... was about to say something. / Where did I leave it?" (1474 49-50). Throughout the play there is no evidence to suggest that Polonibus knew of Claudius's crime. In Scene IV: The Queens Closet, with Polonibus hiding behind the curtain, Hamlet, thinking he is the King, drives his sword through the curtain ... In my mind his emotion was a little late coming. And what of Hamlet's long soliloquies, where in act II scene 2 he debates a plan to kill Claudius (1490 497-557), or act III scene 1 where he debates about his sins and the afterlife (1492 1-89)? I contend they are further exhibits of h...

• Word Count: 1642
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... couple has no suspicion in the beginning that the heir to the thrown of Denmark knows what treachery they have committed. When asked by King Claudius why his nephew seems to display "turbulent and dangerous lunacy," Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern reply, "He does confess he feels himself distracted; but from ... their love forever. Why has Hamlet lost his mind when he has the love of his good mother and caring uncle who so quickly replaced his father at his mother's side? It seems unreasonable that such a loving family be ripped apart by something as trivial as murder. The callous way King...

• Word Count: 1514
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... and could find in the world before him only a dull blank with nothing left remarkable in it; whoever has known "the pangs of despised love, the insolence of office, or the spurns which patient merit of the unworthy takes;" he who has felt his mind sink within him, and ... much offended." To this reference Hamlet responds, "Mother, you have my father much offended" (Act III. Scene iv. 9-10). Hamlet suggests that by calling Claudius his father, Gertrude is offending his true father, King Hamlet. For heroes - once the decision is taken, everything else follows, accompanied by acts of majes...

• Word Count: 1299
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... , frees him from guilt, and lets him pursue out of hatred the murderer of the ideal father." The fact that this murderer is also the husband of his mother makes Claudius into somewhat of a father figure and no longer the ideal parent that a child would take as a model, but as the parent hated because of the place he occupies in the ... theme as a central part of the play. Some directors strongly believe that Hamlet had a secret desire for his own mother, which only intensified his feelings of revenge and hatred toward Claudius. There has also been criticism of the interpretations of Haml...

• Word Count: 2347
• Approx Pages: 9
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... death portrayed in Shakespearian tragedies only brings about more death. The death of Hamlet's father results in his goal to have revenge on Claudius, and as the plot unfolds, innocent bystanders die, such as Ophelia and Polonius. Suicide is common as well, evident in both Romeo ... to be exposed to such things in the school environment as well. Thematically, Shakespearian comedies are more appropriate in a high school setting, dealing with love, magic, humour and more. The setting in a Shakespearian comedy is commonly that of a far off land. Twelfth Night, for example, takes ... to ex...

• Word Count: 1601
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... tragedies, Shakespeare reveals how the world's natural order will prevail even when a person's choices bring chaos and destruction. Othello and Desdemona's marriage started off strong. The two brazenly defended their love despite Venice's racist setting, and Desdemona's hot-tempered father Brabantio. It would seem that nature was also on their side. A storm left many dead during the journey to Cyprus by ... .12 Macbeth's choices doomed himself rather than nature preordaining him. Unfortunately, Macbeth eventually succumbed to his wife's taunting. She correlated the depth of his love for ...

• Word Count: 1655
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School