When reading any article, novel or play, readers are always looking for the different themes in the literature, sometimes even unknowingly. By the end of the reading, there is typically one standout theme which has the greatest influence on the plot and the characters. Readers must understand the deeper meaning of the writing and discover which theme in their opinion impacted the play the most. Furthermore, it is very important that the author often leaves much of the story open to interpretation. Shakespeare was particularly fond of allowing his audience and his readers the freedom to interpret the deeper meaning of his work. Of all themes in the play “Hamlet”, the concept of memory is the most influential, more specifically, the memory …show more content…
Gertrude’s faded memory of her late husband caused her inability to see the ghost. Gertrude did everything in her power to forget the memory of King Hamlet, she remarried as soon after his funeral as possible, also, unlike Hamlet, Gertrude has a very realistic view on life, “Thou know’s ‘tis common; all that lives must die”, Gertrude’s realistic view caused her to move on much quicker than Hamlet. Likewise, her husband, King Claudius, was still facing an internal guilt for murdering his own brother, this guilt caused King Claudius to do everything in his power to forget his brother. Additionally, Gertrude was always very easily influenced by men, she remarried to Claudius very quickly, she then quickly agreed to help Hamlet cover up his madness from Claudius in Act 3 Scene 3, and finally she hastily told Claudius about Hamlet killing Polonius despite promising to keep that secret. Due to Gertrude being so easily influenced, Claudius could easily manipulate her into forgetting about King Hamlet. Finally, Hamlet sees the ghost the first time while he is depressed, and constantly reminiscing about his father. In Act 2, Scene 2 Hamlet questions the ghosts honesty, claiming that perhaps it “May be a devil”, Hamlet will be unable to see the ghost again until he is certain that the ghost is honest, when King Claudius shows his guilt during the play. Despite the play being open to
While he muses to himself about Gertrude's conduct, Hamlet hears Horatio, Marcellus, and Barnardo arrive. Hamlet quickly says, "But break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue" (I, ii. 159). He realizes that it is best for him to keep his thoughts and plans to himself, because to do otherwise is to breach the rules of hierarchy. Soon, Hamlet does appear "mad" in his appearance by looking unkempt, and Queen Gertrude attributes this to her husband's death and to her "o'er-hasty marriage" to Claudius (II, ii. 56-57). Thus, when Hamlet rebukes her in public and in private, Queen Gertrude does not become angry. Instead, she feels sorry for him and feels somewhat guilty about her remarriage. When Hamlet suggests for her to take a look in the mirror, Gertrude admits that Hamlet has "turn'st [her] eyes into [her] very soul" (III, iv. 79). Had she thought that Hamlet was sane, Gertrude might not have been as tender towards her son as she was. Hamlet at this point is sane but also very bitter. He says, "I will speak daggers to her, but use none" (III, ii. 366). A madman would have used a real dagger and carried out the rash action of murdering his own mother. When Hamlet speaks to the ghost in Gertrude's room, the Queen believes that her son has truly gone mad. Gertrude pities Hamlet, but even if the ghost only exists in Hamlet's imagination, the apparition functions as his conscience. The ghost reminds Hamlet not to stray from his goal, which
From the beginning of his and his mother’s conversation Hamlet was very angry and on edge with her for being with his father’s murderer. Hamlet somehow knew someone was eavesdropping on their conversation as he had been spied on previously. He suddenly decides to act out of fury thinking how angry he was at Claudius and kills who’s behind the curtain, thinking it was Claudius. Hamlet realizes after that he killed the wrong man, it had been Polonius that he killed but he didn’t care much saying that Polonius was a fool. Hamlet sees the ghost again after and the ghost tells Hamlet he still must carry out his revenge for his father because he had failed .
Hamlet's rant to persuade her that Claudius is a bad man and the murderer of his father depicts his disrespect to his mother. For instance, he tells her, "You go not till I set you up a glass / Where you may see the inmost part of you." (III.iv.20-21) He is threatening his own mother! Later, he addresses her as "thou wretched, rash, intruding fool" (III.iv.32) Even though Gertrude's lust for Claudius aggravates him, Hamlet fails to show even the most fundamental respect to his superior. The relationship is full of disloyalty and distrust from Gertrude's part. First, she appeases, "Be thou assured... I have no life to breathe what thou hast said to me." (III.iv.201-203) It is assumed that she will listen to Hamlet and stay away from Claudius. However, in the next act, she displays her true loyalty to her husband, telling him that Hamlet is "in this brainish apprehension kills / The unseen good old man." (IV.I.12-13) This is partially contributed by her observations of her son talking to a ghost that she doesn't see. Polonius' death causes her to think Hamlet is dangerous, further driving the two apart. Her distrust to her son harms him by further solidifying Claudius' plan to execute him in England because the king sees him as a threat to the throne who is capable of killing. In the end, Hamlet and Gertrude's relationship take a bittersweet ending.
In the play by William Shakespeare, the ghost of King Hamlet approaches his mourning and depressed son, Hamlet, who is still affected by his death. The ghost explains to Hamlet how he died and demands that Hamlet avenge his death. Note how the ghost approaches Hamlet when he’s the weakest and still mourning to persuade and manipulate him into taking revenge for him. In Act one Scene 5 the ghost states, “If thou didst ever thy dear father love-/ Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder.” The way King Hamlet words his request is more as a challenge; in which Hamlet’s love for his dead father can only be proven by carrying out whatever his father wishes. The ghost influences most Hamlet’s behavior, which not only affects the plot, but also the relationships with other characters. The ghost influences the relationship between Hamlet and his mother, Gertrude. He becomes angry at Gertrude because of her fast marriage with his uncle Claudius. Through the use of innuendos, antic disposition, and metamorphic plays, Hamlet makes it his duty to get King Claudius back for killing his father. Hamlet agreed to avenge his father without second thought. As the play advances, Hamlet begins to doubt the apparition. In act 3 Hamlet begins to have second thoughts and states, “The spirit that I have seen/ May be a devil…” This shows Hamlet’s inner conflict between listening to his father and avenging his death or following his ethics. To be sure that Claudius
As a result of Gertrude’s absence in Hamlets life during the time of his father’s death, Hamlet felt like he was invisible. He felt as if nobody loved him or was paying attention to him. Because he felt like nobody noticed him, he turned to acting like he had gone crazy. Gertrude was only paying attention to Claudius, and if Hamlet acted like he was crazy, it may draw the attention to himself
Gertrude appears oblivious to the fact that Claudius killed King Hamlet to take over the crown and to have her. Her decision to marry her deceased husband’s brother had a lot of people questioning her sanity also. “The funeral baked meats Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables” (Shakespeare 17). Gertrude had gotten married so quick after the funeral of King Hamlet that the food from the funeral catered for the wedding. During the play that Hamlet produced to show people what Claudius had done, she was blind to the fact that it was actually Claudius that he was talking about. Due to Hamlet knowing the truth, Claudius has been trying to kill him.
In addition, Gertrude goes through a moment where she is figuratively blind when making a judgment. When Hamlet told her about how King Hamlet was killed she didn’t believe it. He says she has been blind this whole time to it and even though Claudius appears innocent he is not. Gertrude married soon after King Hamlet’s death because her love and loneliness blinded her. This led to her to make incestuous actions. Hamlet is annoyed with his mother and how naive she is to his father’s death:
William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Hamlet relays Hamlet’s quest to avenge the murder of his father, the king of Denmark. The late King Hamlet was murdered by his brother, Claudius, who took the throne and Hamlet’s mother Gertrude for himself. Hamlet is beseeched by the ghost of his father to take vengeance upon Claudius; while he swears to do so, the prince inexplicably delays killing Claudius for months on end. Hamlet’s feeble attempt to first confirm his uncle’s guilt with a play that recounts the murder and his botched excuses for not killing Claudius when the opportunity arises serve as testimony to Hamlet’s true self. Hamlet is riddled with doubt towards the validity of the ghost and his own ability to carry out the act necessary to
When the ghost talks privately to Hamlet, he learns not only about the murder of his father, but also about the unfaithfulness and adultery of his mother. Gertrude was seduced by “that incestuous, that adulterate beast,/With witchcraft of his wit, with traitorous gifts” – Claudius himself – prior to his brother’s passing. “So lust, though to a radiant angel link'd,/Will sate itself in a celestial bed,/And prey on garbage.” In the mind of Hamlet, this drastically reduces the goodness of womankind generally. Hamlet chooses to use an “antic disposition” to disguise his actions as he maneuvers to kill the one who poisoned his father in the garden. Wilkie and Hurt say that Shakespeare “is particularly fond of double-plotting” (2156).
When the ghost talks privately to Hamlet, he learns not only about the murder of his father, but also about the unfaithfulness and adultery of his mother. Gertrude was seduced by “that incestuous, that adulterate beast,/With witchcraft of his wit, with traitorous gifts” – Claudius himself – prior to his brother’s passing. “So lust, though to a radiant angel link'd,/Will sate itself in a celestial bed,/And prey on garbage.” In the mind of Hamlet, this drastically reduces the goodness of womankind generally. Hamlet chooses to use an “antic disposition” to disguise his actions as he maneuvers to kill the one who poisoned his father in the garden. Wilkie and Hurt say that Shakespeare “is particularly fond of double-plotting.” (2156)
Mirroring the ghost’s initial preoccupation with Gertrude’s relationship with Claudius, Hamlet confronts his mother during their Act 3 meeting in her private room, and in the second quarto version of the play, laments that she lives “In the ranck sweat of an inseemed bed/ Stewed in corruption, honying, and making loue/ Ouer the nasty stie” (3.4.2469-2471). This vivid depiction of his mother’s sexuality reveals Hamlet’s passionate disgust for Gertrude’s actions. Additionally, it demonstrates the strong impact of the ghost’s initial statements on his son. However, in the first quarto, these lines are omitted from
Gertrude realizes Hamlet’s madness after this and speaks to Claudius about it. Hamlet is so paranoid that he kills the once love of his lives father and doesn’t even feel guilty about it even after he finds out who it truly was behind that curtain.
In his attempt to "catch the conscience of the king" with The Mousetrap (2.2.558), Hamlet tells Horatio that if Claudius' "occulted guilt/ Do not itself unkennel in one speech,/It is a damned ghost that we have seen" (3.2.70-72). The significance of Hamlet's dilemma is that it shows Hamlet to be very vulnerable and he seems only subconsciously aware of it. It is this vulnerability that makes the character of Hamlet problematic to the reader/audience because it leads to the blurring of the boundaries of right action and wrong judgment. On hearing of the appearance of his father's ghost, Hamlet exclaims: "My father's spirit, in arms! All is not well./ I doubt some foul play."(1.2.254-255). His expectations that something is wrong is confirmed when the ghost tells him of Claudius' treachery. In this sense, Hamlet is willing to believe in the ghost even before he hears the ghost speaks as he "waxes desperate with imagination" (1.4.87). Then, as the ghost starts to speak, he tells Hamlet to "List, list, oh list!"(1.5.22), pouring into the latter's ears the verbal poison that juxtaposes words like "foul", "unnatural" and "lust" with words like "virtuous queen" and "marriage", "royal bed"(1.5.25-83). It seems that the ghost is trying to place a constant and elevated value on the royal marriage only if it includes having him as the rightful king. Yet life, marriage and death are cycles and not fixed points and death of one spouse
One of the Ghosts most poignant effects on Hamlet is pointed out by L.C. Knights in Hamlet and Death, where he explains that “Hamlet’s exclusive concentration upon things rank and gross and his consequent recoil from life as a whole determine his attitude to death, which also is purely one of negation”. While Hamlet declares the Ghost’s commandment will live in his brain ‘unmixed with baser matter’, he immediately switches to a vicious verbal assault on Gertrude as a ‘most pernicious woman!’ and Claudius as a
Gertrude fools herself by thinking everything she has done is justified because of Claudius who influenced her thoughts. She needs Hamlet to show her all the wrong she has done, she cannot realize herself. While Hamlet and the Ghost of Hamlet’s father are talking, Hamlet’s father talks about Gertrude,