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Analysis of Hamlet's second soliloquies
Theme of morality and justice in Hamlet
The theme of revenge in William Shakespeare's
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William Shakespeare, The author of “Hamlet” has been very successful at his craft. Shakespeare has been around since 1564 to 1616 known for his famous works of life, love, death, revenge, grief, jealousy, murder, magic and mystery. In “Hamlet” Shakespeare most famous play, a young prince that has been alienated and betrayed struggles to make a decision of revenge. Revenge happens all throughout the play. A common question asked , is revenge always good or is revenge always bad? By the end of this essay you will have a better understanding of your opinion. Revenge is never revenge, it 's a cycle that doesn 't end , not one person gets 100 percent even.
Hamlet is the prince of Denmark and is about thirty years old. Hamlet is the son of Queen
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(Hamlet.161-164). Before finding out about the betrayal of his family Hamlet was a very good kid. Hamlet actually attended and studied at the University of Wittenberg. Ever since finding out the truth about the tragedy of his father, he becomes a character throughout the story who is very hesitate, very angry on a mission to get revenge for his father.
Hamlet 's Mother Gertrude, a very shallow character, plays a big role throughout the play. Gertrude is the Queen of Denmark. She was a very supportive parent as the play got started, for example “Let not thy mother lose her prayers, Hamlet; I pray thee stay with us; go not to Wittenberg" (1.2,18-19), but has staged her husband’s death to meet her brother in law needs who soon becomes the king. Gertrude is not only selfish, but she pretends like she is innocent but it 's her fault hamlet is going mad . As the play goes on Gertrude starts to feel guilty and not only realize her wrong doings but suffer from them. Gertrude states, ""O Hamlet, speak no more! Thou tern 'st mine eyes into my very soul, And there I see such black and grained spots" (III, iv. 95-97). At this point of the play she had realized that everyone has gone
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There is never a true understanding of how they feel 100 percent towards another. When feelings are high all the time you never really understand how a person feels about another. The problem they suffer from the most is having a commitment for another, 100 percent. For example Gertrude is stuck picking between the two Hamlet and Claudius, and who she should trust. This becomes very confusing for her because she loves the two but they dislike another. As Hamlet goes mad and kills polonius she goes 100 percent to claudius side. This becomes very confusing for her because she loves the two but they dislike another. Although she has chosen Claudius side she is still lien to him about why hamlet has gone mad. Gertrude still cares for Hamlet and wants to protect him from anything. Gertrude is clueless mainly throughout the play. She does not realize she is the reason Hamlet is on a rage. The cause of hamlet 's rage is her hasty marriage with his uncle. It’s interesting that Gertrude doesn’t actually see the Ghost when he appears in the same scene, it is only Hamlet who can see him. Perhaps this might suggest that Gertrude is, in some way, morally blind. She cannot see how she has sinned, it is only her son Hamlet who notices it. That speaks a lot about the relationship she had with old Hamlet, which has affected her and new Hamlet relationship. Although gertrude is protecting hamlet she fails miserably at
Hamlet, of the play, Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, is a young man with many distinctive characteristics. He is the loving and beloved son of Hamlet, the deceased King of Denmark. He is talented in many ways, as actor, athlete, and scholar. Prince Hamlet draws upon many of his talents as he goes through a remarkable metamorphosis, changing from an average, responsible, young Prince to an apparently mad, raging son intent upon avenging his father’s untimely death.
Hamlet takes control of the conversation from the very beginning of the scene although it is Gertrude who was meant to be rebuking him and doing much of the talking. Hamlet succeeds in shaming her until the point when she begs him to stop. Hamlet having the upper hand in the conversation, asks his mother to change her ways, which she agrees to and asks for his advice, showing that she has submitted herself to her son. Hamlet does not really show much respect for his mother while reproving her and forcing her to sit down but he does love her. Some critics believe that his love shows sexual connotation and that is a reason why he gets so upset at her remarriage. There is a point in this scene when Gertrude thinks her life is in danger of Hamlet and gets frightened, which shows us that she considers him to be mad and harmful. After this scene she becomes aware that Hamlet isn't mad and starts trusting him as opposed to Claudius. This is exactly how Shakespeare has presented women throughout the play: they are easy to convince, very meek and become submissive to the men (as we can see Ophelia and her response to her father and brother). They are depicted as weak and inferior in comparison to the male figures, who control their lives. After the closet scene Gertrude keeps faith to her son and lies to her husband Claudius for Hamlet saying he killed Polonius in his madness:
Hamlet is Shakespeare’s most famous work of tragedy. Throughout the play the title character, Hamlet, tends to seek revenge for his father’s death. Shakespeare achieved his work in Hamlet through his brilliant depiction of the hero’s struggle with two opposing forces that hunt Hamlet throughout the play: moral integrity and the need to avenge his father’s murder. When Hamlet sets his mind to revenge his fathers’ death, he is faced with many challenges that delay him from committing murder to his uncle Claudius, who killed Hamlets’ father, the former king. During this delay, he harms others with his actions by acting irrationally, threatening Gertrude, his mother, and by killing Polonius which led into the madness and death of Ophelia. Hamlet ends up deceiving everyone around him, and also himself, by putting on a mask of insanity. In spite of the fact that Hamlet attempts to act morally in order to kill his uncle, he delays his revenge of his fathers’ death, harming others by his irritating actions. Despite Hamlets’ decisive character, he comes to a point where he realizes his tragic limits.
Hamlet’s relationship with his mother Gertrude is one of mostly rage, hatred, and possibly jealousy that could have been from loving her in a romantic sense. Hamlet finds out that Gertrude marries his father’s brother soon after his father’s death and goes in a fury. He yells at her and he calls her an incestuous beast. Whether or not this is from hatred for Claudius, Gertrude, or even out of jealousy are all cases that can be very well argued. The fluctuating emotions that Hamlet shows throughout is what makes the play so easy to relate to as a human and also what makes the possibility of there being multiple interpretations on how he really feels. Gertrude is also a strange character in that it seems as
Hamlet is a play written by William Shakespeare in 1601. The play follows a young prince named Hamlet. Who returns home from school and discovers that his father has died, his uncle has married his mother, and ends up meeting the ghost of his father. The play has been a success since its release, having been performed in a run since its first production. Hamlet’s main enemy in this play is shown as the Uncle, who Hamlet learns from his father’s ghost early on killed his father. Hamlet’s worst enemy according to some scholars, is himself. Hamlet seems to do nothing but get stuck in his head for almost the entire play until he’s finally faced with his own mortality and therefore must act or defy his father’s wishes. When Hamlet
Shakespeare’s Hamlet, shows strong prejudice against woman especially with such characters of Ophelia and Gertrude. Shakespeare created an interesting character with Gertrude; he created a character that sits in the middle of all the conflict and appears to not partake in much of it. However Gertrude does seem intent in defusing it at every possible chance she receives. Gertrude is a central figure in the play. She appears a great deal but doesn’t say much – implying mystery and creating an interesting uncertainty in the audience. Hamlet spends a lot of time dwelling on her marriage to Claudius and Shakespeare leaves many questions unanswered with Gertrude such as did she have an affair with Claudius behind old hamlets back? Why does she drink the poisoned wine that is intended for her son? Does she know it is poisoned? Gertrude is the mother of Hamlet and although they do not have a typical mother son relationship she does love him. Queen Gertrude is often interpreted by many as an adulterate, incestuous woman. Catherine Belsey states that typical interpretations of Hamlet maintain: ‘Gertrude a slut; and Shakespeare a patriarchal bard’ (Belsey,1997:34). Gertrude’s actions throughout the play could be read to show her to be a very passive character, far from a strong independent woman. This is shown with her obedience to Claudius, three times during the play, Gertrude is told to leave and each times she complies without hesitation. In Act 1, scene 2 Claudius says to Gertrude, ‘Madam, come’ (122). Then again, Act 3, scene 1, Claudius says to her, ‘Sweet Gertrude, leave us .’ (28), she complies with ; ‘I shall obey you’ (37). And finally, in Act 4, scene 1, Claudius say, ‘O Gertrude, come away!’ (28). This obedience that Gertrude ...
In retrospect, the concept of revenge in “Hamlet” is quite the eye-opener for those in the dark of what revenge can and will do to one's self and those around him. It is plain to see the agonizing and degenerate condition that it brings upon the body and soul. Moreover, can the disease revenge inflicts rest easily upon the mind? I think not. By no effort can a man avoid the pain and suffering associated with engaging in a personal vendetta. For a man is a flawed being, without any form of perfection within him, save the perfect condition of imperfection present in all mankind. May all the world forget its vengeful spirit as to avoid the cataclysm of such distasteful undoing.
Hamlet’s sense of betrayal by Gertrude, although briefly taking him off course, ultimately infuriates and intensifies his urge for revenge. Because of Gertrude’s refusal to acknowledge her sins, Hamlet becomes even more personally motivated to kill Claudius for revenge. Queen Gertrude, though ignorant, has a huge impact on the play because her betrayal and abandonment motivates Hamlet to get revenge. When writing Hamlet, Shakespeare created a complex play that relies on the roles of two important women to aid the progression of the plot. Although Queen Gertrude and Ophelia rarely speak, they function as a way for the men to become informed about Hamlet’s mental state and motives for madness.
Revenge is a recurring theme in Hamlet. Although Hamlet wants to avenge his father’s death, he is afraid of what would result from this. In the play Hamlet, Hamlet’s unwillingness to revenge appears throughout the text; Shakespeare exhibits this through Hamlet’s realization that revenge is not the right option, Hamlet‘s realization that revenge is the same as the crime which was already committed, and his understanding that to revenge is to become a “beast” and to not revenge is as well (Kastan 1).
Gertrude cares and knows her son very well as shown when she recognizes that some of the source of Hamlet's unhappiness is from her "o'erhasty marriage." (2.2.57). Meanwhile, Hamlet cares for his mother just like a son would by looking out for her. In act 3 scene 4, Hamlet is seen expressing to his mother his true concerns for her to live apart from her sins so that she can be at peace in her life. He expresses to her saying, “O throw away the worser part of it, and live the purer with the worst part of it…” (3.4, 160-161), this quote shows that Hamlet means that he would wish for her to see how her being with Claudius will do no good for her in the end. This further proves that he is only looking out for his mother’s safety and wellbeing as would a loving
To begin, Gertrude is presented in differing manners throughout Hamlet the play versus Hamlet (2000) the film. In Shakespeare’s play, she originally is cast as a woman who has power due to her husband, but sits as a trophy wife. Craving power, safety, and comfort, she depends on men for her position and control. Seeming to have poor judgment, she never expresses self-reflection throughout the play and just seems to be a bit oblivious to everything, ultimately resulting in her death as an unaware victim of a game she ensnared herself
In many of his plays, especially tragedies, William Shakespeare examines the relationships people have with one another. Of these relationships, he is particularly interested in those between family members, above all, those between parents and their children. In his play Hamlet, Shakespeare examines Prince Hamlet's relationships with his dead father, mother and step-father. His relationship with Gertrude, one of the only two women in the play, provides Hamlet with a deep sense of anger and pain. Hamlet feels that Gertrude has betrayed his father by marrying with his brother. Throughout the play, he is consumed with avenging his father's death and all the mistreatment the former King had suffered and still suffers after his life is over. Gertrude adds to the dead King's tarnished memory by not mourning and instead rejoicing in her new marriage. Hamlet is thus extremely angry with Gertrude and expresses this anger towards her directly and indirectly through his words, both to himself and to other characters.
The relationship between Hamlet and Gertrude is strained at first. From the beginning of the play to act III, Hamlet is bitter with his mother. He feels this way because it has been less than four months since the death of his biological father, yet she is already remarried to Claudius. He feels his father is being betrayed from her lack of mourning. She tells her son to "cast thy nighted color off" (I.ii.68) and "all that lives must die" (I.ii.72). Clearly, she isn't grieving over her late husband's death and instead puts forth an optimistic attitude to her new husband and life. Gertrude's concern with Hamlet's odd behaviour after his encounter with Ophelia in act II scene i also shows the strain in their relationship. For example, she agrees with Claudius' words that "of Hamlet's transformation" (II.ii.5) and suggests Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to spy and find out the underlying cause of her son's problems. In addition to that, she consents Polonius to hide behind the tapestry in act III scene iv without Hamlet knowing. These two decisions suggest their inability to communicate. Instead, spying is required for Gertrude to find out about her son's inner mentality. The mother and ...
Hamlet is a tale of tragedy by Shakespeare which tells the story of the prince of Denmark who is on a quest to avenge the death of his father at the hands of his uncle whom subsequently becomes king of Denmark. This is what fuels the fire in the play as Hamlet feels the responsibility to avenge his father’s death by his uncle Claudius; however, Claudius assumed the throne following the death of hamlets father. It is in this context that we see the evolution of hamlets character from a student and young prince of Denmark to the protagonist and tragic hero in the play.
Throughout the play Gertrude and Hamlet’s relationship changes. It is not until Gertrude is dying that she stands up for Hamlet in the greatest way she could, trying to save his life. Although the two character had many differences and a relationship with little communication, they loved each other. Even through the death of King Hamlet Gertrude loved her son. Hamlet and Gertrude were at different places in their lives and both had different ideas for their lives and the lives of others. It was not until the came to an understanding that Gertrude could be there for her son like she had wanting to be.