How Does Gertrude Create Tension In Act 4 Of Hamlet

Have you ever drifted away from your own sanity in hopes of getting revenge? Does the thought of violence or chaos cross your mind when it seems like the world is out to get you? In one of William Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies, Hamlet, acts of violence seem to follow each and every character in the play. In the beginning, Shakespeare throws Hamlet into a whirlwind of change and endless emotions. With his father just being murdered by his uncle Claudius and Polonius banning the relationship between him and Ophelia, the only thought running through Hamlet’s mind was anger and revenge.

In all great literary works, there exists a protagonist. Throughout a piece of writing, the author portrays the protagonist in not just their best, but in their worst state as well. Conflict always seems to encounter the main character and both their inner and outer struggles are depicted. Even if the character is likable or unlikable, the way in how the character responds and deals with their struggles holds the audience’s attention. In the play Hamlet, written by famed playwright William Shakespeare, nearly all of the characters undergo struggles that could be linked back to the death of King Hamlet and the ensuing insanity of his son Hamlet.

Death has been an important theme since the beginning of the play. It is first mentioned with the murder of the late king. It is mentioned again in act 5. Act 5 scene 1 opens up in a graveyard where two gravediggers are burying the body of Ophelia. Through the conversation of the gravediggers, Shakespeare uses a reference about suicide to Christianity.

Hamlet The play Hamlet is based on a tragedy. Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, has recently lost his father. His father, who is also named Hamlet, was murdered. Hamlet Sr’s brother, Claudius, is now crowned King and Gertrude, Hamlet Jr’s mother is now forced to marry Claudius.

Gertrude’s Speech on Ophelia’s Death Analysis This passage is from Act 4, scene 7, lines 163-183 of Hamlet. Laertes, hearing of his father’s death, storms the palace seeking revenge. Claudius, in an effort to calm Laertes’ rage, conspires with him on how to effectively kill Hamlet shortly before Gertrude interrupts with the news of poor Ophelia’s death. Laertes, heartbroken after hearing that his sister has died, seeks to mourn in peace, but Claudius insists that he and Gertrude follow him so that he can keep an eye on his temper.

Guilt in Fifth Business and Hamlet Guilt alters one’s sense of self, paralyzing them to any other emotion, slowly deteriorating their minds. In the novel Fifth Business by Robertson Davies and in the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, significant characters are controlled by their guilt for similar reasons. No matter the cause, it makes them feel responsible for someone else’s suffering, motivates them to commit acts as an attempt to escape, and suffer in the end as they are always brought to their inevitable fate. These characters include Paul Dempster and Hamlet as they both experience guilt because of their parents, Leola Cruikshank and Ophelia as they have guilt in the relationships they are in, and Boy Staunton and Claudius because they both deny their wrongful deeds, but their guilt is tragically revealed throughout their lives.

Hamlet is a story about revenge and power, due to the recent death of the King of Denmark. The following events include madness, which leads to Hamlet killing King Claudius’ advisor, Polonius. Word about the death of his father got to Laertes who was in England. Laertes returned to Denmark to find his sister distraught and drove to madness. Shortly after his return, Ophelia is found dead by the cause of drowning.

"Hamlet is miserable, not just because of his father's death, but because he craves honesty while everyone else around him is engaged in deception and manipulation" I agree with the statement, “Hamlet is miserable, not just because of his father's death, but because he craves honesty while everyone else around him is engaged in deception and manipulation". I believe that Hamlet wants everyone to be honest but really they are doing the opposite instead and filling him with lies only to get what they want or to protect themselves from something. The people he should be trusting are betraying and lying to him. This includes his family and close friends. His father’s death was very miserable for him but even the death of his father is filled

To be or not to be, that is the question. In actuality, it’s more like to be sane or not to be sane is the question. Scholars have tried for years to tear apart Shakespeare’s masterpiece of a play, Hamlet, and debate whether Prince Hamlet is completely sane or Insane. In Hamlet, the main protagonist is the prince of Denmark and is mourning the death of his father. Prince Hamlet’s uncle marries the widowed queen who is Hamlet’s mother and is found to murdered the late King Hamlet.

Prince Hamlet is in shock to know his mother Gertrude has already remarried, prior to having been summoned back to Denmark from Germany to attend his father’s funeral. The queen had been married to Claudius, the late king’s brother, and the usurper to the throne. A ghost walks in the walls of Elsinore Castle in Denmark on a dark winter night. It was first discovered by a pair of watchmen, then by Horatio, a scholar. The ghost resembles the late King Hamlet.