Symbolism And Theme Of Hamlet By William Shakespeare

The English Play writer, William Shakespeare had written many well-known pieces of work including Hamlet. Hamlet is known to be one of his most popular works. Hamlet was written in the late 16th Century about the Prince of Denmark. The original title of the work was The Tragedy of Hamlet, now it is referred to as just Hamlet. In Hamlet, William Shakespeare uses the mental state of his characters to prove that not all characters in books have to be one dimensional. Shakespeare’s writing shows that humans are complex, and can have different mental states. Characters throughout the story such as, Hamlet, Gertrude, and Ophelia show their not so stable mental state. First we will analyze Hamlet and talk about Ernest Jones’ Psycho-analytic study of Hamlet. Then we will talk about Ophelia and how the events that happened leading up to her death or suicide played a role into her mental state. Finally we will analyze Gertrude, the Queen’s role in Hamlet, and how she is a mentally weak woman and relies on the men in her life.

Even though Hamlet is a very old play, it still has many lessons and themes that we can learn from today. Some of the more notable themes are madness, revenge, morality and equality in death. All of these themes still have an effect in the lives of many people, but the most prominent one is revenge. Revenge is a natural emotion that everyone experiences on some level, but in Hamlet he experiences it in an extreme level. Revenge is a theme in Hamlet that still has meaning in today’s society.

Medea, an ancient Greek tragedy was written by Euripides during the classical era. This play focuses on Medea and how she plots the revenge against her unfaithful husband. Jason has left Medea and their children to go marry the princess of Corinth, Glauce. This was Medea’s motivation to kill Glauce and her own children. Similarly, in Hamlet, a tragedy written by William Shakespeare during the post classical era is about Hamlet and his revenge for his father on Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle, that took his father’s life, throne, and wife. Hamlet was motivated to take revenge after seeing the ghost which was his father in Act I Scene V. In both plays, the theme of revenge is present and is represented through the main characters. Medea and Hamlet are both characters who seek revenge on those who betray them to prove their control over their lives and to preserve their honor, which leads to death and suffering. In addition, both characters went mad in order to fulfil their plotted revenge. Also, while Medea successfully took revenge against her husband and lived, Hamlet received the ultimate price of death after his revenge.

The speech of Hamlet “O that this too sullied flesh would melt, … But break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue.” (1.2.129-159) is where we can see Hamlet’s sadness towards his mother, Gertrude and his uncle Claudius and feels disappointed about their decision of getting married. Hamlet is seen to be too upset after his father’s death. It’s not even a month has passed and he gets to hear another news about his mother Gertrude and uncle, Claudius getting married. In the beginning of Act 1 Scene 2, King Claudius gives a speech to his courtiers, telling them about his recent marriage to Gertrude, mother of Hamlet and his brother’s widow. Claudius says that he mourns his brother but has chosen to balance Denmark’s mourning with delight of his marriage. He also mentions in his speech that young Fortinbras has written to him, rashly demanding the surrender of the lands King Hamlet won from Fortinbras’s father, and dispatches Cornelius and Voltimand with a message for the King of Norway, Fortinbras’s elderly uncle.

In the play Hamlet there are many themes that were brought to our attention; Madness, Revenge, Mortality, Religion, Incest, Family, and Death. In this essay we will be discussing two of these themes that we found intriguing, the two themes are Death, and Revenge.

“Do it or do not do it – you will regret both” (Kierkegaard 72) is a quote that echoes and expounds upon the famous “To be, or not to be” (Hamlet 3.1.56). The former quote was written by none other than Danish philosopher and poet, Søren Kierkegaard. Born in 1813, Søren Kierkegaard was well acquainted with Shakespeare’s text and often referred to it in his writings. When watching Kenneth Branagh’s unique, unabridged adaptation of Hamlet, it is apparent that Kenneth Branagh was able to capture how similar his Hamlet and Søren are in character while making his mark in cinematography history. The connection between Branagh, Shakespeare, and Kierkegaard goes beyond the setting and 19th century architecture of Branagh’s recreation of Hamlet. Through both Søren and Kenneth’s backstory, choice of esthetics, and their actions in life changing moments the story of Hamlet has proven to be a guide for both of these extraordinary men.

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.

Hamlet is an interesting play with many themes like revenge, death, and many more. The theme that is chosen is acting and have been seen through many parts of the play. It is like a person who is nice to you, but gossip behind your back. This is what you call a “Two Faced” person or a “Snake” in modern term. In the play, “Hamlet”, it implies that acting emphasizes that people are not always what they seem to be. Throughout the play, Hamlet acts if he is going “mad”, Claudius acts that he’s “king-material”, and Laertes acts “sincere” towards hamlet.

Thematic Essay Hamlet Within Hamlet, Shakespeare explores many thematic concepts regarding society that are applicable to the world outside of the play. The exploration of disease, in terms of the human condition, is particularly noteworthy in the work due to its slow but fatal spread in the mind, heart, and body of characters, as well as its eventual impact on the state of Denmark. The frequent inclusion of the use of poison into the plot, as well as frequent images of sickness portrayed by Shakespeare, reflect on the theme that death is always potent and near, and all it takes is a small action to upset the balance and to bring oneself into death’s embrace. Shakespeare’s message is to allow the audience to be aware of the various

How far would a man, who is a still a child at heart, go to avenge the death of his father? Hamlet, who is the son of the recently deceased King, engages in a quest to avenge his father, who was murder by the man who is now in his place, and married to the queen. Hamlet tries to develop a plan to kill King Claudius, but only time is stopping him. Time inevitably leads toward expiration of a human life. Hamlet shows a great concern for time and its effects, which was brought upon a death that contributed to his insanity. He is unable to recognize that the past and future do not exist, therefore, causes him suffering; he needs his ego to help keep the past of his father alive because without it, who is he?

The story of Hamlet is so famous, it is easy to forget that at the beginning of the play, Hamlet is unaware of the fact that his father was murdered by his uncle. Hamlet begins the play a depressed, angry young man who is barely able to conceal the fact that he despises his new stepfather for marrying his mother so soon after his beloved father's demise. However, he has no proof that his uncle did anything wrong at first. In fact, the main problem seems to be Hamlet's attitude: he is wearing black and is entirely removed from the merriment of the rest of the court. He barely acknowledges Claudius and makes an effort to go back to Wittenberg so he can study, but his mother begs him to stay. When he says: "I shall in all my best obey you, madam," he excludes Claudius from his reply, even though Gertrude begs him on behalf of 'us' (I.2).

The theme of revenge starts off very early in the play, when Hamlet speaks with the ghost of his deceased father. When the ghost tells Hamlet how Claudius murdered him, Hamlet is infuriated and overtaken with feelings of responsibility to right the wrong that has been done; to murder Claudius. The effects of this experience on Hamlet are portrayed clearly in the following quote, "And

Hamlet describes the idea of death. At the end of the play, the main characters were murdered in different ways. Revenge and forgiveness play a role in the idea of death in the play. The dominant theme is death incorporated with revenge.

Mortality, revenge and obsession remain very apparent throughout Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Though every character has faced challenges and trying times of their own, it is very apparent that Shakespeare’s theme of mortality is indeed intended. From the wake of Hamlet’s Father’s death to the downfall of King Claudius, readers experience complexities and intricacy through matters of life and death which allow them to understand the mind of those affected in the play.

    Within the Shakespearean tragic drama Hamlet there are a number of themes. Literary critics find it difficult to agree on the ranking of the themes. This essay will present the themes as they are illustrated in the play – and let the reader prioritize them.