The use of attitudinal tones makes Hamlet react in a way that develops his character to dislike his uncle, Claudius. Hamlet’s opening statement in Act 1 Scene 2, displays a sarcastic tone and his inner struggles surrounding his mother’s remarriage shortly following the death of her former husband, which is considered incestuous in his perspective. He describes his uncle as “a little more kin and less than kind” (I.2.65) which displays hatred towards his uncle and emphasizes the discomfort in their relationship. There is outward conflict between them as there is tension in the air whenever Hamlet and King Claudius are present together. He first expresses suicidal thoughts in a melancholic tone, when he describes the corrupted world he lives in as an “unweeded garden/ That grows to seed; things to rank and gross in nature/ Possess it merely” (1.2.135-136) where he wishes his “too sullied flesh would melt,/ Thaw and resolve itself into dew” (1.2.129.) He expresses his disappointment in his mother for marrying too soon and describes his father as “So excellent a king, that was to this Hyperion to a satyr” (1.2.138-140.) He explains how his father was by far a better king than his uncle. This betrayal exposes Hamlet’s repressed feelings about his mother, and the impact of his father’s death is increased through his perceived betrayal to faithful marriage and family ties. His tone changes in Act 3, Scene 3 as he is now exposed to Claudius’ confession of being responsible for the
His mother and his uncle have married after only 2 months of Hamlet’s father’s death. This has caused Hamlet to be in a heavy state of anger, mixed with his already deep state of mourning. According to Theodore Lidz, these two states can lead to one thinking back on all the negative wishes one may have had in the past. Considering Hamlet’s relatively young age, death wishes upon a parent are not serious but they are common among children. “…and as most, if not all, children have sometimes had death wishes toward a parent, guilt over such wishes can become intense when the parent dies.” (Lidz 48) All of these emotions mixed together so early in the play could lead to a sense of depression.
In act 1 scene 2 of “Hamlet” the character Hamlet speaks his first soliloquy which reveals his innermost thoughts and feelings to the audience. In this soliloquy Hamlet’s unstable state of mind is evident as well as his feelings of despair about his father’s death and his disgust of his mother’s remarriage to his uncle Claudius. Hamlet’s hatred for his uncle is shown through harsh comparisons between Claudius and his late father. This soliloquy takes place after Claudius has begun his reign as king and has addressed the court for the first time but before Hamlet hears about the apparition that Horatio and the guards have seen. Hamlet’s character and personality are shown in this soliloquy through the use of classical imagery, diction and
Therefore, when dealing with Claudius, Hamlet's attitude is extremely complex and intricate. The concepts of death and sexuality are interchangeable in this play (Adelman 271). To the reader, it is evident that Hamlet hates his uncle, but his despise of Claudius comes more from his jealousy than from anything else. The more Hamlet criticizes Claudius, the more his
We can see the dramatic differences in Hamlet’s facial expression and tone of voice when he starts to talk about Claudius and his mother. Hamlet is revolted by him, he is “a mildewed ear/ Blasting his wholesome brother.” We can hear the disgust in Hamlet’s words as he describes his malevolent uncle and this shows the distorted relationship between them. Finally he turns to his mother. His words are full of deep hatred and utter contempt for her. He asks her how she could have replaced her perfect husband with this foul man: “Could you
Hamlet is considered to be Shakespeare's most famous play. The play is about Prince Hamlet and his struggles with the new marriage of his mother, Gertrude, and his uncle and now stepfather, King Claudius about only two months after his father’s death. Hamlet has an encounter with his father, Old King Hamlet, in ghost form. His father accuses Claudius of killing him and tells Hamlet to avenge his death. Hamlet is infuriated by this news and then begins his thoughts on what to do to get revenge. Hamlet and Claudius are contrasting characters. They do share similarities, however, their profound differences are what divides them.Hamlet was portrayed as troubled, inactive, and impulsive at times. Hamlet is troubled by many things, but the main source of his problems come from the the death of his father. “Oh, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt, thaw, and resolve itself into a dew, or that the everlasting had not fixed his canon 'gainst self-slaughter” (Act 1, Scene 2). In this scene, Hamlet is contemplating suicide, which is caused by the death of his father and the new marriage of Gertrude and King Claudius. This scene shows the extent of how troubled Hamlet is. Even though Hamlet’s father asked him to avenge his death, Hamlet is very slow to act on this throughout the play. “Now might I do it pat. Now he is a-praying. And now I’ll do ’t. And so he goes to heaven. And so am I revenged.—That would be scanned. A villain kills my father, and, for that, I, his sole son, do this same villain send to heaven” (Act 3, Scene 3). This scene shows King Claudius praying, while Hamlet is behind him drawing his sword but decides not to kill
When the audience first meets Hamlet he is grief-stricken and upset with his mother for her hasty remarriage to his uncle. Directly preceding Hamlet’s first soliloquy he is firmly scolded by his mother and uncle for mourning his father and is denied permission to return to the University of Wittenberg. In his soliloquy, Hamlet says, “O, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt,/Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew,” (1.2.133-134.) Hamlet is expressing his desire to die, but is unwilling to kill himself because he does not want to be sent to Hell. In this statement, the audience is able to see that Hamlet is deeply depressed and ready for death. Also in the first soliloquy, Hamlet says, “O, most wicked speed, to post/With such dexterity to incestuous sheets,” (1.2.161-162.) Hamlet makes this statement in order to reflect his anger with his mother for marrying her brother-in-law, a marriage he deems incestuous, within a month of his father’s death. This statement shows that Hamlet’s depression is not only caused by his father’s death, but also by his mother’s apparent betrayal of his father. Hamlet’s first soliloquy shows him to be very depressed and establishes a strong base for his character to develop.
Since the death of his father, King Hamlet, Hamlet his son is eluded between his thoughts and his emotions. The real struggle begins when a ghost, namely the ghost of King Hamlet, his father, accuses Hamlet’s uncle Claudius for his murder. When the ghost tells Hamlet about the reason for the murder Hamlet expresses his thoughts and feelings with passion, “The serpent that sting thy father’s life/Now wears his crown” (Shakespeare). The passion from his anger is also evident at the end of the soliloquy when he calls his uncle “damned villain” (Shakespeare). Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude is also accused by the ghost of King Hamlet for being sexually involved with Claudius and hamlet passionately with rage and anger calls his mother “O most precious women” (Shakespeare) at the end of his soliloquy. This situation put Hamlet in a sensitive and fierce battle between what’s truth and what’s right. His thoughts do not run in parallel with his emotions, Hamlet being caught up in this internal confusion keeps on delaying his actions. Furthermore Hamlet’s reason to kill Claudius comes from his passion, but his intelligence gives him reasons not to kill his uncle Claudius. He keeps
Reality”. Hamlet’s discovery of his father’s murder leads to the person vs. Person conflict between Hamlet and Claudius. Following the ghost’s departure, Hamlet confirms that Claudius is now his enemy and promises to avenge his father’s death: “My tables,-meet it is I set it down, That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain...So uncle, there you are. Now to my word; It is ‘Adieu, Adieu! Remember me.’ I have swornt” (I.v.114-119). Hamlet is expressing his astonishment at how his uncle could appear so happy and innocent when in reality, he is a villain and a murderer. This scene ultimately kick-starts the theme of “appearance vs. Reality” and the main conflict as Hamlet plans to seek revenge on his
Throughout Hamlet, written by Shakespeare, Hamlet’s emotions, actions, and thoughts cause much trouble during the play. Hamlet encounters stages of sarcasm, inanity, suicidal tendencies/self-deprecation, and procreation/indecision which develop not only his personality but the play itself. Hamlet uses sarcasm to express his emotions, pretends to be insane (ultimately leading him to become truly insane), self-deprecates throughout the play due to family events, and procrastinates because he is indecisive. Hamlet encounters many life-altering events throughout the play such as his uncle poisoning his father and quickly remarrying Hamlet’s mother, to accidentally killing Polonius thinking it was Claudius, all the way to debating upon: his own
In Act I, scene II, Hamlet delivers his first soliloquy after his mother and new step-dad/uncle Claudius try to convince him to get over the death of his father, and to accept their rather hasty marriage. In his first soliloquy, Hamlet questions whether or not he should kill himself, and curses God for making suicide a sin. Hamlet is also fixated on his mother’s rushed marriage to his uncle, not even a month after his father’s death. Hamlet says, “A little month, or ere those shoes were old/with which she followed my poor father’s body” (Lines 146-147). He is very hooked on the fact that his mother wore the same shoes to her wedding as she did to her husband’s funeral, not even having time in-between to break the shoes in. Hamlet wishes he could say whatever he wants and express his disgust about his mother’s marriage and his hatred for his uncle, but since his uncle is the reigning King of Denmark, he has to hold his tongue and show respect for the king. This first soliloquy introduces the reader to Hamlet’s indecisiveness and over analytical mindset.
Hamlet’s inaction due to fear ultimately leads to the death of six characters, including himself. Hamlet’s outward conflict is the death of his father and consequently, his uncle becoming the King of Denmark. Hamlet expresses his distaste of his uncle becoming King when he says, “A little more than kin, and less than kind” (1.2.65). Hamlet implies that his uncle is too closely related to him after becoming his step-father. Moreover, during his soliloquy in Act 1 Scene 2, Hamlet blames his mother for being weak and criticizes her decision to marry someone one month after her husband’s death when he says, “A beast that wants discourse of reason/ Would have mourn’d longer” (1.2.146-7). Hamlet denotes that his mother is less reasonable than an animal as she marries one month after King Hamlet’s death, which is an insult to her intelligence. Furthermore, Hamlet compares the world to “an unweeded garden” (1.2.135) and this displays how he does not want to live in this corrupt world anymore. Hamlet’s inward conflict is his inaction after swearing to the ghost that he would exact revenge for his father’s murder.
Shakespeare’s depiction of the relationship between Hamlet and Claudius aids him in implying that his statement refers to Claudius’ impact on Denmark, rather than a more literal account of a garden. The first instance the two share a scene, it is clear that Hamlet does not appreciate what Claudius undoubtedly believes to be words of wisdom. Hamlet’s father died less than two months prior to the beginning of the story, yet Claudius insists, “But to persever in obstinate condolement is a course of impious stubbornness; ‘tis unmanly grief. It shows a will most incorrect to heaven…” (Shakespeare 1.2.92-95). Here, Claudius displays a lack of sympathy for Hamlet’s grief, which both fuels Hamlet’s dislike of him and initiates his lack of trust, for Hamlet undeniably views Claudius’ absence of grief as an alarming oddity. Hamlet later laments about how quickly his uncle wed his mother: “Within a month, ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears had left the flushing in her gallèd eyes, she married” (Shakespeare 1.2.153-156). This untimely union again highlights Claudius’ lack of sorrow, for less than a month after his brother’s death, he chose to marry Gertrude. Hamlet’s anger is a result of his mother’s ill-timed remarriage, but it is a product of Claudius’ insensitive involvement in it as well. Furthermore, although Hamlet does not directly come to this conclusion,
Hamlet is obscure and surprising, and, therefore, confounding because he subverts others’ expectations and never reacts with a predictable response to his own emotions or the expectations of other characters. In addition, it is worth noting that it is not only Hamlet’s curious speech that alienates others. Hamlet’s obsessive pessimism also begins to affect all of his relationships and becomes a large part of who he is as a character. In an otherwise superficial conversation with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Hamlet insists that the world has become a prison with “Denmark being one o’ th’ worst” (2.2.265), and he presses the men to explain why they would want to visit him in the place that torments him. Hamlet’s relationship with his mother is also troubling. While he is justified in questioning her decision to marry Claudius before her husband’s corpse has even cooled, Hamlet is sarcastic and demeaning towards her, provoking her to ask “What have I done, that thou darest wag thy tongue/In noise so rude against me?” (3.4.47-48) These brief and often sarcastic interactions with other characters help define Hamlet as a pessimistic character and cause the reader to anticipate that his perceptions of events will be, almost always, clouded with this characteristic darkness of
In Hamlet’s first soliloquy he shows that he is angry with his mother and upset over his father’s death. Hamlet, however, does not think about taking revenge against his uncle for marrying his mother, instead he is just furious at his mother for being
Hamlet because of his social class is obviously nobility but also because Hamlet is extremely well loved among his family and citizens of the kingdom “He’s loved of the distracted multitude” (IV.iii, 4). Hamlet is also loyal to his father and is determined to set right the state of Denmark. The rise of fall of Hamlet is evident thought the play but there is no distinct or dramatic downfall but a slow breakdown of Hamlet over time. Hamlet’s reversal of fortunes starts to happen when he has the perfect opportunity to kill Claudius and avenge his father’s murder. Hamlet decides not to kill his uncle and this sets his downfall, from this point forward Claudius is always one step ahead of Hamlet. The final stage of Hamlets downfall is his death which symbolizes his lowest point and also this qualifies his tragic hero because his journey from a point of high to low is