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.

The coin flips also represented fate and inevitability.  No matter now many times they flipped the coin, they knew it would turn out to be heads.  This is also linked to the character's fate because the results of the event would not change..  It also creates a sense of the inevitable because no matter the condition, the coin seemed to forever, turn out heads.  At the point where Rosencrantz and Guildenstern made a bet that the coin would turn out heads, the fact that it turned out tails represented a no win senario for the men. Heads which also starts

To be, or not to be, or maybe just to pretend to be – Hamlet - make up your mind already! Before discussing Hamlet’s hamartia, please let me say that Hamlet is one of my all-time favorite plays. Yes, it is tragic. Yes, they all fall in the end. But, good lord, what action!

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.

Finally, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead addresses the topic of human motivation and the relationship between life and death. The play questions the

Overall, the three main messages in Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead are freedom, mortality, and reality. This play shows that we may not have as much freedom as we actually think. We are shown that fate determines our whole life and cannot be changed. The topic of mortality also makes you realize that death is inevitable and if you think of in negatively or positively is up to you. Lastly reality, being the most important message, compares life to a theatrical performance. Who actually knows if this is reality or if we

From the title of the play, the reader/audience is aware of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s fate though it is clear through the acts of confusion, the characters themselves are not. Stoppard skillfully sets up the idea of uncertainty within this play with the opening scene. The tossing of coins should represent a fifty-fifty probability of it landing on either head or tails; however, in this instance the coins prove the opposite. The coins continue to land heads up throughout the play, defying the expectations of the characters as well as the reader/audience. From the beginning of the first act it becomes evident to the reader/audience that the outcome of something as simple as

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are incredibly indecisive, and they just get dragged away by the currents on the river of life. They are always being told what to do and where to go, and they never question it. They never stop and think, maybe, we don’t have to do this. Unfortunately, they don’t notice this until too late. Once they knew they were doomed, Guildenstern reminisces that at some point, there had to have been a time where they could have said no; where they could have stopped all of this from happening. It didn’t matter anymore though. They were done. This play is saying that people need to take charge of their lives, and make their own decisions. Don’t just let life pass you by.

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.

Shakespeare writes in a way that is difficult to understand for anyone that speaks the modern language. His story Hamlet is understood through the emotions felt by his characters. Hamlet is the main character who is conflicted with revenge and conspiring friendships. Hamlet returns home from Germany for his father’s funeral only to find far more troubling things. Hamlet is a conflicted character but that doesn’t stop him from knowing what he wants. Revenge is the main cause of his confliction but with great reason, which is important to understand about this play because it helps explain all the betrayal and tragedy.

For the most part, this acceptance of reality indicates that Rosencrantz believes in fate. Yet, he decides for himself not to intervene on Hamlet’s behalf indicating that he has at least a fraction of free will. His free will allows him to accept his

I never forget a face” (82). While humorous, it is important to note that the players (who, save Alfred, are always regarded as simply: players) lose their individuality to the point of literally taking on the appearance of somebody else---Rosencrantz in this case. The final implication of their knowledge and even encouragement of fate in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern 's life is when Guildenstern asks, “What are we supposed to do?” and the player responds “This,” followed by laying down, implying death. The players are so connected to the concept of fate and it “playing” out that they may even be a part of the motif that fate is in the play.

Hamlet is undoubtedly one of the most well-studied and remembered tragedies in all of history. Renowned for its compelling soliloquies and thought-provoking discussions about life, death, and love, the play takes a very serious look at the topics it presents. Based on this famous work is another tragedy, known as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. In this work, which is interwoven with the original, the namesake characters bumble about in the immense world, over which they have no control. Without a sense of identity or purpose, the two merely drift to and fro at the whim of the larger forces around them; namely Hamlet, who eventually leads them to death. The twin plays follow the same story and end with the same result – nine deaths.

[…] And besides, anything could happen yet” (Stoppard 95). Although, they quickly realize that their fate has already been predetermined. The two main characters circulate around the plot of Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. Stoppard uses metaphors such as the coin tossing, the direction of the wind, and the boat trip to foreshadow the fate of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern is to die.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are never in control of their situations. As the beginning, Rosencrantz were flipping the coin and afterwards they meet the players. The stage suddenly took Rosencrantz