The play Hamlet has a lot of speeches within it, especially in the first three acts of this play. Each of these speeches has many messages within them, from the first act speech to the famous “to be or not to be” speech in act three. Within the first three acts, the play is quite long, it feels like it is dragging due to the lack of action, nothing is happening besides the fact that Hamlet learns a bunch of different things with his new step dad, Claudius and now has to think of ways to kill him. The first few acts basically build up to the action but within each act, there are three very important speeches that come with acts one through three. Each speech has at least brought up how Claudius had pretty much ruined Hamlet’s family and even though he is the new king and his new step dad, Hamlet will do anything to get revenge, especially with him knowing the fact that his father did not die of a snake bite but of poison in the ear. Though each speech has a different message that goes with it, they all focus on one main thing and that is how Hamlet is actually going to go through with getting the revenge his father’s ghost has asked for.
Act one’s message from the speech is Hamlet not being able to believe that his own mother had already remarried and not be able to say a word. In act one, Hamlet’s father the king was killed and as soon as the king died, the queen remarried right away. Hamlet is a bit disgusted on how fast his mother had moved on and especially moved on with his uncle, Claudius, someone that Hamlet has always disliked. “She married. O most wicked speed!” (Hamlet, Act One, Scene 2 , line 158), Hamlet hates how fast his mother ended up remarrying, to him it was like one second she was married to his actual father and the next he had a new step dad, he wishes she had mourned longer before she remarried someone else. Hamlet is really upset with the fact that he cannot say anything to his mother about remarrying so quickly. He doesn’t want to tell his mother because he loves her and wants her to be happy but he wishes that she had waited longer to mourn and not jump into a new marriage so quickly. “But break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue.” Hamlet cannot tell his mother about how he feels
In the soliloquy it is shown that while Hamlet does not like his uncle he blames his mother for all that has happened especially her weak disposition that caused her to marry Claudius as seen in the line “frailty thy name is women”. In the line Hamlet generalizes all women showing his instability as he does not understand the difference between his mother’s actions and all women. His anger towards his mother is also shown in his comparison of her being “like Niobe all tears” because like the mythological figure Niobe she also mourned however Niobe was turned to stone and kept weaping which suggests that he considers her to be hypocritical because while she cried and mourned she remarried only a month after her husband died. This idea is also shown in the line “a beast would have mourned longer” showing that because of her betrayal he considers her to be an unfeeling animal. Hamlet’s anger builds throughout the soliloquy until he comes to the realization that he cannot reveal his true thoughts to anyone “but break my heart for I must hold my tongue.”
What is important to know is that Hamlet and Laertes, throughout the text do not have a friendly relationship and the admiration for Laertes by Hamlet is nothing but an irony and sarcasm. As an audience to the play, one know that Laertes has been brainwashed into believing that Hamlet is his enemy, even when that is not the case at all; the enemy of the Danes throughout the text is the King, Claudius. He is responsible for numerous deaths and agony in the country because he is responsible for killing fathers to Laertes and Hamlet. Despite this, Claudius still manages to create a wall between Hamlet and Laertes, even though the audience expects them to
The final way that Laertes acts as a foil to Hamlet occurs once again when Claudius and Laertes are discussing Laertes’ actions to achieve his vengeance. Claudius gives Laertes advice saying, “That we would do/ we should do when we would; for this ‘would’/ changes” (4.7.134-136). Claudius is warning Laertes that if he waits long enough, he will probably end up not doing anything at all and will not achieve his goal of vengeance. This quote spoken by Claudius is quite similar to when King Hamlet’s ghost meets with Hamlet earlier in the play to warn him about how he was killed by Claudius and that he must get revenge. King Hamlet’s ghost also warns Hamlet saying, “Taint not thy mind” (1.5.92), telling him to not over think his plan because otherwise he will not pursue his vengeance. After Claudius warns Laertes to not get side tracked, the audience is reminded of King Hamlet’s ghost telling Hamlet to not over think because then their plans will not be pursued. This scene acts as a foil towards Hamlet because soon after the conversation, Laertes does pursue his plan of seeking vengeance, whereas Hamlet has been working on his plan the whole play, and has still not started to execute it.
“To be, or not to be, that is the question,” (3.1.64). This famous line in William Shakespeare's Hamlet perfectly encapsulates Hamlet’s internal struggle throughout the play. Hamlet tells the story of the young prince of Denmark and his desire for revenge on the uncle, Claudius, who murdered his father. As is the case in many works of literature, Hamlet changes greatly throughout the play. However, because of his attempts to act insane, it can be difficult to precisely map the changes in Hamlet’s character. By carefully investigating his seven soliloquies, where he is alone and has no need to “put on an antic disposition,” one can understand and interpret how Hamlet’s character develops throughout the play.
Hamlet proves himself a temperamental, twisted character in William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet. The Prince of Denmark conveys his facetious demeanor with his behavior and sharp tongue, especially in scenes with Ophelia and Gertrude. Although Hamlet’s situation is difficult and easily sympathized by viewers, his aggression should ultimately be focused on his murderous uncle.
In Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, one significant action that unraveled the plot of the play was caused the misguided actions of Hamlet's family members at the beginning of the first act. The initial speech that was performed by King Claudius and Queen Gertrude at the beginning of the second act drove Hamlet further into his grief over his father's death and isolated him from any form of reliable support, as they accused him out as behaving emotionally distraught as apposed to the celebratory atmosphere of the court and consequently made it appear as though it was unacceptable to wallow in grief over their previous leader. This occurs even before Hamlet has the opportunity to meet with the ghost; Hamlet has already been betrayed by people who are closest to him and demonstrate why he cannot
In the conclusion of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the audience gains an understanding of the importance of Justice to each character. In the final act both Hamlet and Laertes seek to find justice for the wrongs committed against them and their families. This leaves both men trying to identify how to right these misdeeds
As Shakespeare once wrote, the world is simply a giant human spectacle with a nonexistent offstage, no break away from the largely populated audience. In Shakespeare's tragedy, Hamlet, a wandering ghost who resembles the late king, calls the titular prince of Denmark to action, telling him to avenge the king's murder. Despite immediately agreeing to kill his uncle and the current king, Claudius, Hamlet does not fulfill his promise right away, instead deciding, "to put an antic disposition on" around the people at Elsinore (Shakespeare 1.5.192). As Mercer states, "almost anything [Hamlet] tries to do must draw attention to himself" and in so doing, Hamlet is responsible for his death because his knowledge of his father's death becomes obvious
In any historic piece of writing, there are going to be discrepancies in how the text is interpreted, which leads to differences in how it’s portrayed to the audience. One of the most diversely interpreted pieces of writing is Hamlet, and through no fault of our own, more so Shakespeare who didn’t quite give the full disclosure in any of his writings. In order to isolate the differences of interpretations amongst the famous “To be or not to be” speech, we watched four different films about Hamlet, and isolated a single scene where Hamlet delivers this speech. Each director tries to send their own message in how they interpreted the text through character, setting, diction, and tone. Amongst the four versions, starting at Sir Lawrence Olivier
Hamlet essentially feels betrayed because his mother is now with a subordinate man. Hamlet not only thinks she married someone of lesser worth, but he thinks she herself is of lesser worth now too because, according to Hamlet’s mentality, since she is no longer with a virtuous husband, she too is no longer virtuous. Hamlet doesn’t understand how Gertrude could ruin the consecrated bond she shared with the late king; he rhetorically asks her who could have possibly tricked her. Hamlet would have never thought that Gertrude would consider marrying Claudius because her late husband was, according to him, much better in many aspects. Hamlet questions his mother and the decision she makes because he can’t accept or even comprehend that his mother
Hamlet’s character drastically develops over the first four acts of Hamlet, and his character development is most evident through the soliloquys he delivers throughout the play. The most character development can be seen from the first soliloquy, to the second, the third, the sixth, and the seventh and final soliloquy. Hamlet’s inner conflict with his thoughts and his actions are well analyzed in his soliloquys, as well as his struggles with life and death, and his very own existence. He begins the play wondering what purpose he has in life now that his father is dead and his mother has remarried to his uncle. After finding out foul play was involved in his father’s death, he is motivated by revenge. Finally, he wonders how he can enact his revenge while continuously overthinking and overanalyzing his actions.
Hamlets father was king married to Queen Gertrude but Hamlet had to return home to attend his funeral. He was a loving son; mourning, only to figure out his mother (the queen) had already married once more. The Queen’s new husband is King Claudius who is Hamlets uncle and the deceased King’s brother. This betrayal was like none other in Hamlet’s eyes. He knew right anyway from a feeling that Claudius was responsible for King Hamlet’s death. Hamlet even worried and sometimes assumed that his mother was part of the planning or even killing of his father. Returning home immediately became about getting revenge on the people that hurt his family and even in some cases that meant his mother. Hamlet was a smart man and very cunning but in the end it doesn’t work out for anyone.
This begins a quick-witted exchange between Hamlet and the clown, and the clown has the punch line. In answer to Hamlet's questions, the clown claims that the grave is not for a man, and not for a woman, either; when Hamlet finally asks who is to be buried in the grave, the clown answers: "One that was a woman, sir; but, rest her soul, she's dead" (5.1.135-136). So Hamlet never does learn that this is Ophelia's grave, and we, the readers are just mocking the way the clown mocked the reality of death.
Throughout the play, Hamlet is ambitious to avenge his father’s death. In the end of act one, Hamlet realizes the truth and the cause of his father’s death. For instance, the ghost of Hamlet’s father told Hamlet to “revenge his foul and most unnatural murder.” His father demands revenge and Hamlet swears to avenge his father’s death showing that he is willing to do anything to achieve it. In Act three, Hamlet finally puts his desire for revenge into action. He does this by re-enacting a scene of the death of Hamlet’s father. Hamlet uses the players to prove King Claudius’s guilt and becomes successful because King Claudius exits immediately after what he has seen. During the duel with Hamlet and Laertes, Gertrude is dead after she drinks the poison Claudius gave to Hamlet. Hamlet is gone mad about it and forces King Claudius to drink the poison as well. This shows that Hamlet is ambitious to kill Claudius and gets the King`s crown after doing so. Though he mainly focuses on getting the job done by avenging his father`s death, but he has other things that he is ambitious to do.
For many of us, our parents are our role models and the people we look up to. They take care of us and know what is best for us. For that reason, we should obey them and listen to their advice. We all have heard that before, but what if that is not true? What if our parent's decisions are not for the best of us? That is what Shakespeare proposes in the play Hamlet. In Shakespeare's Hamlet, parents' flaws lead to the destruction of their loyal children. Ophelia, Laertes, and Hamlet's lives are hijacked by their filial piety.