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Thorough explanation of hamlets to be or not to be
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“A leader or a man of action in a crisis almost always acts subconsciously and then thinks of the reasons for his action.” (Jawaharlal Nehru) Leaders throughout history have been idolized as the magnificent humans with the ability to sway the heart of man with both silent and thunderous footsteps. One such man being Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Shakespeare dictates that a leader is cunning, sharp minded, and a caring person who is prepared to dedicate their life to a goal and to the people they care for; the reason be “right” or “wrong”.
Hamlet exemplifies a strong leader because he emphasizes his demand for honesty onto others to determine their loyalty to him. When Rosencrantz and Guildenstern first arrive in the castle Hamlet calls Rosencrantz and Guildenstern his “excellent good friends” and “dear friends.” (Shakespeare, 2.2.233. 278) Hamlet establishes that these are good friends, because of that they shouldn’t lie to him. Then Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are asked “whether they were sent for” or whether this is a “free visitation.”(Shakespeare,2.2.277-280) Hamlet is testing them, hoping that they will not betray him. Hamlet asks them to tell
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The school mates are are implored to be straight forward “by the rights of fellowship” and “the consonancy of [their] youth.” He asks them to “be direct and even
One may wonder exactly what it is that qualities a strong leader possesses. A strong leader is determined, and strong willed. They must be of good judgment, and without bias. They cannot easily be persuaded, and they are firm, yet at the same time, a good lead must also empathize with his subordinates, and have the best interest at heart for said subordinates, at all times. However, with that being said, a good leader cannot be afraid to discipline his subordinates when necessary. Unmistakably, being a leader is a very difficult feat – one which not everyone can accomplish. A leader must be an authority, a friend and a counsellor, all at once. They must be responsible, and always take into account the disadvantages of a situation. Not everyone is suitable to be a leader, whereas, just about anybody can be a good role model.
The significance of the players exceeds the sole purpose of entertainment, as each possesses the power to unveil the "occulted guilt" (3.2.75) and conscience of the King. Hamlet assumes the responsibility to advise these players with precise and adequate direction so that a "whirlwind of passion" (6) may not effectively separate Claudius from personally identifying with the play. Hamlet's enthusiastic approach toward direction may be so that he encourages the players to "suit the action to the word, the word to the/ action, with this special observance, that you o'erstep not/ the modesty of nature" (16-18). However, this exercise of caution may justify Hamlet's too often delayed attempt toward the action of avenging his father's murder. His direction confines him to the overflow of words as he experiences imprisonment within the truth of his own identity.
Even though Hamlet is a prince, he has little control over the course of his life. In that time many things were decided for the princes and princesses such as their education and even who they married. This was more or less the normal way of life for a child of the monarch. But in the case of Hamlet, any of the control he thought he had, fell away with the murder of his father. Having his father, the king, be killed by his own brother, sent Hamlet into a state of feeling helpless and out of control. Cooped up in a palace with no real outlet, he tries to control at least one aspect of his life. Hamlet deliberately toys with Ophelia's emotions in order to feel in control of something since he cannot control the situation with Claudius.
Whereas most of the other important men in Hamlet are preoccupied with ideas of justice, revenge, and moral balance, Claudius is bent upon maintaining his own power. His corrupt politician whose main weapon is his ability to manipulate others through his skillful use of language. He manipulates fortune and takes what is not rightfully his, but remains unapologetic for his actions; he possesses enough strength to admit that he would do the same again. Claudius conscience make him such a complex
During the Elizabethan era, the philosophy that established social order was known as the “Concept of Order”, stating that everything had its own place and contributed to a certain position. Elizabethans believed that establishing order was the only way for a civilization to function and progress. This philosophy that governed the minds of many individuals seems to have been a prevalent thought in Shakespeare’s mind, the evidence being the recurring theme of the disorganization in social order. The disruption of social order, as described by the Great Chain of Being, was to be avoided, because the consequences would be destructive. The conflicts that arise throughout “Hamlet” are due to a disturbance in the Concept of Order, resulting in a disrupted social hierarchy.
Shakespeare’s Hamlet indicates “There’s divinity that shapes our ends, Rough-hew them how we will” [5,2,10] given that “the devil hath power”. [2,2,188] These comments demonstrate that power is often in the hands of those who will abuse it and yet, the abuse of that power will not necessarily bring desired rewards. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that fate will treat the abuser kindly, and ‘divinity’ is in control of how the characters ends are shaped. This power abuse is demonstrated both through Claudius’ manipulation of Hamlet, Gertrude and Laertes in order to maintain his authority now that he is King; and, through Hamlet and Claudius’ use of their implicit power over women, which is an entitlement granted to them simply because they
In an effort to determine how Hamlet seeks to understand his world and his duty, we must closely examine several lines from this Shakespearean masterpiece. While the mystery and significance of Hamlet lies in part from an inability to make definitive statements about Hamlet's motives and understanding, we can get a deeper look into his character from such a dialogue interpretation.
"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.
Hamlet by William Shakespeare is one of the world’s most revered literature. The main character, Hamlet, is arguably one of the most intriguing characters the playwright ever developed. Hamlet is daring, philosophical, mentally unstable at times, and clever. Throughout the play though, these characteristics change and/or diminish as Hamlet is put through a plethora of unfortunate events. His father is murdered by Claudius, his mother soon after marries Claudius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern betray him, and his girlfriend most likely commits suicide. While Hamlet is incredibly philosophical, indecisive, and full of resentment in the beginning of the play, he becomes violent, instinctive, caring and sympathetic towards the end of the play.
In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare several themes were carried out through out the story. The some of those were ___,____ and ____. A theme that maybe readers might have not noticed was responsibility. Many characters through out the play had great responsibilities such as being a king, queen or prince or even just a loyal friend. A well as many characters having their morals challenged which could disrupt their original responsibilities. Some of the characters that closely relate to this theme is Gertrude, Hamlet and ________.
William Shakespeare’s tragic drama Hamlet invites various interpretations of the structure because of the play’s complexity. Let us in this essay analyze various interpretations of structure.
In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the influence of Hamlet’s psychological and social states display his dread of death as well as his need to avenge his father’s death. In turn, these influences illuminate the meaning of the play by revealing Hamlet’s innermost thoughts on life, death and the effect of religion. Despite the fact that Hamlet’s first instincts were reluctance and hesitation, he knows that he must avenge his father’s death. While Hamlet is conscious of avenging his father’s death, he is contemplating all the aspects of death itself. Hamlet’s decision to avenge his father is affected by social, psychological and religious influences.
A king should be determined and definite. He should know what he wants to do and stick to his decision. Prince Fortinbras is a good example of how Hamlet should’ve behaved in the play; he decided to retake the land his father lost in a duel and amassed his army and would’ve followed through with his plan, he had not been told otherwise by his uncle. Hamlet on the other hand, takes three acts to make up his mind and still doesn’t follow through with his intended plan for revenge. His killing of Claudius is described as manslaughter rather than murder and it refutes his earlier words that Claudius’ murder would be “bloody,” therefore the action is “nothing worth” (IV.iv.66). Claudius, villainous as he is, should be viewed as an example for how Hamlet should desire to be. Claudius gets the idea in his mind that he wants to be king, murders his brother, marries his sister-in-law, and takes the throne so quickly that “the memory be green” (I.ii.2), implying that Hamlet Sr.’s reign was so recent it was still fresh in everyone’s mind. Hamlet’s indecisiveness impairs his decision making skills, and so when he finally does something, it’s usually very reckless. Both his stabbing of Polonius through the curtain and signing off on Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s deaths reflect his poor decision making skills. While the former can
In writing Hamlet, William Shakespeare plumbed the depths of the mind of the protagonist, Prince Hamlet, to such an extent that this play can rightfully be considered a psychological drama.