Speech on Hamlet

Hamlet is strongly held by archetypes that can be revealed throughout the play. Death, itself, is a very strong archetype in the story exploring the social beliefs in that era; superstitions and societies loyalty to religion. Throughout the play, Hamlet experiences his main trifles over the concept of death. Reviewing the murder of his father and the task given to him to kill his uncle, Hamlet becomes fascinated with the idea of existence and afterlife.As a whole, Hamlet is primarily concerned with exploring the individual's relationship with death in which our fear of death comes from the notion that there must be something else, eliminating the fact that we can't ever know for sure if there is. This idea is explored in Hamlet’s “to be or not to be” soliloquy, which questions the righteousness of life over death in moral terms. When Hamlet utters the pained question, “to be, or not to be: that is the question / Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer / The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune / Or to take arms against a sea of troubles” (Act 3, Scene 1 59-61) there is little doubt that he is thinking of death. Although he attempts to pose such a question in a rational and logical way, he is still left without an answer of whether the “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” can be eliminated since life after death seems so uncertain. All of this mirrors aspects of human nature as man has always questioned the meaning of life and the events that occur after. Theoretically, one will never understand the full nature of our

Yet, despite Hamlet’s initial implication that it is humanly impossible to decipher another’s inner nature based on his or her external actions, it quickly becomes apparent that Hamlet feels that doing so is not outside of his ability. When his father’s ghost reveals that Claudius murdered Old Hamlet, Hamlet declares, “O my prophetic soul!” as if he knew, based on Claudius’ exterior, that Claudius killed Old Hamlet (1.5.40). A prophetic soul “dreams on things to come and inspires a man with second sight,” and Hamlet’s claim implies that he feels he has abilities beyond those of humanity (Skulsky 479). From this point on, the pride Hamlet displays in this scene begins to swell.

Dearest friends, family and the people of Denmark. We gather here today to mourn the loss of the noble prince, loyal son and true friend, Prince Hamlet. But we are not here only to mourn, but to reminisce the times we have spent with him, both the good and the bad and to remember him as the person he was. Prince Hamlet did not live a very fortunate, on the contrary his final weeks were filled with a tragedy none of us should have to bear, but he lived his life to the full and I am sure that he has, in some way touched the lives of all of us here today.

As a reader, I am most conscious of "the craft" when elements of the writing such

In doing this, if the author is effective in their craft, they can appeal to the reader on an

Hamlet has many noble and brave characteristics, this is one of the reasons he is a tragic hero. Hamlet’s promise to avenge his father’s death makes him noble because loyalty is part of chivalry, one of the main aspects of being noble. Also, Hamlet is very brave. When he found out that he was going to be executed, he had to make a choice to save himself or kill Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to avenge his father, because the risk he took could cause him to be actually executed. When the pirates attacked the ship, he escaped to carry out his promise that he made to his father’s ghost.

Texts reflect their context and paradigms but transcendental texts that explore aspects of humanity can resonate through time and remain relevant and accessible to audiences. William Shakespeare’s introspective play, Hamlet, explores the complexity of the human condition by reflecting ideologies such as justice, loyalty and morality. Although these deeply human ideas ensure the plays resonance, they are somewhat secondary to the depths of Hamlet’s human struggle. These thematic concerns reflect how flaws in the values of society descend into corruption. Through an exploration of the characterization, Shakespeare invites a re-evaluation of the values that shape human nature. The textual integrity of Hamlet makes it of distinctive

Many literary critics have presented theories on the meaning of William Shakespeare's Hamlet, ranging from claims of Oedipal Complexes to insinuations of homosexuality. Though most such interpretations can be considered true at some level, there seems to be some basic theme - some driving force - that underlies all other interpretations.

Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, begins with the appearance of a ghost, an apparition, possibly a hallucination. Thus, from the beginning, Shakespeare presents the air of uncertainty, of the unnatural, which drives the action of the play and develops in the protagonist as a struggle to clarify what only seems to be absolute and what is actually reality. Hamlet's mind, therefore, becomes the central force of the play, choosing the direction of the conflict by his decisions regarding his revenge and defining the outcome.

William Shakespeare pessimistically argues in his tragic play, Hamlet, that humans’ evil predisposition towards disingenuity leads to the degeneration of the individual due to the severance of relationships and the demise of self-respect. According to Shakespeare, human nature is such that humans misdirect, scheme against, or outright lie to others to further self-serving ends that ultimately do more harm than good. Throughout the play, Shakespeare employs contrasts and metaphors to demonstrate how dishonesty destroys trust and results in the demise of vital human connections with both family and friends. When individuals use deception to satisfy selfish desires, Shakespeare argues that this results in the death of an individual’s peace of mind. He uses personification of the soul and condemning diction to depict how duplicitous practices result in oppressive guilt.

Hamlet's character represents people in all circumstances. He questions everything, and has experienced love, hate, betrayal, depression, grief, and anger. He is sometimes

Renaissance humanism scholars recognize that “Hamlet contains a vital critique of humanism” (Renaissance) throughout the play. The author, William Shakespeare, was from a period of

Throughout his plan, Hamlet maintains his honor and his actions allow for “the reinforcement of the onlookers brightest opinions of the human animal”. Hamlet’s death is unfair, but his integrity leaves the audience with a sense of hope. Hamlet’s physical prosperity is in fates hands, but his moral prosperity was

he respected his mother for giving the father he loved so dearly all the love he needed to run a kingdom, a family, and more. When the late King Hamlet was killed and the Queen forgot about her late husband and treated the new king with the same respect as the old one, many of the tables turned for Hamlet and he saw his mother through different eyes. (Newman)

Death is a natural ending of one’s life journey. In Shakespeare's Hamlet, this theme is explored throughout the story, where the main character is a deeply troubled one and where the plot draws the audience into Hamlet’s speculations on death on multiple occasions. The question of mortality and existence is one that humanity has struggled with since the dawn of civilization, possibly even before; and it is this question that Hamlet is attempting to come to terms with following the passing of his father, King Hamlet. Shakespeare, using his unique literary style and theatrical story-telling, is not necessarily providing the readers with any answers but is rather taking everyone on the journey that every human travels when asking the question, “What is Death?”