Love is in the Air

Hamlet: Hamlet is the Prince of Denmark and the son of King Hamlet and Queen Gertrude. Throughout the play it is reveal that Hamlet has an extremely bitter personality mixed with melancholy, hatred and disgust, which in turn creates a lot confusion for him. He is also seen as hesitant and indecisive when it comes to making important decisions but at the times that matter most, he acts on his impulsive. In the being of the play, it is revealed how depressed Hamlet is. In act 1 scene 2, Hamlet contemplates whether or not to commit suicide “Or that the Everlasting had not fixed his canon ‘gainst [self-slaughter].” In this same speech, Hamlet also reveals how bitter and disgusted he is about his mother’s new marriage “She married. O, most wicked speed, to post with such dexterity to incestuous sheets!” At this point, it is revealed how confused Hamlet is because he is upset that his father just died and he is angry that his mother remarried his uncle less than two months after his father’s death. Hamlet is revealed as indecisive when he proclaims that he will not be able to act on this knowledge without having further proof. In act 2 scene 2 Hamlet says, “Must, like a whore, unpack my heart with words.” He is also revealed as indecisive when he is unable to kill Claudius when he is given a chance. Hamlet is scene as impulsive when he gets over engulfed in emotions. For example, the scene where he is in Gertrude’s he is full of emotion. When he realizes that someone is spying on them, he goes into frenzy and stabs the man spying and ultimately killing him. In act 3 scene 4 Hamlet states, “How now, a rat? Dead for ducat, dead.” A final scene where Hamlet reveals his impulsive behavior is the scene where he forces Claudius to drink the poison before Hamlet perishes. Without thinking the outcome of this through and only focusing on revenge, Hamlet forces Claudius to drink the very poison that he was going to trick Hamlet into drinking. This final scene is an example of Hamlet irrational behavior when he is over come by emotions.

Claudius: Claudius is the King of Denmark and the brother of the prior King Hamlet and is now married to Gertrude- his sister-in-law. Claudius is ambitious, determined, cunning and resourceful; however, at times he conveys emotions of regret and love. In act 4 scene 7, Claudius is seen as ambitious and cunning because he plans the assassination of Hamlet with Laertes in order to protect his own position. In this scene Claudius says, “And for his death no wing of shall breathe, but eve his mother shall uncharged the practice and call it an accident.” Claudius is using another man to do his dirty work and like the murder of his brother, he is planning out ever part of his nephew’s murder. Claudius also reveals his other personality. This is scene when he is repenting to God for all of his sins after watching Hamlet’s play. In act 3 scene 3 Claudius says, “Can serve my turn? Forgive me my foul murder?” Claudius also shows his side of love when he tries to prevent Gertrude from drinking the cup full of poison, however, he is too late.

Gertrude: Gertrude is the Queen of Denmark who was the prior wife of King Hamlet and now the wife of Claudius and is the mother of Hamlet. She is portrayed as not the brightest character, one who could not recognize that her past husband was killed by her present husband who is the brother of her past husband and the uncle to her son (very confusing). She has a deep affection and love for almost everyone, which creates problems throughout the play. She is extremely resourceful, however, is very dependent on others. In the scene where she is in her bedchambers with Hamlet, Gertrude reveals her astonishment over the fact that her previous husband was murdered. In act 3, scene 4 Gertrude says, “Ay me, what act that roars so loud and thunders in the index?” Gertrude at this is point is very confused because Hamlet is accusing her of something that she has no idea even occurred. Gertrude shows her love for many when she quickly marries her brother-in-law and when she tries to find ever-possible solution to Hamlet’s madness. She is also very caring to Ophelia because she feels partially responsible for Polonius’s death. Gertrude reveals how cunning she actually is when she covers for Hamlet after he slain Polonius. She reenacts her damsel in distress act when she is describing the scene to Claudius. In act 4 scene 1 Gertrude says, “Behind the arras hearing something stir, whips out his rapier, cries, ‘A rat, a rat,’ and in this brainish apprehension kills the unseen good man.” In this scene, Gertrude stretches the truth on what actually took place. She does this because she knows if she tells Claudius what really happened, that he would probably kill Hamlet. Despite the fact that she does lie for Hamlet, she relies on Hamlet to tell her how to act and she also relies on Claudius to keep Hamlet safe.

Laertes: Laertes is the brother of Ophelia and son of Polonius. He initially is a friend of Hamlet’s when they both go to France to study, however, this quickly changes after Hamlet kills Polonius. Laertes is extremely passionate and instinctive. He is impulsive and usually does not think his actions through, which causes him to be a foil for Hamlet. Laertes does not reveal his impulsive and irrational behavior until later in the play after he learns of the murder of his father. When Laertes learns of his father’s murder, he immediately assumes the King and stomps over to Denmark demanding answers from Claudius or his head. Laertes demands, “O, thou vile king, give me my father!” Laertes later expands his impulsive behavior when he joins the king’s plans for the murder of Hamlet even though he does not know the true reasons behind the king wanting Hamlet dead. Laertes expresses him passion not through his words but through his actions, which is polar opposite to Hamlet.

Ophelia: Ophelia is the daughter of Polonius and sister of Laertes and is in a romantic relationship with Hamlet. She is portrayed as a young, innocent girl who is extremely dependent on the men in her life. It is revealed how dependent she actually is to men after her father is killed because she goes insane as a result. In the beginning of the play, it is revealed how controlled Ophelia is through he father and brother. In act 1 scene 2 Laertes and Polonius discuss with Ophelia her relationship with Hamlet and how she is supposed to act around him. When Laertes gives his advice to Ophelia she responds, “I shall the effect of this good lesson keep as watchmen to my heart.” She then responds to her father’s demands by saying, “I shall obey my lord.” Ophelia is controlled by both of these men and she is not given an opinion of her own on her relationship with Hamlet. It is later revealed how innocent Ophelia actually is when she is trying to find the cause of Hamlet’s madness. In act 3 scene 1 Ophelia questions to herself, “And I, of ladies most deject and wretched, that suckle the honey of his musicked vows, like sweet bell jangled, out of time and harsh.” Before this Ophelia truly believed that Hamlet did love her. However, now she is questioning what all that meant and she is truly upset and bewildered. Once Polonius is dead, Ophelia goes mad because she is unable to deal with all her different emotions from Hamlet’s rejection to her father’s death.

The need to seek revenge.
In Act 3 scene 3 Hamlet has finally realized that Claudius was the man that killed King Hamlet. Hamlet knows that is it his duty as a son to revenge his father’s death so decides that he must kill Claudius. Hamlet sneaks his way into the room where Claudius is alone and is about to kill Claudius before he realizes that Claudius is repenting. This scene is an example of the need to seek revenge because Hamlet knows that in order to fulfill his dead father’s wishes and his own conscious, he must seek revenge on Claudius and he must give Claudius the same fate as his father.
In Act 4 scene 5 Laertes storms into the palace all the way from France demanding an explanation from the King for his father’s death of the king’s head. Once Laertes is told that his father is truly dead, he goes into a fit of rage cursing at the world and demanding vengeance. In this Laertes says, “Let come what comes, only I’ll be revenged mostly through my father.” Laertes is so full of passion and misery that he is willing to risk his life in order to seek revenge for his father that was not given any. The only way Laertes believes he will be able to move past his father murder is by seeking revenge on who ever killed him.
Act 5 scene 2 is the final scene of the play and it is the scene where Hamlet finally seeks his revenge on Claudius after so much planning and determination. At the end of the final fight scene where Hamlet is slowly dying from the poison in his blood, he decides that he must fulfill his act of revenge to die a fulfilling death. In this scene, Hamlet makes it his last mission to force Claudius to consume the poison that he had planned for Hamlet and thus killing Claudius once and for all. Hamlet knows that the only way his father is going to be able to reach Heaven and for himself not to have to be stuck in between worlds is for him to kill Claudius. However, instead of using the dagger and just cutting Claudius’s throat, Hamlet forces him to the same way his father and his mother died, through drinking the poison. By doing this, Hamlet has caught Claudius at his own game and is showing that even cunning and manipulative Claudius can be beat.

Religion tying into morality and afterlife:
In Act 1 scene 2 Hamlet begins to question whether or not he should commit suicide. Hamlet is extremely confused in this scene because a ghost claiming to be his father has just approached him. However, the ghost has also told him that his brother Claudius killed him and he wants Hamlet to avenge his death so he can advance to Heaven. Hamlet does not know what to do now because he does not think he has enough power to seek revenge and sees himself as too well. Hamlet beings to realize that the best way to deal with what is happening is kill him, but he realizes that suicide is a sin in God’s eyes. If he commits suicide, he will not go to heaven and thus his life will be a complete waste. In this speech, Hamlet is contemplating the negative and positive outcomes of dying right then. He is questioning his morality and his changes in afterlife while evaluating his religion.
In Act 3 scene 3 Claudius is attempting to repent for all of his sins because he realizes how much destruction he has caused. Claudius has begun to realize that all of his actions to try to gain power have been related to sins and that he will most likely not go to heaven when he dies because of all of his sins. After coming to this conclusion, Claudius decides that the only way he might have a chance at making it to Heaven is by asking God for forgiveness. He realizes that if he repents, he could possibly be forgiven of all his sins- incest, murder, lying etc and that he could end up in heaven. In this scene, Claudius is praying to good to save his morality and his chances at a pleasant afterlife. Claudius also makes a biblical allusion by comparing himself to the biblical story of Cain and Abel.
In Act 3 scene 4 Hamlet is in his mother’s bedchambers trying to uncover whether she too was part of the conspiracy to kill his father. In this scene Hamlet kills Polonius but does not recognize it as a sin worst than what his mother has committed. Hamlet describes the sins his mother has committed and tells her that she must repent for what she has done if she wishes to go to Heaven. Hamlet tells her that the only way she can possibly have a decent after life is if she repents to God that night her sin of committing incest with her brother-in-law. Hamlet is relating the idea of religion of sins to the morality of his mother at the moment and her life after she dies.

Women treated as second-class citizens to men.
In Act 1 scene 3 it is revealed that Ophelia’s father and brother are controlling her in every aspect imaginable. They tell her what to do, what to say, and how to act around Hamlet as if they themselves where Ophelia. They do not believe Ophelia is smart enough to be able to resist without having someone tell her to because they believe that since she is a woman, she is weak enough to give into her wants and desires. The two believe that it is their job to protect and control Ophelia as if she is their property. In this scene, Ophelia is not being treated as a proper human being, she is being controlled by her father and brother and is not given anywhere near the same privileges as her brother. This is an example of how women in the play are treated as second-class citizens and are not given a say in important matters.
In Act 3 scene 1 Ophelia is forced to play a pawn in her father’s scheme for rank advancement. Her father declares that Ophelia will become part of his and Claudius’s game to uncover the meaning behind Hamlet’s madness without first discussing it with Ophelia. The two place Ophelia in the hands of a seemingly mad man and try to get to discover Hamlet’s secret while they watch her love exchange take place. During her time with Hamlet, she receives constantly ridiculed by him. He begins to declare her as being simple-minded and needing to go to a nunnery. However, he later changes his opinion of her and all other woman to believing that they are manipulative and cunning and need to be watched so they do not gain any unnecessary control.
In Act 3 scene 4 Hamlet is in his mother bedchambers and he is criticizing her for all of her sins. Despite the fact that she is his mother, he uses force upon her and treats her as if she were his property. He begins throwing her around the room, calling her a whore and woman of incest while blaming her for his father’s death. Believing that she was part of his father’s death, Hamlet