Dramatic irony in the Shakespearean tragedy Hamlet has long been the subject matter of literary critical reviews. This essay will exemplify and elaborate on the irony in the play.
David Bevington in the Introduction to Twentieth Century Interpretations of Hamlet identifies one of the “richest sources of dramatic irony” in Hamlet:
Well may the dying Hamlet urge his friend Horatio to “report me and my cause aright To the unsatisfied,” for no one save Horatio has caught more than a glimpse of Hamlet’s true situation. We as omniscient audience, hearing the inner thoughts of Claudius as well as of Hamlet and learning of Polonius’ or Laertes’ secret plottings with the king, should remember that we know vastly more than the play’s
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George Lyman Kittredge, in his book, Five Plays of Shakespeare, describes the Bard’s excellent characterization of Claudius:
King Claudius is a superb figure – almost as great a dramatic creation as Hamlet himself. His intellectual powers are of the highest order. He is eloquent – formal when formality is appropriate (as in the speech from the throne), graciously familiar when familiarity is in place (as is his treatment of the family of Polonius), persuasive to an almost superhuman degree (as in his manipulation of the insurgent Laertes) – always and everywhere a model of royal dignity. His courage is manifested, under the most terrifying circumstances, when the mob breaks into the palace. His self-control when the dumb show enacts his secret crime before his eyes is nothing less than marvelous. (xviii)
The irony found in the characterization of the antagonist is balanced by an equal irony in the presentation of the protagonist. Hamlet is present at the court gathering -- dressed in black, the color of mourning, for his deceased father. He is not a man of the world, but rather demurring and thoughtful and by himself. His first words say that Claudius is "A little more than kin and less than kind," indicating a dissimilarity in values
When looking at Hamlet, one could say that William Shakespeare put the play together as a very cathartic tragedy. The emotional result of dealing with so many deaths brings on a plethora of emotions which are not usually felt in a typical play. Hamlet begins not with the normal prosperity and good fortune as do most tragedies, but with a more stifling and depressing sort of mood (Tekany 115). However, something else could be said about this play as well. The play centers on Hamlet and his existential characteristics, such as angst, isolation and his confrontations with nothingness. The exhibition of these characteristics proves Hamlet to be an existential character.
It is in Act one scene two that we are first introduced to the character of Claudius. The impression made by him is that of a powerful and controlled man who is respected by most. His mannerisms of speech are graceful and are nothing less than the words of a king, 'to bear our heats with grief, and our whole kingdom.' Claudius is presented to us by
Shakespeare's drama Hamlet has become a central piece of literature of Western culture. It is the story of a prince named Hamlet, who lost his father. Soon after that he has to confront multiple obstacles and devises a series of situations to defend the new king's royalty. Furthermore, he had to prove that King Claudius, who was the prince's uncle, had killed Hamlet's father. This story has remained among the most popular and the most controversial plays around the world. It generates controversy for all the doubts that this play leaves with the readers. One of the most questioning situations in the play is the delay of Hamlet in avenging Claudius' for his father's death. As a reader this
equal irony in the presentation of the protagonist. Hamlet is present at the court gathering dressed in black, the color of mourning, for his deceased father. He is not a man of the world, but rather protesting and thoughtful and by himself. His first words say that Claudius is "A little more than kin and less than kind," indicating a dissimilarity in values between the new king and himself, thus, in a sense, demoting himself to the position of an outcast, one who counts for nothing. At this point Hamlet is disoriented and does not know who he really is; he is beginning to lose his sanity. And, incredibly, he is the greatest of people, in terms of what really matters in life – one’s spiritual ideals or morals. He is combating himself because he is attempting to do what is right for Denmark but before everyone’s eyes he is evil. This outcast is a prince; he is a genius. His speeches confront problems “which most easily besets men of genius” (Coleridge, 345). His first soliloquy illustrate his idealism by emphasizing the worthlessness of the corrupt world and the frailty of women, which contribute to his raging madness,
In the play Hamlet, Claudius is known as the villain of the play. He is the lead antagonist who is characterized as a cunning, incestuous, and vile, usurper. Many readers and critics of the play do not dispute this perception, especially after reading how Claudius became the King of Denmark; He steals the throne by poisoning his brother, the previous king, and quickly marrying Queen Gertrude his widowed sister in law (1.5.42, 60-74). The general reading of Claudius’s character paints him to be a corrupt, cowardly politician, in addition to being Hamlet’s (the protagonist) foe. This portrait engages first-time readers to judge Claudius immediately and although this perspective of his personality is proven to be true, it is limited. Claudius
• This example of dramatic irony is important because if Hamlet had killed Claudius in this scene, that Hamlet would have achieved hos ultimate goal much more quickly, and the play would have been finished.
Hamlet is not only considered Shakespeare’s greatest works, but also arguably the greatest work in all of English literature. Hamlet is brimming with universal themes concerning women’s sexuality, death of loved ones, and the yearn for revenge, all of which are as relevant to twenty-first century readers as they were with sixteenth-century readers. Ambiguity also plays an important role in the success of Hamlet. Readers are left to make their own decisions on certain matters, which allows them to mold Hamlet and its meaning into their own interpretations. The multitude of interpretations of Hamlet also sparks debates among readers, which hinders the story’s irrelevance.
Claudius’ lies are effective enough to persistently deceive to play’s antagonist, Hamlet. Despite Hamlet’s disgust with Claudius for marrying Gertrude, and his view of Claudius as “a king of shreds and patches” (III.iv.104), Hamlet suspicion of Claudius as a murderer is preliminarily nonexistent. The appearance of a spirit claiming to be Hamlet’s dead father first alerts Hamlet to the actions of “that incestuous, that adulterate beast, /With witchcraft of his with, with traitorous gifts” (I.v.42-3). And yet still, Hamlet remains hesitant to believe that Claudius was the murderer, searching for complementary evidence. The play that Hamlet enacts -- designed to “catch the conscience of the king” (II.ii.562) --succeeds in revealing Claudius’ guilt, but does not provoke instant action on Hamlet’s part. So effective is Claudius’ manipulation of the royal circle that he manages to almost permanently stay the revelation of his guilt, and if it weren’t for supernatural intervention against an injustice, he may never have been exposed.
In the book Hamlet by Shakespeare, irony is used numerous times in order to give the reader insight on what is going on. As stated in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, irony is an action that is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play. If this strategy were not included in this drama, it would take away the whole purpose. This play would consist of no suspense and would be extremely boring to the reader because the characters would know as much as the readers know. This allows for incite to what can happen in the future or what has happened in the past. The irony in this play ultimately revolves around Hamlet and his plan to achieve revenge with Claudius. From the play that Hamlet organizes
This essay will discuss the issue of irony in Hamlet by dealing with the problems that arise as a result of Hamlet's attempt to avenge his father's death. One of the central problems is the clash between Hamlet's overpowering need to believe in the ghost of his father, who is the authoritative figure in his life, and the awareness that he lacks empirical knowledge of the truth. In trying to achieve this knowledge, Hamlet sets out on a mixed mission of accusation, revenge and the search for truth, finally causing the upset of the original revenge plot when it ricochets off Polonius' dead body and hits Hamlet in the name of Laertes.
Naturally then, the tragedy of Hamlet with Hamlet left out has become the symbol of extreme absurdity; while the character itself has probably exerted a great fascination, and certainly has been the subject of more discussion, than any other in the whole literature of the world. (94)
Hamlet is one of the play’s I’ve read throughout this course and I’ve gained many insights as to what dramatic irony could be. Moreover, I was able to make connections with American Gangster and Hamlet because the audience had a better idea of what was happening more than the characters. This is because, in American Gangster, Frank Lucas didn’t know that the police, Richard Robert’s, was trying to uncover Frank’s heroin business. Hamlet also includes a dramatic irony when the audience realized it was Hamlet’s uncle that killed the king. Through the Dramatic irony, it established a suspenseful effect that influenced me to continue
This essay will discuss several literary criticisms of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. After skimming through several articles, I ended up with four peer-reviewed journal articles, each a different critical perspectives of the play: feminist, psychoanalytical/freudian, moral, and new historicism. My previous studies of Hamlet, as well as my rereading of the play this semester, has collectively given me a general knowledge of the text. My familiarity of the play made it easier for me to decipher the academic journals and see the connections each critic made with the play.
In the book of Hamlet, William Shakespeare introduces the character King Claudius in act one scene two. The character makes an impression of a powerful man who commands respect from every individual. Shakespeare portrays Claudius’ role as the most crucial and intriguing person. In the play, Claudius is the most mysterious, the most controversial and the most discussed character as many people look at him only to see a villain. As the play starts, Claudius is the King of Denmark, who has inherited Gertrude, and the uncle to prince Hamlet. As with the rest of supporting characters in the play, Claudius is underdeveloped to his complete potential (Mabillard,n.p). His major role that he plays in Hamlet is to spawn Hamlet’s anger and confusion
This can be seen in the way that Claudius was not the despicable, vulnerable king that Crawford demonstrates in his writings. He was not the tyrannical monarch many perceive him to be throughout the play. “…Claudius is not wholly evil—far from it,” G. Wilson Knight claims. “We see the government of Denmark working smoothly. Claudius shows every sign of being an excellent diplomat and king” (Knight 266). Claudius was entirely capable of settling his conflict with Norway, in contrast to Crawford’s insight, as he simply elected to be peaceful rather than brash as the elder Hamlet had been. This doesn’t make