Hamlet Literary Devices

The use of literary devices within any type of literature is a strong way for an author or playwright to increase the significance of their work and the characters within it. William Shakespeare was a great playwright who understood how to use literary devices to their full effect therefore enhancing symbols, characters and even settings within his plays. One of Shakespeare’s most well known plays, Hamlet, published in1603, is a solid example of how well Shakespeare understood the effects of certain literary devices and how they could augment characters. On countless occasions, Shakespeare uses metaphors, foreshadowing, allusions, and personification, but perhaps his greatest use of a literary device is his use of foil. In fictional literature, a foil is a character that displays contrasting qualities to another character, usually the protagonist, in order to better highlight the traits of the other character (www.literarydevices.net). Within Hamlet, Shakespeare masters the use of foil to allow the audience to have a clearer understanding of the character Hamlet and the conflicts he endures. Shakespeare’s Hamlet follows Hamlet as he contemplates the choices he has when it comes to avenging the wrongful death of his beloved father, King Hamlet. Consequently, King Hamlet’s brother, and also his murderer, Claudius, has now become the new King of Denmark and has married his brother’s widow wife, Gertrude. As the play progresses, the audience discovers how the characters Laertes

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.

Freud theorized that people’s desires and unconscious conflicts grant platform to the id, ego, and superego; the three areas of the mind which compete for dominance from the infant to adult stages. The most significant psychological break demonstrated in Hamlet was Hamlet himself acting insane by suppressing his superego and battling a conflict between his id and superego in an attempt to expose Claudius for his wrongdoings. Further analysis of his character reveals the presence of those three areas of the mind which influences Hamlet’s character as he acts upon them subconsciously. In doing so, Hamlet is seen as mad and often contemplates suicide himself revealed through his soliloquies throughout the play. Freud’s theory of psychosexual development (the oral stage, phallic stage, latency stage, and lastly the genital stage) are all expressed through the actions of Hamlet. As these attributes interfere with one another, Hamlet fights an inward battle that he feels completely responsible for which is avenging the death of his father. However, rationalization due to his tragic flaw of hamartia compromises the success of completing this task quickly as his ego further suppresses his id and superego to the point of a psychotic break.

Shakespeare's dramatic treatment of struggle is clear through Hamlet's inability to take action and carry out his duty to his father. Before avenging his father's death, Hamlet first puts on a play "to hold...the mirror up to nature," in an attempt to reinact the events of his fathers death and "catch the conscience of the king" to ensure that what the ghost has told him is true. While by arranging this play, Hamlet is in a sense taking some action by trying to ascertain the truth, Hamlet reproaches himself in a soliloquy for his lack of decisive action. Shakespeare's use of a soliloquy allows Hamlet to reveal his feelings and innermost thoughts to the audience and he admires one of the players' passion and emotion. Hamlet marvels at the

Hamlet is known as one of the best pieces of literature ever written in history. What makes it so extraordinary are the meanings behind what the characters say because sometimes, their words have a double meaning. Also, when Shakespeare writes his plays, he likes to give his best and possibly famous lines to the children, fools, or idiots to make them seem additionally significant. In Act 3: 1 of Hamlet, Hamlet gives one of the utmost famous lines ever spoken in the history of literature, what’s known as the To Be or Not To Be soliloquy. What’s fantastic about these lines, are that they can be interpreted in numerous ways. It can mean: to live or not to live or to be brave or not to be brave. We aren’t exactly positive about what they mean which constitutes them so profoundly. Also there are some messages that can be taken from this soliloquy. Three messages from this soliloquy are: suicide is horrible; conscience makes cowards of us all, and is it better to do one thing or another?

In the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare there are closely related types of themes presented within each act of the play. Themes such as anger, sadness, love, death and even insanity are all brought up and observed within some character’s traits in the play. In the quote provided, it depicts what type of quarrel Hamlet and Ophelia’s brother - Laertes were having at the gravesite. The quote is important as it further progresses the traits Hamlet the character possesses further completing his persona, and also advance the plot within the play.

In dramas such as Shakespeare’s Hamlet, there are soliloquies delivered by main characters. These speeches are given when the character is alone, so that true thoughts and feelings become known to the attending audience. During Hamlet’s soliloquy (IV.IV.30-66), he reveals to the audience his true feelings about life and his intentions to get revenge on behalf of his late father. Throughout this speech, Hamlet consistently uses unique literary devices to intrigue the audience. He also uses a topic of speech which the audience can relate to and feel his pain. Furthermore, Hamlet’s soliloquy advances the plot of the play and excites the audience for what is about to happen. Therefore, in Shakespeare’s original version of Hamlet, Hamlet’s speech from Act IV, scene IV effectively targets the Elizabethan era audience.

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 be, or not to be? That is the question,” These words are spoken by Hamlet in the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare. This quote is well known around the world and is interpreted differently, with so much meaning behind a small soliloquy. Throughout the play, Hamlet, Shakespeare uses the literary device to involve the audience on what is occurring but also to convey more meaning and understanding. Shakespeare uses symbolism describe complex ideas, that help develop the plot of the play. Another literary device he uses is imagery, he uses imagery throughout the play to give a more accurate representation of the corrupt Denmark and the events taking place within. Lastly, he uses allegory, the allegories are used to hide the moral all throughout the play. In “Hamlet” the play, William Shakespeare, uses different literary devices to further the understanding of his writings, through symbolism using objects to convey the meaning behind it, imagery using descriptive words to help give a more vivid picture to the audience, and allegory to hide morals/messages behind other things.

To understand and grasp the concept of literature, one must be able to identify the many uses of literary devices. Literary devices act as a key factor in the translation one makes of difficult sentences conducted throughout a piece of literature, as well as act as a bridge to assist one in the analysis of the specific piece. In the play Hamlet, one literary device that is prominently used is that of metaphors. For example, the text’s use of the sentence “the cock, that is the trumpet to the morn, doth with his lofty and shrill-sounding throat Awake the god of day, and, at his warning, whether in sea or fire, in earth or air,” (1.1.v.154-157) functions as a metaphor both literally and figuratively, by actually utilizing the rooster as a metaphor for the beginning of morning, while also using it as a symbol for a Holy substance. However, one might also argue and begin to claim that the crow of the rooster may symbolize the opposite, which is that the crow is the realization that one must have to come to their own terms of the wrong acts one has committed, and also pay the consequences.

In the famous soliloquy of Hamlet, “To be, or not to be,” Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, is seriously contemplating on whether to take his own life or to take revenge for his murdered father, who was once king. Hamlet cannot forgive Claudius, his uncle and now his stepfather, who killed Hamlet’s father to take the throne and the queen. However, at the same time, he is suffering from every bad aspect of life, accompanied by the pressure of the plotted revenge. In the soliloquy, Shakespeare utilizes extended metaphors, clear enunciation from punctuation, and stylistic devices to portray the stumped prince.

In a critical piece titled “Hamlet: Overview” Holger Klein explores how Hamlet’s intensity and complexity evokes a series of responses which says as much about their authors and periods as they do about the play itself. Klein states that the very text of Hamlet introduces problems. Three different prints, differing in hundreds of details apart from major divergences exist. The first Quarto of 1603 was a pirated version based on memorial reconstruction. The second Quart, of 1604, was based on Shakespeare’s first rough copy. The third version are the collected First Folios of 1623. The first Quarto contains about half the lines of the second. The second Quarto is the longest, which contains 230 lines not present in the First Folios. However even

Leading up to the passage, Hamlet by William Shakespeare becomes a play within a play. The angsty protagonist, Hamlet, puts on the Murther of Gonzago, but not for his entertainment. Because the play’s plot mirrors the treacherous murder of his father, Hamlet plans to observe his uncle-father Claudius during the murder scene for signs of a guilty conscience to prove that he committed the crime. The performance effectively agitates Claudius to the point where he storms away, isolating himself in a quiet room where he attempts to pray for his sins. Hamlet discovers him there and spies just out of earshot. Despite being an opportune moment to kill Claudius, Hamlet hesitates. After months of pain and betrayal, Hamlet chooses to wait. Infused with

The intricacies of Hamlet’s character are acknowledged as some of the most fascinating and complex in the history of literature. He is a troubled man, plagued by a desire for vengeance which he struggles to act upon. Hamlet’s turmoils with death, murder, and suicide exemplify his intricate mindset as an outsider in his own country. Yet he rejects this sort of ownership of Denmark, as he does with all forms of superior titles or status. However, in the final act of the play we see a different Hamlet. One who cares about status, class, titles, and honor. It is this somehow changed Hamlet who takes action and kills Claudius, who disregards his unusual ideals about status in favor of more common beliefs. It is this changed Hamlet who dies in the

before collaborating within the Shakespeare competition of the STEM academy in Kaimuki high faculty, we, as a class, needed to provide you with a script for our play. First, we got here up with what act and scenes that we need to act on and decided on the subject matter based on what scenes we chose. The subject matter that we chose for our play was a excessive college homecoming dance. The play consisted of Hamlet stabbing Polonius, King Claudius and Queen Gertrude dancing along side random players, Ophelia going mad and taking the crown from Queen Gertrude, the janitor rejecting a Kaimuki excessive school teacher, and anyone dancing on the stop to a Shakira song. We did now not get hold of a grade for finishing this script; however, our trainer