Lack Of Power In Hamlet By William Shakespeare

In the Elizabethan life, this act by Hamlet who is supposed to become the new king as he is next in line since his father had been murdered, would pass over and no one would believe that he did it without any physical proof of him doing it. It could just be sign of jealousy from king Claudius and would backfire on him if he were to try and presume legal action for the death of Polonius. The motivation of King Claudius is to try and get Hamlet sent away so he can cover up the fact that he had murdered his own brother so he could marry his wife. The motivation of Hamlet is to get revenge on King Claudius for his father, but if he was sent away then thee would be no one to get revenge on him for his sins. I think Shakespeare portrayed King

Furthermore, Claudius has no emotion towards his family, this is because his mind is only focused on obtaining power. This trait that Claudius displays shows by how he did not initially kill Hamlet. Before Claudius develops a plan to kill Hamlet, he tells Laertes, “O, for two special reasons, which may to you perhaps seem much unsinewed, but yet to me they’re strong. The Queen his mother lives almost by his looks and for myself… She is so conjunctive to my life and soul... The other motive why to a public count I might not go is the great love the general gender bear him” (IV.vii.11-20). In this quote, Claudius talks to Laertes and reveals the only two reasons why he will not kill Hamlet which was because his mother, Gertrude, is his wife who loves her son Hamlet, and that he is admired by all the citizens of Denmark. Also anything Claudius says against Hamlet will end up hurting him and his power, rather than the one he was targeting for. Additionally, when Claudius is planning the murder of Hamlet, he is showing intelligence because he thinks ahead to all outcomes of the fencing match against Laertes and Hamlet. He decides that having another plan would be smart to make sure his plan is fully accomplished. While thinking, Claudius says, “When in your motion you are hot and dry, and that he calls for drink, I’ll have prepared him a chalice for the nonce, whereon but sipping, if he by chance escape your venomed stuck, our purpose may hold there” (IV.vii.179-185). In this quote, Claudius is going through actions in his head as to what he believes should happen after the match. Claudius thinks that after the match, he will be dehydrated and ask for a drink. Claudius will then hand Hamlet a chalice containing poison that will kill him, if the original plan does not go well. Additionally, Claudius displays his unthoughtfulness by trying to put his plan of killing Hamlet but he ends up killing his wife Gertrude instead, along with Hamlet and Laertes. Gertrude picks up

Power corrupts. After individuals come into a position of power, control becomes second nature to them. They find it excruciatingly strenuous to relinquish the authority they have. They find it onerous to “give away” the power that they hold on so endearingly to. To retain control, situations arise in which individuals will resort to committing unspeakable acts. Throughout the Shakespearean tragedy Macbeth, this theme has been reiterated several times. Shakespeare has used the characters to portray different ideologies. The most prominent example of “power corrupts”

Hamlet returned to Elsinore and received some shocking news that Hamlet’s mother had married his uncle. His expression was sad and upset all at once in his disgusted face of anger. There the door opened with the new king and the old queen entered and Hamlet standing like a tall tree and not moving like a stonewall. In the play Hamlet,by Shakespeare, Hamlet the prince of Denmark was listening to his uncle Claudius about his marrige and and him exhibiting happiness about it while Hamlet looks ashamed. As his uncle advised him to stay in his home he grows into rage about everything that happened when he came back because Claudius was having a party while he was stuck in his own house waiting for them to return. Hamlet is justifiably

This is what causes Hamlet to compromise his love for Ophelia, as she is stunned and disrespected by his attitude. Similarly, Claudius wanted to gain power, and uses his ambitious attitude to murder his brother, quickly marry his widow, and take the throne himself. Despite their similar nature the two men are driven by different goals. Claudius works to gain and keep power, while Hamlet is working to seek revenge for his father. However, Claudius continues to rule in his power, and dwell in his wronged achievements allowing himself to pursue his

Deception is a common tool among people of the world. For as long as we have communicated, we have worked our way around truths. The art of deception is very intricate and fragile, having to be planned carefully. In Hamlet by William Shakespeare, several characters use deception to get their own way. Three of them who made use of it are Claudius, Laertes, and Hamlet. The characters’ motivations for being deceptive differ, but the act of trickery does not. In many ways, we can see how Shakespeare was fascinated by deception and the way it could drive a story.

There are multiple incidents throughout the play in which Claudius’ selfishness and self-preserving nature is reflected; however, the most apparent ones are the multiple attempts to murder his nephew, Hamlet. If Claudius had been less concerned with gaining power in Denmark, he would not have been motivated to kill his brother and could have pursued an increase in personal power through more morally correct actions. Claudius’ instinct for self-preservation was so strong that it led to his self-destruction. In the Elizabethan view and also the modern day view, the audience would be outraged if such a character like Claudius would be allowed to live considering all of the destructive outcomes he caused throughout the

For the duration of the play, Ophelia was portrayed as a naïve and submissive woman. Her passivity and powerlessness reinforce the voicelessness of women during the Elizabethan era. For example, “I shall obey, my lord” (I.iii.134) shows that Ophelia concedes to her father’s will, even though she believes Hamlet’s love is genuine. She is willing and expected to obey her father despite the fact that she still loves Hamlet, which emphasizes her character’s submissive nature. Furthermore, in Act I Laertes warns Ophelia that it would be shameful of her to love Hamlet, and she responds with “I shall the effect of this good lesson keep as a watchman to my heart” (I.iii.45). She is assuring Laertes that she will remain obedient and follow his advice.

Throughout The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare, Hamlet’s sanity is constantly questioned. There are countless examples of times where Hamlet is clearly planning to act crazy, but there are also times where it seems he has truly gone mad. Especially towards the end of the play when he is interacting with his mother or when Ophelia dies his emotions and rage cause the audience to question his sanity, but how would anyone in that situation act differently? His father died, which was traumatic enough, but on top of that his mother married his uncle shortly after. He is consumed by his desire for revenge, the traumatic death of his father and his mother marrying his uncle, and the guilt he feels for his treatment of Ophelia. Hamlet is not crazy, but there are some emotional issues he has to overcome.

It seems that Claudius was not happy with just taking his brothers throne, he also took his brother’s wife. Hamlet feels that the new king is full of greed and has taken over

"When a man gives his opinion he is a man. When a woman gives her opinion she is a bitch."- Bette Davis Throughout time society has used woman as a scapegoat for societal issues that have occurred. In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Shakespeare uses character and rhetoric to display how ones hatred and anger are impulsively taken out upon woman, from this the reader learns how misogyny is difficult to acknowledge, but rather easy to practice.

Redemption, is the action, regaining or gaining possession of something in exchange for payment, or clearing debt. In William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, redemption is a common focus for the protagonist Hamlet, followed by Old King Fortinbras’ son, Fortinbras, and Laertes. These ambitious men embark on a quest for truth and redemption because of the loss of their father’s. In spite of the fluctuations in their quest, their journey for truth and redemption is successful because Fortinbras, Laertes and Hamlet all avenge their fathers’ deaths. Through Active Reversal, Fortinbras’ quest was successful, by Laertes’ Fear of Betrayal his quest to kill Hamlet was successful. Finally, by Hamlet controlling his psyche and destroying his core issue of

In Hamlet, pouring poison in a person’s ear had both a literal and symbolic significance. The literal meaning is that they are telling lies to people in order to deceive them. They are pouring poison or “poisonous” words into that person’s ear. The symbolic meaning of pouring poison in a person’s ear can be associated with the symbolic meaning of the snake in the story of Adam and Eve where the snake lures Eve in through lies. The characters in Hamlet were misled in the same way because they had poison poured into their ears. This is explained by the Ghost when Hamlet learns of his father being murdered in Act 1 Scene 5, in lines 35 -39, “’Tis given out that, sleeping in my orchard, A serpent stung me. So the whole ear of Denmark Is by a forged process of my death Rankly abused. But know, thou noble youth, The serpent that did sting thy father’s life . Now wears his crown.”

In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet there are many male characters, but the only two significant female characters are Ophelia and Gertrude. Ophelia is the daughter of Polonius, a high ranking official in the court in Denmark who serves as a love interest and an object of desire for Hamlet, although it is often unclear which at many point during the play. Gertrude is the wife of King Claudius, the widow of the former king, King Hamlet, and the mother of Hamlet. In Hamlet the women often appear as if they do not have a significant role in the play. However, Ophelia’s interactions with Hamlet exaggerate his apparent madness and by being a foil to Hamlet. Gertrude’s purpose in the play is to increase Hamlet’s anger towards Claudius through their marriage while trying to mediate tensions between Hamlet and Claudius.