In Hamlet by William Shakespeare, human agency is demonstrated by the actions of Polonius and Claudius throughout the play. Human agency is defined as the extent of power to act freely in taking responsibility for one’s actions, and the degree which intervention is possible by one to assert a will. In Hamlet, Claudius exerts his agency on the characters Laertes, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Similarly, Polonius restricts the freedom of his daughter, Ophelia, and constrains her agency as well, accented by the patriarchal society around the characters at this time. Through characterization and an animated setting, human agency in Hamlet entices the reader to question the extent of power that an individual can exert one’s force on a …show more content…
In this way, the two courtiers are nothing more than puppets for Claudius to use. Hamlet recognizes this inability to act as good friends and confronts them in the The Mousetrap scene. He discloses, “You would play upon me, you would seem to know my stops, you would pluck out the heart of my mystery, you would sound me from my lowest note to the top of my compass.” (3.2) Hamlet is cognisant of the true intentions of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern which are not honest at all, but rather, corrupted. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, at this point in the play, have utterly lost their ties to Hamlet as a friend, and only see him as a puzzle that if deciphered, they can return and be praised by Claudius. According to Prof. McKinney, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are like sponges to be soaked up and drained by Claudius and discarded when they are of no more use. Claudius has manipulated the minds of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern by way of desire for royal appeasement, and corrupts their ability to frankly help their childhood friend, Hamlet.
Laertes is also a victim to the controlling power of Claudius. Laertes comes in a rage to the palace seeking revenge for the murder of his father, Polonius. Claudius takes advantage
On the other hand, Laertes wants to revenge his father’s death. Therefore this mistake murder leads Hamlet to his downfall as Claudius and Laertes want to kill him.
The English Play writer, William Shakespeare had written many well-known pieces of work including Hamlet. Hamlet is known to be one of his most popular works. Hamlet was written in the late 16th Century about the Prince of Denmark. The original title of the work was The Tragedy of Hamlet, now it is referred to as just Hamlet. In Hamlet, William Shakespeare uses the mental state of his characters to prove that not all characters in books have to be one dimensional. Shakespeare’s writing shows that humans are complex, and can have different mental states. Characters throughout the story such as, Hamlet, Gertrude, and Ophelia show their not so stable mental state. First we will analyze Hamlet and talk about Ernest Jones’ Psycho-analytic study of Hamlet. Then we will talk about Ophelia and how the events that happened leading up to her death or suicide played a role into her mental state. Finally we will analyze Gertrude, the Queen’s role in Hamlet, and how she is a mentally weak woman and relies on the men in her life.
murder in a rash mood. It is not seen by Gertrude. It tries to urge
Hamlet is a suspenseful play that introduces the topic of tragedy. Throughout the play, Hamlet displays anger, uncertainty, and obsession with death. Although Hamlet is unaware of it, these emotions cause the mishaps that occur throughout the play. These emotions combined with his unawareness are the leading basis for the tragic hero’s flaws. These flaws lead Hamlet not to be a bad man, but a regular form of imperfection that comes along with being human.
The speech of Hamlet “O that this too sullied flesh would melt, … But break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue.” (1.2.129-159) is where we can see Hamlet’s sadness towards his mother, Gertrude and his uncle Claudius and feels disappointed about their decision of getting married. Hamlet is seen to be too upset after his father’s death. It’s not even a month has passed and he gets to hear another news about his mother Gertrude and uncle, Claudius getting married. In the beginning of Act 1 Scene 2, King Claudius gives a speech to his courtiers, telling them about his recent marriage to Gertrude, mother of Hamlet and his brother’s widow. Claudius says that he mourns his brother but has chosen to balance Denmark’s mourning with delight of his marriage. He also mentions in his speech that young Fortinbras has written to him, rashly demanding the surrender of the lands King Hamlet won from Fortinbras’s father, and dispatches Cornelius and Voltimand with a message for the King of Norway, Fortinbras’s elderly uncle.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are characters in Hamlet who have a more complex side to them than one might assume. Hamlet sees them as good friends who have always been there for him, such as after his father 's death when they came “to visit [him]; no other occasion” (99). Although they acted as good friends to Hamlet, in reality they were manipulative and deceitful. The two characters had a darker side because they acted as Claudius’ and Gertrude’s spies. Near the end of the play, Claudius, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern
“Do it or do not do it – you will regret both” (Kierkegaard 72) is a quote that echoes and expounds upon the famous “To be, or not to be” (Hamlet 3.1.56). The former quote was written by none other than Danish philosopher and poet, Søren Kierkegaard. Born in 1813, Søren Kierkegaard was well acquainted with Shakespeare’s text and often referred to it in his writings. When watching Kenneth Branagh’s unique, unabridged adaptation of Hamlet, it is apparent that Kenneth Branagh was able to capture how similar his Hamlet and Søren are in character while making his mark in cinematography history. The connection between Branagh, Shakespeare, and Kierkegaard goes beyond the setting and 19th century architecture of Branagh’s recreation of Hamlet. Through both Søren and Kenneth’s backstory, choice of esthetics, and their actions in life changing moments the story of Hamlet has proven to be a guide for both of these extraordinary men.
Not only do fathers set values on how to live, they also bring stability to the children. Once Polonius is murdered, Laertes and Ophelia lose their stability in life. The once happy Laertes quickly turns into a raging man bent on revenge. The stability of his father’s advice is gone. Laertes solitude quickly turns to anger. When Claudius beseeches Laertes to calm himself, Laertes replies angrily, “That drop of blood that’s calm proclaims me bastard”(4.5.124). Laertes is so angry that he cares for nothing but revenge. His lack of control shows that he lost a certain stability that Polonius had instructed in him. The counsel Polonius gave to Laertes about reserving judgment is all but lost when Laertes rants out that he “dares damnation”(4.5.144) and he promises that he shall “be revenged most thoroughly for my father”(4.5.146). Laertes complete turnaround is directly caused by the loss of his father.
“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience”(Eleanor Roosevelt). Experience in our lives help shape us into people we are today. In the novels, Hamlet by William Shakespeare and A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry the characters are presented with difficulties due to the effects of the emergency. The aftermath of being in a state of emergency results in the countries of Denmark and India experiencing corrupt government, death and violence, forcing the characters to find the purpose for their lives.
King Claudius's contribution to the conversation exacerbates the tension in the scene. When he refers to Hamlet as “my son “ Hamlet immediately rebuffs him, saying that he is “a little more kin and a little less kind”. The young prince feels aversion towards his malevolent stepfather who has taken over the role of the king and has also married his mother. Claudius does not try to console Hamlet or offer him any support. Instead he criticises behaviour and treats him like a stubborn ignorant child. In Claudius's long speech, refers to Hamlet’s grief as “unmanly“ suggestion that his actions are and fitting for a man. He also declares that his step-sons behaviour is “It shows a will most incorrect to heaven”. This is very offensive as he is saying that Hamlet is going against God's wishes. The sentences Claudius use in his speech clearly imply that his relationship with Hamlet is very distorted.The antagonist continues by adding “why should we in our peevish opposition/ Take it to heart?”. Claudius is acting in a very philosophical and inhuman as if his brother has not died recently. He sees death as a meaningless phase in life and that Hamlet should move on like he did. Two bold words jump out of his speech “unprevailing well“. He can’t feel the pain Hamlet is enduring and that’s why he thinks Hamlet is overreacting. Shakespeare has successfully sent us the message that Claudius is a very insensitive man and that Hamlet is feeling great aversion towards him and this is a reason why their relationship is very weak.
1. How much time has passed between Act I and Act II. How do you know?
Hamlet by Shakespeare is a very wonderfully written book that contains so many literary elements and motifs throughout it that it is still one of the most debated and talked about pieces of literature ever written. It begins with a very mysterious opening that sets the pace for the rest of the book. The old king of Denmark has died and he has returned as a ghost to inform his son, who is also named Hamlet, of the terrible misfortune that has befallen him and left Denmark in a political and emotional turmoil. He has come to inform the young Hamlet that his uncle Claudius murdered the old king in order to gain access to the throne by remarrying the widowed queen a mere two months after he has passed. The timing is very important because it
What is Hamlet about? Maybe a summary of the plot could answer this question but it wouldn’t do it justice. However it’s impossible to narrow down any of William Shakespeare’s work to one theme. The fact is, that all of Shakespeare’s plays are about many things. There are many ways to look at a Shakespearean play, and none are wrong of course, but it is not entirely true to say that one theme is the most important. Some of the more common and dominate themes that can be found in any of Shakespeare’s works are: conflict, appearance and reality, order and disorder, and change.
During the last years of Queen Elizabeth, “The Tragedy of Hamlet” was written by William Shakespeare. The father of Hamlet appeared outside of the Elsinore Castle on what seemed to a very cold night for the season that they were in. His appearance was referred to as of a warning that was leading to the killing in ancient Rome of Caesar. The presence provided Horatio and his company a suggestion that something threatening or evil had previously taken place and the would have been an offset to nature in Denmark. There was a transfer of power post the death
Often, pieces of literature have been analyzed and made into a motion picture in the hopes of further developing the themes presented in the work. Though the Shakespearian play, Hamlet, has been interpreted and converted into a film numerous times by different directors, Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation particularly captured the essence of Hamlet and helped the audience truly understand the events that transpired in Act Three Scene Two of Hamlet. It is in this act, Hamlet plan to reveal King Claudius’ treachery is played out. Hamlet exposes the king through adding an extra sixteen lines to the play which depicts him killing Hamlet’s father. With the directions Hamlet gave to the actors, Hamlet is able to make the audience recognize the king’s