Though any character in Shakespeare's Hamlet could easily be the epitome of lunacy, there is no character more obviously unsound that Ophelia, whose personality is the embodiment of codependency. Every time Ophelia speaks the symptoms are apparent as she can not seem to converse about anything but men. This is stereotypical of women at the time,in society as much as in literature. One can not fully blame Ophelia however as she is a product of her time period and used by the other characters. Ophelia’s character not only confirms Hamlet's suspicions about women but serves as pawn in the metaphorical chess game between Claudius and Hamlet. Thought it could be argued that her abuse by then men in her life has contributed to if not caused her codependency, however, the characters in the play seem to think that it is because of her own weakness. When Hamlet speaks the words “frailty thy name is woman,” he was not referring to Ophelia, he may just have easily have been. There are two characters in particular that Ophelia tends to cling to, her father
When comparing and contrasting William Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Disney’s The Lion King the characters have similiar levels of comparison. Both Hamlet and the Lion King are stories centered around the following elements; truth, deception, revenge, romance, and the circle of life. The characters in both of the stories are constantly working to find their place in the circle of life throughout the story. Two characters of similiar roles, Hamlet’s Polonius and The Lion King’s Zazu are similiar in their loyalty and vanity, however, Zazu is not manipulative.
In great works of literature throughout history and time, there has always been a general understanding of what a happy ending is. Happy endings - as perceived by scholars of times past and by society today - are joyful sessions where a heroine or hero saves a damsel in distress, true love is found through the toughest of circumstances, or a moral lesson is learned through acts of kindness, loyalty, or bravery. However; in Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet, the protagonist of the play is facing death and has, finally, after a protracted and tedious journey, avenged his father’s death and has sated himself to realize and accept his own personal peace. Even as Hamlet is dying, his true love and what is left of his family dead, his kingdom being invaded
Hamlet teaches us many lessons among these are love and insanity. These traits are evident throughout the play and all of the characters exhibit them in different ways. The character who displays these traits the most is young Ophelia. She loves her father very much, but also suffers greatly when he is murdered. Ophelia loves her father very much and respects him, even went as far as to call him Lord. However, after the death of Polonius, Ophelia can no longer hold onto her sanity. In his tragic play, Hamlet, William Shakespeare uses Ophelia to display to us the devoted love of a parent, and how the loss of a parent can lead to a sickness of the mind.
A: Polonius is a person Claudius completely trust, and he is also the only one that knows about how King Hamlet actually died. Claudius is afraid that Hamlet already knows the truth and wants to kill him, but on the other hand he feels lucky that Polonius died for him.
In this paper I am going to be comparing Hamlet and Laertes. Laertes is the son of Polonius and the brother of Ophelia. Hamlet is the prince of Denmark and son of Gertrude.Hamlet 's father was killed and he believes Claudius killed him. The differences and similarities between Hamlet and Laertes are pronounced, and they merit rigorous scrutiny. There are similarities and differences between Laertes and Hamlet.
Hamlet continuously attains and attitude of mockery towards Polonius in Act II. Polonius believes that he can prove Hamlet’s source of madness as one derived from Hamlet’s love for Ophelia. Since the start of their conversation, Hamlet mocks Polonius stating, “Excellent well; you are a fishmonger”(II.iv.190) and pretends as though he does not know who Polonius is. This insult towards Polonius brings about an amusing tone as Polonius does not know he is being mocked. Polonius believes that Hamlet’s words justify his insanity.
Redemption, is the action, regaining or gaining possession of something in exchange for payment, or clearing debt. In William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, redemption is a common focus for the protagonist Hamlet, followed by Old King Fortinbras’ son, Fortinbras, and Laertes. These ambitious men embark on a quest for truth and redemption because of the loss of their father’s. In spite of the fluctuations in their quest, their journey for truth and redemption is successful because Fortinbras, Laertes and Hamlet all avenge their fathers’ deaths. Through Active Reversal, Fortinbras’ quest was successful, by Laertes’ Fear of Betrayal his quest to kill Hamlet was successful. Finally, by Hamlet controlling his psyche and destroying his core issue of
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 has been through a lot… his father has passed away, his mother has so quickly remarried not to no normal man but to his uncle. Then his friends start claiming that they’ve seen a ghost and not any regular ghost but his deceased father’s ghost… it may all sound crazy but now his father’s ghost wants Hamlet to get revenge for his father’s death. The ghost claims that his uncle did it! At first the words were hard to process and he didn’t believe but then he thought of an idea… what if Hamlet acted crazy and found little ways for his uncle to give reactions that make the statement true or not… believe it or not Hamlet eventually does end up killing his uncle, but were his actions justified? Here is some references that may help you decide. First I will
Hamlet by William Shakespeare is considered to be the apogee of canonical texts. Hamlet who is seen to be the hero, seeks revenge of his uncle for killing his beloved father and marrying his mother. In the finale, all characters find an unfortunate end and leave the kingdom of Denmark to prince Fortinbras who coincidentally passes through to invade Poland. The play Hamlet has received great stricture from feminist critics due to the actions and behaviors of many of the characters in the play. Feminism is “the advocacy of woman 's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men” (Dictionary.com). It is clearly evident that the female characters in Hamlet are ill fully treated due to the
Family plays an important role in one’s success. Hamlet by William Shakespeare investigates this idea. This play, published in 1603, tells the story of a prince -- whose father has recently passed away -- who endures several conflicts. Dysfunction that occurs within a family can implicate a character’s success, as explored in Hamlet. This is exhibited through several conflicts with various characters with different family ties. Hamlet’s success is directly impacted by the conflicts he has with Claudius and Laertes that all lead to moral corruption which ultimately leads to his downfall.
"When a man gives his opinion he is a man. When a woman gives her opinion she is a bitch."- Bette Davis Throughout time society has used woman as a scapegoat for societal issues that have occurred. In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Shakespeare uses character and rhetoric to display how ones hatred and anger are impulsively taken out upon woman, from this the reader learns how misogyny is difficult to acknowledge, but rather easy to practice.
Feminism has erupted over the past century. The theme of patriarchy has ruled over women for centuries. With the uprising of the critique of patriarchy, more feminists have analyzed Shakespeare’s literary works as in favor of the male gender roles. In Act 1 scene 3, the station of Polonius and Laertes reveals their patriarchal position over Ophelia by constructing advices that molds their expectations of her and degrading her in ways that exemplify the oppression of women during the 1600’s.
When Hamlet loses his father he must find a way to save himself before his depression hurts him. Hamlet looks to confide in the first person that truly understands him: Horatio. In his play, Hamlet, William Shakespeare uses the relationship between Hamlet and Horatio to represent the fatherly bond Hamlet lost. The characterization of Hamlet and Horatio 's bond through the grief of death, their respect for each other, and how much they care about one another proves how Hamlet replaces his father with Horatio out of desperation for someone to look up to, just as he did his father.