Preview

Hamlet and Play

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1051 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Hamlet and Play
Hamlet Essay The act of revenge never fails to accomplish Shakespeare’s goal of keeping the audience in their seats. Hamlet, William Shakespeare’s most well written play carries the theme of revenge or redemption throughout the play. Redemption is defined to be as the desire to undo an injury or a wrongdoing. Many characters felt that they needed to redeem themselves however in doing so, they ended up facing death. For some characters, revenge had sprouted from their urges to redeem themselves. Revenge is defined as the desire to repay an individual for their injury or wrongdoing. A famous American novelist, John Irving has mentioned in work The World According to Garp, that it is a life-redeeming work in which everybody dies. Hamlet, Shakespeare’s most unique play follows in-line with Irving’s idea which is seen through the actions of Hamlet, Laertes and Gertrude. Hamlet, the protagonist of the play was greatly affected by the death of his father, King Hamlet who he sought for revenge throughout the play. During the beginning of the play, Hamlet was very distressed at the fact that his father had died. He was very troubled at the fact that his mother Gertrude had remarried Claudius so quickly. Hamlet felt that his mother had betrayed and abandoned his father for another man. After Hamlet’s altercation with the King Hamlet’s ghost, Hamlet raged in anger against Claudius for killing his father. Hamlet felt that he needed to redeem his father so he sought his path of revenge by planning on killing Claudius. Hamlet also tried to redeem himself with Ophelia. Hamlet has acted very rudely and crazy in front of Ophelia where he said, “Or, if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool, for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them” (3.1.139-141). However, by the time Ophelia died, Hamlet poured his heart out saying that: 'Swounds, show me what thou'lt do. Woo’t weep? Woo’t fight? Woo’t fast? Woo’t tear thyself? Woo’t drink up eisel, eat a


Cited: "Hamlet." Enotes.com. Enotes.com, n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2012. .
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Revenge in Hamlet and Frankenstein
    • 732 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Revenge in Hamlet and Frankenstein

    Prince Hamlet full of despair and grief to love and life. Since Hamlet knows the truth about his father’s death, he begin treat Ophelia ruthless. At the beginning, old Hamlet was alive, Hamlet love Ophelia deeply. We can see from the letter wrote from Hamlet to Ophelia “ doubt thou the star are fire, doubt that the sun doth move, doubt truth to be a liar, but never doubt I love.” (2.2.115-118) When Hamlet back, he realized Ophelia already dead, he finally breaking down “ What is he whose grief bears such an emphasis, whose phrase of sorrow conjures the wand’ring stars, and make them stand like wonder-wounded hearers? This is I, Hamlet of Dane.”(5.1. 245-249) I love Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers could not, with all their quantity of love. (5.1.258-259) We can see from here Hamlet love Ophelia so much, why he keeping hurting Ophelia with rude attitude and hurtful language? Why Hamlet doesn’t tell Ophelia truth? I think maybe he has own trouble, maybe he doesn’t want Ophelia turns into this tragedy. Even though she knows the all things, she can’ t help Hamlet anymore, it will increase the risk of revenge. Another reason why Hamlet can’t continue keep romantic relationship with Ophelia because has to…

    • 732 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Aldo Leopold: The North American Conservation Movement
    • 1082 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Aldo Leopold: The North American Conservation Movement

    Aldo Leopold was a conservationist, forester philosopher, educator, writer and outdoor enthusiast and was among the founding fathers of the North American conservation movement during the first half of twentieth century (Leopold, 1981). He argues that humans are part of a community that includes the land, from the soil to the rivers and seas (Leopold, 1981). According to Leopold (1981), until humans recognize that they are part of the land and act accordingly, they will continue to negatively impact the environment and their own health by extension (Leopold, 1981)…

    • 1082 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Ophelia: the Victim of Hamlet's Actions
    • 1173 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Ophelia: the Victim of Hamlet's Actions

    William Shakespeare’s production, Hamlet, is based off of tragedy and revenge. Prince Hamlet learns that the mournful death of his father is indeed a purposely carried out plan devised by no other than his uncle Claudius. Claudius murders the king for selfish intentions of taking over the throne along with King Hamlet’s wife, Gertrude. He is successful in following out his disposition. Hamlet devotes his soul and mind to efforts of seeking out revenge on Claudius. In the meantime, his love for Ophelia is put on the backburner, which consequently leads to her insanity. Hamlet decides to hold a play in the castle, where the actors put on a show for the new king. Claudius is appalled at the nature of this play when he realizes that the plot reveals the truth of King Hamlet’s murder. Claudius fears that Hamlet has gone mad and in his defense orders that Hamlet be sent to England. Hamlet is outraged and confronts his mother about her devious actions. He stabs Polonius who is eavesdropping behind the curtain because he thinks it is Claudius. After Polonius’s death, Ophelia truly hit a breaking point; she is seen as being grief-stricken on the verge of going insane. She drowns not long after her father’s death. Her brother, Laertes, returns and hears that Hamlet is the cause of all this death; he plans to get revenge on Hamlet. Claudius uses Laertes to kill Hamlet in a fencing battle; he poisons the sword that will strike Hamlet and the glass of wine that was given to him. Gertrude dies from the wine; Laertes is poisoned with his own sword as well as Hamlet. However, Hamlet stabs Claudius with the fatal sword and forces his to drink the remaining wine. In the end they all face death.…

    • 1173 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Hamlet and Gatsby Comparison
    • 1099 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Hamlet and Gatsby Comparison

    Hamlet loved his father, King Hamlet, and it was his death that broke young Hamlet's heart. It is the love he had for his father that brought him to his doom. After King Hamlet's death he appeared as a ghost moving through the castle at one o'clock every morning. When the guards and Horatio, Hamlet's best friend, noticed this ghostly figure, Horatio quite intelligently believed that he could get the ghost to speak with Hamlet. The next day the two guards, Horatio, and young Hamlet were present to speak to the ghost of King Hamlet. The ghost told Hamlet that he was murdered by Claudius, his brother, who had been sworn in as the new king and married his wife, Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude. After hearing this, young Hamlet was asked to avenge his father’s death, but in doing so his mother was to remain unharmed. Hamlet, being the loving and devoted son he was, and unable to accept Claudius as the leader to replace his father, accepted King Hamlet’s request. After this encounter, young Hamlet refused to tell the guardsman and Horatio what happened but made it known that he would act like a…

    • 1099 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Hamlet Critical Lens
    • 391 Words
    • 1 Page

    Hamlet Critical Lens

    In the William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet the Prince of Denmark is plotting to kill his uncle, who is the king because he poisoned his father, the previous king. The theme of the play is revenge and the protagonist, Hamlet is characterized as being fully devoted to avenging his father, no matter the cost. After two months of mourning for his dead father, Hamlet encounters his father’s ghost, who tells him that it was his brother, King Claudius who killed him. Hamlet then promises his father that he will get revenge on Claudius however, his inability to act prolongs Claudius’s death. Hamlet must first find out if it was actually his father’s ghost and not Satan trying to trick him so he modifies a play that shows a similarity to the murder of Hamlet’s father at the hand of Claudius. Claudius leaves before the play before it ends and berates himself for the murder, “Oh, my offence is rank, it smells to heaven. It has the eldest primal curse on it, a brother’s murder.” Therefore, Claudius will pay the price for killing Hamlet’s father by losing his throne, his wife, and even his own life. Hamlet will also pay greatly for avenging his father. He will lose Ophelia, the woman he loves who drownes herself after her father, Polonius is killed by Hamlet who thought it was Claudius. He will lose his mother, Gertrude who drinks wine that was poisoned by Claudius and intended for Hamlet. Hamlet will also lose his own life after being stabbed with a poisoned sword by Larates in a fencing duel, who was seeking…

    • 391 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Shakespeare's Hamlet Through a Historical Lens
    • 991 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Shakespeare's Hamlet Through a Historical Lens

    Writing is largely the product of an author’s desire to say something, to tell a story, or to simply entertain an audience; but it is also a product of the time in history in which it was written, and thus shaped by the standards, expectations, attitudes, limitations, and events of the day. One could read Hamlet merely as a revenge tragedy: Hamlet’s father, the king of Denmark, is killed by his brother, Claudius, who, as a result, arrogates not only the crown, but also his departed brother’s wife, Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude. The ghost of the deceased king reveals the circumstances of his death to his son, leaving Hamlet with a sense of obligation to avenge the murder, the usurpation, and the adultery. In the end, Hamlet does exact revenge by killing Claudius. This leads many to view Hamlet primarily as a revenge tragedy, but it is actually more enlightening as a topical history; in fact, J. Dover Wilson, a scholar of Renaissance drama, particularly on the work of William Shakespeare, regards Hamlet as “the most topical play in the whole corpus” (Rowse 188).…

    • 991 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Ophelia In Hamlet
    • 1399 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Ophelia In Hamlet

    Hamlet by William Shakespeare is a revenge tragedy play that primarily focuses on Hamlet’s quest to avenge his father’s death. The tragedy of Hamlet, while mostly revolving around Hamlet himself, also concerns the character of Ophelia, and Hamlet’s relationship with her throughout the play. Despite of her absence from all but five scenes, Ophelia manages to receive a considerable amount of attention, as her character becomes truly tragic with her realization that she is powerless politically, socially, and psychologically amongst the men in her life, and without them. As a woman with limited options in a patriarchal society, this realization drives her mad, ultimately resulting in her death.…

    • 1399 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Ah Fie's Flaws In Hamlet
    • 788 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Ah Fie's Flaws In Hamlet

    After first finding out that his father was killed at the hands of his own brother, Hamlet says, “So, uncle, there you are; now to my word; / it is “Adieu, adieu! Remember me.”/ I have sworn’t” (1.5.110-112). He agrees to kill King Claudius out of loyalty, allowing his love for his father to outweigh the possible consequences for his actions. Choosing to seek revenge is a decision of passion that causes him to hurt the people around him. Hamlet’s need for retribution eventually overshadows everything else in his life, including his relationship with Ophelia, which is clear when he says, “Get thee to a nunnery” (3.1.49). He understand that his words are hurting her yet by this time he is too mad to care. After ending their relationship Hamlet increasingly falls victim to his emotions. This is evident when he says, “How now? A rat? Dead, for a ducat, dead!” (3.4.24). Overcome with his desire to murder Claudius, Hamlet acts thoughtlessly and thrusts his sword through the drapes without further inspection. This is a circumstances where Hamlet gets swept up in passion and does not take the time to rationalize his movements. In this case, his failure to do so results in the death of Polonius and sets off a chain of events that led to his own…

    • 788 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Gilgamesh Theme
    • 1801 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Gilgamesh Theme

    In each work, death creates change in the storyline and for the main characters. With this change, however, comes newfound strength for the main character. In Hamlet, prince Hamlet is changed forever after the death of his father and the visit with his father's ghost. He mourns the loss of his father as his mother remarries and Hamlet finds the ordeal to be troubling and devastating. Hamlet the Elder warns his son that he was murdered by Claudius and Queen Gertrude. Although stunned at first, young Hamlet faces his mother, angry and betrayed, and fights the new king and even his mother with new found determination. He finds strength in his father's words and is motivated to seek revenge. Hamlet's anger can be seen in this quote, taken from Act I, Scene II, "O God, God, how weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable, seem to me all the uses of this world! (298)." Here Hamlet is remembering the loss of his father and is overwhelmed with grief. Later in the play, Hamlet is filled with rage and speaks alone with his mother. When the Queen fears for her life, she calls out for help, alerting the hidden Polonius. In a fit of anger, Hamlet kills Polonius. When his mother comments on the bloody slaying of Polonius, Hamlet replies sarcastically saying, "A bloody deed- almost as bad as kill a king and marry with his brother" (298). It…

    • 1801 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Is Hamlet Crazy?
    • 1103 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Is Hamlet Crazy?

    After he found out that Claudius killed his father, Hamlet swore that he would gain vengeance. He also wants vengeance because he is the rightful heir to the throne, an opportunity that was snatched away from his uncle. (Shannon Kisch) In order to get his revenge, he told Horatio he will put on an “antic disposition”. The first explanation for Hamlet’s strange behavior is his love for Ophelia. Ophelia tells the story of how a scruffy looking Hamlet approached her, simply ran his hand down her arm, stared at her and left. Polonius assumes that love for Ophelia drove Hamlet crazy and tells the king of his discovery. Polonius tests his theory by placing Ophelia in the path of Hamlet, before speaking to Hamlet himself. When speaking to Polonius, Hamlet may sound insane, but he uses this conversation to warn Polonius to keep his daughter away from the king (“the sun”) as well as to insult him. These insults and warnings seem to suggest that his madness is nothing but a hoax. In addition, when speaking to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Hamlet drops some of the mad characteristics he displays with other characters. He quotes some of a monologue he had heard some time before when the players arrive on the scene. He also plots revenge and plans how to test the guilt of the king. He does this by inviting his uncle/stepfather and mother to a play, which reenacts the murder of his…

    • 1103 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    How Is Hamlet Similar
    • 2235 Words
    • 9 Pages

    How Is Hamlet Similar

    His relationships with these people allow the audience to visualize his mental and emotional state and understand his actions. Once Hamlet found out that his father was murdered by Claudius, the good relationships he has starts to fall apart. Hamlet tries to find peace for his father’s death and he thinks avenging his death will help him. The first relationship that fell apart was with his mother Gertrude and it is demonstrated when he says “I will speak daggers to her but use none, my tongue and soul in this be hypocrites.” (3.2.???). This demonstrates Hamlet’s hatred for Gertrude. Hamlet was willing to go and hurt his own mother’s feelings, and in the play, Gertrude is seen as very fragile and vulnerable so he knew that his mother would not be able to bear his insults. Hamlet is so obsessed about getting revenge for his father’s death, he does not even realize that he is hurting other people. Also he does not let anything or anyone get in his way. This is shown when he says, “Why, man, they did make love to this employment. They are not near my conscience. Their defeat doe by their own insinuation grow.” (5.2.???). Hamlet lets his anger get the best of him. He was willing to kill is two best friends, just because they were working with Claudius. Hamlet has broken other relationships in the play as well such as his relationship with Ophelia and Laertes. He was trying to find the truth…

    • 2235 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Hamlet's Insanity
    • 1293 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Hamlet's Insanity

    He has been holding onto the secret about his uncle for a long period of time and is struggling with knowing how to avenge his father’s death. The difficulties in Hamlet’s life continue to add up and cause him to become more on edge. Polonius, the King’s helper and Ophelia’s father, tries to convince the King and Queen that Hamlet is acting crazy simply because he is in love with Ophelia. A plan is then created where Ophelia stands and waits for Hamlet while Polonius, Claudius and Gertrude hide and observe Hamlet’s actions. Once Hamlet approaches Ophelia, he realizes that he has been set up and is furious. Although Hamlet is clearly irate because he is being spied on, it is implied that part of Hamlet’s frustration is due to the betrayal and dishonesty from Ophelia, the one he loves. Hamlet has little trust in anyone at this point, and now he cannot trust the one who holds his heart. Hamlet reproaches Ophelia, “Get thee to a nunnery, go. Farewell. Or, if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool; for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them. To a nunnery, go; and quickly too. Farewell” (III, 1, 54). This quote is proof that Hamlet is very upset with Ophelia and no longer wants to be associated with her because he does not trust her. It is likely that Hamlet feels alone because he is facing many problems on his own and cannot trust the people who are important to…

    • 1293 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Does Hamlet Truly Love Ophelia
    • 957 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Does Hamlet Truly Love Ophelia

    While in the graveyard, Hamlet confronts Laertes, Ophelia’s brother, about his allegations of Hamlet never truly loving Ophelia. Hamlet responds to these allegations with, “I loved Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers could not with all their quantity of love make up my sum” (Shakespeare V. i. 247-249). Hamlet testifies that he is saddened by the death of Ophelia and is just as distraught as Laertes is. When addressing Laertes, he says, “Be buried quick with her, and so will I” (Shakespeare V. i. 258). Hamlet is claiming that he has nothing to live for because Ophelia is gone. The main issue with this interpretation it the fact that Ophelia committed suicide because of the way Hamlet treated her. Ophelia believed Hamlet did not love her, which caused her to go mentally insane. Even through Hamlet said he loved Ophelia, his words do not matter because she has already killed herself. True love is seen in actions, not words. Instead of showing Ophelia his love, Hamlet was very rude and egotistical in his behavior toward Ophelia. If Hamlet truly loved Ophelia, he would have treated her with respect and kindness. In the third act of Hamlet, Hamlet even begins to take his frustration regarding his mother, Gertrude, and other duplicitous situations surrounding his father’s death, out on Ophelia.…

    • 957 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Hamlet
    • 1058 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Hamlet

    William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet explores the thought process of a man on a mission for revenge and the psychological factors associated with it. By making Hamlet an over-contemplating protagonist Shakespeare is successfully able to explore the thought process of someone out to get revenge. A major theme in the play Hamlet is mental deterioration. Hamlet’s antics blur the line between acting and real madness, Ophelia loses her ability to rationalize after losing Hamlet then her father, Laertes loses self control and resolve after learning of his father’s murder and sister’s suicide.…

    • 1058 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Hamlet Play Comparison
    • 978 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Hamlet Play Comparison

    “To be or not to be”(III,i,1). Director Franco Zeffirelli put his spin on the classic shakespeare play, Hamlet in 1990. Working with known actors such as Mel Gibson, Glenn Close, Helena Carter, and Alan Bates, Zeffirelli brings this Denmark tragedy to life. Keeping his version of the screenplay similar to Shakespeare’s original play, the settings, costumes, and language blended nicely into historical times. Quite a few directors have put their spin on Hamlet. Although many have made major changes and have not stayed true to the original idea.…

    • 978 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More

Related Topics