... 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...

• Word Count: 1080
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... 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...

• Word Count: 1159
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography

... 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...

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

... 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...

• Word Count: 857
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... good friends.? [II.ii.224]-but he quickly senses that they, unlike Horatio, have changed with time. After this, he treats them as the tools they have become? (Mack 265). Hamlet realizes that these two are being used by Claudius to dupe him into going to England with the ulterior motive of having the King of England execute him. While they ... perceptions are on target with Polonius, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern. Throughout the play the opposite holds true with the positive attitude of Horatio, and the love, respect, and concern he and Hamlet share. Although Fortinbras has been frequent...

• Word Count: 1248
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... 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...

• Word Count: 1152
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... his own. He inaugurates the situation in which each of us has to be our own worst enemy. (Bloom 134) In Shakespeare's Hamlet, the inability of Hamlet to play out the vengeance cycle before him stands as both, a sign of his characters" spiritual and intellectual superiority to the other characters ... in the play, and as his moral weakness. By not producing within the play a worthy challenger to Hamlet, Shakespeare turns Hamlet's conflict inward, enabling the playwright to explore the duality of the noble and profane within a single character. In doing this, Shakespeare captures the ......

• Word Count: 1115
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... 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...

• Word Count: 924
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... , seemed to--Ophelia, whose craziness, especially in her final hours is unmistakably obvious. The actual reason as to why the audience is easily convinced that Hamlet was sane while Ophelia was mad, is simple: it is the brilliantly skillful way that Shakespeare portrays them that makes it clear, though not obvious, ... in the play, however, to the audience, all of these acts are perfectly explainable and rational. This is because the audience knows the situation that Hamlet is in, having had his father murdered and his mother marrying the murderer of his father. The voiced opinions of t...

• Word Count: 981
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... remarriage. This is concretely evident in the beginning of his soliloquy, as he remarks on the fact that the world has only unpleasant things in it. Hamlet is so distraught and confused that he wonders why God has made it immoral to commit suicide (lines 1-4). In saying that Denmark is an "unweeded garden, ... of which were murdered. Niobe wept until Zeus cast her into stone, and even then tears flowed from the statue, forming a river.) Hamlet uses the idea of tears to show how shortly his mother mourned. Both in line 21, and lines 26-27, the idea of tears is used by ... his mother's new...

• Word Count: 1185
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... Shakespeare provides an oft-overlooked symbol to this effect, saying his antic disposition is not quite as "antic- as he intended. The first character to notice Hamlet's insanity is Polonius, Ophelia's father, who accosts Claudius and Gertrude, saying their "noble son is mad."" (89) Polonius first suspects this when he ... have pleaded, "I'm not insane, I'm not!- Most of these will not admit to, or even recognize, their own insanity. Many people will argue that Hamlet merely put on a show of being mad, just as he reported, but Shakespeare would not have said something in the play so blat...

• Word Count: 1168
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... and what was Shakespeare's intent on including these characters at all.They hold relatively small parts as old childhood friends of the title character, Hamlet.Early in the play, these two men seem to be genuinely concerned about their friend and the rumors surrounding him.Soon, however, it is ... revealed that they are more concerned with impressing the king and raising their status as gentlemen than the welfare of Hamlet.Hamlet, who is much more intelligent that his two companions, soon realizes their true intentions.He often seems to take enjoyment out of making fun of ... them in s...

• Word Count: 1219
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... honour's at the stake, how stand I then trick of fame." (IV, iv, 55-60) Fortinbras" ability to act and his leadership weakens Hamlet in the eyes of the reader. Hamlet wants justice to be served, along with honour, all while seeking revenge. Fortinbras is able to avenge his father and more importantly regain his father's ... regards but have more evident differences. They both kill a king in the play; however, they had both done so for different reasons. Claudius killed Hamlet Sr. to take over the thrown, and the power that comes along with it. He wants to obtain Gertrude which he also doe...

• Word Count: 816
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... ," (II.ii.296) is well portrayed with manic behavior and palpable distress that even his mother, Queen Gertrude, is convinced it is real. Prince Hamlet attempts to explain, 3) "That I essentially am not in madness,But mad in craft" (III.vii.202). Nevertheless, Queen Gertrude is not ... affected by her son's truthfulness. In an attempt to understand Prince Hamlet's 4) "[] madness wherein now he raves," (II.ii.105) Queen Gertrude blames his erratic behavior on the stress of his father's death and ... mineral of metals base,Shows itself pure.He weeps for what is done" (IV.i.207). The facad...

• Word Count: 602
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... his words and feeling, and also he is hidden in some of his actions. I found him to be the shadowed character in this tragedy. Prince Hamlet is an authoritative figure in Denmark. Although he is no the king, he is adored by the population and respected by the nobility. Because of this he ... him because he is a prince. He uses this when he kills Polonius. There is also another more concrete hidden there. While in the chamber with his mother, Hamlet here's a rustling behind the arras. He thinks nothing but to plunge his rapier into the flowing fabric. He kills Polonius who is obscured by...

• Word Count: 775
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... literature has stood the test of time? When William Shakespeare wrote it. But why are his works so respected and cherished? One of his famous works, Hamlet, is still a favorite among actors and occasional readers alike, but why? Why is Shakespeare's work still able to challenge and inspire people four hundred years ... , so the government would never allow Claudius to become king. The fact that incest will never go away and be an issue in whatever time Hamlet is read in, people will never grow tired of the play and will always argue about the incest element of the play. Another reason w...

• Word Count: 1178
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... him brings a lot of excitement because he has to constantly evade this people to stay alive. When the ghost of his father tells Hamlet that Claudius murdered him, something goes off in Hamlet's head. Shakespeare's plays normally follow this method: first act (introduction of conflict), second act (rising action), third act (climax), ... the first act. It brought up a lot of suspense and excitement because of all the mystery that surrounds this topic. It wasn't clear whether Hamlet was planning to do anything or not. Shakespeare uses this very well in order to prepare the reader for the ri...

• Word Count: 867
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... a ghost, and killing the king on the word of an apparition is plainly a problematic (and possibly mistaken) act. Claudius explains his exile of Hamlet to England by referring to the Prince's popularity among the Danish people. But the Danish people are a fickle lot; many of them come to ... affection toward Gertrude, Claudius is not completely beyond redemption. Gertrude: Just how deeply Gertrude is involved in her second husband's plot to kill Old Hamlet is unclear; by the final scene, it seems that the Queen was ignorant of the crime. Nevertheless, she marries her brother-in-law only ...

• Word Count: 782
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... then beaten and dumped by the "merry wives" ("Sir 697). The character Falstaff would not be beloved if he was not openhearted, witty, and cowardly ("Shakespeare"). In 1601, Shakespeare wrote Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. During this time, it was marked for Shakespeare by two events, the death of his father and the imprisonment of his patron and friend, Lord Southampton (Deville ... ). Hamlet is known as Shakespeare's "later tragedies." Hamlet is one of the most compelling characters ever to rise from the pages of literature (Moore). He is a mysterious combination of a series of literary sou...

• Word Count: 601
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... his parents, or at least to Gertrude. It's a view of an uncorrupted, if not quite innocent Hamlet, before his life is invaded by turmoil. By the last scene of the play Hamlet has been thouroughly engulfed in the deluge of blood and bad feelings he let loose by killing Polonius. Before ... the fighting starts we get an interesting contradiction from Hamlet. On one hand he feels almost giddy about sending Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to their deaths. On the other hand we hear his feelings about ... in the same sense you would call someone like Claudius or Stalin (two very different cases)...

• Word Count: 866
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... of evil, and this is valuable as I can see characteristics of Claudius that are present in modern-day society. I also value the behaviour of Hamlet and what he has to struggle to deal with; going through dramatic changes in his lifestyle and the whole thought process in grieving the loss of his ... to learn of his depressed state from the early stages of the play, through various speeches and soliloquy's. It is also notable that when Hamlet speaks of his true feelings he expresses them by talking out loud to himself, rather than to friends or family. In the context of ... normal even i...

• Word Count: 936
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... the play, alienated outsider, potential suicide, angry son, avenger and self-critic. The only constant feature of this turbulence is Hamlets sexual identity. Hamlet loves and hates both women close to him. He is a severely puritanical fanatic in regards to love and lovemaking. He reacts more against what ... have it not Refrain tonight, and that shall lend a kind of easiness to the next abstinence." (III, IV, 160 - 161, 166 - 167) Hamlet's revulsion of his mother's sexuality leads him to misogyny. His mother's "rejection" of him causes him to despise all women. However finds himself attr...

• Word Count: 999
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... to the audience the foul nature of Claudius and his mother's immediate marriage. This use of timing by Shakespeare illuminates the corruption beneath the appearance of an innocently appearing Gertrude. Hamlet extends his disgust at the timing of his mother's marriage by comparing her to "a beast" and negating Gertrude's initial grief as "unrighteous tears." ... Shakespeare uses juxtaposition to contrast Hamlet's feelings of disgust and inadequacy with Gertrude's sudden happiness and love with marriage, which critic Newell describes as "a counterpointing between things divine and things e...

• Word Count: 782
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... interested. One of the best tests of the merit of a piece of writing is how it relates to people of different times and nations. Hamlet by Shakespeare has held its appeal in an excellent fashion due to the fact that it was exceptionally written. The themes of evil, death, and ... commit evil deeds, but the positive qualities of the character shine through at some point in the play. Even when most of Elsinore believes that Hamlet has gone insane some characters show, in their speech, a contradiction between the commonly held opinion and the truth as they see it. Twice Polonius ... remar...

• Word Count: 994
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... he should kill Claudius now. His reason is because he is doing a good deed by killing Claudius, for he is a villain. Next, Hamlet procrastinates, putting off the killing of his uncle: To take him in the purging of his soul, When he is fit and seasoned for his ... out and live a life of "toast and tea" (Eliot 34). Prufrock does not want to try, as noticed in this passage: No, I am not prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be; Am an attendant lord, one that will do To swell a progress, start a scene or two, Advise the prince: no doubt, an ... is afraid no one will understand him. Because of his...

• Word Count: 802
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School