Hamlet: Character Reflection In William Shakespeare's Hamlet

“To be, or not to be- that is the question.” These words are easily identifiable, although not most easily understood, to anyone who has read or knows of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. However, what Hamlet is trying “to be or not to be,” who Hamlet is or perceives himself to be, has remained a mystery ever since William Shakespeare penned Hamlet in 1603. Critics such as Johann Wolfgang van Goethe from as early as the 18th century have debated Hamlet’s emotional instability, while later critics use earlier ideas such as Goethe’s to build their own assumptions of Hamlet’s situation. Critics such as T.S. Eliot, Robert Palfrey Utter, and George Anastaplo state that to understand Hamlet’s emotions, one must first eliminate their own bias before looking

Revenge comes in all types of cruel, menacing actions. Hamlet’s theme is surrounded by cruelty and the cruelty progresses the play throughout. During the play the main perpetrator is King Claudius and the victim that is affected through most of his actions is Hamlet. Cruelty functions in the work two ways, it causes a chain reaction full of conflict and it helps develop a greater theme inside of the work. Hamlet is a tragic play that combines revenge with cruelty to develop a timeline of barbaric events that result in utter disaster.

When he learns Claudius is responsible for the death of his father, he intends to reveal this newfound information to not only Gertrude, but the rest of the characters. He is smart enough to know that she will not believe him based solely on his encounter with the ghost, and must create a trap where Claudius will reveal his guilt on his own. When the players arrive at the castle, he alters their script to mimic the king’s murder and “catch the conscience of the king” (II.ii.567). During the performance, Claudius shows signs of guilt and worry, making Hamlet’s plan a success and proving his

It inflames him to damn his uncle as well as kill him. Again it is against his conscience to commit murder. As Prosser indicated in his book Hamlet and Revenge, “that a man who refuses to follow the dictates of virtue cease to be a man, since he cannot be partaker of the divine condition, and is turn into a beast. By this view, the decision to surrender the will to God, for example, to obey the command against private vengeance, would not be ignoble retreat but the noblest act of which the free will is capable. It is these view that Hamlet challenger in the two great soliloquies of moral choice.

Williams Shakespeare is recognized as the greatest English writer. One of his best works ever written is “Hamlet”, which is the most complex, confusing, and frequently performed play. The extreme complexity of the main character – prince Hamlet in this play contributes to its popularity until today. “Hamlet is supposedly the most quoted figure in Western culture after Jesus, maybe the most charismatic too” (Bloom 384). In the most famous revenge tragedy, his biggest weakness that he procrastinates completing his revenge for his father’s death by killing the murderer. However, he is still a virtuous hero who possesses admirable great courage and intelligence. In addition, his melancholy and madness increase the complexity level of his character.

Though Hamlet may earn love from the people of Denmark, Claudius earns respect. Some may argue it is better to be loved than feared as a leader, but Claudius’ resilience in his quest to murder Hamlet proves

A tragic hero is a multifaceted, admirable character with a tragic flaw that turns his life from glory into suffering. Hamlet is an example. ‘Born’ personality, shifting mentality, and inevitable fate leads to its tragedy which eventually triggers audience’s pity. Unlike other tragedies where tragic heros discover the truths by their own actions at the end of the story, realizing that the reversal was brought by their own actions. Hamlet begins differently by knowing the truth from things happening to him. The play’s turning point happens on a dark night at Elsinore Castle in Denmark, where the ghost of King Hamlet reveals to prince Hamlet that he has been murdered by his brother, Claudius, for the inheritance of the royal throne. With Hamlet’s

“This Above All: To Thine Own Self Be True” A Look at Shakespeare’s Hamlet through a Jungian Lens Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is the longest play he ever wrote and would take an estimated five hours to perform. Viewing Hamlet alongside Jungian Psychology adds an analysis that cannot be seen otherwise.

William Shakespeare’s quote from the early 1600s play, Hamlet, “to thine own self be true,” still takes on personal meaning in one’s life in 2015. In today’s society, many Americans are worrying about self-image: consequently, one loses oneself in the process of pleasing others. William Shakespeare warns one of this horrible fate in the famous quote from Hamlet. Shakespeare, while interpreted in various ways, tells others to be careful not to lose self-morals in despite of others.

Jan-Erik Aavik IB English HL B. Raid 04.11.2016 Written Task 2 Outline: Part of the course to which the task refers: Part 3 Literature - text and context Title of the text for analysis: Hamlet, William Shakespeare 1599

A decision is the thought process of choosing between two or more outcomes that may or may not have a great impact. When thoroughly pondered, living life is fundamentally based on making the best decisions. Whether or not they are great or small decision making is critical. Often times, it is the smallest decisions one can make that impact the even bigger decisions later to come. Starting from the time people wake up in the morning, the will be surrounded by the most basic decisions until they go to sleep that night. Decisions such as whether or not they will wake up and go to work or choose to stay in bed all day. They also must make the decision to brush their teeth and decide what they are going to eat for breakfast. Of course not every

In the final scene of Hamlet, Hamlet says “Being thus be-netted round with villainies, -- Ere I could make a prologue to my brains, they had begun the play” (Shakespeare 131). Hamlet ironically thinks to himself as a character in a play because he is so melodramatically self-conscious. By adding this sense of paradoxical exposure, Shakespeare shows his effort to foreground the fact that the audience is watching a play within the play.

“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark” (I.v.90). Hamlet is about a young prince who is mourning the loss of his father. He then tries to seek revenge on his uncle Claudius because he poisoned his father. Throughout the play Hamlet’s behavior starts to change which causes him to become mad. The theory about all this is a

“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark” (I.v.90). Hamlet is about a young prince who is mourning the loss of his father. He then tries to seek revenge on his uncle Claudius because he poisoned his father. Throughout the play Hamlet’s behavior starts to change which causes him to become mad. The theory about all this is a

Hamlet is a very diverse character that goes through several different emotional stages throughout the novel. Some think that he is depressed because of his father’s death, and some think that his breakup with Ophelia has made him go mad. Though Hamlet does seem out of control at times, it is because he is keeping a secret about his father’s death. The average person does not usually deal with the death of their parent well, and knowing that it was intentional makes Hamlet even more emotionally unstable. From the beginning of the novel, Hamlet proves to be very melancholy, and upset with his life. His father’s sudden death, and his mother’s quick remarry did not help his case. That being said, his emotions lead him to his insanity.