To Be Friends or Not To Be Friends
In a tragedy, the last thing one would think about would be the genuinity of the relationship between the main character and his best friend. Despite the copious amounts of death in Hamlet, an underlying theme in the play happens to be the lighthearted idea of friendship.The brotherly love displayed in two of the main characters shines brightly given the darkness of betrayal and hate encompassing the work. However, this one relationship also brings to notice the amount of fraudulent connections between characters and thus how low the value is of friendship to them. Shakespeare’s Hamlet displays relationships in a light that demonstrates true friendship as diamond in the rough; something truly special that
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something only specific people can form together and maintain, while others take advantage of the trust involved in friendship. The first relationship a reader of Hamlet is made aware of is the newly wedded couple of Claudius and Gertrude.
Even while it is obviously a romantic relationship, romance is usually based off an initial friendship that lets the characters get along well together. On that note, the king and queen are getting along more than nicely in 1.2, not even shedding a tear over the loss of a brother and a husband and then in 1.4 are eager to go off in drunken celebration. However, over the course of the play, their relationship grows weak as Claudius’ priorities shift to saving his own behind and later getting rid of Hamlet. Gertrude on the other hand, after her encounter with Hamlet, begins to be more suspicious of her husband, seeming quite annoyed with him in 5.1 in response to him continuing to call out Hamlet’s apparent madness as she says, “For the love of God, forbear him” (5.1.279) which is quite a contrast to her previous infatuation with Claudius. Although, the most striking indication of their waning relationship is Claudius’ reaction as his wife drinks the poisoned wine intended for consumption by Hamlet. He merely accepts the fact that the women he supposedly loves with the words “It is the poisoned cup. It is too late” (5.2.3015). If their relationship was truly that of best friends and lovers, there is no chance he would be so empty with grief and continue to gamble for Hamlet’s death. Claudius’ and Gertrude’s relationship was essentially void of true meaning once Claudius had bigger plans, which portrays such a friendship as something superficial that only hinders someone’s ambitions. Another notable friendship that one is aware of throughout the course of Hamlet is the friendship between Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and Hamlet. They were closer in the past compared to their reunion during 2.2, however, as they meet, Hamlet greets both men as friends with “My excellent good friends! How dost thou, / Guildenstern? Ah, Rosencrantz! Good lads, how do / you
both?” (2.2.238-40). This in until that Hamlet realizes that they have been sent by the king and queen to essentially spy on him, and his friendly relations don’t hesitate to fade. On the opposite side, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern don’t seem to feel guilty for spying on their friend like this, instead enforcing the practice by convincing themselves it’s for Hamlet’s own good as Guildenstern expresses that he wishes “our presence and our practices pleasant and helpful to him!” (2.2.40-41). Instead of this being the case, their friendship with Hamlet and wish to help him is only being used by Claudius in order to gain information, and then later he manipulates it towards a plan for the permanent removal of his stepson. This friendship was shown to have no value as an actual relationship, only proving useful for the villain's cheap tricks and ended up dragging Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to their deaths. A relationship that is also both friendship and romance is the bond between Ophelia and Hamlet. Before the events of the play occur, the two seem to be very close, Ophelia expressing to her father that “he hath importuned me with love / In honorable fashion--” (1.3.115-16). Their bond does not seem to last long as Polonius’ instructs her to drop all communications with him, and that is soon proceeded by Hamlet having to sacrifice the appearance of their relationship in order to act insane to commit his revenge. Ophelia is in the dark about the real issues pushing her and the man she loves apart, and is instead faced with his same person yelling and insulting her before murdering her father. It goes without saying that someone with a character as fragile as Ophelia’s that she would be driven to suicide in 3.7, preventing any further development of her relationship with Hamlet. While Ophelia was not directly involved, Claudius did exploit her and her relationship with Hamlet in order to spy on him, which is what causes him to lash out at her. Her demise is partially due to the manipulation of her closeness to Hamlet, another tragedy due to the exploitation of friendship. With the edition of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to that tally, friendship seems to be put in a position of lacking a positive reason for existing, bashing the reason to have friendships in the first place. However, that is only until one more friendship is evaluated. Hamlet’s most intimate and loyal friend is Horatio. Even through all the events in the play which would rightfully cause Hamlet to doubt everyone around him, his trust in Horatio never fades. When he is met with a claim that the ghost of his father might be haunting the night in 1.2, instead of playing Horatio off as a liar, Hamlet takes his words as the truth and set him up for going to see the ghost and then receive his task of vengeance. It is then in 3.2. where Hamlet is on the lookout for some sort of indication what Claudius is guilty, he turns to Horatio for help in keeping close watch on him. This is something that decides whether or not he shifts his actions towards having to kill him, so putting part of this responsibility on Horatio is indicative of their closeness. That aside, the pinnacle of the relationship is the very end of it in 5.2 when Hamlet is on his last breaths, he gives Horatio is last request to “Absent thee from felicity awhile / And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain / To tell my story” (5.2.368-70). Hamlet is trusting Horatio with his life in the sense that he would live on to tell his story and preserve what happened for generations to come. This trust in the friendship was what got Hamlet to this point, even though he had lost his life, he was able to get revenge for his father which was his goal. What was most important though was that this particular friendship was wholesome and true, not once used to manipulate and not overshadowed by anything else. Out of every relationship, Hamlet and Horatio's bond was what held true, displaying that friendship is selective and special. No other bond was successful as the friendship between these two. Friendship is not something that can been taken lightly, as a weak friendship can only end in tragedy. However, if the connection is present and the bond is resolute, a true friendship can be there for someone until the very end. Shakespeare presented this in how he included countless of faux or failed relationships that did not add up to what friendship really is. It can be concluded that friendship is such a particular occasion that true loyalty is needed for it to be successful, and only Hamlet and Horatio were lucky enough to be able to achieve that rare level that no one else could uphold. It almost makes one question the sanctity of the relationships in said person’s own life.
Always in Shakespeare reading we learn many different themes. The play “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare is a classic published in 1603. The story goes through Hamlet’s everyday thoughts of life, love, people and other ideologies. Hamlet story teaches us throughout the story that he hates King Claudius with a ceaseless passion because he poisoned his brother in order to marry the queen and take the crown. Hamlet is the prince and his mother’s marriage to Claudius causes him to have a deep rooted hatred towards women which pushes him to hate sex. As a result, we see how deeply Hamlet values inner truth and his hatred for deceit. After learning Hamlet’s philosophy of life we see that he would not fit in modern American society. Therefore, Hamlet
Of the four young men who occupy a place in the life of Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern appear, at least initially, to be his closest friends. They are schoolmates at Wittenburg, and Hamlet greets them both amicably, remarking, " My excellent good friends! How dost thou,....." Queen Gertrude affirms the status of their relationship when she says, "And sure I am two men there is not living to whom he more adheres." Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are unaware, however, of the real story behind the death of Hamlet’s Father. They do not have the benefit of seeing his ghost, as Hamlet has. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are very loyal to the new King. Unlike Hamlet, they initially have no reason not to trust Claudius. But they become unwitting and unknowing pawns for both factions. Their relationship with Hamlet begins to sour. Hamlet realizes what the King is up to, and he becomes distrustful of the two. "’Sblood, do you think I am easier to be played on than a pipe?...
Immediately after her husband’s murder, Gertrude marries his brother in order to maintain her status as Queen of Denmark. If she were truly in love with King Hamlet, and was not with him to gain some sort of societal power, she would not have attempted to maintain said power by immediately marrying Claudius. Though one can argue that she married Claudius to appease the public, as her late husband was beloved by the populous, this claim simply does not hold up when one considers the hunger for power that plagues every character in Hamlet. Additionally, Gertrude’s attitudes regarding Hamlet’s grief arouse suspicion as to her true motives. As she tells him, “…/Do not forever with thy vailed lids/” (I.ii. 69-71.) She later continues, ”Seek for thy noble father in the dust/Thou know 'st 'tis common; all that lives must die,/Passing through nature to eternity” (I.ii. 72-74.) Though this can be written off as a mother simply being worried for her son’s well being, it seems as if there is some sort of deeper meaning to these words. As long as Hamlet is in mourning, the people of Denmark will hold the late King Hamlet in their memory, and may start to get suspicious as to why Gertrude “moved on” so quickly. Furthermore, her attempts to squander Hamlet’s grief are an obvious effort to conceal her true motives from the citizens of Denmark, and to maintain her current position of power. Through her
After the death of Old Hamlet and Gertrude’s remarriage to Claudius, Hamlet feels extremely angry and bitter. “How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable / Seem to me all the uses of this world!” (1.2.133-134). Due to the death of his father, he is already in a state of despair and the lack of sympathy that his mother has towards his sorrow does not aid him in recovering from this stage of grief. “Good Hamlet, cast thy knighted colour off, / And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark” (1.2.68-69). Hamlet is struggling to accept the fashion in which Gertrude is responding to the death of Old Hamlet; she seems quite content with her new life with Claudius, which is a difficult concept for him to accept as after the d...
Hamlet possesses an uncomfortable obsession with his mother’s sexuality. For this reason, Hamlet’s soliloquies provide most of the audience’s information about Gertrude’s sexual activities. In his first soliloquy, Hamlet refers to the relationship between Gertrude and Claudius when he exclaims, “Within a month…She married. O, most wicked speed, to post / With such dexterity to incestuous sheets!” (I, ii, 153-157). In saying this, Hamlet displays how hastily Gertrude has abandoned the late King Hamlet, Hamlet’s father, such that she has already married Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle. In addition, Hamlet acknowledges that Gertrude and Claudius have quickly developed a very sexual relationship. Despite the very recent death of her husband, Gertrude is unable to control her sexual desires, and she remarries less than two months after King Hamlet’s funeral.
He is the type of person that will do anything to get what he wants and everything in his power to stay king. He will do what it takes to get his way, even if that means betraying the person he is supposed to be committed to and love, his wife Gertrude. Gertrude is the mother of Hamlet, who she deeply cares for and loves. She is convinced that Claudius does as well. In order for Claudius to stay as king, he must keep Gertrude happy and pleased.
His first words in the play is an aside saying "A little more than kin and less than kind" (Shakespeare. 1.2.64-65). Hamlet is already distrustful of those around him, shown in the way Shakespeare uses an aside. This displays a lack of trust and ability to speak his mind out loud. Due to the death of his father and the quick and untimely coronation of Claudius as the new king, Hamlet becomes hostile and distrustful of the people around him as people tell him to move forward and accept his father 's death, just as they have. While he believes his sorrow and mourning is genuine, Hamlet discloses to his mother that the other 's mourning is fake and only "seems"(1.2.83) real. Hamlet believes that their loyalty is fickle and unreliable, there by isolating himself and relying on his inner circle of friends and family to deal with his loss and to loss that support, would leave Hamlet
Oddly, it appears that Gertrude possess more significance to Hamlet than one first anticipates. Her swift call to matrimony leads Hamlet into a spiraling quarry of depression and grieving. This mirrors the Oedipus complex. Gertrude sexually commits herself to Claudius causing Hamlet to feel a sense of jealousy and disappointment. In retaliation, he expresses his repressed desire of love through his unruly comments. He even goes as far as to say that the love is incestuous. Furthermore, in Act 3 scene 4, Hamlet confronts his mother directly in a closet. Addressing concern over her sexual actions, he exclaims “In the rank sweat of an enseamèd bed, / Stewed in corruption, honeying and making love / Over the nasty sty” (III.iv.104-106). Not only does this quote show that Hamlet disapproves his mother’s marriage, but also that he believes Claudius is a wicked criminal. Aligning with the Oedipus complex, Hamlet strangely obsesses over his mother’s love life while viewing his uncle in
Shakespeare’s Hamlet shows a unique mother and son relationship between Gertrude and Hamlet. Stemming from the death of King Hamlet, Hamlet’s depiction of his mother signals a heinous relationship amongst the two. Hamlets and Gertrude relationship looks complicated, but Gertrude still considers Hamlet as her son. After the marriage of Gertrude and Claudius, her affection towards Hamlet is not encountered, excluding for when she questioned his dark demeanor, “Good Hamlet, cast thy nighted colour off, And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark” (I, II, 68-69). Initially in the plot, Hamlet realizes that his mother is completely oblivious and naïve to her relationship with King Hamlet. Her questioning Hamlet’s character indicates that she
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 ...
As the play’s tragic hero, Hamlet exhibits a combination of good and bad traits. A complex character, he displays a variety of characteristics throughout the play’s development. When he is first introduced in Act I- Scene 2, one sees Hamlet as a sensitive young prince who is mourning the death of his father, the King. In addition, his mother’s immediate marriage to his uncle has left him in even greater despair. Mixed in with this immense sense of grief, are obvious feelings of anger and frustration. The combination of these emotions leaves one feeling sympathetic to Hamlet; he becomes a very “human” character. One sees from the very beginning that he is a very complex and conflicted man, and that his tragedy has already begun.
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 ...
When considering Hamlet’s generally isolationist and lonesome nature, it is possible to conclude that Hamlet suffers from a mental disorder. Throughout the course of the play, Hamlet tends not to share his inner feelings with others and does not have many close friends. One notable exception is Horatio, Hamlet’s closest and most loyal friend. Horatio is the only character to whom Hamlet expresses his true feelings, and Hamlet welcomes Horatio’s calm level-headedness, providing an insight into the kind of person Hamlet appreciates: “Give me that man / That is not passion’s slave, and I will wear him / In my heart’s core, ay, in my heart of heart, / As I do thee” (3.2, 64–67). If Hamlet’s idea of a friend is any indication as to why he strays away from shar...
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.