Against such odds, he faces the serious risk that palace intrigue could work against him. A suspicious Claudius could, for example, have some of Hamlet's colleagues in the royal household go out and spy on him, or assassinate him. Thus, in attempting to kill Claudius, Hamlet risks estrangement in the form of his former colleagues of the royal household turning against him. Claudius could also have some of Hamlet's friends try to kill him. This represents Hamlet's risk of feeling estrangement from having his former friends turn against him. Also, Hamlet's friends and colleagues do not know why Claudius deserves execution; they have no knowledge of his crime, and Hamlet either lacks the proof or the nerve to inform them of the crime. Thus, in trying to kill Claudius, Hamlet faces an estranging sense of unease from engaging in an endeavor of which his friends and colleagues feel is gravely immoral and unacceptable. .
Estrangement from his Mother: This is probably the most important form of estrangement that Hamlet risks feeling in attempting to kill Claudius. There are several points to be said about this. In order to kill Claudius, Hamlet must, of course, realize that Claudius killed his father. In doing so, however, he must also realize the self-unsettling fact that his mother unwittingly fell in love with such a vile man, a man who not only is immoral but has successfully emasculated Hamlet by killing his father. In killing Claudius he also risks estrangement from her, since she might forever view Hamlet as the man who killed her lover and a just king. After all, she might never believe in Claudius' guilt, either from Hamlet not being able to convince her of his guilt, or because a sense of psychological denial might prevent her from realizing this fact about Claudius. And even if she does realize it, she will feel hurt. Just as Claudius and Hamlet Sr. feel pained by Gertrude's hurt, so would Hamlet, who as a blood relative to the other men thinks and feels similarly to them.
A Criticism on Hamlet Among the works of William Shakespeare, Hamlet stands out as a paradigm of human fault through the focus on the inability to control human emotion. ... Religion pervades all aspects of Hamlet. ... Many critics note the Oedipal conflicts within the verse of Hamlet. ... Hamlet invokes these and other sins as he describes his family. ... Hamlet's treatment of his beloved undermines her own love for him. ...
The enormity of the stress that Gertrude puts upon Hamlet makes Hamlet develop a substantial resentment towards her. Since to Hamlet, Gertrude embodies the weaknesses of women in general, Hamlet's resentment towards Gertrude is also projected against women in general. ... in Hamlet's decision-making calculus. ... Ultimately, of course, Hamlet decides to kill Claudius. ... Hamlet knew that Claudius would not harbor this suspicion until later (as opposed to immediately if Hamlet had not feigned his insanity). ...
In Hamlet and one or two of Shakespeare's other plays, many find it difficult to even identify the so- called tragic flaw ar as Shakespeare labels it, "the vicious mole in nature. ... Othello and Hamlet are alos very entertaining, but there are great lessons to be learned from them. For, example, several scenes in O thello show that one has to watch who he trusts, one also can see that paradigms are not good and see how they affect ones thought process. Hamlet also contains some lessons that will help many people in life. ... Hamlet and Othello also follow a similar format, even t...
Some of the most interesting female characters in Shakespeare's writing are Hermia in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Viola and Olivia in Twelfth Night, and Gertrude, the Queen of Denmark and Hamlet's mother, in Hamlet. ... Egeus is so insistent about the importance of maintaining the dominant gender paradigm that he entreats Theseus to use the full weight and penalty of the law to punish his daughter if she does not obey, even if the punishment means death. ... Finally, the reader encounters an altogether different type of woman in Gertrude, the mother of Hamlet. ... In fact, her mo...
Epic and biblical heroes will serve Dante as models; Prufrock, who pales in comparison even to Hamletic Guido, sees himself as a caricature of both. ... Manganiello states that Prufrocks Hell is a mental Hell, not a place gradated by degrees of vice according to a theological paradigm as in the Divine Comedy, but rather a state of mind which constitutes its own place (19). ...
Many critics regard "King Lear" as the greatest, and most tragic, of William Shakespeare's plays; indeed, some claim that it is the most tragic play ever written. And yet, it is difficult to see why we should regard "King Lear" as a tragedy for the King is basically a pathetic old man, vain and foolish, rash in his judgment and incapable of controlling his emotions. This characterization seems to preclude viewing Lear on the Aristotelian model of a tragic hero, as someone raised above the ordinary level of humanity, except in the most conventional sense of his social status. Moreover, in ...
