Manuela Romero Belalcázar Foil Characters in Hamlet Hamlet is one of the most famous and influential characters throughout literature. Hamlet is unique due to his meditative and enigmatic nature. Throughout Hamlet, the contrast that foil characters provide, allows many of Hamlet’s distinct characteristics to become visible. Shakespeare displays the difference between Hamlet’s actions and those of Laertes’ and Fortinbrass’. Even in similar circumstances, Hamlet has a different approach than the other two foil characters to his father’s death.
Shakespeare presents villains in a way that entices the audience through his way or words and techniques used. He makes us wonder who the actual villain is in this story and plays with emotions such as guilt, sympathy and paranoia. I will be analysing Shakespeare's use of language, how he shows the change of character in Macbeth through his choice of words, and what the true meaning of a villain actually is by comparing Shakespeare's work and use of literature with three other well known poems. Throughout the story line of Macbeth, Shakespeare has shown a stark contrast between Macbeths' original personality to the one that he had finally developed. Starting from a victorious, respectable, glorified hero who was a ruthless killing machine, Macbeth then turns into a paranoid, merciless and unstable character which Shakespeare is able to shape, due to the various factors that would change Macbeth.
Shakespeare presents villains in a way that entices the audience through his way or words and techniques used. He makes us wonder who the actual villain is in this story and plays with emotions such as guilt, sympathy and paranoia. I will be analysing Shakespeare's use of language, how he shows the change of character in Macbeth through his choice of words, and what the true meaning of a villain actually is by comparing Shakespeare's work and use of literature with three other well known poems. Throughout the story line of Macbeth, Shakespeare has shown a stark contrast between Macbeths' original personality to the one that he had finally developed. Starting from a victorious, respectable, glorified hero who was a ruthless killing machine, Macbeth then turns into a paranoid, merciless and unstable character which Shakespeare is able to shape, due to the various factors that would change Macbeth.
However, the most incredible of all these passages is found in Act 4, Scene 1, Lines 164-177, where Macbeth contemplates his inner thoughts to himself. Here, Macbeth speaks to time, providing the audience with a more in depth image of its importance. Also, Macbeth’s diction is short and fierce, further pushing the play’s theme of insanity slowly taking over Macbeth’s mind. Lastly, the passage faultlessly illustrates Macbeth’s fatal flaw of ambition slowly ruining his inner being. With these things taken into account, it will be effortless for one to show just how lovely this passage is
Hamlet Act IV Paper: Examining Claudius Shakespeare’s male characters, though oftentimes twisted and malevolent, seem always to have a moral compass, a sense of justice and underlying awareness of what is right and wrong. In fact, these themes are the root of countless anguished monologues and soliloquies. At first glance, it would appear as though Claudius bears no resemblance to these other, more noble characters. His only worry seems to be the maintenance and security of his power over Denmark and its people. However, in Act IV, several intertwining themes begin to rapidly develop, and ultimately prove the previous assumption wrong.
Through their reactions to death, their own deaths, and their general philosophies on action, it is evident that while foil as they may be, they are ultimately similar. The greatest explanation one could consider is borrowed from the one who bore it first. Aristotle, the great philosopher determined a method of achieving happiness by living in balance. Too much of one thing and not enough of another would only lead to failure and a miserable life. If both Hamlet and Laertes could balance the importance of thought and action, and live in the mean, then they could begin to determine what may have been a more logical step in the pursuit of their goals, however disastrous their end result wished to be.
Elizabeth sees his inner goodness shine when he refuses to lie about being involved in witchcraft, and she realizes how unfair she has been. John Proctor saves the lives of the others who are accused when he unselfishly declines to save his own. He acts as a martyr when he places others before himself. He would rather die an honorable death than live a dishonorable life, which is what precedes him to be the tragic hero of the play. John Proctor, being a very complex character stuck in a world full mischief, madness, and chaos shows a major change as the play unfolds.
After the slow transition from Hamlet’s mournful state, to his ever growing state of madness, does his madness itself become his primary mode of communication with the other characters? 2. Hamlet suggests that his only pretending to be mad, can this be true seeing that he does such a good job doing so? Or is his suggestion of him pretending to be mad is to help himself feel saner? Translation POLONIUS What is it Ophelia, what’s the matter?
Hamlet: Mentally Incapacitated The plight of Hamlet remains to be a hot button topic for experts of varying expertise across time and lands. Upon first glance Hamlet exudes the qualities of a tragic hero, but with closer inspection one can only conclude the Prince of Denmark is a spineless cur with eccentric tendencies. Consorting himself with fickle ghouls of the royal sort, Hamlet takes upon himself a task so monumental the very idea of it sends him into a chaotic confusion and indecision. But it leaves the thought, was Hamlet ever in a healthy enough mental state to have accepted this duty in the first place? The common conclusion is that his melancholy was triggered by the death of his father and his mother’s flighty love; however Harold Bloom suggests that Hamlet never had a close enough relationship with either to have been truly affected by them.
Hamlet explores the individual’s struggle to find meaning in life, and it is this profound but relatable idea that captivates audiences and readers over time. The major philosophical ideas are explored in the characters’ journey, especially Hamlet’s. Hamlet’s struggle to find meaning in a world that offers none is highlighted in his first soliloquy, “Oh that this too too solid flesh would melt…” As the play progresses and Hamlet delves deeper into a world of corruption and deceit, his internal turmoil heightens and Hamlet continues on his search for meaning. However, his search comes to a quiet, resonating end as seen in the “Gravedigger scene.” Hamlet begins the play as a grieving boy who has just lost his father. His mother’s quick marriage to Claudius, his father’s brother, leaves him bitter and disillusioned.