because Laertes’s obsession with revenge leaves him vulnerable. Laertes’s and Hamlet’s revenge lead to the deaths of Gertrude, Laertes, Claudius, and finally Hamlet (V. ii. 287-357). The revenge of each character ironically ended their own life. By acting upon revenge and having inimical intentions, the individuals brought fatalities that were unnecessary.
Hamlet, Laertes and Fortinbras seek retribution for the violent deaths of their fathers in different ways and for different reasons, but the three acts of revenge do not end the same way. Hamlet's brooding over the morality of the act of revenge leads him into a downward spiral of misfortunes. Cold-blooded murder of the type that Laertes seeks ultimately ends with his own life being taken away as well. Fortinbras’s revenge, planned and executed, is the only one that results in minimal consequences to himself and awards him with success. In the end, only Fortinbras survives the play with his heart still beating. Shakespeare’s lesson is to remind that that not every path for revenge ends in the same way and that there is a correct way for dealing with things.
In Hamlet, the passionate and hasty Laertes and the vengeful Fortinbras are foils for Hamlet's introspective personality and provide a basis for comparison of the hero's course of action. Laertes and Hamlet share a common goal of revenge for the murder of their father. Though their situation and the circumstances of their father's death coincide, their individual responses to the fatalities differ greatly, and serve to highlight Hamlet's tragic flaw. Upon hearing of his father's death, Laertes becomes totally preoccupied with thoughts of revenge. While Hamlet scrutinizes and evaluates the consequences of his actions, Laertes acts without forethought, saying, "Let come what comes only I'll be revenged / Most thoroughly for my father" (IV.v.138). However, his hastiness allows him to fall victim to Claudius' manipulative nature and he becomes a puppet in Claudius' plot to dispose of Hamlet. This accentuates one of Hamlets strengths, one that he reveals when he states, "Call me what instrument you will you cannot play upon me." (III.ii.380) he is not easily influenced by the people around him.
He has the ability to perform tasks that may be unpleasant or dangerous. Laertes does not simply try to kill someone by thinking cautiously the whole time, but by directly confronting them and facing them head-on. When Laertes returns home to Denmark he even confronts Claudius about the death of his father. Swearing Laertes says “I dare damnation. To this point I stand,/That both the worlds I give to negligence,/Let come what comes, only I’ll be reveng’d/Most throughly for my father.” (IV. v. 133-136). With this declaration Laertes plots with Claudius to kill Hamlet and they construct a plan to have Laertes fence with Hamlet and for him to kill him. They instrument a plot of revenge for the death of Polonius, quickly coming up with three ways to kill Hamlet: stabbing him with an unblunted sword, placing poison on the sword, and poisoning Hamlet’s drink (IV. vii.). After they construct this plan they swiftly utilize the plan. Laertes did not wait for the perfect moment, at the perfect time, and at the perfect place. He created the place, time, and moment to carry out the dangerous task. Hamlet, however, waited and waited for what he thought one day would be the perfect moment in which he could kill his uncle. Even when Hamlet had an opportunity to kill Claudius, he talked himself out of it. When compared to Laertes, Hamlet is a coward because of his inability to
”(153) It becomes clear that the parallels presented throughout the play are there to further illuminate the flaws of Hamlet’s character. Laertes is a hot-headed man looking for revenge. His father was killed by Hamlet and his sister was driven insane due to the series of events that took place because of Hamlet. Like Hamlet, Laertes wants to avenge his father by killing the man who killed Polonius.
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.