Hamlet And King Hamlet Analysis

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.

These two passages are engaging to the reader because they provide a rare glimpse into the characters of Gertrude and Ophelia.  For the most part, Hamlet is a male-centered play; it is interesting to observe the role of women within this structure.  Given the small roles assigned to Gertrude and Ophelia, it is imperative to closely examine their descriptions and words, especially in reference to the male characters.

Hamlet is a suspenseful play that introduces the topic of tragedy. Throughout the play, Hamlet displays anger, uncertainty, and obsession with death. Although Hamlet is unaware of it, these emotions cause the mishaps that occur throughout the play. These emotions combined with his unawareness are the leading basis for the tragic hero’s flaws. These flaws lead Hamlet not to be a bad man, but a regular form of imperfection that comes along with being human.

In the Introduction to Twentieth Century Interpretations of Hamlet, David Bevington enlightens the reader regarding the similarities between Gertrude and Ophelia as the hero sees them:

Hamlet by William Shakespeare is a compelling tragedy that to this day still captures reader’s attention. In the play there are only two female characters; when considering the time period in which Hamlet was written, it makes sense.It has been theorized that since Shakespeare wrote the parts of Gertrude and Ophelia for male actors they are not nearly as in depth as the male characters. Considering that the reader sees so little of both female characters it’s fascinating how they fit into the play, each with very different parts but some similar characteristics and opposites. Both female characters had very tragic deaths in the play, by their own hands, that related to their characters quite well. An interesting difference between Ophelia and

Hamlet also manages to both degrade himself and his uncle in another comparison, saying his uncle was “no more like my father / Than I to Hercules” (1.2.152-3). Though such strong comparisons to romanticized and mythical figures could are partially simple hyperbole, they also underscore some of the insecurity in Hamlet’s character. The value in recognizing this comes as Hamlet descends into his madness, whether real or imaginary, where the reader can see that, even before Hamlet deliberately decides to appear to be “mad” he has certain issues and insecurities with his own feelings. Even more significantly, this passage begins to elaborate on Hamlet’s relationship with his mother. Gertrude represents an interesting dilemma for the deconstructionist critic, as she does not create or involve herself in many conflicts or oppositions. She manages to significantly affect the plot and the subtext of the play while seeming almost insignificant as a character at first glance through the deconstructionist lens. She does not overtly affect events, and often plays the victim of circumstance. This very insignificance creates an issue for Hamlet, who is clearly quite disgusted with her behavior. He vehemently disapproves of the speed of her marriage to Claudius, saying that “a beast, that wants discourse of reason, / Would have mourned longer” (1.2.150-1), but can find no other strong criticism of her other than how fast she remarried. This strikes at the

Gertrude is a pivotal female character in Hamlet, her role is the focus of both Hamlet’s and Claudius’ desires. Hamlet constantly criticizes

Her feelings of confusion and unsure loyalty reflect some of Hamlet's deep-seated weaknesses, while her unnatural sexuality and traitorousness ultimately reflect the darker qualities of Claudius. Gertrude - though distinctly female and independent in her worldview - is in many respects tainted or misguided by the flaws in both her lover and her son.

    The Shakespearean tragedy Hamlet features two female characters in main roles, Ophelia and Gertrude. They are similar in a surprising number of ways. This essay proposes to elucidate the reader on their likeness or similarity.

Gertrude remarries nearly a week since her husband’s death; this causes Hamlet much concern about the loyalty and fidelity of females as he questions, “O, most wicked speed to post/ With such dexterity to incestuous sheets” (1.2.161-162). However, Gertrude does not see her as actions as iniquitous; she pleads Hamlet to “let eye look like a friend on Denmark,” (1.2.69) she wants Hamlet to discard his loathing of Claudius. Following the murder of his father, Hamlet’s relationship with Gertrude is portrayed as odious; Hamlet presumes Gertrude to be a true felon in the death of his father. Communicating with the his father’s ghost, Hamlet says, “O most pernicious woman!/ O villain, villain, smiling, damned villain!” (1.5.112-113). Hamlet accuses Gertrude of “kill a king and marry with his brother;” (3.4.35) Hamlet associates Gertrude with the murder of his father and through this, he exemplifies his true disdain for Gertrude. Hamlet’s assertion that Gertrude had a role in the killing of his father sets a portrayal of Gertrude throughout the course of he play. Consequently, Gertrude’s complex representation renders her indecipherable; the reader only understands Gertrude’s character through Hamlet’s depiction of

William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet is perhaps one of his most intriguing and scandalous pieces of work. One character who is liable for much of this excitement and outrage is Hamlet’s mother, Queen Gertrude. To some readers and critics, Gertrude is conceived as an erratic, superficial and sensual woman. Others discern the Queen as an earnest, intellectual and sagacious woman whose tragic fault is her yearning for sexual satisfaction. Throughout the text, there are several legitimate arguments for both sides, but in the end, Hamlet seems to sum up the Queen’s true persona with the words “Frailty, thy name is woman”. Evidence of Gertrude’s true nature can be found in many instances through out the play such

The purpose of this essay is to analyze the role of Gertrude in "Hamlet", which is counted as one of the famous plays of English language (Thompson and Neil Taylor 74) and the most popular work of Shakespeare (Wells and Stanton 1). This essay will evaluate the role of 'Gertrude', who was the mother of Prince Hamlet and also the title character of the play.

    Gertrude and Ophelia occupy the leading roles for females in the Shakespearean drama Hamlet. As women they share many things in common: attitudes from others, shallow or simple minds and outlooks, etc. This essay will delve into the various facets of what they hold in common.

Queen Gertrude is the mother to Hamlet, widow to the late King, and new wife to King Claudius as shown within the first act of Hamlet. Following her marriage to King Claudius, her relationship with her son Hamlet becomes strained. Queen Gertrude symbolizes much of what is considered to be a negative aspect of womanhood. To Hamlet, Queen Gertrude is a failure of a woman. Through his dialogue, it is presented that Hamlet desires a woman and mother to be concerned for her family and place tradition above all else. When Hamlet’s mother makes a decision outside of that realm and marries King Claudius, Hamlet strives to berate her for her choices. Through

What is Hamlet about? Maybe a summary of the plot could answer this question but it wouldn’t do it justice. However it’s impossible to narrow down any of William Shakespeare’s work to one theme. The fact is, that all of Shakespeare’s plays are about many things. There are many ways to look at a Shakespearean play, and none are wrong of course, but it is not entirely true to say that one theme is the most important. Some of the more common and dominate themes that can be found in any of Shakespeare’s works are: conflict, appearance and reality, order and disorder, and change.