The devices make a suspenseful, shocking, spine-chilling play. This book is nothing short of ironic; Shakespeare uses the rhetorical device irony all threw Macbeth. For example the thane of Cawdor is killed over committing treason and treachery against the king, only to give the title to Macbeth who plans to commit worst things to the king. The king even goes on to state after killing the thane of Cawdor that “There's no art to find the mind's construction in the face He was a gentleman on whom I built an absolute trust” (I.IV.15). To then put his trust in Macbeth only to be betrayed by him.
In the soliloquy, Hamlet is at first upset with himself about finding ways to avoid avenging his Father’s murder, like his spirit in ghost form told him to. This complaining turns into self hatred and then Hamlet is insulting himself outright. The main reason for this is he has agreed to get revenge on Claudius so his father’s spirit can be at peace, but he hasn’t done it yet. The fact that the Player seems to be more able to get into the mindset of revenge than he can further discourages him. This on top of the fact that Hamlet’s dad is dead and his mother married that man he hates most in the world makes for a pretty melancholy fellow.
In the play Hamlet, Shakespeare uses the theme of corruption to metaphorically represent the deterioration of each Character’s physiological well being and state of mind when exposed to corruption that ends in death. The theme of corruption plays a role by instating the traits of death and mortality within each of the characters, both by choice and from exterior occurrences. Through the portrayal of Hamlet, a man who is obsessed with death, Shakespeare uses this obsession to explore both Hamlet's desire for revenge and his need for certainty when corruption disrupts the natural balance of order in his kingdom. In the process, Hamlet explores the many hardships that are bestowed upon him in order to reflect on the many characteristics that are associated with the exposure to corruption which lead to mortality. Hamlet becomes obsessed with the idea of death within the play, and as the story unfolds further, he begins to analyze death from multiple perspectives than ever before.
Hamlet begins with the ever so famous line: “To be or not to be,” for at that moment, Hamlet literally poses the question of “life and death”. Shakespeare formulated this speech very carefully by using the most simplistic yet complex formatting of words: “To be” as in to live “or not to be” which suggests death, suicide, and non-existence. The first sentence he is debating whether or not to keep his pain within himself, and the second sentence he poses suicide as an option to lead him out of his misery. In the soliloquy, Hamlet states "Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished", stating that he wants his suicidal thoughts fulfilled. He wants to end all the pain and grief that his father's death brought upon him.
Discuss the changing relationship Hamlet had with his mother. Shakespeare’s play Hamlet is one of the most recognised staged plays around the world. Set in the early 17th century, Hamlet is the story of an alienated and melancholy, young man that seeks revenge on his father’s murderer when ordered to by a ghost, who Prince Hamlet sees as his dead father. The language and openness used in Hamlet leaves many interpretations to its audience making it the most theatrical of plays. In the play, Gertrude is Hamlet’s mother, and Queen of Denmark.
The ghost informed Hamlet that he had been killed by Sir King Claudius and that Claudius was, in fact, Hamlet's uncle. From there, the ghost only asked for one thing and one thing only, and all the deceased king requested was revenge from his son. Taking in all this information, wanting to avenge his father's death, and wanting to do as his father asks causes Hamlet to do many crazy things, including pretending to have lost his sanity. This causes many deaths in the story during Hamlet's journey to revenge. One of which was Polonious, who was stabbed by Hamlet during Hamlets rant to his mother.
The play’s main protagonist Hamlet lets his grief over his father’s murder fuel his thirst for revenge, Ophelia lets the grief over the murder of her father Polonius drive her to apparent suicide, and Ophelia’s brother Laertes is pushed to conspire with Claudius to kill Hamlet as a result of his grief. Grief might as well be its own character in Hamlet because if it was it would always be center stage. The grief present in Hamlet comes in many different shapes and forms. Even for life today, until people learn how to deal with grief it will become an inherent part of a person’s character. It is interesting to note how Shakespeare portrays his male and female characters ability to handle grief.
Hamlet starts to act as a madman to avenge the death of his father by his uncle. Ophelia on the other hand, goes mad after the death of her father. Shakespeare uses both these characters to affect the main plot in the play and their relationships with other characters. Many people debate whether Hamlet’s madness is real or fake. Shakespeare incorporated the theme of madness to serve a motive for Hamlet in order to deceive others.
How does the Ghost persuade Hamlet to accept the role of revenger? Faced by the spirit of the late King and his father, Hamlet feels a sense of duty to avenge his father’s death. Shakespeare’s use of manipulative language encourages the audience to consider the possibility of emotional blackmail acting as the tipping point that convinces Hamlet to take on the role of revenger. In Scene 4 of the first act, when Hamlet has his first encounter with the Ghost, he notes that he “com’st in such a questionable shape”, suggesting a distraught mind. This is reflected in the contrasting lines such as “spirit of health or goblin damned”, implying that Hamlet cannot be sure whose ghost he is facing.
Blood as a Symbol in Macbeth Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s most tragic and violent plays. It is only fitting, then, that blood is the main symbol throughout this sad tale. Representing honor, disloyalty, and guilt, Shakespeare uses blood to describe Macbeth’s desire to destroy his king, leading to the eventual downfall of his country. The first mention of blood in Macbeth takes place early in the play. During act 1, scene 2, Duncan notices the injured soldier and states, “What bloody man is that?” This first reference symbolizes honor as the soldier (a sergeant) is returning from battle.