Preview

Hamlet's Contempt for Claudius- Quotes

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
611 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Hamlet's Contempt for Claudius- Quotes
Within the passage from Hamlet, Shakespeare uses diction, Imagery and metaphors in order to gravely convey the Ghost and Hamlet’s contempt for Claudius and the Queen. Shakespeare uses vivid Imagery throughout the selected passage to illustrate his theme. While describing the death of Hamlet’s father, the lines read “And curd, like eager droppings into milk, the thin and wholesome blood.” Giving the reader a gruesome picture of the spread of poison, encompassing the king’s body, Shakespeare shows the reader Claudius’s true cruelty. The degree of violence used against his own brother aids in backing the Ghost’s case against Claudius. A little later on the Ghost exclaims, “Let not the royal bed of Denmark be a couch for luxury and damned incest.” Depicting the crown as something being taken for granted and used for evil, the Ghost is informing Hamlet that he must not let Claudius remain in power. He tells Hamlet that the only way to rid the country of this evil is to expel the murderer from the thrown and avenge his death. Imagery is scattered throughout to appeal to reader’s senses and help strengthen Hamlet and his father’s Ghost stance against Claudius and the Queen. Diction is also a major literary element used align the reader with Hamlet and the Ghost in their contempt for Claudius and the Queen. Words with extremely negative connotations like “loathsome,” “adulterate” and” incestuous” are used frequently. These words aid in setting a negative tone for the entire passage. These words also help in the development if the truth about what is really going on within the Danish court; rather than the all too perfect society it originally comes off to be, the court is in reality a place of corruption, seduction and betrayal. To give the ghost a more prophetic and poetic way of speech, Shakespeare choose words with similar beginning sounds in several places. At one point he states “With witchcraft of his wits, with traitorous gifts- O wicked wit.” The playwright’s

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Theme Of Poison In Hamlet

    • 253 Words
    • 2 Pages

    When the ghost of king hamlet and young are alone, the ghost speaks. It claims to be the spirit of king hamlet, murdered by Claudius. Though the story is that king hamlet was napping in his garden and was stung by a serpent, in reality Claudius poured poison into the sleeping kings ear, murdering the king and sending him to purgatory since he was not given a opportunity to confess his sins before his death. This scene of deceit also correlated to and biblical story of adam and eve where the serpent enter the garden and corrupts them both. The ghost reveals truth. Also note that the way claudius murdered king hamlet, by pouring poison into king hamlet's ear, is actually a perfect metaphor for lying, for using language to hide reality. Poison is illustration of metaphors that Shakespeare commonly uses. It is mentioned a numerous amounts of times in referring to Claudius but it is also used when referring to Denmark's state, "Who this had seen, with tongue in venom steeped against Fortune's state would treason have pronounced”.…

    • 253 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hamlet Soliloquy Analysis

    • 372 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Shakespeare employs violent, corporal imageries such as “Who… breaks my pate… plucks off my beard, and… tweaks me by the nose?” (II, ii, 568-570) to disclose the mental status of Hamlet. These imageries commonly imply pain, suggesting the excruciating internal struggle of Hamlet as he endures character dynamics. The diction also plays a crucial role in determining the tone. Hamlet finishes loathing himself by “Bloody, bawdy villain!/ Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain!” (II, ii, 577-578). The alliteration of the explosive consonance “b”, the internal rhyme of the syllables “less” and “rous”, and the repetition of the word “villain” all amplify strong disgust. Shakespeare utilizes forcefully negative diction to illuminate the struggles of…

    • 372 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In Act 1:1 of Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ the audience is shown the ghost of the dead King Hamlet and the genre of a revenge tragedy is introduced. The scene is set in the night which immediately creates a sense of mystery, intrigue and apprehension, linking to the feelings created by the idea of ghosts and the supernatural which were typical of Elizabethan revenge tragedy playwrights. Shakespeare also uses various language techniques to create this mood in this scene. The scene begins with the guard Bernardo asking the question ‘Who’s there?’ creating a tense mood of uncertainty. Half lines are also used by Shakespeare to create a broken rhythm in the conversation, increasing the feelings of insecurity and unease as the text does not flow. The discussion about the Ghost is full of contrasts and tensions showing the uncertainty felt by the characters. Marcellus states ‘Horatio says tis but our fantasy/ And will not let belief take hold of him’, showing the audience that Horatio is sceptical towards the existence of the supernatural. We see that Horatio is an educated, rational character as Marcellus seems to respect and depend on his opinion for deciding on the existence of the ghost. This loyalty in Horatio’s opinion juxtaposes with the treacherous news that Hamlet is about to receive regarding his father’s murder by Claudius. As Horatio is an educated character, his part-acceptance of the Ghost’s existence could persuade the audience to believe in the Ghost as well, as Horatio’s testimony is far more convincing than what the superstitious watchmen say. Marcellus goes on to call the Ghost ‘majestical’ but Horatio says that it acted ‘like a guilty thing’. This indicates that there’s confusion over the Ghost’s intentions and origin from the start. The Ghost also foreshadows the tragedy to come. Horatio wonders if it ‘bodes some strange relation to the eruption to our state’ and suspects the Ghost may have some supernatural knowledge of the ‘country’s fate’ which…

    • 4978 Words
    • 20 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    the passage, Shakespeare uses diction and imagery to help readers understand and connect with the ghost…

    • 770 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout the tragedy of Hamlet, Shakespeare writes about Hamlet’s journey of seeking revenge. The play begins with Marcellus and Barnardo taking watch over the Denmark castle one night and running into a ghost in the shape of King Hamlet who recently passed. Along with these two men enters Francisco and Horatio, Hamlet’s friends, who also witness the appearance of the ghost and decide to inform Hamlet of what they have seen. After explaining to Hamlet what they have seen they advise him to see for himself at midnight upon their next watch, and sure enough the ghost reappears. As Hamlet follows the ghost it describes the actions that led to his death, explaining that Claudius murdered him, then asks Hamlet to avenge him. In the midst of asking Hamlet to punish Claudius he also says, “Taint not thy mind, not let thy soul contrive/Against thy mother aught. Leave her to Heaven/And to those thorns that in her bosom lodge/…

    • 503 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good 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

    Tragically, the state of Denmark is lead falsely to believe that a poisonous snake was the cause of his death. In reality, the king’s death was a murder committed by his brother-and-current-king, Claudius. During the course of the play, Claudius claims in his soliloquy, “I am still possessed / Of those effects for which I did the murder: / My crown, mine own ambition, and my queen. May one be pardoned and retain th’ offense?” (III, iii, 57-60). He recognizes his fault through repentance, but his ambition undermines his ability to abandon the throne. Being the king’s brother, Claudius’s coronation is a natural duty. It opposes the grief and relieves the mourning of the people of Denmark. In actuality, his ambition for power causes him to betray his loyalty towards his brother. Even though he deceives his subjects by compelling them to place their trust in his kingship, his duplicity does not go unseen for long. The first person to see through his deceit is prince Hamlet, when an apparition of the king Hamlet, prince Hamlet’s father, tells him, “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” (I, v, 42-47). The appearance of the ghost itself shows the unnatural nature of Claudius’s murder and symbolizes…

    • 809 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The play is introduced by the appearance of the ghost of Hamlet's father in the first scene, which automatically gives the impression that something is amiss. This is later clarified by the statement; "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark" (I.iv). The ghost materialises before Hamlet suggesting that his death was not as natural as it may first have seemed. The ghost requests Hamlet to "Revenge [my] foul and most unnatural murder" (I.v) and points him towards the murderer with "The serpent that did sting thy father's life now wears his crown" (I.v). This indicates that King Hamlet murder was committed by his brother, Claudius, who had now taken over as King of Denmark. The Ghost taunts Hamlet, telling him that it is part of every man's honour to avenge his death. Hamlet agrees to revenge his death, but his mind is still full of many doubts, and he just thinks about what he will do, rather than actually do it. However, when the time for action comes, it is the beginning of a ferocious cycle of hatred, death and revenge, which ultimately consumes all those who use…

    • 1370 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hamlet is a tragic play written by William Shakespeare in the early 1600s. In the beginning of the play, Prince Hamlet was called back to Denmark to attend his father’s funeral. One surprising element Hamlet came home to was the marriage of his mother to his uncle, King Claudius. From there, the mystery of what happed to his father began to unfold. Shortly after his return to Denmark, the ghost of his father visited Hamlet. During this scene, the ghost reveals to Hamlet the mystery behind his father’s dead. However, as the audience of the play, we are unsure of the reality of this statement until Hamlet showcased a play within the play of what the ghost had told him. King Claudius was outraged and could not handle the guilt…

    • 665 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ghost Soliloquy

    • 1388 Words
    • 6 Pages

    He uses analogies, and metaphors from Genesis, to describe assassination and betrayal which could either represent the Ghosts loss of faith through this betrayal or the clinging onto it, in order to give Hamlet good reason to exact revenge. The Ghost refers to Claudius as both a "serpent" and "adulterate beast" and then goes on to describe his actions as "witchcraft of his wits". The serpent represents his loss of faith, akin to postlapsarian belief. The fall of man here not only could be used to reference Gertrude and her giving into temptations, "though lewdness court it in a shape of heaven", but also to describe the Ghost's fall, from a faithful warrior king to a man of no substance and existence. Denmark at the time this is written is in the process of being overrun by second wave reformist, Calvinist and still somewhat under Lutheran influence.…

    • 1388 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hamlet Act 1 Scene 2

    • 873 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In act 1 scene 2 of “Hamlet” the character Hamlet speaks his first soliloquy which reveals his innermost thoughts and feelings to the audience. In this soliloquy Hamlet’s unstable state of mind is evident as well as his feelings of despair about his father’s death and his disgust of his mother’s remarriage to his uncle Claudius. Hamlet’s hatred for his uncle is shown through harsh comparisons between Claudius and his late father. This soliloquy takes place after Claudius has begun his reign as king and has addressed the court for the first time but before Hamlet hears about the apparition that Horatio and the guards have seen. Hamlet’s character and personality are shown in this soliloquy through the use of classical imagery, diction and other literary devices.…

    • 873 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    proclaims that Claudius killed him in lust for power. Hamlet is asked, "If thou didst ever thy dear father love - oh God - Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder." (27) Here begins Hamlet's quest to avenge his father by laying ruin to King Claudius. To be certain of the King's guilt, Hamlet puts on a play bearing a resemblance to how the ghost described the murder. When King Claudius views it, he feels a sudden pang of conscience and abruptly leaves. This flinch provides a first glance by the reader, and…

    • 629 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Hamlet V. Claudius

    • 1179 Words
    • 5 Pages

    In the literary classic, Hamlet by William Shakespeare, controversy meets corruption. The monarch of Denmark, King Hamlet, is murdered by his jealous brother, Claudius. While the son of the king, Prince Hamlet, is away at school, Claudius seizes the throne and marries the adulterous Queen Gertrude. Hamlet returns to Denmark finding his father dead, his mother remarried, and his uncle the king. Grief succumbs Hamlet and his only relief is from the truth told by the ghost of his late father. The ghost reveals the true nature of his death and relies on Hamlet to avenge his wrongful end. The plot thickens, as Hamlet must find a way to expose Claudius' evil ways and regain the throne as the rightful ruler. Throughout the play, the true characters of Hamlet and Claudius are revealed in their entirety, both exhibiting the potential to be good or evil. One in the same, yet the two sides of every man, Hamlet and Claudius must survive each other.…

    • 1179 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Hamlet - Shakespeare

    • 1489 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Hamlet is a moral avenger in a corrupt and unjust world. He is the only person who questions the moral atmosphere of Denmark but is driven to act irritationally because of the distress placed on him by the world. Hamlet struggles with his duty to his father, his disillusionment with himself, his revenge on Claudius, his mother’s sudden remarriage, the purpose of the ghost and the corrupt nature of Denmark. By not informing the audience of the intentions of the ghost, Shakespeare keeps them engaged by creating disillusionment through Hamlet’s struggle for the truth. Furthermore, Shakespeare continues to engage audiences by presenting ideas of duty and corruption which are shown largely through the characterization of Hamlet.…

    • 1489 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hamlet Response Paper

    • 1079 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The main grievance Hamlet has with his uncle is the murder of his father, the king. Already grieving over death of his father, Hamlet discovers, by confession of his father, that Claudius murder him in order to become king. Called to action by his friend Horatio and the guards who have witness appearances of a ghost during their night watch, Hamlet goes to confront the ghost that looks like the late King Hamlet. A ghost doomed to walk the earth for an unspecified number of years to atone for the sins that he was not able to confess, King Hamlet Sr., tells the prince that he was murdered by Claudius through foul means. He states, “Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder. Murder most foul, as in the best it is; But this most foul, strange and unnatural” (249), demanding that Hamlet, his son, avenge his ill-conceived death. Overcome with grief and anger at the injustice done to him (as Claudius has managed to steal the crown from him) and his father, Hamlet begins to plot his vengeance. However, being the only one who has talked to ghost, Hamlet, wanting to ensure that…

    • 1079 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays