Figurative Language In Hamlet

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.

There are hundreds of literary devices that are constantly used in books, magazines, articles, etc. Now within books, there are endless ways to insert as many devices as the author pleases. The most common literary devices used in Hamlet are: metaphors, similes, and anaphoras. These literary devices are used to emphasize emotions, help its’ audience interpret, and correlate events that happen in Hamlet.

The use of descriptive language is important for the writer to entertain, persuade and teleport the reader into their work. Descriptive use and imagery allow the reader to experience the setting, sound, taste, and mood as if they can live through it. Which takes us to Shakespeare's play Hamlet. Not only does he use exceptional details and imagery throughout the play between the characters, but the way he uses word allows us to put ourselves into the play as if we can feel what they feel. It also allows us to experience and go through the play as if we are in it also. So in this paper, I would like to focus on a few major moments where I believe Shakespeare descriptive language is the strongest.

Language Techniques in Hamlet by William Shakespeare Shakespeare used a variety of language techniques throughout Hamlet,

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

As humanity strives to live, humans use language as an indicator to communicate their thoughts and needs. Language conveys more than words depending on the way it is delivered and why it was said. Although the same line can be said by two different people, people use their body language, diction, symbols, or images to get their message disclosed to their audience. Within William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the main characters go through a whirlpool of conflicts in his mind. His mentality has been going through a controversy between action and contemplation since his father’s murder. He debates whether he should kill himself or not and whether he kills Claudius or not. As he suffers through this dispute between acting and reflecting, he symbolizes and illustrates his emotions. Shakespeare has characterized Hamlet to be a man who struggles through the deliberation of action and contemplation; however, illustrates his thoughts and feelings rather than just telling a story.

The direct quotation is used to compare the slight differences that Olivier’s version of Hamlet (1948) had. It is used to illustrate the points that were different.

“Haste me to know't, that I, with wings as swift. As meditation or the thoughts of love,May sweep to my revenge” (Shakespeare 1603). Hamlet in this Act is talking to his father’s ghost. This is the very first time that Hamlet decides that his father's death can not go unpunished. He vows that his Uncle Claudius or step father will pay for poisoning and killing his father and marrying his mother so quickly. However, being part of the royal family makes him prone to negative and stressful situations and thus his engagement with words to level in which he is almost crippled is absolutely tragic, even if it is not because of anything he had overtly done (Smith, 2016). His exchanges with Ophelia are just one example of his use of language to lead

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

In the play Hamlet, author William Shakespeare portrays Hamlet as a young man slowly going mad after the death of his father through extended metaphors, personification, and similes, demonstrating to the reader that the need for revenge can be overpowering and you can sometimes end up hurting the people you love. Shakespeare uses an extended metaphor when he compares death to sleep (3.1.68-74). When you think of sleep, you usually think of peace, rest, dreams, etc. Most people love sleep, and even look forward to it. To compare sleep, a peaceful and tranquil experience, to death, a permanent and depressing occurrence, is very extreme and impactful.

No word is unequivocal. As opposed to being constricted to one meaning, words have multiple possible independent meanings. Due to convention, though, a word, when used, tends to be reduced to one definite meaning in any given context, which disregards all the other possible meanings and their connotations. However, Shakespeare’s Hamlet transcends these rigid boundaries placed upon words, using devices such as puns, double entendre, and innuendos to exploit the multiple meanings of a word. Through this exploitation, Hamlet dissolves the divide between a person and their words, showing that Hamlet and his words are not two distinct entities, but are one and the same.

Allusions can be found in nearly every work of literature and art due to the influence they have in creating a universal understanding. Biblical and mythological references are the most common allusions because they are regarded as primary sources for the basis of human reason. William Shakespeare alludes to both religion and mythology in Hamlet in order to emphasize the importance and failure of religion and to reveal the nature and psychological complexes of characters.

Shakespeare’s employment of dramatic struggle and disillusionment through his character Hamlet, contributes to the continued engagement of modern audiences. The employment of the soliloquy demonstrates Shakespeare’s approach to the dramatic treatment of these emotions. The soliloquy brings a compensating intimacy, and becomes the means by which Shakespeare brings the audience not only to a knowledge of secret thoughts of characters, but into the closest emotional touch with them too. Through this, the audiences therefore gain a closer relationship with Hamlet, and are absorbed by him because they are able to resonate with his circumstances, as he is faced with enduring truths of the human condition. Through these, the struggle and

To start off, Hamlet is predicted to have been written around 1600, hence the complex language Shakespeare utilizes. The play provides you with somewhat of a challenge to fully comprehend the meanings behind the sentences. Hamlet has a variety of literary devices, which can give you more practice in developing new writing techniques. For example, trying to understand a soliloquy, can be achieved with analyzation of Hamlet’s seven soliloquies. A soliloquy is an insight to the characters internal feelings and thoughts. The play also contains some heavy level vocabulary, which can be very beneficial in many ways. There are metaphors, and other ways that Shakespeare uses the power of words in Hamlet.

One loses many opportunities every time they hesitate to act. Whether it be unintentional or not, it all depends on the subject in question. In William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark, the character Hamlet shows qualities that are evident in his soliloquies. Since the beginning, Hamlet is unable to control his emotions towards Gertrude and Ophelia. He tends to overthink, generating doubt around life and death. Though impossible and inconvenient at times, Hamlet strives for an idealistic approach, such as justification for killing Claudius. Hamlet’s complex personality and unpredictable nature delay the commitment he makes to avenge his father.