The Illusion of Ambition in Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Hamlet also shows anger towards the female character, Ophelia as they interact with each other on a daily basis. He tells her that he has “heard of [her] paintings too, well enough; God hath given [her] one face, and [she] make[s] [herself] another. [She] jig[s] and amble[s], and [she] lisp[s], and nickname[s] God’s creature, and make[s] [her] wantonness [her] ignorance…to a nunnery, go” (3.1.153-157,161). As a result of this quote, Hamlet demonstrates strong anger as he insults Ophelia for her cosmetics and tells her that her flirtatious affections is her excuse for her stupid behaviour. Not only does Hamlet insult her because of his anger, but she does not defend herself either, which makes the situation worse. In addition, Hamlet not only undergoes his father’s death, but no one seems to grief over the death which is surprising, as he was the King of Denmark. The new King, Claudius asks Hamlet, “How is it that the clouds still hang on you?” (1.2.67). This quote shows King Claudius’ lack of grief towards King Hamlet’s death, oppose to when Polonius dies, he immediately tells Laertes, Polonius’ son, “I must commune with your grief” (4.5.213), Which again leads for Hamlet through the anger stage.

The dictionary defines personal ambition as “An earnest desire for some type of achievement or distinction, as power, honour, fame, or wealth and the willingness to strive for its attainment”. (Dictionary.com) One could argue that too much ambition can be a negative trait. By placing such an emphasis on personal ambition it causes some to push their loved ones away in order to achieve what they want. Within most people, unhappiness is a common feeling and in extreme results, it leads to death. In the texts Fifth Business by Robertson Davies and William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, it is evident when the strongest characters place power and ambition above all else they crumble.

As Hamlet says, ?Frailty thy name is woman?, her actions cause Hamlet to curse women all together. In the first Act, Claudius and Gertrude question Hamlet?s depression. They push Hamlet to accept his father?s death and move on with his life. Hamlet hides his feelings about his mother and the king. He should have admitted his hatred for their marriage. While Hamlet is holding back his feelings, he becomes more angered at their attempts to calm him. Gertrude is also aware of Hamlet?s feelings for Ophelia and uses this as an excuse for Hamlet?s madness. Hamlet has plenty of time to confess the cause of his madness and that?s what he should have done. Instead, Hamlet allows his mother to think he is madly in love rather than tell the truth. After Hamlet delivers his play and sees guilt in his uncle, Gertrude sends for Hamlet. Instead of hurting his mother, he insists on her to tell him the truth. It would have been easier to just go ahead and hurt Gertrude. Also, Hamlet should have acted more swiftly on this, then her confession could have taken place earlier in the play. This could save him from a great deal of pain and leave his thoughts for other problems.

(1) Hamlet’s feelings can no longer be helped back. He wants to be with his mother. Two of the Queen’s character traits that cause Hamlet to have these feelings would be her sensual nature and her fondness so her son. Hamlet misinterpreted Gertrude’s love for him as a sexual desire, instead of the maternal love that she has for him. Even though Hamlet felt what his mother was doing with Claudius as wrong, he still had considerable respect for her.

In today’s world, women of all ages are given equal rights and freedom. In Shakespeare’s time, woman’s obligations were to follow the rules of the men and obey the men in their lives’. “Frailty, thy name is woman;” Hamlet implies the powerlessness of the two women characters in the play. In Hamlet, the roles of Gertrude and Ophelia are very important in that they are the only two female characters in the play. Gertrude, the Queen of Denmark and mother of Hamlet, and Ophelia, the lover of Hamlet, are characterized as controlled and lost in their lives because they are being used by the men throughout the play. Fundamentally, Shakespeare illustrates the nature of Gertrude and Ophelia as powerless victims by the women being subjects of men,

Hamlet's surrounding are increasingly affected by his flaw. Hamlet begins to forget all important obligations in his life and neglects his responsibilities, causing other problems. One very important commitment Hamlet has which he lets go is his relationship with Ophelia. Ophelia becomes very confused and hurt. Hamlet hurts her in a couple of ways. First, he neglects her, and second, he insults her. "Ha, ha! Are you honest??Are you fair??That if you be honest and fair, your honesty should admit no discourse to your beauty. ?I loved you not? Get thee to a nunnery." Then Hamlet kills Polonius, Ophelia's father, which in turn makes her go mad and in her madness she commits suicide. Hamlet loses objectivity. He does not respect the King nor his mother's feelings. Hamlet meets with his mother and insults her. He calls her a whore and a sinner for marrying a murderer. Since he knows that the King is a murderer, he attempts

Hamlet is not only angered with the fact of his father’s death, but also with his mother’s decision to marry Claudius. Devastated by his mother’s decision to marry so soon after her husband’s death, Hamlet becomes skeptical about women in general. He shows a particular obsession with what he perceives to be a connection with female sexuality and moral corruption. He almost develops hatred towards women because of his mother’s decision. This hatred occurs and is shown with his relationship with Ophelia. He urges Ophelia to go to a nunnery rather than experience the dishonesty of sexuality. This hinders Hamlet from experiencing a love that is really needed at this time of his loss. One can say that this is another flaw, which Hamlet is unaware of.

Ambition can either be to one’s benefit or lead to one’s downfall. In William Shakespeare’s, Macbeth, ambition plays a great role on the characters lives as their actions and ambition shapes their future. Shakespeare showcases how one’s decisions because of their ambitions and overconfidence can lead to their own downfall while examining the actions of Lady Macbeth, King Duncan and Macbeth.

Due to Hamlet’s psychological state, he felt confused and betrayed by his mother. His mother marrying his dead father’s brother opened gates to his madness. To Hamlet’s mind, women represent frailty; they are weak and regard them as an embodiment of weakness. He referred to his mother as a morally and spiritually weak woman as her incestuous inconstancy drove her to remarry immediately after her husband’s death and that she committed a sin. The most notable frailty of Gertrude seems to be that, whether by nature or nurture, she cannot exist without men. He recorded saying that Gertrude, “a little month or ere those shoes were old, with which she followed mo poor father’s body” (1.2.147-148). She needs a man as her guide to her perception

William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet is perhaps one of his most intriguing and scandalous pieces of work. One character who is liable for much of this excitement and outrage is Hamlet’s mother, Queen Gertrude. To some readers and critics, Gertrude is conceived as an erratic, superficial and sensual woman. Others discern the Queen as an earnest, intellectual and sagacious woman whose tragic fault is her yearning for sexual satisfaction. Throughout the text, there are several legitimate arguments for both sides, but in the end, Hamlet seems to sum up the Queen’s true persona with the words “Frailty, thy name is woman”. Evidence of Gertrude’s true nature can be found in many instances through out the play such

Hamlet also metaphorically compares Claudius and Gertrude to pigs in a sty by saying “honeying and making love/Over the nasty sty!” Hamlet feels betrayed and disgusted with his mother and believes that she is subhuman. By comparing this crude animalistic image to Gertrude’s relationship with Claudius, Hamlet reinforces his argument that their relationship is morally wrong and corrupt. In her relationship with Claudius, Gertrude is driven by her sexual needs, which is the physical representation of her inner corruption. His mother’s betrayal leads him to believe that all women are disloyal and dishonest to their husbands. This portrayal of women to Hamlet completely changes his opinions on women. Notably on Ophelia, Hamlet’s girlfriend, due to the fact that in the beginning of the play when Hamlet and Ophelia are having a conversation, Hamlet acts cordially towards Ophelia, but later turns on her and suddenly denies ever loving her. He attacks her with unfounded accusations, claiming, “If thou wilt needs marry,/marry a fool, for wise men know well enough what/monsters you make of them” (III.i.149-151). In this quote, Hamlet’s distrust of women, born from his anger at his

In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Hamlet spews extremely harsh words against his mother Gertrude and his love, Ophelia. Some people may claim that these venomous statements mean that he is misogynistic, but, in fact, Hamlet's anger towards Gertrude and Ophelia stems not from their sex but from their betrayal. Throughout the play, Hamlet viciously attacks more than just the women; he has contempt for every person that betrays him and his father. After he recognizes the magnitude of Claudius' deceptions, Hamlet describes Claudius as a "Bloody, bawdy villain! / Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless / villain!" (Hamlet, II, ii, 607-609). Later, when Hamlet kills Polonius, he feels no remorse and calls the corpse a "wretched, rash,

Hamlet’s sexual deviancy is a defining characteristic of Hamlet, and is an often talked about topic when discussing the play. Hamlet is engrossed in people’s sex lives, whether it is his mother, Gertrude, or his ex-girlfriend, Ophelia. Hamlet’s general distrust and disgust with women makes him a misogynist. Hamlet seems mad that his mother, Gertrude, moved on so quickly to Claudius seeing as it had only been two months since her first husband, Hamlet Sr. died. This seems like a logical response, however Hamlet keeps bringing it up. So much so, that his father’s ghost even says "Taint not thy mind, nor let thy soul contrive / Against thy mother aught: leave her to heaven." (1.5.9) Hamlet shows sign of jealousy toward Claudius as if he is the one who wants to be with his mother, because of this Hamlet

“Frailty, thy name is woman” (1.2. 150)! This controversial line, followed by several more from the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, displays a common view towards women that portrays them as being weak and reliant on men. Throughout the play, two women, Ophelia and Gertrude, are shown to be dependent on the men in their lives. They both take on a senselessly obedient state of mind. Even though they share this common characteristic, Ophelia and Gertrude are very different characters. Ophelia is a beautiful, young woman who is the love interest of the protagonist, Hamlet. Ophelia obeys her father, Polonius, without hesitation and has very little experience with making her own decisions. Gertrude was the wife of Old Hamlet, and is now the wife of Claudius, the current king and Old Hamlet’s brother. Gertrude desires affection and status more than she cares about the truth of what happened to her late husband. The men in this play have no sense of how they treat the females. This patriarchal way of life was prominent in the late 16th century and early 17th century which was about the time that Hamlet was written and performed. This relationship between the genders is interconnected within the play and with society during that particular time period. The characters of Ophelia and Gertrude were solid examples of how women were viewed as inferior to men during this time in history.

Through Hamlet’s soliloquies, he insults his mother more than he praises her. As it is found in his first soliloquy, “Frailty, thy name is woman!” (1.2.146). He calls her weak because he believes that she has married too soon, showing that she may have also been attracted to Claudius before his father’s death. Hamlet is also ashamed of his mother, not only for marrying too soon, but for not being loyal to one man and husband