William Shakespeare 's ' Hamlet '

The following are journal entries for our reading of Hamlet. Each entry should be completed after we have finished reading and/or viewing that scene in class. The purpose is to prepare you for class discussion; therefore, you should have something written for each entry before we discuss it in class (even if it’s only a question). See Ms. M with questions ahead of time – don’t expect to be given answers in class! Be sure to cite textual evidence to support all your answers – remember to record act, scene and line numbers.

One of the best known pieces of literature throughout the world, Hamlet is also granted a position of excellence as a work of art. One of the elements which makes this play one of such prestige is the manner in which the story unfolds. Throughout time, Shakespeare has been renowned for writing excellent superlative opening scenes for his plays. By reviewing Act 1, Scene 1 of Hamlet, the reader is able to establish a clear understanding of events to come. This scene effectively sets a strong mood for the events to come, gives important background information, and introduces the main characters. With the use of this information, it is simple to see how Shakespeare manages to create stories with such everlasting appeal.

Hamlet is as much a story of emotional conflict, paranoia, and self-doubt as it is one of revenge and tragedy. The protagonist, Prince Hamlet of Denmark, is instructed by his slain father’s ghost to enact vengeance upon his uncle Claudius, whose treacherous murder of Hamlet’s father gave way to his rise to power. Overcome by anguish and obligation to avenge his father’s death, Hamlet ultimately commits a number of killings throughout the story. However, we are not to view the character Hamlet as a sick individual, but rather one who has been victimized by his own circumstances.

Quintessentially speaking, revenge is a thing that many have sought in response to a tragic event unfolding. Typically, as a result, vengeance is contemplated upon by the victim as a means of retribution, a way of making things right and seeking justice on the behest of the victim, if the law will not grant justice through due process due to corrupt forces stemmed deep within it- corrupt seeds of a corrupt plant. Therefore, revenge become an apparent option for those willing to walk that path [of no return]. However, instances of revenge not being attained in the “clear cut” way it is ordinarily acquired have occurred from time to time throughout history. One of the most prominent examples of unconventional revenge attainment can be found within the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, entailing the revenge path walked by its eponymously named main character, Prince Hamlet. Specifically, his intentful delay in attaining his revenge against his uncle Claudius for his direct role in the death of his father, King Hamlet. This literary conundrum has dumbfounded literary critics for over 400 years and counting- due to the fact that a universally accepted consensus amongst them as well as the general public as to why Hamlet delayed his revenge has not yet been reached.

In the revenge play ‘The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark’ by William Shakespeare, Hamlet has one true confidant that sticks to his side for his entire life. Some believe that Hamlet’s confidante, Horatio, is insignificant to the play’s development. However, it is undeniable that Horatio is the one true friend that is full of compassion and composure in all of his appearances. He foreshadows events and follows his gut instinct when facing a predicament. Although he has a confident feeling about right and wrong, Horatio ultimately succumbs to Hamlet’s desires. Horatio loves Hamlet, and expresses his friendship through honesty and compassion, without expecting anything, such as praise, in return. Without Horatio’s humbleness, guidance, and love, Hamlet may have died much earlier, and the play would not have had a character who lived for the best interest of his or her best friend.

Being indecisive means not showing or having the ability to make a decision. Not making a decision quickly and efficiently. In the book Hamlet, the main character, the prince of Denmark. Hamlet has shown that he is indecisive throughout the book. Hamlet shows that he is mostly indecisive when it comes to his father’s death, King Hamlet. Hamlet also doesn’t trust anybody. Hamlet can’t even trust his own family or his girlfriend. Hamlet has been acting like he is mad because he doesn’t want to confront people so he just acts like he is crazy. Hamlet always acts with an impulse, Hamlet can only show bravery when it doesn’t involve his family. Such as when his boat was attacked in England by pirates. At this point Hamlet just doesn’t know what to do with his life. Everything is moving too fast, like his mom getting married quick after his father’s death. Also the fact that Gertrude married Hamlets uncle is just too much for Hamlet right now.

Hamlet’s character drastically develops over the first four acts of Hamlet, and his character development is most evident through the soliloquys he delivers throughout the play. The most character development can be seen from the first soliloquy, to the second, the third, the sixth, and the seventh and final soliloquy. Hamlet’s inner conflict with his thoughts and his actions are well analyzed in his soliloquys, as well as his struggles with life and death, and his very own existence. He begins the play wondering what purpose he has in life now that his father is dead and his mother has remarried to his uncle. After finding out foul play was involved in his father’s death, he is motivated by revenge. Finally, he wonders how he can enact his revenge while continuously overthinking and overanalyzing his actions.

Hamlet is one of literature's most loved, as well as most complex, characters. Incredibly fluid and dynamic, Hamlet changes frequently and is found in many varying states throughout Shakespeare's play. For this reason, critics have long debated over Hamlet's true character, motivations and meaning. ` Shakespeare choses to introduce Hamlet to the reader after his father's death has occurred. Thus we never experience a pre-tragedy Hamlet, and only see him veiled in an “inky cloak” of depressed mourning.

In William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet, it is clearly evident Prince Hamlet is overcome with “madness” due to his father’s murder and other malicious actions taken against him. Throughout the play, there are many examples of how Hamlet displays his insanity due to certain situations he experiences and how he handles them. Hamlet shows his madness through the killing of Polonius, his treatment of Ophelia, his thoughts of suicide, and the treatment of his mother Gertrude.

In William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, much of the underlying reasoning and causes for subsequent actions are seen in Act II. The plot begins to thicken and the reader starts to anticipate or even assume what will happen next. It is in this act that Hamlet’s central image starts to develop and even shift his external conflict to more of an internal one. As a result, his relationships with people become more strained and end up playing as an element in his act of madness.

The play Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, is set in an anti-feminist era. Women traditionally have been seen inferior to men. This was an intellectual as well as a physical issue. Women were to raise a family, cook, clean, be pretty and not be smarter than any man. The main characters Ophelia and Gertrude are both depicted with these characteristics as powerless and frail people. This illustration of helpless women affects one's understanding of what their true selves could be.

Throughout the play, granted his pensive and emotional nature, Hamlet does eventually evolve due to much moral and virtuous growth, and while he never reaches the standards of a prince qualified to oversee a nation, he does outgrow the role of the politically subordinate fawner. Internal growth occurred when Hamlet finally learned to differentiate between his true self in relation to his perception of self. His initial fits of madness and antic dispositions made this differentiation vaguer, as these episodes had called into question his mental stability. When presented on a public platform, Hamlet’s stability seemed to be deteriorating; however, in reviewing his introspective side, its clear that he feels great pain due to his father’s death, as demonstrated by his constant contemplation surrounding how he can best handle the situation. It is when Hamlet discovers his sense of self that he develops a sense of virtue that begins to allow him to exhibit both characteristics of integrity and justice; however, it is not until the accidental murder of his mother that Hamlet develops the motivation of social justice in conjunction with virtue. This being said, the struggle for a balance of justice and virtue does not occur until Hamlet feels that he has contributed to upholding social justice by convicting those responsible for their crimes. This notion of imbalance is especially present in Hamlet’s plan to get revenge for his father’s

William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet, seemingly a play about a depressed young Hamlet who comes to terms with life and strikes back at what is wrong around him with integrity and fervor, ends in what can be described as nothing less than a massacre of not only the royal family, including our supposed hero, Hamlet, but the fall of a once powerful nation. The question that becomes of this bloody sequence of events is how did it end this way? The answer is that perhaps our protagonist, Hamlet, is to blame. According to Tiffany Stern in Making Shakespeare from Stage to Page, it is the expectation of the singing angels after Hamlet’s death that never arrive that show that “perhaps this is an acknowledgement of the havoc Hamlet has wrought. Denmark…has been reduced to a client of Norway…largely as the result of Hamlet’s actions”. Throughout the play, one sees Hamlet as incapable of positive action, rash, and on the verge of madness.

William Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet” is the most famous Shakespeare play (Frequently Asked Questions). It is set in 1600’s Denmark. There is a big complaint by high school and college students that the play is too hard to read due to the language used by William Shakespeare. However, there are many adaptations that have been made using this play. One of these adaptations is called “Thug Notes” and is on YouTube. This adaptation uses very informal language, but is able to convey the most important plot points found in the play. Adaptations are great formats to help students better understand a written work, but sometimes the adaptations differs from the original piece.

Hamlet is a revenge tragedy play that took place in Denmark. This play has many aspects that contrast with the role of a queen in the Shakespearian era. To manifest the worthiness of a queen is quite difficult for Queen Gertrude.