Shakespeare’s Hamlet is the tale of a young prince determined to uncover the truth about his father’s recent death. Hamlet’s uncle (and also the deceased king’s brother), Claudius, marries his mother the queen, and therefore, takes the throne. In the beginning of the story, Hamlet is told by the apparition of his dead father that it was Claudius who in fact murdered him. The theme that remains consistent throughout the tragedy is appearance versus reality. The characters introduced to us throughout the play appear to be pure and honest, but in reality are infested with evil. They deceitfully hide behind a mask of integrity. Four main dishonest characters which are found to be disguised with righteousness are Polonius, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and the freshly crowned king Claudius. The first impression presented by these characters is ones of truth, honor, and morality; they are all plagued by evilness and lies in reality. Their appearances serve as obstacles for Hamlet as he struggles to discover the hidden truth. The king’s royal assistant, Polonius, has a great preoccupation with appearance. He continually gives the impression of being an affectionate and caring person. He is introduced as a father who deeply cares for his son, Laertes. Polonius speaks to Laertes with advice which sounds sincere, yet in truth, is rehearsed, empty, and without feeling. He gives the advice to make others believe he is a strong, loving, role-model type of a father. He is similar
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
Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a tragic play about murder, betrayal, revenge, madness, and moral corruption. It touches upon philosophical ideas such as existentialism and relativism. Prince Hamlet frequently questions the meaning of life and the degrading of morals as he agonizes over his father’s murder, his mother’s incestuous infidelity, and what he should or shouldn’t do about it. At first, he is just depressed; still mourning the loss of his father as his mother marries his uncle. After he learns about the treachery of his uncle and the adultery of his mother, his already negative countenance declines further. He struggles with the task of killing Claudius, feeling burdened about having been asked to find a solution to a situation that was
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.
Almost every story involves a conflict between hero and villain. In some stories, there is a plot twist where the hero is also the villain—but in Hamlet, there are no heroes and many villains. In Hamlet, every character has lied, kept secrets or is seeking revenge that leads to a tragic ending at every corner, but what we fail to see is who the true villain is. Looking at the character of Hamlet throughout the play, it is easier to spot his many dishonorable actions than his few honorable ones.
Lies and deception are some of the many actions that have disastrous consequences. For the most part, they destroy trust and leave the people closest to us feeling vulnerable. In Hamlet, one of Shakespeare's many plays, the theme of lies and deception is very significant. This play shows that every character that lies and practices the act of deception is ultimately punished for doing so by their treacherous deaths. Hamlet has lied and practiced deception several times which has prolonged his primary goal and also causes his death. Additionally, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s unskilled acts of dishonesty and disloyalty towards Hamlet have all backfired; as a
Polonius, the chief counselor to the king, is a character who seems to be a loving, charismatic man and father who only wants
Claudius is not the only fraudulent character in the first two scenes where the theme of appearance verses reality is prevalent. When Hamlet’s mother tries to get Hamlet to accept the fact that all things in nature die she asks him, “If it be, Why seems it so particular to thee?” (I, II, 79) Hamlet responds with, “ “Seems,” madam? Nay, it is I know not “seems.” ” (I, II, 79) Hamlet accepts the fact that all things in nature eventually die, yet he refuses to believe the appearance of how his father dies. The queen is again applied to this theme when she addresses Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to spy on Hamlet:
The legendary drama, Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare is a play illustrating the theme of virtue vs. villainy. The 17th century tragedy is plagued with treachery and deceit as it opens with the news of a foul murder in the kingdom of Denmark. Prince Hamlet, by word of his late father's ghost, is informed that his uncle Claudius is to blame for his father's sudden demise. Prince Hamlet's mission is to uncover the secrets surrounding the murder and to avenge his father's death. Thus, the insidious web of disease and corruption is formed. The relationship between disease leading to the greater corruption of Denmark plays a significant role in the lives of the principle players.
2. What is Polonius telling Reynoldo to do? What does this tell us about Polonius’s character?
Shakespeare juxtaposes the trust and respect implied in familial relationships with depictions of father figures repeatedly betraying the supposedly inherent trust between them and their sons to demonstrate the pervasiveness of dishonesty and the inherent evil of man. Newly crowned King Claudius claims he professes a “nobility of love” for his nephew Hamlet as a “father bears his son,” but is not faithful to his claim and sends spies after Hamlet (1.2.114,115).A typical, selfish human, he is willing to betray the trust implied in their relationship to stay in power, since Hamlet is the main challenger to the throne. The relationship between Hamlet and Claudius is one of mutual mistrust, since neither can trust the other to be acting in the other’s best interests. From Act I, Shakespeare reveals Claudius to be the murderer of his brother, a perpetrator of the greatest betrayal of trust. Usually, family members implicitly trust each other, but Shakespeare demonstrates that the opposite is the grim reality. Deception within the family is so pervasive that it trickles down to the king’s advisor, Polonius, who sends spies to follow his son, Laertes. Polonius instructs a servant to imply to those who might know Laertes in France that he is of dubious moral character, to not hesitate to use “a bait of falsehood” to besmirch his son’s reputation
In the play, Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, a young prince of Denmark, named Hamlet, seeks to uncover the truth about his father’s death. As the play progresses, Hamlet’s father’s ghost reveals to him that his uncle, Claudius, was the one who actually murdered him. After discovering the truth, Hamlet promises to avenge his father’s murderer. In the play, the theme of appearance vs. reality is a continuous one. Many characters in the tragedy that appear to be innocent and honest are actually incestuous and evil in reality. The most prominent characters in this play who are not what they appear to be are King Claudius, Polonius, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern. William Shakespeare’s
Through Hamlet’s use of deception imagery, the complexity of his character and his unattainable desire for a world free of lying and deceit are presented. Hamlet’s nobility and hatred for deception is evident when he bitterly expresses to Gertrude that he is legitimately mourning his father’s death: "Seems," madam? Nay, it is; I know not "seems" (I.ii.77). Surrounded by people who have come to terms with his father’s death, Hamlet is unable to complete the proper grieving process. By grieving, Hamlet yearns for a more stable environment. His yearning dooms him as he contradicts his previous notion of inner truth. After the discovery of his father’s “foul and unnatural” murder, Hamlet clarifies that what is on the surface can be drastically different to the dark reality. “That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain. At least I am sure it may be so in Denmark” (I.vi.100-110). Hamlet realizes the artifice used in Denmark in order to pursue treachery. Hamlet’s overwhelming indecisiveness forces him to endure the opposite of a stable environment.
There are many themes in Hamlet that people can relate to in the modern world. These themes include madness, deceit, religion, and revenge. One that is very important in the story is corruption. This is one of the key elements of the story. It is why Hamlet seeks vengeance and wants to cleans Denmark of evil.
Polonius, the kings royal assistant, has a preoccupation with appearances. He always wants to keep up the appearance of a loving and caring person. Polonius appears like a man who loves and cares about his son, Laertes. Polonius speaks to his son with advice that sounds sincere but in reality it is rehearsed, hollow and without feeling. In reality Polonius lies, manipulates people and eavesdrops on peoples conversation. Polonius helps contribute to minor theme of