In Hamlet, Shakespeare depicts the diffusion side of the problematic part in the life of the hero who recoils and leads to his death. The use of death in storytelling offers many pathways to character development and can also carry the theme of the story. Many stories can also be centered around death. In the story of Hamlet, the story begins with the young prince depressed about the death of his father.
Prince Hamlet was ordinary boy just like any other. He was a smart and clever young man and was probably very kind to have many friends and a girlfriend, but after the news of his father’s death, he had changed. Hamlet soon began to shut himself in his room every night and wears nothing but dark clothing. The death of his father
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“ I loved you not.” Towards the middle of his play, Hamlet sees that his uncle appears to act suspicious and proceeds to walk out of the room. This means that what the ghost said must be true and he may now proceed in getting his revenge. Even though the young prince believes that he is pretending, it seems that between the death of his father and the feeling of betrayal by his loved ones has taken its toll on Hamlet.
During a conversation with his mother, Hamlet hears a noise from the tapestry and thought it was Claudius, so he proceeds to stabbing him, but out came Polonius, Ophelias father. Hamlet’s obsession with revenge has caused him to kill an innocent man and unavoidably leads his lover to perish. The death of her father drives Ophelia insane and eventually she drowns causing her brother Laertes to hate Hamlet for destroying his family and teaming up with Claudius to kill the prince. Their plan was to have Laertes fight Hamlet in a fencing match where Laertes will fight with a sword that is coated with poison and later Claudius will offer Hamlet a Cup filled with poison. As the match begins Laertes cuts Hamlet, then they accidentally switch swords and then Hamlet cuts Laertes. Now both boys have been sliced by the poisoned blade and their lives are reaching their end. As Claudius watches the match with Gertrude, too focused on the match to be
When your back is against a wall and it seems that all hope is lost, do not give up. Because if you choose suicide, you will never live to see it get worse, however, you also pass up the chance to see life get better. Suicide is an important, recurring theme in William Shakespeare's, Hamlet, and it is a topic that Hamlet contemplates quite often throughout the play. Hamlet often goes back and forth between to be or not to be, but continues to believe that people although capable of suicide, choose to live. Hamlet is adamant that the unknown, the inconclusiveness of nobility, along with the sin attached to suicide is what ultimately keeps people from taking their own lives.
In William Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet, death is an essential motif in the play. By Hamlet grieving the loss of his noble father, King Hamlet, Hamlet throughout the play seeks to find meaning, in what he now perceives to be, a meaningless world. After the death of Hamlet’s father, Hamlet is revisited by his father’s spirit who has now become a ghost seeking vengeance. The ghost narrates the account of his death to Hamlet and informs him that he was heinously murdered by his brother, Claudius, in which “the serpent that did sting thy father’s life now wears his crown” (1.5.46-47) and has robbed him of his life, crown, and queen. Throughout the play, one can see the role that death plays in shaping Hamlet’s life in which it results in Hamlet contemplating his existence, finding the purpose in his life, and results in him having a discontentedness attitude towards which only be fulfilled by avenging his father’s death.
In the play, Hamlet, Shakespeare leaves you wondering about death. Through the characters in the play, he reveals his own thoughts about death. Does Shakespeare portray a deep understanding of death in this play? The never-ending cycle of death and revenge is evident throughout the entire play.
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.
Hamlet is aware that Claudius murdered his father, and is planning to take Claudius’ life as revenge. Later in the play, Hamlet accidentally kills Polonius, the father of Ophelia and Laertes. Laertes is led to believe that it was not an accident, and he plans revenge on Hamlet. The two characters trying for revenge ends up getting most of the people in the play killed. It is like the famous quote made by Mahatma Gandhi, “An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind.” Often, when people try for revenge, it ends up making the situation worse than it was to begin with. This is one of the major lessons taught in Hamlet. If Hamlet had tried to take a peaceful path instead of a violent revenge, the tragedies in the play might have been avoided
Hamlet is a suspenseful play that introduces the topic of tragedy. Throughout the play, Hamlet displays anger, uncertainty, and obsession with death. Although Hamlet is unaware of it, these emotions cause the mishaps that occur throughout the play. These emotions combined with his unawareness are the leading basis for the tragic hero’s flaws. These flaws lead Hamlet not to be a bad man, but a regular form of imperfection that comes along with being human.
In a following speech Hamlet’s disposition towards the world persists, yet his attitude towards death has undergone a transformation. Previously, Hamlet was quick to proclaim his desire to die, but by the third act he’s become uncertain. This hesitation becomes apparent in Hamlet’s “To be or not to be” speech (3.1.56-90). With those opening words, Hamlet debates whether he should exist or not. The fact that this is still a question for him shows that he continues to be displeased with life. Hamlet asks himself, “Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them? To die to sleep.” This reveals a new concern that Hamlet has, he doesn’t ask what is best for him to do, but rather what is nobler, which makes it apparent that he’s concerned with maintaining his character. Even though he maintains the desire to escape the world and the experience in it, he still cares about the image that he leaves behind. Subsequently, Hamlet uses war-like diction, comparing life to war with “slings and arrows” which makes life intolerable. This just reaffirms the ideas Hamlet has had throughout the play, however, a shift transpires when he mulls over the idea that death is like being asleep. A problem arises when he realizes that even when you sleep you experience, “To sleep; perchance to dream: Ay, there’s the rub.” This could be easily misinterpreted as Hamlet hoping to dream, but perchance
Hamlet is scared because he does not know what happens after you die. He is not afraid to die, but he will not kill himself because he is afraid that he will go to hell. In act 3 scene 3, Hamlet shows his belief in the bible by not killing his father while he is in prayer. He says,
After experiencing a devastating event such as loss or pain, one enters the process of grieving. There are many stages of this series, starting with denial and ending with acceptance. However, some do not encounter all stages and pause at one in particular: anger. Many of William Shakespeare’s works revolve around the universal theme of revenge, in which his characters use to cope with their griefs. One of his earliest-written characters Titus Andronicus suffers from his sons’ deaths and especially his daughter’s mutilation, with whom the general has an affectionate relationship. Later on, Shakespeare created the renowned character of Prince Hamlet, whose uncle kills his father, the King, and marries his mother. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, a revenge
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?”
Death has always been the most debated subject regarding humans belief. It is part of life, yet a mystery nobody has experienced to tell. It is said to drive people's actions, however Death is still a mystery as the whole human race still wonders how it acts on people's lives and what is next after Death. In the play Hamlet, Shakespeare uses the theme of Death to drive the characters actions, and portrays the tragedy through their dialogues and significant symbols to create a tragic atmosphere.
Prince Hamlet, a university student, is an extremely philosophical and thoughtful character. When his father the King of Denmark dies, Hamlet returns home only to be presented with evidence that suggests his uncle Claudius may have been responsible for his father’s murder. In the initial acts of the tragedy, Hamlet seeks to prove his uncle’s guilt and contemplates all of his actions and
In the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, the protagonist, Hamlet is obsessed with the idea of death, and during the course of the play he contemplates death from numerous perspectives. He ponders the physical aspects of death, as seen with Yoricks's skull, his father's ghost, as well as the dead bodies in the cemetery. Hamlet also contemplates the spiritual aspects of the afterlife with his various soliloquies. Emotionally Hamlet is attached to death with the passing of his father and his lover Ophelia. Death surrounds Hamlet, and forces him to consider death from various points of view.
Death can be defined as; the permanent and irreversible cessation of the vital functions that result in the end of one’s life. Death itself can have many different causes such as disease, old age or even something as gruesome as murder. In the Elizabethan era, it seems as though murder was commonly used to solve problems as in several of William Shakespeare's plays, characters are killed so that more dominant characters can obtain what they truly desire. In William Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet death is a prominent theme that is explored in depth throughout the play. Within the play, there are many examples of death; such as the suicide of Ophelia, the unnecessary murder of numerous characters and even Hamlet’s untimely death itself.
"But I am very sorry, good Horatio, /That to Laertes I forgot myself; /For, by the image of my cause, I see/The portraiture of his" (V.2). In seeking to revenge, Hamlet accidentally stabs Polonius, the king's advisor, thus killing the father of Laertes. Hamlet acknowledges, with his sense of higher justice and objectivity, that Laertes has a reason for hating him, given that he is also a parricide. There is a sharp, circular irony to this cycle of revenge. Similarly, Ophelia is driven mad by the death of her father and kills herself. Hamlet, while much of his madness is assumed, is also driven to a state of emotional distress. Laertes, Hamlet, and Ophelia all act irrationally in ways that bring about their death because of the extremity of their grief.