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Theme Of Sympathy In Hamlet

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Theme Of Sympathy In Hamlet
The death of his father, ex-girlfriend, and all the unfortunate events in between, portray Hamlet as a man with many sorrows. These hardships allow the audience to mourn with and connect to Hamlet’s complex character. Shakespeare evokes sympathy from the reader through the hastened marriage of Hamlet's mother, the murderess actions of his wretched uncle, and Hamlet’s apparent madness. These occurrences develop not only sympathy from the audience, but the main theme of revenge as Hamlet seeks to avenge his father's wrongful death. Sympathy is created for Hamlet through his father’s death and his mother and uncles hastened marriage.The story starts off on a melancholy and solemn tone as Hamlet comes into Act 1 wearing black clothing as he …show more content…
Hamlet’s odd behavior demonstrates his isolationist attitude that he developed after the death of his father. By internalizing what the ghost had told him and his emotions, the theme of insanity becomes a large part of the play. Even his mother comments on how crazy that he has been acting “ [He is as] mad as the sea and wind when both contend, which is the mightier.” The audience pities the fact that Hamlet concealing his revenge and hatred has caused him to become unstable and mad. Hamlet continues to internalize his anger and sadness when Ophelia tragically commits suicide. Hamlet finds this is out in the most horrible way when he notices a burial taking place at the graveyard and realizes that it was his ex-girlfriend. The many deaths that have occurred around Hamlet cause him to realize the inevitability and sorrow of death. He had even questioned if suicide was worth it earlier in the play with his to be or not to be soliloquy. Hamlet begins to rapidly decline after Ophelia’s death and seeks to release him emotion and anger by killing Claudius. While Hamlet continues to plan the murder of the King, the King and Laertes also strategize the death of Hamlet. Laertes becomes another foil for Hamlet as he seeks to avenge the accidental death of Polonius. His irrational behavior and anger for Hamlet accidentally killing Polonius make the audience more inclined towards the cause of Hamlet, not Laertes and Claudius. Laertes is used as a comparison to Hamlet because both of their father had been killed, but Hamlet's father was killed with lustful

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