Preview

Does Shakespeare Express Theme Through Language

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
479 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Does Shakespeare Express Theme Through Language
A.P. Literature
How does Shakespeare express theme through language?

Shakespeare, an extraordinary writer, uses many literary techniques which prove his mastery of English. His most fascinating technique however, is displaying theme through language. In his play “Hamlet”, Shakespeare uses language to address existential dilemma, truth, and death. These themes significantly shape “Hamlet” into the masterpiece it is.
In his play, Shakespeare expresses existential dilemma through Hamlet. Hamlet’s life so far has gone roughly in a negative direction. His father, the King of Hamlet, has passed away; and disappointingly, Hamlet comes back to a crowd that is busy acknowledging the new king, Claudius, and is forgetting about the death of his father. Shakespeare uses language to express theme through Hamlet’s soliloquy, “To be, or not to be”. In his soliloquy, Hamlet asks himself whether he should kill himself, or keep going. Hamlet illustrates the strain that many people feel at one point or another, the world is just too much.
…show more content…
For a “madman” such as Hamlet, he is pretty intent on getting his facts straight. Hamlet wants to be sure Claudius is his father’s murderer before he takes any drastic action. After being enraged by his father’s speech, Hamlet tries to find out the truth. In Act 3, Scene 2, Hamlet stages a play called “Mousetrap”, which portrays the death scene his father described. During that scene, Hamlet intends to watch Claudius to see if he expresses guilt. Through language, Shakespeare shows truth. Hamlet goes to great measures of finding out what is true; expressing a view that believing if another is honest is a matter of great trust, or great

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Shakespeare’s soliloquy To Be, or Not to Be displays Hamlet’s inner thoughts, as he contemplates suicide. Keats predicted he would die young from tuberculosis, like his brother, and never experience his greatest desires- fame and “high romance”. In the end, Keats reconciled with his fear of death, and accepted his predicament “till Love and Fame to nothingness do sink.” Hamlet’s monologue reveals his troubled mind, torn between revenge and morality. The uncertainty over what action to take drives Hamlet insane, and he debates with himself whether “to be, or not to be”. Hamlet describes life as a “sea of troubles”, filled with “heartache, and [a] thousand natural shocks”, making it sound miserable and worthless. He contrasts by comparing death to relieving sleep, but “to sleep – perchance to dream”, is the true reason for choosing life – “for in that sleep of death what dreams may come/…/ must give us pause.” Hamlet concludes that the key factor keeping humans from choosing death is fear of the unknown – “thus conscience does make cowards of us all”, and in this conclusion decides upon the cowardly option to live. While Keats’ sonnet expresses his own fear of death, and his inner desires, Hamlet is mentally unstable and debating whether life’s hardships or death’s mysteries are a more daunting…

    • 824 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Any critical evaluation of the play “Hamlet” must be chiefly concerned with the character of Hamlet. Unlike Shakespeare’s other tragedies, “Hamlet” is singular in purpose and scope-it is the story of one man’s personal and moral collapse under the weight of his own (and other’s) decisions, intentions and machinations. The play is not complicated with subplots and extraneous secondary characters, but is wholly focused on the man himself. This dedication to a singular dramatic intention paradoxically makes for “Hamlet” to be, subjectively, Shakespeare most confusing play. It is problematic in its protagonists’ inscrutability, his missing motives, his contradictory actions, and his utter implacability to settle into one stable character. Almost everything he does further contradicts him as an individual in the world of the play and as a dramatic character. For this reason my critical evaluation of the play is that it is artistically self defeating due to its own subversions of character and dramatic convention, and this should render it unfulfilling and disappointing as a dramatic performance. Paradoxically, the plays confusion renders it all the more infuriatingly readable-it is both alienating and enticing, a work which defeats itself in its own realisation and at the same time is only worthwhile and meaningful in this artistic enigma-the individual components should not work, yet it does strike a powerful emotional and dramatic resonance in its completion. Many aspects of “Hamlet” as a text are easily criticised-it is certainly a work with a large amount of problems. However, in a rather subversive and mysterious manner the play is a wonderful work of literature.…

    • 1441 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Shakespeare Major Paper

    • 2842 Words
    • 8 Pages

    In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet himself is a difficult character to figure out. With his elegant intensity and reckless but cautious attitude, he is able to keep his readers entertained as the play progresses. Through his irrational decisions, emotional madness and admirable qualities, Hamlet becomes a character with whom readers will continuously empathize. Our first impression of Hamlet sets the tone for the entire play. We are brought to one of the beginning scenes where Hamlet is…

    • 2842 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Best Essays

    Hamlet, Prince of Denmark has remained the most perplexing, as well as the most popular, of William Shakespeare’s tragedies. Whether considered as literature, philosophy, or drama, its artistic stature is universally admitted. To explain the reasons for its excellence in a few words, however, is a daunting task. Apart from the matchless artistry of its language, the play’s appeal rests in large measure on the character of Hamlet himself. Called upon to avenge his father’s murder, he is compelled to face problems of duty, morality, and ethics that have been human concerns through the ages. The play has tantalized critics with what has become known as the Hamlet mystery, that of Hamlet’s complex behavior, most notably his indecision and his reluctance to act.…

    • 1773 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    Shakespeare redeemed his well-known reputation by his iconic writing. He incorporated loads of imagery, character traits and literary devices that construct his amazing pieces. Hamlet, being one of his most famous playwrights besides the glamorous Romeo and Juliet, serves sarcasm and insanity right to the audience on a silver platter. The man himself, Hamlet, faces more conflict with his inner self than any other person in the novel. Shakespeare’s use of insanity and sarcasm highlights the plays humor and inner emotions leaving the reader with the ability to relate.…

    • 709 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' remains at the pinnacle of high culture texts and the cannon as one of the most iconic texts in the modern world. 'Hamlet' is a deeply philosophical in which grapples with metaphysical questions- existential in nature that underpins the human ethos. It is through the highly charged language, textual integrity and use of meta-theatrical techniques that ensure the play's modernity and continuing resonance in society through multiple perspectives.…

    • 1055 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The line “to be, or not to be, that is the question” refers to being alive or dead, but can apply to many different conflicts in life and within ourselves (III.i.62). The tragic play Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, brings out many of these inner battles of madness with oneself, which can include choosing life or death for oneself and others. The play Hamlet tells the story of a boy, whose father was murdered by Hamlet’s throne seeking uncle, Claudius. Hamlet portrays many examples of madness, but points out the question of whether Hamlet’s and Ophelia’s madness is real or fake.…

    • 741 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, the power of words helps drive the central action of the plot. First of all, it becomes clear that the words themselves have the power to shape and create a sense of reality. Without a steady stream of words, both internal and external, much of the tragic action in each play would likely be stunted. In Hamlet, words are weapons and can be like poison in the ear or like daggers. Hamlet’s deep connection with language and words causes him to base his perceptions of reality on his interpretation and understanding of words. Being a contemplative man, this is both one of Hamlet’s greatest gifts as well as Hamlet’s flaw.…

    • 114 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Technology is the building block of any society: it allows for new advancements to be made that improve daily life. Two such societies that made advancements in technology included the Han Dynasty and the Roman Empire. As the expansion of the empire increased, the Romans built roads that linked these regions together. These roads were built in such a way that allowed for easier travel: roads were paved and allowed for water to run off. In addition, the empire also developed the transportation of water throughout the city through the construction of aqueducts, which were canals. Likewise, the Han Dynasty made advancements in the distribution of water: there were water ways, canals, and pools that were inspected by hydraulic engineers. Water was also used to power a blowing-engine. Because of the advancements that were made, the Han Dynasty is regarded by historians as the “Golden Age.” Similarly, the Romans created a large empire that stretched from Europe to the Middle East. Because of the vastness of both empires, water and technology were heavily relied upon, yet unlike the Han officials, the upper-class Romans had a negative attitude towards technology.…

    • 1236 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Hamlet, Shakespeare uses crude diction and immoral similies to accentuate Hamlet’s duality of human nature as revneger.…

    • 611 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, William Shakespeare’s longest, and perhaps most notable, play explores several important aspects of the human condition. Hamlet’s battle between his emotions and logic, as well as his fatal flaws and what he considers to be morally good and looming evil, encased in a story of murder and betrayal enlightens audiences to contemplate the true meaning of being human. Ultimately, through Hamlet’s questioning of humanity and what it means to be alive and human, Shakespeare prompts the conversation in his audience.…

    • 943 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hamlet Analytical Essay

    • 900 Words
    • 6 Pages

    be or not to be”, and wishes “the Everlasting had not fix’d/ His cannon ‘gainst selfslaughter”. His main struggle of his mind consists of the opposing sides of “should I stay…

    • 900 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Ap Hamlet Review

    • 1418 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Most people believe that Hamlet was written in the 3rd person point of view. However, some literary critics argue that Shakespeare’s characters possess individuality too great to be bound under a fixed point of view. Like actual people, they act with intentions we cannot completely comprehend. This lack of fixed point of view allows the work to be up to interpretation, as it has been analyzed in a variety of ways.…

    • 1418 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Metaphor in Hamlet

    • 465 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In Shakespeare's Hamlet, Act III scene 1, Hamlet's soliloquy of "To be or not to be" is full of metaphors that bring the various themes of the play together. One of the primary themes of the play is Hamlet's uncertainty of action and inability to decide how to cope with the problems he faces. In Hamlet's soliloquy, Hamlet metaphorically discusses his indecisiveness about the importance of continuing his life and asks himself "whether ‘tis nobler of the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and, by opposing them, end them." Hamlet wonders whether it is worth facing all his problems ("slings and arrows of outrageous fortune") or to commit suicide ("and by opposing them, end them.") Hamlet metaphorically compares the problems of his life to "slings and arrows" and to a "sea of troubles."…

    • 465 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hamlet Analytical Essay

    • 895 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The play, Hamlet, by William Shakespeare is a tragic story about a prince named Hamlet attempting to get revenge for his father's murder. As Hamlet only to slowly destroy his life in the process. As Hamlet attempts to get revenge, he ultimately ends up destroying himself and the people around him. But before his death, Hamlet slowly decides what he wants to do with his life. Hamlet goes from thinking the world holds nothing for him but not wanting to kill himself because he fears god in the first Soliloquy, to living to avenge his father if needed in the second Soliloquy, to fearing death in the third Soliloquy. Hamlet slowly decides what he wants to do with his life, through his first three Soliloquies in the play…

    • 895 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays