Hamlet: Character Analysis

Revenge is a common theme in literature, and "Hamlet," a play by William Shakespeare, is no exception. The play follows the story of young Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, as he grapples with the news of his father's murder and his mother's hasty remarriage to his uncle, the murderer. This event sparks a burning desire for revenge within him, and he becomes obsessed with the idea of bringing his uncle to justice. However, Hamlet is not the only character in the play driven by a desire for revenge. Fortinbras, the Prince of Norway, and Laertes, the son of the loyal courtier Polonius, are also motivated by the need for retribution.

Queen Gertrude is the Queen of Denmark, Hamlet’s mother, the widow of Old Hamlet and the wife of Claudius, brother of her dead husband. Gertrude is ignorant and a woman who means no harm but because of her actions it contributes greatly to the terrible events that occur throughout the play. In this play there’s many conflicts, one of the first conflicts was when Gertrude married King Claudius two months after Old Hamlet’s death. Gertrude is ignorant because she’s not aware of anything happening. For example she’s not aware that King Hamlet’s murder was by his own brother Claudius, even though they were some hints out there to show that it was King Claudius who killed Old Hamlet.

The character of Hamlet is expressed as a protagonist. His irritated attitude towards Claudius in scene 2 of act 1 leaves the audience with a clear first impression of his nature. He is deceitful of the king, his uncle Claudius who is now the ruler of Denmark after his brothers “death”, and disgusted of his mother marrying his uncle. Hamlet is an example of someone who has compromised his happiness, in order to avenge his father’s murder.

One similarity that makes Laertes such a good foil to Hamlet is that they both return to Denmark when they have lost a father. However, the sharp contrast in their reaction to these deaths reveals more about Hamlet’s character. Upon returning to

Hamlet and the Hero’s journey Hamlet so much related to the Hero’s journey design which was adopted by Joseph Campbell’s monomyth journey and the two are in fact so inseparable. When analyzing the play Hamlet, one thinks that Campbell was using the plays so as to make the theory. This is a character arc and which is divided into five -act structure and which goes up to twelve steps. The ordinary world is the place where the character exists before he is called, and he is not aware of anything going on around him.

The story of Hamlet by William Shakespeare is a story of betrayal, revenge, and intrigue. Hamlet, the title character discovers that his uncle killed his father and married his mother effectively stealing the throne. Hamlet decides he must kill his uncle Claudius as revenge for what he had done. However, as the new king, Hamlet isn't sure how to get to him, so he decides to fake madness, but his plan backfires as Claudius doesn't trust him and makes sure he is always watched. In his fumbled plan for revenge, Hamlet accidentally kills Polonius, forces Polonius's son Laertes to seek revenge against him, and drives Ophelia crazy causing her to kill herself.

Also, Hamlet displays his anguish at the Queen for dishonouring his dead father since “Almost as bad, good mother, as killing a king and marrying his brother” (Shakespeare, pg. 121). In this statement, Hamlet expresses how, through the marriage to her husband’s murderer, Gertrude is a symbol of dishonor and damaging her relationship with the prince. Hamlet is disgusted by Gertrude’s actions and recognizes her not as his mother but the queen and wife of Claudius, the murderer. The respect revered by children to their mother is not evident between Hamlet and Gertrude. In Gertrude’s death scene, Hamlet screams to his mother “Wretched Queen, adieu!”

He is Hamlet’s love interest’s brother who implicates Hamlet’s success through conflict. Hamlet sparks the rivalry between the two families by killing some of the family members. By executing Laertes father and Polonius, this causes Polonius’ son, Laertes, to seek vengeance for his father. Consequently, Hamlet’s family goes against him and his love, Ophelia, kills herself. This demonstrates that family ties, even if not blood related, have serious impacts on Hamlet’s life which causes misery to overwhelm his life; this misery prohibits his success.

Hamlet Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare is a deep dark revenge tragedy of love and family betrayal. The revenge that Hamlet wants for the death of his father at his uncle’s hand consumes him so much that he loses his mind and causes everyone including the innocent to die. Hamlet is angry over the betrayal he feels when in discovers his uncle Claudius, who is now king killed his father. His mother marrying his uncle who, he now sees as a whore and Ophelia his true love repels his love.

He blames everything on Claudius because he is the one that killed Hamlet’s father and now his mother. This give Hamlet peace about all of the events that have lead to this moment. We should learn from this that revenge in haste can be chaotic and unsuccessful. Revenge may not always be the answer, but if that is what you choose, then it needs to be well thought out and tested for flaws. I think that Laertes got the revenge that he wanted and even though it resulted in his own death as well, he got some closure that he needed.

Mothers-in-law have always had the reputation of being a hassle. This very true for the character Ophelia in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Hamlet portrays the story of young Prince Hamlet and the events that unfold in his life after his father’s death. With his mother, Gertrude, hastily remarrying his uncle, Claudius, and his love interest, Ophelia, slipping away, it’s no wonder that Hamlet seems to be going mad. But what if these events aren’t just factors to Hamlet’s madness?

Hamlet is William Shakespeare 's renowned tale of mystery, intrigue, and murder, centered on a young misguided prince who can only trust himself. Some may say that the actions of Prince Hamlet throughout the play are weak and fearful, displaying a tendency to procrastinate and showing an apathetic nature towards his family and peers. Others spin a tale of a noble young scholar, driven mad by the cold-blooded murder of his father by his uncle. In truth, I believe Hamlet is neither of these things. Hamlet is a sort of amalgamation of the two, a bundle of contradictions thrown together into one conflicting but very human mess of a character.

Through the entirety of the play “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare, the characters were overcome with the need for revenge as the outcome of many deaths. Therefore, no one was happy through “Hamlet” and it resulted in a tragedy. The character Hamlet played a big role in turning towards revenge and never would classify himself as being happy. Hamlet displays positive and negative behavior throughout the play. Hamlet exhibits strengths and weaknesses as well, although his weaknesses of over-thinking, bitterness, and his inability to accept the death of his father overshadow his strengths.

However, in in act 5, scene 4, Gertrude finally admits that she has wronged her son and her first husband, and in her conversation with Hamlet, she says, “O Hamlet, speak no more. Thou turn’st my very eyes into my soul.

An Examination of Hamlet as a Tragic Hero Webster's word reference characterizes catastrophe as, "a genuine dramatization ordinarily depicting a contention between the hero and a predominant power, (for example, predetermination) and having a tragic or heartbreaking conclusion that energizes compassion or fear." A terrible legend, hence, is the character who encounters such a contention and endures disastrously as a consequence of his decisions and related activities. The character of Hamlet, in this way, is a reasonable representation of Shakespeare's heartbreaking saint. As the play's disastrous saint, Hamlet shows a blend of good and terrible characteristics.