Tragedy Of Hamlet Analysis

Shakespeare uses Horatio to unfold the story of Hamlet, beginning with the opening scene all the way until Hamlet’s death. In Act 1, Horatio foreshadows what is in store for Denmark and Hamlet. After encountering the Ghost once before, Horatio becomes skeptical of its presence. Although Horatio has now seen the Ghost, unlike before when the knights spoke to him of it, he fears that it has appeared to share some dark news. "A mote to trouble the mind’s eye/In the most high and palmy state of Rome/A little ere the mightiest Julius fell,.../And prologue to the omen coming on," (1.1.112-115) Horatio's skeptical, yet fearful, tone introduces suspense and wonder. By referring to Julius Caesar's fall, and the loss of order in Rome that occurred afterward, Horatio suggests that King Hamlet's death might ensure chaos in the near future. "And even the like precursor of feared events...Have heaven and earth together demonstrated/Unto our climatures and countrymen," (1.1.121-125) Horatio tells the knights that nature itself is giving Denmark and its people a warning. Although he is unsure about the Ghost’s motive for visiting, Horatio believes that telling Hamlet about its appearances is essential. “ Let us impart what we have seen tonight/ Unto young Hamlet...Do you consent we shall acquaint him with it/ As needful in our loves, fitting our duty?” (1.1.184-188)

In William Shakespeare's play Hamlet the reader is presented with a handful of characters, all of which have their own emotions and different reactions to different scenarios. The main character in Hamlet is of course Hamlet, the prince of Denmark who comes to find from the ghost of his father that his father was murdered by Hamlet’s uncle. Hamlet is incredibly intelligent and is very melancholy as seen in his reaction to his father's death and murder. Hamlet sometimes hesitates to do things, then other times acts on the spot making him unpredictable. Then we have Horatio, who in the end is the only character left standing. Horatio is first heard from in act one, scene one talking to the guards outside the castle about a ghost of the late

Shakespeare introduces the characters and briefly tells us that the prince of Denmark, Hamlet, has discovered his father was murdered by the new king and is now seeking revenge. Hamlet goes about this in the most unconventional way, by feigning madness. Hamlet informs his trusted friends of his plot and commands them to never speak of it, "But come, here, as before, never, so help you mercy, how strange or odd so e'er I bear myself -that you, at such time seeing me, never shall, -by pronouncing of some doubtful phrase, -that you know aught of me -this do swear, so grace and mercy at your most need help you," (I.V.189.) Hamlet has convinced the residents of Elsinore that his false persona of madness is true and towards the end of the play, I believe this act wasn't much of an act at all. Shakespeare ends the play with Hamlet putting his uncle, the king, to death and Hamlet's euphoric feeling of revenge is short lived, "Had I but time -as this fell sergeant, Death, is strict in his arrest -O, I could tell you- but let it be. Horatio I am dead, thou livest," (V.II.346.) Hamlet sacrificed his chance at love, lordship, and normality to prove the truth and once he achieved that task, it seemed he was at

The exposition in Hamlet is in constant development throughout act I, scenes i and ii, as the characters, in a natural way, give the audience information about the current state of Denmark. From the first scene of act I, it is revealed that the characters Horatio, Bernardo, Francisco, and Marcellus, are guards for the palace in Denmark. As they speak, the audience realizes that for the last few nights an apparition has been appearing at the same time every night, midnight, the time when the play begins. More exposition is then revealed through Horatio as he speaks about the ghost and it’s possible relationship to the previous war against Norway, as well as the effects the war had on the characters present.

Hamlet is the Prince of Denmark who is a university student that enjoys contemplation of difficult questions and tasks. Upon Hamlet’s arrival home from university he ascertains that his father the King of Denmark has passed and his death was incorporated with foul play. Hamlet is a character that tends to act out of pure intellect and persistent logic he also tends to suppress his natural instincts and over uses his intellect. Hamlet is seen as a symbol of revenge, being enigmatic there is slack there to understand that there is more to Hamlet than what is being said. Hamlet’s behavior is certainly explainable with thorough analysis of the text. Hamlets reactionary response is what creates and sets the mood for the play also his love for

Isolation. An eerie dread, a detachment, an unwelcome independence. A feeling that everyone expects to feel at some point, yet are never prepared for. Why? Why do we accept that we’ll feel isolated if we aren’t going to be prepared when the feeling actually hits us? Maybe because despite it being a common emotion, it’s not one brought about naturally. Hamlet, for example, didn’t begin to feel isolated from those around him until the tragic death of his king. After which, he saw the true colours of those around him, and began to feel isolated.

When lining the characters Beowulf and Hamlet side by side many will not see the parallels of these characters instead, only the differences. At a first glance, we see Beowulf, the strong warrior who died whilst defeating three gruesome monsters, then Hamlet, the awkward and fearful prince who died trying to fulfill a foolish act of hatred. Ultimately, we view them as hero and anti-hero. However, we must not judge each character on who they are at the surface. Instead, we must see and understand, for ourselves, who this character is by analyzing their motives and actions. Often our initial thoughts on individuals turn out to be wrong. Hamlet is not as evil as he is made out to be, and Beowulf is not as selfless as one may believe. Rather,

An inextricable belief in fate centers this bitter epistemological com ëment. In Hamlet’s world, birth alone is a telling reason and excuse for tainted character (1.4.24-26, 1.5.91). But heaven takes part as well; “there’s a special providence in the fall of a sparrow”(5.2.230-231). Taken together, this realization of inequity and the apparently long understood mechanism of biological predestination, are staggering to Horatio’s sweet prince. If such biological predestination is true, then how should Hamlet understand the base actions of his family members and of himself? Either his family are impostors to nobility or this idea of predestination is faulty. The play gives ample evidence of a prince who has long dallied in philosophy and seldom lived in the world. Indeed, the transparent nonsense that a person may not exceed his birth is indicative of this. Like Joyce’s Stephen Dedalus, Hamlet glamorizes death through his sable clothes. Claudius?and Gertrude’s advice is honest, sincere, and worldly: death is the most commonplace of occurrences: accept it and nmove on. When the murder is revealed, progression

Shakespeare uses conflict within the play Hamlet to inject facts that provide a deeper meaning to the entire work. Hamlet wishes that God had not made “self-slaughter” a sin, explicitly stated, “O that this too too solid flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew! Or that the Everlasting had not fix’d His canon ’gainst self-slaughter! O God! O God! ...It is not, nor it cannot come to good; But break my heart,—for I must hold my tongue.” (Act 1, Sn 2, ln 129–158), demonstrating Hamlet’s friction with his life and his contemplation of suicide. Furthermore, Shakespeare’s usage of phrases with hid meaning brings a new depth to the story that could not be achieved through other methods. At the end of Act 1.4, the guard Marcellus says to Horatio, “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark" (Act 1, Sn 4, ln 67), meaning that the ghost of Hamlet’s father is a representation of Denmark. The ghost is being used as a metaphor for a sickly kingdom that needs to be doctored before it may prosper once again. Hamlet is notorious for having one of the most well-known soliloquies in written records, with it having stemmed from the conflict between the king and prince. During one of Hamlet’s independent rants, “To be, or not to be:

“Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder”{1.5.31}. This task from the ghost of Hamlet’s father becomes Hamlet’s main struggle throughout the course of the play The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare. This play takes place mostly in the royal castle of Denmark in the late middle ages. The play follows Hamlet in his quest to determine the truthfulness of the ghost and to avenge the death of his father. In the play, major characters include Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude, Laertes, Polonius, and Ophelia. Claudius is the King of Denmark and the ghosts brother and murderer. Gertrude is the Queen of Denmark and was married to the ghost but is now married to Claudius. Laertes is the son of Polonius and is very

Horatio himself states this after seeing the ghost of King Hamlet. The backstory of the war between Denmark (King Hamlet) and Norway (King Fortinbras) provides context for the “bad omen” that Horatio speaks about. The fact that young Fortinbras is planning to take revenge and that the ghost is in full battle armor foreshadows a very likely clash between the two nations. The sense of unease that Horatio and the guards feel may also relate to the fact that King Hamlet was secretly murdered (revealed later in the play). Overall, this scene provides context and sets up a sense of unease and darkness that will continue throughout the play.

Shakespeare’s Hamlet opens on a Danish castle filled with royals and nobles shortly after King Hamlet has died, secretly murdered by his brother Claudius. Claudius takes the throne and marries King Hamlet’s former wife, much to the chagrin of King Hamlet’s son, Prince Hamlet. When an apparition seeming to be King Hamlet’s ghost appears and warns Prince Hamlet of his uncle’s treachery, Prince Hamlet initiates a coup to avenge his father’s murder. This leads Hamlet and most of his companions to repeatedly misrepresent themselves or fall prey to hypocrisy, often with dire consequences. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, superficiality and artificiality typically accompany one another, and both tend to prove their false realities true with great injury to

The corrupt state of Denmark presents itself at the beginning of the play. Following the death of his father, Hamlet, the first-born son, should be the heir to the throne. Unfortunately, Claudius robs Hamlet of this right. Claudius marries Hamlet’s mother making him the king. Hamlet at this point is unaware that his uncle Claudius killed his father, but still has developed a hatred of Claudius, because of him marrying Hamlet’s mother. Hamlet’s purpose to become a soldier and defeat his uncle, first begins when Claudius is receiving his kingship. Hamlet demonstrates his despise of Claudius through demeaning allusions. Hamlet’s first comparison, establishes his father as superior to Claudius: “ so excellent a king; that was, to this, Hyperion to a satyr” ( I. ii. 143-144). Hamlet characterizes his late father as a titan, but as his uncle is taking over the throne, Hamlet compares Claudius to a drunk and lustful beast. Hamlet clearly has strong opinions, but what distinguishes him as a scholar, instead of a soldier, is the fact that in this scene he will not verbalize them. Hamlet decides not to attack Claudius yet, instead deciding “ I must hold my tongue” ( 164). Hamlet is not yet a soldier, instead Hamlet needs to be pushed to into acting.

On a cold night, Bernardo is on night watch at the palace. He is joined by Horatio and Marcellus. Bernardo and Marcellus have seen a ghost the previous night. The ghost was the former king of Denmark, Old Hamlet, fully adorned in his armor. Horatio is a scholar who can confirm the appearance of the ghost. Horatio is skeptical that the ghost will appear, yet when the ghost does, Bernardo and Marcellus urge Horatio to speak to the figure. Horatio refuses, and the ghost suddenly disappears.

seen by Hamlet, Horatio and Marcellus try to hold Hamlet back from advancing towards the