Hamlet by William Shakespeare

What is madness? Is someone considered mad or insane simply because they are different, and they, in turn, see the rest of the world as insane? William Shakespeare 's play Hamlet is about a complex protagonist, Hamlet, who plays the role of a tragic hero. He encounters several misfortunes from experiencing his beloved father’s death, witnessing his mother 's incestuous remarriage to his uncle, and seeing his father’s ghost. Due to all of this, Hamlet falls into a deep depression. Hamlet begins his journey by seeking revenge against Claudius after discovering that his noble father was murdered by his own uncle. Hamlet is a character whose actions and emotions may seem like one of an insane person, however, in the beginning of the play, it is clear that he decides to fake madness in order to gain an advantage over Claudius. This would aid in him in accomplishing his revenge. Hamlet is sane throughout the play: he only shows signs of insanity in front of certain people whom he does not trust. However, even they believe that his madness is not sheer madness but has a reason to it. Hamlet’s character is sane as in the play his rationality is shown through the logic and intelligence he uses in his plots. He usually calculates his movements and his impulsive acts are justified. While there are reasons to believe that many of the hardships could have driven Hamlet to the point of insanity, his display of intelligence and rational thinking throughout the play proves his sanity.

In this play “Hamlet” written by William Shakespeare, there are many soliloquies that are said by Hamlet to depict various meanings of his thoughts, feelings, and actions that are inside of him. More specifically the soliloquy in Act 3, Scene 1, in lines 57-91 starts off with the famous saying known as “To be, or not to be”. Throughout this soliloquy, Hamlet is asking himself the question of whether it is better to live or not to live. In life, we are faced with many situations where we feel the need to give up our life and not face the problems. Only by facing all the troubles, will a person become stronger and more courageous to handle anything in life. By believing in one’s self, can man have the courage to follow what they think is right. Killing yourself or giving up is never a solution in life. This soliloquy reveals Hamlet’s fearful personality by showing that his decision-making process is slow and that he fears risks or uncertainty. These character traits are depicted thoroughly by Hamlet throughout the play.

The male characters in Hamlet continually abuse both Ophelia and Gertrude, physically and psychologically, as a pathetic attempt to gain power and control over the situation. One of the greatest examples of psychological abuse comes from the harrowing scene where Hamlet and Ophelia have their final conversation before Hamlet leaves for England. During this rage-induced altercation, Hamlet refuses to accept Ophelia’s returning of the gifts previously given to her from him, saying “I never gave you aught” (3.1.97). Ophelia is appalled as Hamlet continues to insult her and laugh in her face. In the climax of the argument, Hamlet tells Ophelia that she “should not have believed me; for virtue cannot so inoculate our old stock but we shall relish of it: I loved you not” (3.1.117-119). The immense amount of psychological damage received by Ophelia between the addition and removal of love by Hamlet and her father’s death is enough to drive anyone to madness. David M. Smith recounts this as Hamlet’s necessity “to genuine outsideness because of the danger of being co-opted by love” (Smith, 1). However, Hamlet no longer needed to protect himself in his situation. His actions from this scene were not only uncalled for, but added to the slow mental demise of his sweet Ophelia. Hamlet’s next scene of abuse come shortly after this when he goes to speak to Gertrude about her participation in the murder of Old Hamlet. His rage, yet again, takes over, but this time he adopts physical abuse

Almost every story involves a conflict between hero and villain. In some stories, there is a plot twist where the hero is also the villain—but in Hamlet, there are no heroes and many villains. In Hamlet, every character has lied, kept secrets or is seeking revenge that leads to a tragic ending at every corner, but what we fail to see is who the true villain is. Looking at the character of Hamlet throughout the play, it is easier to spot his many dishonorable actions than his few honorable ones.

Hamlet, a play written by William Shakespeare, is all about revenge. All is not well in Denmark where a king is murdered and his son is out to avenge him. The only two females in the play, Gertrude and Ophelia, are completely overlooked. The two have little role in the story and are only present when talking to one of the men. Gertrude lost her first husband and quickly remarried to his brother, Claudius. Her son, Hamlet, greatly despises her for it. Ophelia believes that she and Hamlet are in love and she is the cause of his madness. None of the men pay much attention to them unless they are being scolded or used in a plan. Ophelia and Gertrude have many similarities like how they do as they are told and are victims of Hamlet’s madness, yet are different like how they love Hamlet and how they react to death of a loved one.

In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the character Hamlet must deal with both external and internal conflict. Hamlet encounters many struggles and has trouble finding a way to deal with them. With so many corrupt people in his life, Hamlet feels as if there is no one that he can trust and begins to isolate himself from others. A result from this isolation leads Hamlet to become melancholy. Hamlet struggles with suicidal thoughts, wants to kill King Claudius, and is distraught over his mother’s hasty marriage with his uncle Claudius.

Hamlet ends his soliloquy by saying “But break my heart, for I must hold my tongue.” One reason Hamlet states he must hold his tongue, is that there is no point continuing with his speech, because no one in the royal court let alone Denmark seems to find any wrong-doing regarding Queen Gertrude marrying her dead husband’s brother. Another reason Hamlet may have said “for I must hold my tongue is because even though he is tormented by Queen Gertrude and King Claudius’ marriage Hamlet knows he can’t discuss his anguish with anyone else. This is evident when Hamlet says “But break my heart, for I must hold my tongue.”

Hamlet poses the question of: “To be, or not to be,” (III.i.58) or in other

The play Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, is set in an anti-feminist era. Women traditionally have been seen inferior to men. This was an intellectual as well as a physical issue. Women were to raise a family, cook, clean, be pretty and not be smarter than any man. The main characters Ophelia and Gertrude are both depicted with these characteristics as powerless and frail people. This illustration of helpless women affects one's understanding of what their true selves could be.

William Shakespeare’s ravishing play Hamlet was performed at the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre on November 18th, 2014. To recap what went on in the play: Claudius had killed Hamlet’s father, the King of Denmark. Hamlet’s mother Gertrude then married Claudius two months after the death of her husband’s murder, but she did not know. The guards of the castle saw the ghost of Hamlet’s father. Hamlet was told by his father’s ghost that he was killed by Claudius, and that is when Hamlet lost it. The King and Queen thought that Hamlet went crazy because of his love for Ophelia. They tested his opinion of her by putting them in a room together. After he was mean to her, Claudius, his uncle knows the only reason Hamlet could be mad was because he knew Claudius killed his father. Ophelia on the other hand went crazy and ended up drowning herself because Hamlet said he didn’t love her. Her brother Laertes blamed Hamlet for Ophelia’s death and challenged him to a duel. At the fight, Claudius planted poison in a glass of wine and on the tip of the swords because he wanted to kill Hamlet. Gertrude, the Queen, drank the wine by mistake and died. Hamlet and Laertes both stabbed one another with the poisoned swords and both died, but before dying, Hamlet killed the king.

Hamlets father was king married to Queen Gertrude but Hamlet had to return home to attend his funeral. He was a loving son; mourning, only to figure out his mother (the queen) had already married once more. The Queen’s new husband is King Claudius who is Hamlets uncle and the deceased King’s brother. This betrayal was like none other in Hamlet’s eyes. He knew right anyway from a feeling that Claudius was responsible for King Hamlet’s death. Hamlet even worried and sometimes assumed that his mother was part of the planning or even killing of his father. Returning home immediately became about getting revenge on the people that hurt his family and even in some cases that meant his mother. Hamlet was a smart man and very cunning but in the end it doesn’t work out for anyone.

Hamlet is a complex play that leaves the reader with a variety of uncertainties concerning the true feelings of its protagonist, Prince Hamlet. Hamlet goes through a variety of tribulations throughout the play and their effects cause readers to question his true intentions as well as his sanity. Inevitably, one major problem is the trouble discerning whether Hamlet truly loves Ophelia or if the love is a continued theatric in his act of madness. However, it is my argument that Hamlet truly did love Ophelia and the chain of unfortunate events occurring throughout the play caused a disconnect between Prince Hamlet and reality, thus preventing him from truly acting out his love for Ophelia in fullness.

What knowledge is there that I can be guiltless of? Innocent, the eyes of an individual who witnesses the dead body of a King, effortlessly hacked at like a piece of meat (gesture towards floor). With knowledge that it was those eyes, my eyes (point to self) that observed this treacherous act. How can these hands ever be rid of guilt, whilst they are covered in the blood they smeared, still warm, upon the resting innocents? ( pause and look at hands) I held the very dagger that ripped life to shreds, daggers of which now harvest their vengeance in the stabbing of my beloved king’s soul. (point to self)How am I to prevent this shame, the fowl contrary of purity, from steadily possessing our sanity and having control over our actions? I should have suspected that a man so full of milk of human kindness would sense guilt at the deed of stripping nature’s King from his throne and taking the deceased man’s bloodied robes before he was cold in his grave (walk to chair and sit down. I would have done the deed myself had he not looked so strangely similar to my father. (pause)

Life as a whole leaves those to question the very essence of their existence and why, out of everyone, were they chosen. Was it the act of God? Are they destined to do great thing? Or maybe were they meant to obliterate the very achievements that others have set for themselves? Hamlet, throughout many points of the play, questions the idea of the afterlife and how it corresponds with the reality of death. He deeply explores this obsession with his own issues of identity to what it truly means to be human. His realization on life dictates his personal, political, social, moral, and religious identities which reminds him what his legacy means to him. He goes to great lengths to achieve his revenge upon Claudius, the man who murdered his father. His keen observations and undying patience allows him to be precise in acquiring his desired revenge. Hamlet isn’t afraid of death. In fact he embraces the fact that he will die. Eventually everyone will fall to dust from whence they came whether they are a lord or a peasant.

In the very popular play Hamlet by William Shakespeare one character in specific stands out. This individual is known as Hamlet. Hamlet is the son of deceased King Hamlet and Queen Gertrude. Hamlet is the Prince of Denmark at this time. King Claudius is King Hamlets bother and Hamlets uncle. Very shortly after Kings Hamlets unfortunate death Hamlets mother Queen Gertrude marries King Claudius. This results in making King Claudius Hamlets new father and uncle. Hamlet is a young man who the community of Denmark has a very prestigious view on. Once King Claudius passes, Hamlet is supposed to become the King of Denmark the land is promised to him. Until then he lives with Queen Gertrude and King Claudius.