Literary Analysis: Hamlet

Everyone has to deal with loss and Shakespeare understood that within his play Hamlet. Throughout the play Hamlet is dealing with the loss of his father, in fact he gives several soliloquies about it. Perhaps the most famous soliloquy given is the one from Act III, scene i. Hamlet begins with the famous line, “To be, or not to be, that is the question:”(1). Although there are many literary devices used within this excerpt, the most prominent are syntax, diction, and imagery, and Shakespeare creatively uses each to portray Hamlet’s state of mind.

The play Hamlet is a tragedy, because William Shakespeare the author shows one catastrophe event leading to another. The audience learns tragedies can happen to anyone and happiness is never guaranteed. Hamlet is also a tragedy, because each scene has misfortunes which overpowers any good that has happened. Therefore creating a trainwreck of

“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

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the main character Prince Hamlet is introduced to conflict by the Ghost, telling him that he must avenge his death “Revenge his soul and most unnatural murder.” (1.5.32) After the Ghost tells Hamlet

In Hamlet you have themes of madness and revenge. These themes arise because of all the bloodshed and hatred but what causes the bloodshed and hatred? Cruelty. The theme is based on the cruel nature of humans and how selfish a nation has become. A lot of this chaos comes from the family, a group of people who should love each other and take care of each other. In this play the exact opposite takes place. The theme is made greater because of the family environment surrounding Hamlet. This aspect heightens the theme and deepens the meaning revenge. It is not like Claudius killed a monstrous villain at the throne, he killed his own blood. This really speaks about how corrupt our families, nation, and government has become. The theme is not the same without knowing the full details regarding relationships in the

Hamlet: The Use of Metaphors, Tone, and Verbal Irony to Convey the Character Trait of Cowardly Inactiveness

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.”

Values and beliefs are defining principles of the way in which we view a person, action or relationship. Often, we are encouraged to think again about these values and beliefs, after being exposed to challenging and insightful events, people, or material. William Shakespeare's tragedy, “Hamlet,” written in the Elizabethan era, encourages us to think about our values and beliefs surrounding revenge, love and loyalty. After examination of these concepts, the reader develops new insights into their values and beliefs, and come to fully support the statement that “ the most significant texts encourage us to think again about our values and beliefs.”

Throughout the play Hamlet, William Shakespeare uses rhetorical devices and hidden meanings to convey his work. While at the same time, he stays in iambic pentameter throughout the script. This is tremendously a tedious task he encountered, which would stump most writers. In Act IV, scene III, Shakespeare incorporates sarcasm and hyperboles when Hamlet is being questioned by King Claudius, and an epanalepsis when Hamlet is expressing where Polonius’ body lies

The human psyche seeks to find common ground amongst peers, and, as part of this herd mentality, an early distinction was created to separate men and women. As with any distinct groups, certain traits come to define members, based on their traits and ideals: this reality creates the mental interpretation of gender identity. Although some nowadays would assert that gender identity has never been a bigger issue, Shakespeare uses Hamlet to thoroughly investigate the topic, draw his own conclusions, and share these conclusions with his audience hundreds of years ago. The struggles each character faces paint Shakespeare’s thoughts on the role of gender identity in everyday life. Men in the play, including Hamlet, Claudius, Polonius, Laertes, and

The story of a young man by the name of Hamlet has been told since it was first written in the early 1600s. The timeless classic tells the tale of Prince Hamlet, who discovers that his mother had wed his uncle, two months prior to his father’s passing. He visits the throne in Denmark because he is disgusted at the act of incest, where the ghost of his deceased father confronts him, insisting that he was murdered by Claudius, the new king. Hamlet is enraged, and he becomes obsessed with the idea of proving the crime so that he can obtain revenge against Claudius (Crowther). Despite the myriad of themes that circulate throughout the Shakespearean play, many do not realize one hidden yet extensive theme: actions and their consequences. Complexities

Prescribed Question: How does the text conform to, or deviate from, the conventions of a particular genre, and for what purpose?

“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

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.

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.