Foils In Hamlet Analysis

Hamlet and Ophelia “This was sometime a paradox, but now the time gives it proof. I did love you once… I loved you not” (3.1.114,119). Confusion clouds the audience’s judgement reading this quote from Hamlet.

Othello: A Close Reading This is an analysis of the lines 260-279 of the third scene of the third act of Shakespeare’s Othello. In an attempt to fulfill the incessant need for comfortable dichotomies, societies tend to be divided into two groups: the ‘in-crowd’ and the ‘others’. These strict dualities, constructed upon the inherent need for adversaries, are often as arbitrary as they are false and based on nothing but fear.

Character can be broken despite how strongly it is shaped. In William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Othello, Othello was a brave Moor who was quick to marry his lover Desdemona. His sinister ensign Iago deceived him into believing his loyal wife had committed adultery. Although Othello believed the alleged accusations, he also gave up his moral character to Iago. Regardless of the lack of trust from Othello, Desdemona did deceive her father prior to the situation.

He betrays his people with lies about what happened to Hamlet’s father. Claudius is not the heroic brother of the deceased king who took over the throne to save the people. He speaks to the people and convinces them not to be afraid that their King has died. While pretending to grieve, he encourages the people to forget about King Hamlet and get on with their lives. Claudius says: "

In Shakespeare 's Hamlet, King Hamlet is unexpectedly killed. When King Hamlet 's ghost visits his son, the ghost tells Prince Hamlet, that his death was intentional. Spurred on by his father, he resumes to immediately plan for revenge. Prior to his seek for revenge, King Claudius had wed Hamlet 's mother, Gertrude, causing an already forming animosity between the uncle and nephew, to thicken. Polonius, Claudius ' court advisor, had a daughter, Ophelia, who was to become Hamlet 's love interest.

Displacement mechanism refers to the situation whereby an object of interest is replaced with another (McLeod, 2013). The fact that Hamlet tries to substitute Gertrude with Ophelia signals his Ego`s attempt to suppress his Id and adhere to the reality principle. The reality principle would advocate Ophelia as a better candidate for him and for the satisfaction of his impulses. Ernest (1922) calls Hamlet`s feelings for Ophelia “obscure” and his “unconscious attempt to play her off against his mother.” Whether Hamlet loved Ophelia or not, remains debatable, however, Hamlet is unable to hide behind the illusion and safety valve that Ophelia provides.

In Shakespeare’s play, at first he’s initially just the protagonist. By the end of act one scene five, King Hamlet’s ghost gives him a task, to “revenge his foul and most unnatural murder.” (1.5.25) These instructions are traditionally heroic, for real, Hamlet has to avenge the death of his father. But Hamlet is going to act insane instead (or is he…?), which leads to honor coming in at the beginning of act two scene one.

Hamlet is thought to have gone mad over the death of his fath, Hamlet Sr. He is depressed over his father’s death and furious that his mother,Gertrude, married his uncle, Claudius, so soon after her husband’s death. He truly had fallen under serious grief, even contemplating suicide. It is not until he learns from his father’s ghost that his father had been poisoned by Claudius that this begins to change. Hamlet was plotting his uncle’s murder, something the majority of people would view as completely insane, but it is how he plotted this murder that makes it clear that he is not mad.

Claudius decides to send his nephew to England because he recognizes that Hamlet isn’t mentally crazy just revenge crazy. Hamlet’s madness throughout the play was created by his intellectual and able mind as a ploy to ultimately get him something he wanted, revenge. His craziness was not real, just as Alice’s assumed craziness in Wonderland was not real. As the Cheshire cat says, “We’re all mad here,” we’re all a little crazy. All the characters in Hamlet are a little crazy and Hamlet’s intentional craziness is mistaken for real insanity when actually he is just as sane as everyone

In Shakespeare, a running motif is the motif of Appearances vs. Reality; the way a character act and present himself or herself is the way other characters see them,; however, it is all an act. The relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia is a developing motif. An example of this motif is the relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia. Hamlet’s relationship with Ophelia is a subjective, however, even though Hamlet may appears to loathe Ophelia. In , in reality, he proves he truly loves herthat truly loves her and vise versa.

In Scene 1 Act 2 she says “Let not thy mother lose her prayers, Hamlet; I pray thee stay with us; go not to Wittenberg" (1.2,18-19) she’s trying to protect Hamlet but not seeing that she’s actually hurting him. What made Hamlet mad was that she had married her uncle two months after his father’s death. Gertrude causes the main problem in Hamlet’s life and she does it by only thinking of herself.

Once Prince, the county sheriff, found out about the death of Tybalt by Romeo, he banished Romeo from Verona, preventing Romeo from being with Juliet, his new wife. This incident shows that Romeo does not consider what may result from his actions. Instead of thinking of the consequences, he acted on his impulses which cost him dearly in the end. If he had controlled his emotions better,

In William Shakespeare 's classic play, Romeo and Juliet, there are two families that have a bitter rivalry but, there is a little love in the air that ends with severe depression. There is one person to blame for letting the depression get worse. Friar Lawrence thinks that everyone should like each other and not dislike anyone. He also makes potions to change people and not letting time change them. Friar Lawrence is undoubtedly to blame for the tragic, depressing events that unfold the “loving” play, Romeo and Juliet.

Shakespeare uses the concept of mistake identities in each of these plays to show that although you make look one way on the outside, it is impossible to hide your true identity from the world. Twelfth Night shows this in Viola dressing up as Ceasario and the eventual confusion it causes when her twin brother comes into the picture. The audience is also gifted to a confusing set of mistaken identities in The Comedy of Errors as each of the Antipholuses and Dromios are mistaken for each other. In both plays the error of mistaking a character for another leads to conflict but in the end in leads to love. Viola ends up with Orsino, Sebastian with Olivia, and Antipholus of Syracuse with Luciana, Adriana’s sister.

In William Shakespeare's Hamlet and Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, the authors show the development of individuals and perspectives, as a result of exposure to outside events and internal struggle. Since changes are often subtle, both authors use the literary device known as foil characters-- a character that contrasts with the protagonists, to highlight specific temperaments or qualities. The protagonists, of both works, have widely different interactions with the foil characters; in Hamlet, Laertes and Hamlet, are mismatched and create conflict. Alternatively, they can compliment the protagonist, such as Jane Bennet to Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice. Shakespeare and Austen use the foil characters to highlight the protagonists'