... thou noble youth, the serpent that did sting thy father's life, now wears his crown." (Act 1, Scene 5). The ghost explains to Hamlet the story behind his death. In addition, he states, "Sleeping within my orchard, my custom always of the afternoon, upon my secure hour ... At the time, Claudius wished to steal his wife and become king of the country of Denmark. The ghost demands Hamlet to avenge his death from King Claudius immediately. With this demand, Hamlet completely shifts to an evil and senseless state of mind. In addition, the appearance of the ghost affects future moments ... a ...

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• Grade Level: High School

... for revenge. Crying for his father is probably a more natural reaction than the inclination to kill. In the last act, Shakespeare's idea of the nature of revenge is very clear. Hamlet and Laertes had lost their lives by taking revenge into their hands. Fortinbras, who did not avenge his father, gained a kingdom. His actions were rewarded, and his father's death ... was avenged without the tragedy that Hamlet and Laertes experienced. "Fortinbras is the man of the hours, the representative of a restored political stability" (David Bevington). Fortinbras acted commendably and was recompense...

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... ghost that he needs to avenge his death by murdering his uncle Claudius. By this time Claudius has already taken the throne and married Hamlet's mother, Queen Gertrude. Hamlet decides to take a passive approach to avenge his father's murder. Hamlet first decides to act "mad" which does not accomplish much besides warning his uncle that he might know that he killed his father ... father's death, though much time has passed. He finally dies from the poisoned sword. Laertes" father, Polonius, is murdered by Hamlet when Polonius is discovered listening to Hamlet and his mother's conversatio...

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... victim of a conspiracy devised against him, headed by his very own younger brother -the present king Claudius. Thus, this story now concentrates on how Hamlet plans to avenge his father's death, and in the process of doing so is ready to renounce everything in the world including his first love. "The character of ... it is his emotions that further provide fuel to his plans of taking revenge. All of Shakespeare's plays comment on certain inevitable factions of the society. In Hamlet, Shakespeare shows that when greed takes over, man does not know what he is doing. He loses all his common...

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... to be the sensitive, intellectual, able to express himself through poetry and who comes across as being dedicated to truth. The other side of Hamlet, barbaric side, treats Ophelia cruelly and with no empathy, slays Polonius and speaks of dragging his guts into another room, and who sends Rosencrantz ... and Guildenstern to their deaths without any remorse. However, dispite these "two Hamlets", most interpreters of Hamlet see him as a "tragic hero" with a clear and sacred obligation to kill Claudius but due to his being a victim of great external difficulties, ... as a coward and cries o...

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... so inoculate our old stock but we shall relish of it. I loved you not." (III, i, 115-116) However, during Ophelia's funeral in Act V, Hamlet leaps into the grave in grief and says, "I loved Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers could not with all their quantity of love make up my sum." (V, ... i, 221-223) From these two conflicting actions, one must question Hamlet's true feelings for Ophelia. Was he merely acting mad when he claimed to have never loved her? From his show of overwhelming grief upon her ... mind a hell now appear in all their hideousness in the light of day." (Waldock 58) In ...

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... so inoculate our old stock but we shall relish of it. I loved you not." (III, i, 115-116) However, during Ophelia's funeral in Act V, Hamlet leaps into the grave in grief and says, "I loved Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers could not with all their quantity of love make up my sum." (V, ... i, 221-223) From these two conflicting actions, one must question Hamlet's true feelings for Ophelia. Was he merely acting mad when he claimed to have never loved her? From his show of overwhelming grief upon her ... mind a hell now appear in all their hideousness in the light of day." (Waldock 58) In ...

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... reaction in Act 1, scene 5 is to avenge his father's death, " So uncle, there you are. Now to my word| It is "adieu, adieu! Remember me.| I have sworn't" (111-113). Hamlet's decision to avenge his father's death illustrates his impulsiveness. Later on in Act 3 scene 1 he is unsure of what the ghost represents "May be devil, and the devil hath power"( ... and foreshadows his contemplative attitude. Laertes is the son of Polonius and a soldier. He spends most of his time in France. Laertes" persona illustrates Hamlet's need to complete the task at hand (revenge) as well as Hamlet's impul...

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... Denmark had mysteriously died in his court yard of the Elsinore Castle, now Claudius the kings brother has taken over the throne as King, and has married Hamlet's mother Gertrude. Horatio a friend of Hamlet tells Hamlet that he is afraid because he thinks he has seen a ghost who resembles the late King. King Claudius and his lord Chamberlain Polonius are dealing with royal ... they've seen. He tells them that he's going to pretend to be crazy while he plans his revenge towards Claudius. Now that Hamlet is said to be crazy, Polonius goes to the King and tells him about Hamlet's strange b...

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... Denmark had mysteriously died in his court yard of the Elsinore Castle, now Claudius the kings brother has taken over the throne as King, and has married Hamlet's mother Gertrude. Horatio a friend of Hamlet tells Hamlet that he is afraid because he thinks he has seen a ghost who resembles the late King. King Claudius and his lord Chamberlain Polonius are dealing with royal ... they've seen. He tells them that he's going to pretend to be crazy while he plans his revenge towards Claudius. Now that Hamlet is said to be crazy, Polonius goes to the King and tells him about Hamlet's strange b...

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... himself, so he creates this whole other person inside of him, someone "insane" proving to everyone that he was truly insane would take some time to accomplish. Hamlet plans to slowly go insane and than avenge his father's death "I am but mad north-north-west: when the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a ... want Claudius to be remembered as a great king that he never was, nor himself as a murdering mad man. He wants the kingdom to know how Old Hamlet was murdered by the devious King Claudius and then they will know the truth and reasoning behind his madness. He tells Horatio "tell my ...

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... of his father, while Claudius is an evil murderer of his own kin. Interestingly, the size of the final death toll can be mainly blamed on Hamlet's actions or rather his lack of action. After learning from his father's ghost about the circumstances of his father's murder "by a brother's hand Of ... life, of crown, of queen at once dispatched" (I.v. 75), Hamlet struggles with his conscience about actually killing his uncle. At the same time, Hamlet feels guilty that he is not avenging his father's death and calls himself a coward. He wants further evidence of Claudius ... pain and anguis...

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... to kill Claudius, yet he always comes up with some excuse preventing action. Throughout the play we see many different aspects of Hamlet's personality by observing his actions and responses to certain situations. Hamlet takes on the role of a strong character, but through his internal weaknesses we witness his destruction. First and foremost, after ... for his father's murder. He then thinks up the Murder of Gonzago to verify the truthfulness of the ghost and also to allow himself more time to think. Hamlet says: If his occulted guilt Do not itself unkennel in one speech, It is a damned...

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... he is cold and tired from the many hours of guarding the castle. Soon after, another watchman named Marcellus joins Bernardo and also Heratio, who is a friend of the prince Hamlet. Bernardo and Marcellus want Heratio to stay on guard with them because they feel that they have something shocking to show him, the ghost of the recently passed away King ... was skeptical at first but then the ghost suddenly appears and then disappears without saying a word. Heratio acknowledged that the ghost figure did resemble the deceased King Hamlet. ACT 1 SCENE 2 Characters: King, Queen, Hamlet, Poloni...

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... in fact doing a wonderful job of fooling everyone. Still, no one quite knows. Only if Shakespeare were here to inform us of his purpose in making Hamlet seem really mad, yet not telling us if he is or not. Many readers have spent a great deal of time pondering this matter; it's interesting though ... that no one seems to have gotten anywhere. I believe Hamlet is not mad, I am in no doubt that he has full control over his mind, although sometimes he takes it too far without thinking ahead of the ... Horatio of this, and makes him promise never to tell a soul why he is acting with such we...

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... she was a hypocrite when he tells her "God hath given you one face and you make yourselves another" (3.1.155-154). Hamlet continuously puts her down and treats her like nonsense. Also an additional fault that Hamlet has is that he kind of rubs it in too much to his mother Queen Gertrude that she remarried not even a ... on an act and to try and open the eyes of his mother Queen Gertrude so that she can see that King Claudius killed King Hamlet. Hamlet is the one that is correct because he is trying to open the eyes of his mother so that she can see that Claudius is the appalling one ......

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... murdered his father and usurped the throne. However, this madness is not genuine. "I am but mad north-north-west. When the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw- (2.2, 378-379). Hamlet feigns insanity in order to manipulate those around him and discover the truth about his father's murder. Kenneth Branagh directed and starred in his own version of ... with rage and vengeance for the death of his father. Branagh's version of the film also lifted the incestuous stigma from the tragedy, and gave it a refreshing new view of Hamlet's character. Previous versions of Hamlet have portr...

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... team. When faced with betrayal, people often feel deceived by the ones closest to them. This is the case in William Shakespeare's play, Hamlet, the main character Hamlet and his father both face deception and betrayal as they come to realize that the ones closest to them aren't who they claim to be. ... and her late husband. She mourns only the bare minimum before remarrying her brother-in-law. Not only is it wrong, it is extremely rude. Hamlet feels this betrayal even before he is notified of Claudius's secret. He feels the need to avenge the shame that has been brought about from his ...

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... heaven. He puts himself in a situation where he can easily accomplish his intention of killing the King. As he was standing behind the King, with sword in hand, Hamlet says to himself, "Now might I do it pat, now he is praying;/ And now I'll do't: and so he does to heaven:/ And so I ... gaming, swearing, or about some act/ That has no relish of salvation in't:" (3.3.90-93) in order for Claudius to go to hell, where Hamlet thinks he belongs. Hamlet expresses that if he were to kill Claudius while he was praying, it would not truly be revenge, "O, this is hire and salary, not revenge ... ...

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... he is only acting insane to convince others he is yet he actually has complete control of his mind. The second point to proving Hamlet's sanity was in Act 3 Scene 2. Hamlet plans out what the performers are going to perform which was call the "Mousetrap." The mousetrap was a play that was performed ... of what emotions are and uses it to his advantage, which is something an insane person would be to foolish to comprehend. Later in that scene Hamlet does what he told Horatio and observes King Claudius while he is watching the play. The book then says while the play in being performed and ....

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... death in Act 5 Scene 1. "I loved Ophelia, forty thousand brothers could not with all their quantity of love make up my sum." Hamlet's choice of imagery, "forty thousand brothers", shows the audience and other characters in the play the intensity of his love towards Ophelia. ... He tends to ponder on issues that are less relevant to the things happening around him. The main scene that demonstrates Hamlet's inaction is Act 3 Scene 3. Claudius is praying and Hamlet's trait as a philosopher prevents him from taking revenge. Instead he watches Claudius while he contemplates mortality and life...

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... ready to do anything in order to gain control over an irrational to him situation that rules over his son, such behavior Shakespeare explores in different characters. Polonius' knowledge about Hamlet's love to his daughter, Ophelia, seems as a very absurd thought to him; therefore, Polonius humbles Ophelia in order to obtain control over her thoughts. As Ophelia informs her father that ... "[Hamlet] hath importuned [her] with love in honorable fashion" (1.3.110-111) after Ophelia's talk with her brother, Polonius answers with mockery of the ""fashion" [she] may call ... irrationality o...

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... ready to do anything in order to gain control over an irrational to him situation that rules over his son, such behavior Shakespeare explores in different characters. Polonius' knowledge about Hamlet's love to his daughter, Ophelia, seems as a very absurd thought to him; therefore, Polonius humbles Ophelia in order to obtain control over her thoughts. As Ophelia informs her father that ... "[Hamlet] hath importuned [her] with love in honorable fashion"(1.3.110-111) after Ophelia's talk with her brother, Polonius answers with mockery of the ""fashion" [she] may call ... irrationality of...

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... you are putting your mind to do so that it does not take over who you are. This quote is proven valid with examples from the play Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare. Hamlet devotes himself into avenging his father's death, which although he devises a plan in which takes over his life, he is ultimately successful in the end. ... is going to be acting crazy, that it is just an act and that they shall tell no one about what has happened that night. Throughout the play Hamlet puts on this act of madness. He acts crazy in front of his mother, the king, Ophelia, Laertes and Polonius in an...

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... when they report back to Claudius. But Claudius is never convinced his madness was driven by love and makes plans to send Hamlet to England. While creating a new character for himself Hamlet does come out of the spell of madness during his soliloquies. When he tells us, the audience of his intentions and of ... he has spoken with the players about adapting a few of his own lines to the play of, The Murder of Gonzago. So Hamlet can determine whether Claudius is guilty of King Hamlet's death, by creating "The Mousetrap" for Claudius to see what reaction he will have once the play is perform...

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