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Nature of friendship
Nature of friendship
Friendships are an essential part of everyday human life
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Life hasn’t changed much from the 1600s to the 2000s because advice given 400 years ago still fits with today society. In Today’s society people face many consequences based on what they do and people look for advice from trust worthy people so they don’t get in a situation where they would be faced with dangerous consequences. In Hamlet the character Polonius gives the advice I believe we are looking for. The advice that Polonius gives it what he gives to his son Laertes before he leaves for college. We well be looking at the advice that Polonius gives and see how it is useful in today’s society. By comparing the advice that Polonius gives to Laertes, it still has value and still applies today and examples of the consequences of not taking …show more content…
Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried, Grapple them unto thy soul with hoops of steel” (1.3.62-63). Which I believe what Polonius is saying is be friendly to others but, don’t be friends with everybody, and the friends you have and if you can trust them you need to hold on to them. The reason Laertes would needs this advice because I believe you need a best friend. We can look at Polonius when reading the story I got the feeling that Polonius felt that the king was his true friend, but this could also be that he was just doing his job as the counsellor of the king. Then a better example would be the relationship between Hamlet and Horatio. Hamlet seems to only trust Horatio to the point that his trust in that he wanted Horatio to tell his story, and Horatio seems to always tell the truth to Hamlet and gives his best possible answer to any of Hamlet’s questions. For me I have three friends I can trust and we tell each other everything no matter what it is and we always help each other. After I read a blog by Lissa Rankin, on how there is health benefits from have true friends. She talks about how having a close friend can lead to a happier and healthier life. She made a list on what a true friend is and some of the point on the list that caught my eye was “Enjoyment of each other’s company, Trust in one another, and The ability to be oneself, express one’s feelings and make mistakes without fear of judgement” (Rankin). The reason this point caught my eye is when I read this parts I saw Hamlet and Horatio relationship and how when this two are together they are usually in a good mood, or how Hamlet can be himself around Horatio without being judge. But when Polonius tells Laertes this I believe that he would like his son to find a friend and form a friendship just like his friendship with Claudius. Now on why Polonius wouldn’t want Laertes to
In the text’s, Polonius in Hamlet by William Shakespeare and “If” by Rudyard Kipling, both advise their son’s on what it takes to become a successful man. The speakers of “If” contain a multitude of characteristics deemed essential to the ideal man. In particular, a man must be humble, patient, respectful, honest and dependable. How his son must continue to have faith in himself when others doubt him. Whereas Polonius in Hamlet, has the kind of tone where he advises his son the same way, but at the same time, doesn’t want his son to embarrass him. For example, keep your thoughts to yourself. Be friendly but not overly friendly. The speakers of “If” and Polonius’ advice present vastly different content, purpose and tone due to Polonius’ concern
Foils are the minor characters in a play that aid in developing the more important characters. By using the similarities and differences between two characters, the audience can get a better understanding of that major character. In Hamlet, Shakespeare uses many foils to develop the major characters of his play. Two foils that Shakespeare used to develop Hamlet's character were Laertes and Polonius.
"This above all: to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man" (Shakespeare 1794). This piece of guidance from Polonius to Laertes will be hard for many of the key players in Hamlet to follow, and will lead to their detriment. Shakespeare uses this advice as a continuous motif that foreshadows what will spread among major players in Hamlet such as: Ophelia, Polonius, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, Laertes and Hamlet. Many of these characters cause their own self-destruction by following others’ wishes and not being true to their own desires.
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.
The older gent in Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet, namely Polonius, is no type character. Rather he is quite rounded and complex. This essay will explore his character.
The obedient Ophelia has followed her father's injunctions and repelled Hamlets letters and denied him access to her. Polonius is certain that these rebuffs have driven Hamlet mad. His only action is to inform the king and queen, and to let them decide what the next move will be. In Polonius lengthy discussion with the king and queen he explain the situation:
good-bye in his chambers, Polonius tells his son: Beware Of entrance to a quarrel, but,
Claudius' soliloquy about his remorse over his murder of Hamlet's father is important to the play because it's the one place where we learn how Claudius feels about what he has done. The rest of the play is all about how Hamlet feels about what Claudius has done, and I think it rounds out the play to get it from a different perspective.
William Shakespeare once said, “God has given you one face, and you make yourself another”. Polonius from the play Hamlet, written by Shakespeare is like Vizzini from the William Goldman book The Princess Bride because both characters are vain, hypocritical, and culpable. Polonius cares more about King Claudius opinion of him and his opinions of matters, rather than his daughter, Ophelia’s feelings. This can be found in act two scene two of Hamlet, “At such a time I’ll loose my daughter to him, be you and I behind an arras then; Mark the encounter”. Instead of respecting Ophelia’s feelings toward Prince Hamlet, he uses her feelings for his benefit instead to gain a higher place beside King Claudius.
Before Laertes is about to go to France, Polonius talks to him and tells him all of his good advice. While Polonius tells Laertes all of his good advice, he says, “My blessing with thee'; (I.iii.61). This statement shows that Polonius really wants Laertes to be successful when he goes to France. Polonius says, “Beware of entrance to a quarrel';, (I.iii.69) because he wants him to be safe. Polonius wants Laertes to stay out of trouble, and to be friendly with everyone he meets. Another point Polonius wants to make is that it is better to listen than to talk. “Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice'; (I.iii.72). Polonius believes that it is better to listen too much than to talk too much, because sometimes people who talk too much get into trouble, and others don’t like them. Whereas, people who listen more than they talk rarely have others who don’t like them and they don’t get into much trouble. Another way Polonius tells Laertes to stay out of trouble is when he says, “Neither a borrower nor a lender be'; (I.iii.80). This is important because sometimes when things are borrowed, the lender will get mad that the borrower didn’t return when it was needed or the borrower ruined part of it. Even when it is an accident, it is still better to not borrow or lend anything from anyone just in case one person has a short temper. Polonius lastly and most importantly tells Laertes, “This above all to thine own self be true';. This is good advice because if people are not true to themselves, then they can’t really be true to anyone else. Polonius believes that Laertes should have enough self-respect to be true to himself.
"To be, or not to be, that is the question."(Hamlet) This is the question that plagues Hamlet through the entire play. Should I live or should I die, should I take revenge for my father's death? These are all issues that Hamlet battles within himself. Hamlet's indecision is followed by inaction. The reason for this struggle with indecision can be based on many factors or on a combination of a few.
Hamlet's problem is not exact; it cannot be pinpointed. In fact, Hamlet has numerous problems that contribute to his dilemma. The first of these problems is the appearance of King Hamlet's ghost to his son, Hamlet. Hamlet's morality adds a great deal to his delay in murdering the current king, Claudius. One of Hamlet's biggest drawbacks is that he tends to think things out too much. Hamlet does not act on instinct; however, he makes certain that every action is premeditated. Hamlet suffers a great deal from melancholy; this in turn causes him to constantly second guess himself. The Ghost is the main cause of Hamlet's melancholy. Also, Hamlet's melancholy helps to clear up certain aspects of the play. These are just a few of the problems that Hamlet encounters throughout his ordeal.
The matrix theory is a question that illustrates the personal aspect of decision. The philosophy offers no choice, but revolves around a decision of bliss or truth (Diocaretz 9). Such an aspect is depicted in William Shakespeare’s textbook tragedy, Hamlet. The protagonist has to make a similar decision between his moral belief and obligation, however he falls into an uncertain state of mind and hesitates to act. After meeting with a ghost, who tells him to seek revenge against his uncle Claudius, Hamlet is determined to take action. Conversely he has a compulsion to moral law, which yields him to lack firmness. Critiques commonly label Hamlet as a man of contemplation rather than action. Consequently his periods of inactivity, tentative emotions, and constant hesitation characterize Hamlet as indecisive.
Many have wondered why Hamlet, a work from around 400 years ago is relevant in modern society. One would think a piece of work written at the time based on a true story would eventually die out as it became irrelevant. That isn't the case of Hamlet and other works by Shakespeare simply because of how Shakespeare is able to wonderfully address the human condition and the fact that the human condition simply does not change within 400 years. As said by Craven a professor at UTSA, “Humans still experience love, loss, betrayal, war, humor and tragedy, which gives Shakespeare a foothold in modern times,”Due to this, Hamlet is still relevant today because its major themes such as love, betrayal, and tragedy are major forces that we as a species still have to deal with. These themes heavily resonates with us and can be seen in popular contemporary works that exist today such as Game of Thrones, The Hunger Games and the Twilight Series which shows us how Hamlet is relevant today because of its portrayal of human traits.
The perfection of Hamlet’s character has been called in question - perhaps by those who do not understand it. The character of Hamlet stands by itself. It is not a character marked by strength of will or even of passion, but by refinement of thought and sentiment. Hamlet is as little of the hero as a man can be. He is a young and princely novice, full of high enthusiasm and quick sensibility - the sport of circumstances, questioning with fortune and refining on his own feelings, and forced from his natural disposition by the strangeness of his situation.