Corruption in Hamlet is represented as a chain of events starting with greed; spreading by manipulation through unquestioning loyalty thus corruption manifests itself as tragic revenge. For example, right at the beginning of the play, the idea of corruption arises through the quotation of, “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” In this declarative, the word “something” is ambiguous and makes the audience question what Marcellus could be referring to. Although, there can be a few interpretations of how the state is “rotten”. An example of the rottenness in Denmark could be the death of King Hamlet. We find out that it was Claudius who killed King Hamlet and stole his crown and his wife.
And can the public acquire synthetic knowledge from a play? I will be answering these questions in my exploration of the epistemic crisis in Othello. The play is put on trial; the crime is of insufficient and questionable knowledge. By extension, it is the failure in the act of belief to cultivate into knowledge. Knowledge is therefore caricatured by the act of belief in the dialogue between the characters in this play.
Shakespeare’s ‘King Lear’ reveals the consequences of change as a result of individual action within an Aristotelian concept and structure of tragedy. Lear’s violation of the natural order in the first scene “we have divided our kingdom in three” is a direct challenge to the Divine Right of Kings. This action reveals Lear’s hamartia of hubris which is reinforced throughout the drama. “Which of you shall doth love us most?” His abdication of the throne in order “to shake all cares and business from our age” and his treatment of Cordelia and Kent represent the most unnatural acts of injustice, unleashing strife and chaos on the world and unimaginable suffering .A traditional Aristotelian tragic hero, Lear undergoes dramatic transformation from a egotistical, autocratic ruler to “a very foolish old man”. The process of change can be challenging and can be achieved through a painful and erratic process to enlightenment and humility.
Upon his characterisation of the protagonist, Prospero, Shakespeare leaves various parallels between Prospero and himself through Prospero’s creation of the enigma that is the tempest. A parallel is also made apparent between Prospero and James the 1st in that they were both rulers by divine right and delved into peculiar philosophies. Shakespeare utilises the tempest as an allusion within an illusion. The political relevance of the tempest is very lucid; he addresses the political instability amongst the nobles of the play as a connotation to the current political problems in Jacobean England. The short terse sentences along various repetitions and imperatives serve to denote calamity in the ship.
One of the many garden/weed metaphors used to project death and decay is when Hamlet says “Tis an unweeded garden/That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature/Possess it merely” (I.2.135-37). This is Hamlet’s first soliloquy and here Hamlet is referring to the fact that his Uncle Claudius has caused the garden or Denmark itself to become sick. Claudius is the thing that Hamlet is referring to and its Claudius’s possession of Denmark that has caused it to go to seed from all his lies and corruption. Shakespeare has introduced the rotting garden as a way for the reader to see what Hamlet’s thoughts are regarding his Uncle and the state of Denmark. The fact that Hamlet feels the garden is growing to seed means that he recognizes Denmark is losing power and that under
Shakespeare’s Hamlet has and intricate plot formed by the characters and themes throughout it. One major idea is Hamlet’s changing sanity, which fluctuates through the play as a performance and as a true madness. The other main theme which develops the play is the act of vengeance, with the delay and doubt that accompanies it. These themes, along with dramatic devices and the characters in the plot, add to the textual integrity of the play. There is a duality to the character of Hamlet, as his madness changes from a performance to true insanity throughout the play.
William Shakespeare’s Hamlet (1599-1601) has successfully continued to engage audiences through its dramatic treatments of soliloquies and asides. It has retained value as being worth critical study in both an Elizabethan and modern context – this may be said due to its mirroring of human nature in society, thereby depicting the thematic concepts of struggle and disillusionment. Shakespeare’s use of dramatic and language techniques, consisting of much great symbolism and metaphorical language, illustrates the dramatic irony and action of textual integrity in Hamlet. Thus these salient notions are achieved through Hamlet’s speech directed towards a society that reflects both an Elizabethan and modern contemporary context, whereby audiences reflect upon the depiction of humanity’s struggle in a disillusioned reality. In Hamlet’s third soliloquy, there are echoes of struggle and disillusionment which are illustrated as important concepts in dealing with Shakespearean language throughout the play of HAMLET.
Hamlet’s soliloquies unfold the internal dilemma and mental obsession of the chief speaker. They lend an insight into Hamlet’s contemplative nature and the problem of procrastination. Most of all, they mark the movement from his inability to overcome his scholarly nature to his final resolution to become an avenger. The audience comfortably gets sundry approach to the psyche and mindset of Hamlet. Hamlet’s first soliloquy gives the first true insight into Hamlet’s inner turmoil.
The personality traits of insanity and intellectuality also contribute greatly to the death of Hamlet. Hamlet’s tragic flaw is his procrastination. Without a doubt, Hamlet portrays procrastination and indecisiveness multiple times in the play. The ghost of Hamlet’s father visits him in the beginning of the play informing Hamlet that he was murdered by his own brother, Claudius: “The serpent that did sting thy father’s life/ Now wears the crown”(I.v.44,45). Furthermore, Shakespeare exhibits how Hamlet chose to devise a plan of acting mad, rather than avenging his father’s death immediately, progressing to his demise.
Shakespeare's Presentation of Othello as Responsible for his Own Downfall Shakespeare’s Othello consists of the themes betrayal, love and dishonesty. At the centre of this play is the tragic downfall of Othello at the hands of his so called friend Iago. In this essay I will be discussing the reasons for and against Othello being responsible for his downfall through looking at critical interpretations of his character and actions. In some ways you could say that Othello was highly responsible for his own downfall as he was easily manipulated by Iago showing him to be gullible and naïve. Iago manipulates Othello by making him suspicious through inference, “Ha I like not that”.