Hamlet Act 1 Scene 2

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

One of the best known pieces of literature throughout the world, Hamlet is also granted a position of excellence as a work of art. One of the elements which makes this play one of such prestige is the manner in which the story unfolds. Throughout time, Shakespeare has been renowned for writing excellent superlative opening scenes for his plays. By reviewing Act 1, Scene 1 of Hamlet, the reader is able to establish a clear understanding of events to come. This scene effectively sets a strong mood for the events to come, gives important background information, and introduces the main characters. With the use of this information, it is simple to see how Shakespeare manages to create stories with such everlasting appeal.

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

In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the main character is angry and expressed his anger through the medium of allusion. An allusion refers to a mythological person, place, or thing. Many things around the city of Denmark are changing for the worse. Hamlet is angry with his mother because he fills betrayed that she would merry another man after two months of his father’s death. The allusion Hamlet expresses those feeling is when he said, “With which she followed my poor father’s body, / Like Niobe, all tears. Why she ever she –” (1.2.148-149). Hamlet is comparing his mother to Niobe. Niobe is a woman who turned into a stone and weeps for her fourteen children, which Hamlet’s mother only cries for his father for only two months. Hamlet’s expression of his mother shows the reader that she is a gold digger and was not truly in love otherwise she would have grief longer. Furthermore, these lines can only mean that he was the only person who truly care and loved the ex-king of Denmark. Meanwhile the others had already forgotten about him. All in all, Hamlet though that maybe his mother would be more impacted by the death of the King, but instead traded him up for his Uncle. Moreover, Hamlet was in denial that his Uncle was going to be the king and his new father. For him, the only true king was his father and no more. As he said, “So excellent a king, that was to his / Hyperion to a satyr” (1.2.139-140). Shakespeare used this

In Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, doubt is one of the most important themes. In fact, the whole play is based on the story of a ghost who claims to be Hamlet’s father, and nobody can be sure if what he says is the truth. In this essay, I am going to focus on the theme of doubt throughout the play. I will first speak about the opening scene, and then I will talk about the ghost, which is a supernatural element used by Shakespeare to create doubt in the play. I will also analyse the passage in which Hamlet declares his love to Ophelia. Finally, I will briefly discuss Hamlet’s sanity.

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

In act 3 scene 1 of William Shakespeare “Hamlet” the main protagonist, Hamlet, recites a soliloquy “To be, or not to be.” Throughout his lines Hamlet explains the concept of suicide and why people choose to live long lives instead of ending their suffering. The main point he speaks on is the mystery of one’s afterlife, they never know for sure what happens when they die. For this reason, his speech does a good job highlighting the plays underlying themes of pervasiveness of death, and tragic dilemma, and tragic flaws.

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

Hamlet also compares himself to the demi god Hercules in Act 1 scene 2: "My father's brother- but no more like my father/ Than I to Hercules" (I, ii, 152-153). This mythological allusion is important because Hamlet is comparing himself to Hercules who is known as a strong warrior and earned a place on Mount Olympus with the gods. Hamlet is saying that his uncle is very much different than his father, like Hamlet is very much different than Hercules. Hercules is seen as a "superhero" of Greek mythology, which is a great difference of Hamlet because Hamlet is in no way seen as a "superhero" or someone to look up to. Hamlet

In the sixth soliloquy of Hamlet, written by Shakespeare, Hamlet finally begins to realize his procrastination. In this soliloquy we discover how Hamlet is purely a follower; he needs to compare himself to another person in order to realize his own flaws. This constitutes his madness as he is seemingly an intelligent man, as suggested by some of his previous soliloquies, but yet is unable to see his own wrongdoings until after it becomes too late. In his sudden realization, he confesses his procrastination and it all becomes clear that he was aware of it the whole time. It thus can be concluded that Hamlet has been fooling us, as all of his wise choices seem to come after some unusual circumstances and not solely from his intellect.

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.

In Hamlet's second soliloquy, Act 2, Scene 2, his speech moves through anger, self-condemnation and agonised self-accusation, impassioned fury and mocking self criticism, deep reflection and determination. He continuously points out his faults on how he cannot raise himself to adequate passion to avenge for his father's murder, he comments on how the actor showed grief for his lines, and how he cannot, even though he has great reason to. Hamlet's mood is far beyond normal and has gone into philosophical realms, continuously using metaphors to show his disgust and anguish for himself and his attitudes to the current affairs in the state of his own home.

as he was always off at war…who else to warm the royal bed than the

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.

Through Hamlet’s soliloquies, he insults his mother more than he praises her. As it is found in his first soliloquy, “Frailty, thy name is woman!” (1.2.146). He calls her weak because he believes that she has married too soon, showing that she may have also been attracted to Claudius before his father’s death. Hamlet is also ashamed of his mother, not only for marrying too soon, but for not being loyal to one man and husband