Analysis Of Shakespeare 's ' Hamlet '

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark Shakespeare homepage | Hamlet | Entire play ACT I SCENE I. Elsinore. A platform before the castle. FRANCISCO at his post.

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.

When ever a director basis their movie on a book or play they always put their own spin on the original piece. When Kenneth Branagh and Gregory Doran both made films on Hamlet the presentation of the movies were different. All directors have a style to the way they film; Branagh and Doran both have different filming styles that portray Hamlet in a different light.

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.

“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.

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet can be read as a feminist play given Ophelia’s experiences within the Danish society. Through Ophelia’s interactions with the men of the play, the audience can see that the male-dominated society brings inequality, distrust, and destruction. As Ophelia interacts with her brother, her father, and Hamlet, she is completely unable to assert her own independence, and her lack of personal autonomy eventually drives her to madness. These three men all deny Ophelia’s individuality and desire for self-control because they are accustomed to their male-dominated world. However, once Ophelia is driven to madness, she is regarded as an individual and finally has political and social power. Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a feminist play located within a misogynistic culture that Ophelia struggles to escape.

“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.

Ophelia is characterized as the embodiment of cherished femininity in Shakespeare’s Hamlet; she thrives within the protective walls of a system that protects her, yet challenges the power structure through her own agency. In Hamlet’s society, the ideal female is cherished for her youth, beauty, and purity. These qualities are appreciated as internalized social mores in such socialization that creates boundaries to protect Ophelia. She is praised in their society for her compliance, beauty, and purity by even the other female character in the play, Gertrude, when she says, “Ophelia, I do wish that your good beauties be the happy cause of Hamlet’s wildness/ so shall I hope your virtues will bring him to his wonted ways again”, (III.i.39-43). In such a

The play Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, is set in an anti-feminist era. Women traditionally have been seen inferior to men. This was an intellectual as well as a physical issue. Women were to raise a family, cook, clean, be pretty and not be smarter than any man. The main characters Ophelia and Gertrude are both depicted with these characteristics as powerless and frail people. This illustration of helpless women affects one's understanding of what their true selves could be.

William shakespeare authored Hamlet in the very late 1500s which was during the time of the Renaissance. The renaissance in europe was a time of rethinking and rebirth of old and new ideas. Over the course of time there have been many who will argue that Ophelia has been used by many of the male character throughout the novel. Many who just read the play may get the notion that Ophelia is just a girl and for that time she was told what to do because of her gender. Although Hamlet was written centuries ago it is almost certain that Ophelia was exploited, oppressed, overburdened, and used due to her gender for the the male characters in the play Feminist criticism is simply literary analysis on a text from a feminist point of view.

Various situations of gender inequality appear while reading William Shakespeare’s, Hamlet, with a feminist theory in mind. The women throughout the play contribute to essentially nothing besides proving the anti-feminism Shakespeare portrays. With no viewpoints or relevance given to their feelings, Ophelia and Gertrude bear little significance other than to please the male characters. Written in the early 1600s, Shakespeare’s anti-feminism likely came naturally, living as a male in a patriarchal society. Thus, the inattention of the character’s feelings and roles clearly materializes.

There are many outstanding stories that have been written by the one and only William Shakespeare, in which a soliloquy of a character is very compelling. The play Hamlet by William Shakespeare is a story in which a man kills his own brother and then marries the wife of his brother and takes the throne while he is at it. There are many secrets and no one knows that the original king was killed by his brother. Hamlet is then told by the ghost if his father to revenge him by killing his new stepfather/ uncle. In order to complete this task, Hamlet makes people believe that he is losing his mind in order to fulfill what his deceased father urges him to accomplish. This leads to many fatalities in the end. Also one of the most famous soliloquies of all time, Hamlet makes a compelling statement that can be interpreted in many ways.

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