Why Does Shakespeare Use Situational Irony In Hamlet

Dramatic irony is in speeches or a situation of drama and is understood by the audience but not grasped by the characters in the play. For instance when Judge Danforth and Elizabeth Proctor were talking; Danforth: "We are given to understand that at one time you dismissed your servant, Abigail Williams...Why did you dismiss Abigail Williams?" Elizabeth:"She dissatisfied me; And my husband" (Act IV). This quotes shows dramatic irony when Elizabeth lies to protect Johns reputation, but what she does not know is that John himself has already confessed to adultery. Thus both of their reputations are damaged, John’s for adultery and Elizabeths for

In Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” you can see situational irony and a lot of dramatic irony. In one scene, Hamlet is talking with Ophelia and he finally tells her that he doesn’t love her. Hamlet claims to not love Ophelia, but if you take a closer look into everything, it looks as if he is just saying it so he

William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a tragic story about two lovers who are from two disputing families, and their eventual suicides. Shakespeare uses dramatic irony throughout the play to create tension for the audience and foreshadow the ending. Dramatic irony is when the words or actions of characters in a story have a different meaning to the reader than to the characters. This is because the reader knows something that the characters do not. Romeo and Juliet’s death could have been prevented if the characters in the story weren’t so ignorant of their situations, and often times the reader recognizes this.

Dramatic irony is when the audience or reader knows the words and actions of the characters in a work of literature, but certain characters in the story do not know them. The reader or audience has a greater knowledge of many of the characters themselves. Shakespeare employs dramatic irony in many of his tragedies; so that the audience is engaged, and so they are able to witness characters errors in their action, predict the fate of the characters, and experience feelings of tragedy and grief. As a tragedy, Hamlet deals with the problems that arise as a result of Hamlet's attempt to avenge his father's death. Throughout the play Hamlet is on the search of his self, while his actions are shaping who he really is. As he is attempting to

William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” is a tragedy that tells the unfortunate fate of a royal family. One would expect nothing but sadness in such a story. However, this is not the case. Besides the story being a tragedy, Shakespeare uses humor as a hint to the characters of the tragedy that Hamlet has gone “insane” due to the death of his father. Furthermore, humor serves as comic relief throughout the tragedy.

In the play Othello, Shakespeare uses many literary devices to help the reader understand the theme of the story. One of those many literary devices used in the play, is the wide range of irony. Throughout the pages of the book the reader will see the use of dramatic, situational, and verbal irony. Shakespeare does not use irony in an understated way, it is very direct, and can be found on almost every page of the book. The use of irony creates suspense, and adds interest as to what will happen.

-Shakespeare employs dramatic irony in many of his tragedies, so that the audience is engaged, and so they are able to witness characters errors in their action, predict the fate of the characters, and experience feelings of tragedy and grief.

In the first scene of Act II, Ophelia illustrates Hamlet's appearance to her father. She describes him by saying how he has “a look so piteous in purport / As if he had been loosed out of hell” (II.i.82-83). Polonius interprets Hamlet's state as him being madly in love with Ophelia; however, Hamlet is upset over his father's death and his mother for marrying Claudius. This is an example of dramatic irony because while the audience knows the real reason as to why Hamlet is upset, Polonius does not.

Shakespeare uses comedy in many of his books, plays, and movies. Although this comedy is not explicitly shown throughout his works, they are hidden in order to provide a release from all of the tension/drama of all of the tension in his writing. In this play/book, Hamlet (the main character) uses comedy in order to relax or calm himself while going through a rough patch in life. Many of the other characters used the same method in order to take away from the tension. All throughout this play/book, the characters used comedy in different ways, yet they still are a breakaway from the focus.

Seeking revenge can cause a person to turn insane and blindly seek retaliation. Shakespeare’s Hamlet contemplates revenge throughout the story. Madness and revenge are similar themes in the movie, The Lion King, where the main character, Simba, is faced with the death of his father, leading him to do whatever it takes to seek revenge. This is where madness usually is introduced as a problem within a character, and this problem leads to the character doing things that they don’t usually do, sometimes dangerous things. The fathers of both Hamlet and Simba die, and the only one to blame is someone trusted amongst them. They seek revenge for their father’s unjust deaths. Betrayal, love and loss drive both characters to seek revenge. The death of their fathers leads them to go mad, and this mental state leads to them questioning the motives of close people in their lives.

Throughout the play, Shakespeare begins to show the basics of Hamlet’s mind, striving to show, as to why he remains inactive and unsure throughout majority of the play. Firstly, “…but know, thou know noble youth/ The serpent that did sting thy father’s life/ Now wears his crown” (Act I. v. 39-40). As the Ghost tells Hamlet his father’s real murder, Shakespeare begins to show the reader, that the protagonist is encountering the Shadow archetype, which represents unknown characteristics of the main character. The reader is shown with the presence of the Shadow archetype, that Hamlet’s concealed suspicion regarding the death of his father, which was considered as an accident, turns into an urge to seek revenge. This archetype reveals to us Hamlet’s inner desires to kill his Uncle Claudius. Furthermore, “…your noble son is mad:/ Mad call I it, for, to define true madness,/ What is’t but to be nothing else but mad?” (Act II. ii. 92-94). Polonius tells the Queen and King that Hamlet is insane for Ophelia, as a result, the Anima archetype is represented by a member of the opposite sex. As for Hamlet, it is a sign of feminine desires he once had for Ophelia, who were once lovers. However, he ignores the affection he has towards Ophelia, in order to focus on his pursuit for vengeance. Moreover, “I have some rights of memory in this kingdom,/ Which now to claim my vantage doth invite me” (Act V.ii.379-380). Fortinbras and Hamlet’s motive is to avenge their

Take a look at any major action/drama television show on air today and you won 't find one that doesn 't have a character who is avoiding some sort of conflict by pretending like it doesn 't exist. The reason this character exist is because we can relate to them. We have all been guilty at some point in our lives of trying to act like a conflict we 've had has not existed or been a problem at all. In William Shakespeare 's Hamlet we are bombarded with characters that are avoiding conflict by acting like they don 't exist. Although majority of my classmates felt Hamlet was a play about revenge, I believe Shakespeare is addressing the issue of chaos and how it cannot be rectified by conjuring up a false reality; it only pushes the conflict

Hamlet is one of the play’s I’ve read throughout this course and I’ve gained many insights as to what dramatic irony could be. Moreover, I was able to make connections with American Gangster and Hamlet because the audience had a better idea of what was happening more than the characters. This is because, in American Gangster, Frank Lucas didn’t know that the police, Richard Robert’s, was trying to uncover Frank’s heroin business. Hamlet also includes a dramatic irony when the audience realized it was Hamlet’s uncle that killed the king. Through the Dramatic irony, it established a suspenseful effect that influenced me to continue

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is perhaps the most significant tragedy ever written in literature to date. Hamlet is a reflection of everyday life at some point. Revenge against one another is commonly used in comparison Hamlet to modern life. Shakespeare’s Hamlet eloquently uses foreshadowing and other literary techniques to portray the insanity of Hamlet, which lead to his downfall. “Hamlet’s test assumes that a criminal, when confronted with his deeds, confesses his guilt through visible, physical responses” (Mendes 269). Hamlet ultimately drives himself mad with his obsession with avenging his father’s death. The foreshadowing aids the understanding that Hamlet’s insanity is coming and soon his downfall will follow.

William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Hamlet is a misfortunate play that exhibits Prince Hamlet’s internal and external conflicts which show the ultimate purpose of the story. Revenge is perhaps the greatest theme in Hamlet, and is shown by the conflicts Prince Hamlet has with his family, friends, and a girlfriend as well as within his self. The anguish Hamlet feels towards his new father and his mother is magnified by the discovery that they were both involved in his father, the king’s, murder. This anger transcends to unassuming characters like his fiancé, his best friend, and other minor characters. Hamlet’s goal of revenge takes over his character and transforms him from a quiet intellectual to a cruel, vengeful villain. The use of imagery, simile, and foreshadowing in the story helps the reader visualize how something rotten in the state of Denmark came to be.