Payton Parrish
King
English 102
6 February 2017
Hamlet
Since Hamlet was first written and performed, it has not failed to captivate the people who have read or seen the play. Shakespeare wrote this play in the early seventeenth century, which means Hamlet is a four hundred year old classic. This play has been performed by school children, professional actors, and countless groups in between. What is it about Hamlet that has intrigued so many people for so many decades? Revenge, religion, and death are the three main themes that make Hamlet culturally relevant in today's society just as it was four hundred years ago. Taking revenge is something everyone thinks about, and sometimes acts upon, even though this action is never a good solution
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Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder. HAMLET. Murder? GHOST. Murder most foul, as in the best it is, But this most foul, strange, and unnatural. HAMLET. Haste me to know’t, that I, with wings as swift As meditation or the thoughts of love May sweep to my revenge. (Shakespeare l.v.31-37)
In this quote, Hamlet seems very eager to get revenge and do what he thinks is right. Hamlet loved his father and is willing to do anything to avenge his death. He does not know who he must kill yet but he is mad and does not care about the facts. This scene and the theme revenge show us to always think about what we are doing before acting on bad judgement. Religion is another theme in Hamlet that is still a very popular topic in today's society. In the following scene, the Ghost says:
I am thy father's spirit,
Doomed for a certain term to walk the night
And for the day confined to fast in fires
Till the foul crimes done in my days of nature
Are burnt and purged
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(Shakespeare l.ii.70-75)
This has to be hard on Hamlet, especially hearing it from his mom who he fights with throughout the play. As much as he hates hearing it from her, she gives him good advice. Death is a part of everyone's life but it is hard to watch a loved one pass away. Grieving for a loved one does not make things better, it will only make the person bitter. This scene continues to give amazing advice four hundred years after its origin because death has not changed and it never will. We can all take advice from Hamlet's mother in this scene and use it throughout life.
Four hundred years have passed since the introduction of Hamlet. When reading a play such as this, the reader must pay attention to all the details in order to understand the true meaning of the play. My introduction to Hamlet has been thought-provoking and enjoyable. I believe Shakespeare's goals, when writing Hamlet, were to provide entertainment and to leave his audience with an appreciation for a play with a profound meaning. Revenge, religion, and death are the three main themes that give Hamlet a deeper meaning and allow it to be culturally relevant in today's
Revenge is a recurring theme in Hamlet. Although Hamlet wants to avenge his father’s death, he is afraid of what would result from this. In the play Hamlet, Hamlet’s unwillingness to revenge appears throughout the text; Shakespeare exhibits this through Hamlet’s realization that revenge is not the right option, Hamlet‘s realization that revenge is the same as the crime which was already committed, and his understanding that to revenge is to become a “beast” and to not revenge is as well (Kastan 1).
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark has been performed thousands of times since it was “written in 1599–1601 and published in a quarto edition in 1603” (Britannica.com). It’s popularity stems from its themes that translate across time. These themes, are seen to be relatable even to this day with the ever growing audience. Readers and viewers are able to find similarities between the current state and or even relate to one of the characters or events taking place over the course of Shakespeare’s five act masterpiece. Shakespeare's, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark remains a viable text for contemporary readers in that it functions as a mirror.
Hamlet decides that instead of taking revenge he will see if the ghost is telling the truth or not. He says that he wants to take revenge but does not have the heart in him to do it. This helps to develop the play because we see that Hamlet is reluctant to take revenge for his father because he doesn't really know the truth of what happened.
Hamlet begins to react upon his feelings and does away with his reason as he says to the ghost that he will do away with all knowledge and memory and keep within his mind the want to revenge his fathers’ murder. “Yea, from the table of my memory I’ll wipe away all trivial fond records, All saws of books, all forms, all pressures past That youth and observation copied there, And thy commandment all alone shall live”, (1.5.96-103). Hamlet begins to exhibit the argued theme that revenge causes people to act recklessly
“If you seek revenge, dig two graves.” This ancient Chinese proverb explains the mood in Hamlet, a play, written by Shakespeare. The theme of revenge is seen throughout the play as each character extracts one form or another of revenge from a person who has wronged them. In the play the characters Hamlet, Laertes, and Fortinbras all desire revenge for a lost father; however, their motivations for murder differ.
Shakespeare’s Hamlet is one of the most universally known plays of all time. Primarily, it is known for its strong themes, and its revolutionary storyline, containing subjects never frequently, or openly discussed before in plays of this kind, such as our conscience, spirit, and inner strength.
The theme of avenging one’s loved ones is seen in Act I when Hamlet is told the truth about his father’s death. Even though in the beginning of the play, Hamlet is sad and depressed, this discovery turns Hamlet into a vengeful person. In “Hamlet” the idea of avenging one’s loved ones is seen in Act I when Hamlet says to the ghost of his father, “Haste me to know’t, that I, with wings as swift as meditation or the thoughts of love, may sweep to my revenge” (Shakespeare Scene 5, line 29). In this quote, Hamlet is asking the ghost of his father to tell him how his father died in order for him to avenge him faster than a person falls in love. This quote represents the theme by showcasing how much Hamlet wants to avenge his father’s death
Through Shakespeare’s perspicacious genius, in Hamlet he has depicted an aspect of humanity that belongs essentially not to his age but ours. He does so by subverting the audience's’ expectations of a revenge tragedy through his characterization of Hamlet as having an overactive intellectual mind, which results in his delay from action. Hamlet spends the vast majority of the play ruminating over philosophical questions related to the typical themes of revenge tragedy; action, murder, revenge, but also the purpose of theatre, philosophical questions of life, family relationships and the importance of rituals (such as funerals). Therefore, Hamlet is essentially about the attempt to hold a mirror up to human nature and work towards expressing
The play, Hamlet by William Shakespeare, surrounds the central idea of revenge and betrayal. Revenge drives the characters and determines their actions throughout the play, which results in several instances of betrayal. With revenge, the friendship and loyalty of characters are tested and conflicts are established between characters. Hamlet’s father, the king of Denmark, was helplessly poisoned by his own brother, Claudius. Hamlet, the protagonist, becomes aware of his father’s death and finds himself seeking revenge and starting a cycle of hatred. Hamlet embarks on his journey for revenge by displaying an act of craziness. Throughout the play, there were several moments where Hamlet’s actions caused confusion and made it difficult for
“One may smile, and smile, and be a villain”, said in Act 1, shows Hamlet's will to gain control. Using phrases like this portray a controversy between the doing the right thing and trying the right thing. Narcissistic behavior like this is common when trying to achieve power. A person for instance has an inflated sense of own importance over the people that surround them. Although, he could have chosen to do nothing about the betrayal toward him, it wasn’t morally in his will to act in such way. His actions displayed ways that acting out was seen as a defense mechanism. Hamlet regularly isolates himself prior to wanting something. Not only does isolation happen frequently, but it is rare for Hamlet to share any information he has gained, but uses it against others in a way of having control over them, Having so many emotions and feelings built up inside, gives an additive toward unruly, and controlling behavior. A Google article stated, “Shakespeare’s play arises not from the structure of revenge itself, but from the grafting on to it of a complex of acute anxieties revolving around a vision of endemic human corruption” (pg.3). Protagonist use revenge as a way of significant act toward control. In this case, Hamlet seeks this type of revenger after experiencing many failed attempts to obtain the justice he felt he so deserved.
The theme of Revenge has been utilized in numerous works of art throughout history, including books, plays, movies, etc. Revenge is the result of one’s desire for vengeance, however, revenge is known to be implied under high emotions of anger thus not with reason concluding with a horrible outcome. Shakespeare’s play ‘Hamlet’ is no doubt a play about a tragedy caused by revenge; Prince Hamlet’s retribution for his father, King Hamlet’s murder and Laertes vengeance for his father, Polonius’ murder. The theme of revenge in Hamlet is portrayed through various literary techniques such as foreshadowing and irony.
Coming immediately after the meeting with the Ghost of Hamlet’s father, Shakespeare uses his second soliloquy to present Hamlet’s initial responses to his new role of revenger. Shakespeare is not hesitant in foreboding the religious and metaphysical implications of this role, something widely explored in Elizabethan revenge tragedy, doing so in the first lines as Hamlet makes an invocation to ‘all you host of heaven’ and ‘earth’. Hamlet is shown to impulsively rationalize the ethical issues behind his task as he views it as a divine ordinance of justice, his fatalistic view reiterated at the end of scene 5 with the rhyming couplet ‘O cursed spite,/That ever I was born to set it right’. These ideas are
In William Shakespeare 's Hamlet, there are many conflicts present that can be applied to modern time. Hamlet, as the protagonist, displays many difficult aspects that haunt mankind to this day. Hamlet is a dynamic character. He believes that he is the smartest person in the room, which most of the time he is. He comes up with conniving schemes to get his revenge. Although Hamlet believes in his brilliant plan to feign madness, it causes so much suspicion from others that it ultimately causes the untimely death of himself and others.
Many of the works of William Shakespeare have seemed to last through time. The plays often contain many issues that can connect with the issues of the current times, which is why many schools still teach his writings. Jealousy and dealing with death are often included in the themes of his plays. Throughout the story of Hamlet, there are many things that could be compared to the modern world, such as death of loved ones, failed love, revenge, and corruption.
William Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ is characterised as a tragedy, illustrating an abundance of significant themes, with one of the most important ideas being revenge. Revenge is defined as an action of hurting somebody in return for something that has been done unjustly wrong. The main character, Hamlet, continuously reflects on revenge throughout the play, particularly in his soliloquies. Nevertheless, he has been procrastinating, talking about the situation, but not demonstrating it. In an honour code, it displays coward-like qualities. Revenge is effectively represented in ‘Hamlet’, as it allows to develop a strong understanding of human strengths and frailties. This is because it represents the different forms of deceptive plots that result in the situation of death. This is clearly evident in Hamlet’s interaction with his father’s ghost, convincing him to murder Claudius for revenge, which extends into the play that is acted out, proving that he is the murderer of his father. Also, Hamlet’s third and most famous soliloquy provides the reader with a reflection on death in his melancholic state of mind, and Hamlet also refrains from killing Claudius as he is praying and decides to kill him at another time.