... the words "imperial jointress to this warlike state" he justifies the potentially controversial union by making it appear like a benefit to the entire kingdom. Claudius is clearly a wise politician, for he deliberately emphasizes the contrast between his marriage to Gertrude and King Hamlet's death, using phrases such as "defeated ... joy" and "with an auspicious and a dropping eye." The benefits to such an approach are obvious. On one hand Claudius appeals to popular sentiment by remembering his popular brother, and on the other hand, with his celebration of his marriage, the King prov...

• Word Count: 692
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... The fury Hamlet possessed for the fact of Ophelia not loving him causes him to portray an insane behaviour. Hamlet has fallen madly in love with Ophelia, and the love sickness in his heart caused an illness in his mind. In act 1, scene 3 Ophelia is warned by her brother and her father ... attractive" (III,II,107). Hamlet was referring to Ophelia as the precious (i.e. gold) metal drawing him over to her by being attractive. Hamlet's love for Ophelia is not as intensely displayed until he sees her laying in the grave at her funeral. When he hears Laertes voice talking about Ophelia's death...

• Word Count: 1429
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... would not be killing the man his beloved mother loves. Gertrude would also not condemn Hamlet for killing or attempting to kill Claudius if she did not love Claudius. Thus, Hamlet would have the psychological freedom he would need to kill Claudius and thus relieve him of his obsession Hamlet meets goal one by treating Gertrude angrily, as his feigned insanity permits him to ... much more self-actualizing and essential for him since it is that of his mother. (The evidence for this arbitrary reliance on his mother's love comes from his father and Claudius both professing of their powerful...

• Word Count: 3498
• Approx Pages: 14
• Grade Level: High School

... psychological pain that he would endure if she were to turn against him from knowledge of his obsession. After all, if the love between them were weakened, the impact of that kind of love rejection followed by her support of Claudius would be lessened. And, of course, this behavior is an excellent means of creating the impression of insanity. Also, however, such rejection ... would not be killing the man his beloved mother loves. Gertrude would also not condemn Hamlet for killing or attempting to kill Claudius if she did not love Claudius. Thus, Hamlet would have the psychological freed...

• Word Count: 2027
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... of an Honest and honorable man. In Act one scene two Claudius in the presence of council shows his true skill and ease of manner at speaking. Claudius speaks well of the spent king by showing a general love for him by all his subjects. Claudius show respect for the old sovereign by speaking kind words of ... that accepts him even more for his family values: How is it that the clouds still hang on you? Act I Claudius appears to be even more caring when insulted by Hamlet he still shows love and general care for Hamlet. A normal king would have become angry and Hamlet would have gotten int...

• Word Count: 1669
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... to be a good Hamlet of what is seen of him. When exposed during a mad scene, he played the part well. Also, I noticed the true love in his eye for Ophellia that I didn't see in any other Hamlet. In the background, Hamlet stays during almost the whole flick. Iain Glen played the ... play. However it is clear that the theme of vengeance however, Shakespeare made that theme just to make many others apparent. These other themes include love relationships, madness, youth and age, and corrupt power and power corrupting. Shakespeare puts Hamlet into a situation where he must deal with the betray...

• Word Count: 4359
• Approx Pages: 17
• Grade Level: High School

... of the most interesting as it portrays Hamlet as being without conscience or guilt, traits I which would be more typical of Claudius. "Why, man, did they make love to this employment. They are not near my conscience." (Act5, Scene2) However Hamlet does not attempt to hide what he ... in near madness are the driving force behind his revenge, As Gertrude is undeniably a part of Claudius' brutal world Hamlet's intense relationship with her only entangles him further. Ophelia, Hamlet's true love, is doomed in her relationship from the moment Hamlet takes on the task of revenge. Whilst ... ...

• Word Count: 2354
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: High School

... 's Hamlet demonstrates a plethora of complications due to the conflict between reality and appearance. These complications strengthen the plot and add excitement to an otherwise simple play. Ophelia's cause of death, Claudius' seeming repentance for the murder of the king and dishonest ploys for popularity seem to be reality, but are actually misunderstandings which Shakespeare used to create conflict within Hamlet. Hamlet ... 's true love, Ophelia, worries constantly about Hamlet. She does not realize that Hamlet is only pretending to be mad to manipulate Claudius. His wavering displays ...

• Word Count: 1415
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... by how he handles certain situations throughout the play. He reveals himself to be an over-analytical man who frequently procrastinates. Hamlet demonstrates his over-analytical tendencies when Claudius was praying: "Now might I do it pat, now he is praying./ And not I"ll do it. And so he goes to heaven./ And so ... visit and he is perceptive enough to see through their outside motives into their real intentions: "Nay, then, I have an eye of you.--If you love/ me, hold not off."(II,ii,308-310). After realizing this, he forces them to reveal that they have been sent by the King to find ......

• Word Count: 1897
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

... his mind is not all there to be considered true sexual love. Hamlet is obsessed with the love of his mother, which would be considered incest. Many critics argue that Hamlet suffers the Oedipus complex. Oedipus killed his father and married his mother. Hamlet did not kill his father, but since Claudius did, Hamlet can win his mother over without even killing his ... his father. His father's problems are lost, so Hamlet feels his problems are lost too. Their problems are lost due to their love for Gertrude has been won over by Claudius. His suffering is further intensified by his conflic...

• Word Count: 1901
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... shattered idealism, he consciously embarks on a quest to seek the truth hidden in Elsinore; this mission of Hamlet's is in stark contrast to Claudius' fervent effort to obscure the truth of King Hamlet's murder. The question of Hamlet's sanity is irrelevant, but instead his melancholy disposition is ... to the political, economic, social and intellectual conditions of the age."1 Politically, Hamlet feels left down and put aside for the crown. Claudius assures himself the crown by murdering the King while Hamlet is away at Wittenberg. Not only is Hamlet offended that he is not King, ... he...

• Word Count: 4821
• Approx Pages: 19
• Grade Level: High School

... "son". He wants the people to accept his reign and tries to do so by winning Hamlet over. Claudius then states, "You are the most immediate to our throne; / And with no less nobility of love / Than that which dearest father bears his son, / Do I impart toward you. For your intent / ... In going back to school in Wittenberg, / It is most retrograde to our desire" (I, ii, 109-114). Claudius reinforces that he will be Hamlet's "father" and ... "Here, thou incestuous, murd"rous, damned Dane, / Drink off this potion. Is thy union there? / Follow my mother." (V, ii, 296-298). Claudius avoide...

• Word Count: 1575
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... is not truly sorry for Ophelia's death as Hamlet says, "even Forty thousand brothers " can't make up the love he had for Ophelia. It is after this that Laertes joins Claudius, and schemes to kill Hamlet by poisoning the foil they plan to use in a joust between Hamlet and Laertes. ... calls, "The Mousetrap". The second stage is after the guilt was confirmned, he could have killed his uncle, but doesn't his first chance is while Claudius prays, but Hamlet believes that killig him then would allow him admittance to heaven. "A villain kills myfather, and for that I, his sole son, do ... n...

• Word Count: 3059
• Approx Pages: 12
• Grade Level: High School

... Prince Hamlet is believed by everyone to have gone mad. Everyone thought that Hamlet's madness grew upon his father's death, and his mother's marriage to Hamlet's uncle Claudius. Hamlet does indeed act in madness like ways. He does things and says things that are clearly out of the ordinary. However, it is all an act that ... this point in the story everyone is mad and because of all of the killings and they all think it is Hamlets fault. Now we come to Hamlet's love life. This may be the last place where Hamlets madness is but it is a huge factor of the play when dealing with anger. Th...

• Word Count: 1944
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

... . Summary: Polonius sends Reynaldo to France with money and written notes for Laertes, he orders him to spy on Laertes personal life. Polonius suspects that Hamlet may be madly in love with Ophelia and that may be the cause of Hamlet's moodiness. ACT 2 SCENE 2 Characters: King, Guildenstern, Rosencrantz, Polonius, Hamlet Setting: Room in castle. (After midnight) Summary: Polonius declares, that the ... of the castle, so when he does, they could hide behind a curtain while Ophelia confronts Hamlet, allowing them to see for themselves whether Hamlet's madness is really caused from his love...

• Word Count: 1180
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... Hamlet's quest for revenge may seem only to be brought on by his love for his father, but this is not so. He is simultaneously angry with his mother, jealous of her attention to Claudius, and desperately wishing for her love. He berates her with sharp edged comments, "you are the queen, your ... brother's wife and -would it were not so- you are my mother"; but he loves her just the same. His love for her is first expressed without ... been dismissed as a stage thrill, a device to horrify, yet secure the attentions of the audience. Obviously the ghost is used to convey the information ab...

• Word Count: 2226
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: High School

... have?" (1078, line 515). In this complement to this player's acting ability, Hamlet is saying that if he were such an actor he would have killed Claudius by now. Therein, lies the struggle between acting, and actual vengeance, that persists throughout the play until the very end. At this moment, Hamlet avows to ... have no more marriages. Those that are married already-all but one-shall live" (1084, line 144). The 'one' Hamlet refers to is undoubtedly Claudius-which supports the link of vengeance and role playing. The next scene alludes to similar conflicts, but much more subtly. In this...

• Word Count: 2118
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

... his mother. Both women that are important to him, Ophelia and Gertrude, have turned away his love or betrayed him. The lies and heartache that fill Denmark are endless, and he questions the human condition. He wonders how Claudius can sin so readily, and also be living a perfectly contented life, yet it is he ... he realizes now that it is his obligation to bring peace and honour back to Denmark, and punish the sinful. Hamlet's world had been disrupted by Claudius" sins: killing his father and sleeping with his mother, and he will no longer stand still and allow the corruption to contin...

• Word Count: 1261
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... Queen, your husband's brother's wife, And, would it were not so, you are my mother- (IIIiv.15-16) The marriage between Gertrude and Claudius he declares "You cannot call it love- (IIIiv.68) at the same time he tells Gertrude that her husband is a "murderer and a villain- (IIIiv.96). Although Gertrude doesn't ... 111). Despite this she obeys Polonious's instructions and rejects Hamlet. She goes even further and agrees to be involved in the attempts of her father and Claudius to spy on Hamlet. In his meeting with her Hamlet becomes suspicious, "where's your father?- (IIIi.126) then abruptly...

• Word Count: 1437
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... Hamlets decision to feign madness is a sane one, taken to confuse his enemies and hide his intentions. Now we come to Hamlets love life. Is Hamlet really in love? The woman in his life is the young Ophelia who is the daughter of the Kings advisor, Polonius. Their relationship certainly started out ... it.(II, I) This is really the first assumption that one can make about Hamlets madness. They assume that he is insane because he is in love. Little do they know, Hamlet has just found out that his father was really murdered by their new King. As shown, Polonius makes many assumptions conce...

• Word Count: 1318
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... frightens his mother and treats her as if she were almost as loathsome as Claudius to him. The audience certainly doesn't see Gertrude as woman who truly loved her first husband, but her love for Claudius does not seem to warrant the hate Hamlet expresses in this scene. We see ... and crowds are gathered onstage. Hamlet apologizes for wronging Laertes in his madness, and Laertes superficially accepts his repentance. As the duel commences, King Claudius toasts to Hamlet with wine and secretly prepares a poisoned chalice which is meant to kill hamlet is Laertes fails to slay him. Hamlet beg...

• Word Count: 1476
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... depicted in Elsinore's society. Shakespeare's Elsinore is patriarchal on many levels; the men continuously use women to their degrading advantage. As King of Denmark, Claudius not only has power over the state, but also over Gertrude. On a smaller scale, Polonius has full authority over his daughter, Ophelia. Hamlet ... that led to Ophelia's tragedy. Women throughout the play are used as pawns, susceptible to cruel intentions. Hamlet uses Ophelia to display to King Claudius and the rest of the Court that he has 'gone mad'. Hamlet enters Ophelia's room wearing disheveled clothing and ...

• Word Count: 1649
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... its timeless themes and brilliant character portrayal. Hamlet touches on many issues that were not discussed in society at the time it was written such as love, incest, revenge, suicide, and murder. These topics remain current in modern society, which is the reason audiences and readers empathize with the play ... an emotional turmoil he acts out of passion, which is a common instinctive reaction out of most people. The ideas Hamlet touches upon, such as love, betrayal, and revenge are basics to human experiences. Shakespeare intentionally wanted the readers to enter Hamlet's mind and be...

• Word Count: 1367
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... . Of course Hamlet grieves over his father's death. To add to his immense suffering, Hamlet returns home to find his mother married to his uncle Claudius. The haste of this marriage outrages and confuses Hamlet. "Within a month: ere yet the salts of most unrighteous tears had left the flushing in ... result of the lies that he is surrounded by. Hamlet learns that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have been spying on him as by order of King Claudius. These feelings of pain and sorrow become embedded deep inside Hamlet and they cause him to become excessively melancholic. Unfortunately, by the e...

• Word Count: 1246
• Approx Pages: 5

... apart because of the poisoning act on the part of Claudius. At this time Hamlet starts acting mad, likely as a result of the tumultuous events occurring around him. While Hamlet is mad, he kills his love interest Ophelia's father, Polonius. The death of her father ... king and queen which reenacted the killing of king Hamlet. Hamlet used the play as a way of spreading his anger to Gertrude and Claudius because of their incestuous marriage, which he compared to a disease. Also during the play, the villain, Lucianus, uses the phrase "with ... starts lashing out, he detects Polonius, stabs...

• Word Count: 1164
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School