When the Ghost and Hamlet finish their dialog Hamlet agrees to seek revenge against Claudius, but still doesn’t act. As the story goes, Horatio and Hamlet decided to test the King conscience with the re-act of the play of the king Hamlet death, so that way Hamlet could tell if the Claudius was guilty by his reaction, so after the performance the prince find Claudius kneeling alone praying. “Now might I do it pat. Now he is a-praying.
Old Hamlet’s ghost appears for the second time to remind Hamlet of his mission of revenge for his father’s murder. Hamlet suggests to his mother he is not actually mad at all, he is just pretending to be. Shakespheare shows us many conflicts with characters throughout this scene and also the consequences which the scene puts out, including Ophelia’s madness due to her fathers death. The ‘closet scene’, as it is commonly referred to, is significant in a number of ways. On one level it helps develop the reader’s understanding of some of the play’s key themes.
The ghost asks Hamlet to avenge his “most foul murder.” However, he warns Hamlet not to let revenge consume his mind. Ironically, Hamlet states “I’ll wipe away all trivial, fond records, all saws of books, all forms, all pressures past, that youth and observation copied there, and thy commandment all alone shall live within the book and volume of my brain, unmixed with baser matter”(Shakespeare I.V.106-111). In order for Hamlet to avenge his father, first he needs the proper evidence. Hamlet decides to create a play about a man who kills his brother, hoping that when Claudius sees it, he has a reaction showing his guilt. It is when Hamlet gets proof of Claudius’ guilt that he allows his emotions to dictate his actions.
While the people in the play believe the veil of lies that the king has spread, the audience knows that in reality, Claudius was the one to kill Old Hamlet. We learn this when the Ghost appears before Hamlet and tells him, “The serpent that did sting thy father’s life now wears his crown.” This ignites Hamlet’s desire for revenge which in turn fuels the play. The main theme can be seen here as well, “How strange or
The first evidence of Macbeth distancing and isolating himself from his friend is at the beginning of the play, when they are told the predictions by the witches that Macbeth “shalt be King hereafter!” (1.3.50). Banquo attempts to tell him that these predictions will only invade his mind with evil thoughts, saying that, “The instruments of darkness tell us truths,/ Win us with honest trifles, to betray’s/ in deepest consequence” (1.3.123-126). In this, he tells Macbeth that he should not listen to a word that the witches say, because they will tell the truth, but they will twist it in order to achieve their evil deeds. Macbeth distances himself from Banquo, as will not listen to his good friend, and decides to listen to the evil beings instead. Macbeth, after becoming King and plunging further and further into evil, orders for Banquo to be killed, as in the mind of Macbeth, Banquo has gone from his dearest friend to it being that, “There is none but he/ Whose being I fear” (3.1.54-55).
In order to prevent Hamlet from revealing the truth about the old King's death, Claudius tries to have Hamlet killed. The result of all this craziness is that all three, Claudius, Gertrude, and Hamlet are poisoned and the Danish throne is taken over by Fortinbras, the ruler of Norway. In the first act of “Hamlet” we can clearly see where reality does not co-exist with the thoughts of Horatio when he first encounters the ghost. “Horatio: Before my god, I might not this believe without the sensible and true avouch of mine own eyes” (1547). After several attempts to communicate with the ghost fails, Horatio decides that they must inform hamlet.
Hamlet becomes really depressed and angry when he hears about the marriage and how it happened so shortly after his father’s death. “It will not speak, then I will follow it.” (Act 1 Sc 4 line 70). This is when the Ghost appears he decides to go after it without any fear at all, while all of his friends beg him not to go. Anybody in there
Most often, Hamlet makes comments that suggest he is going to seek immediate revenge from his father’s murderer, but he remains stagnant. Early within the play he states that “with wings as swift As meditation or the thoughts of love” he will “sweep to [his father’s] revenge,” but his indecisive nature thwarts his efforts (Act I. Scene v. Line 31). Because of his Protestant religious background, Hamlet considers the possibility of the ghost being a devil. Resilient against having his soul damned to hell, Hamlet second guesses himself and his decision loses “the name of action” (Act III.
The ghost tells Hamlet that he was killed by Hamlets uncle: “Ay, that incestous, that aldulterate beast, with witchcraft of his wit, with traitorous gifts.” (I.V.43-80). This causes Hamlet to investigate Claudius, trying to find guilt in his face, as well as leading to his hatred towards Claudius. Another betrayal is one that most people would never expects. Hamlets two best friends who he has known since childhood betray him. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern become spies for Claudius telling him about Hamlet while pretending to be his friends after being offered payment: “ If it please you to show us so much gentry and good will, as to expend your time with us a while for the supply and profit of our hope.”(II.II.19-25).
How is your personal response to Hamlet shaped by interactions between characters throughout the play? My understanding of Hamlet has been greatly shaped by the interactions of the various characters in the play. Shakespeare in Hamlet provides the responder with various insights into his characters primarily through their relationship with Hamlet. These characters serve as vehicles for the essential concerns of humanity thus contributing to the textual integrity of the play. What is equally as important is how this has been achieved through Shakespeare’s command of various dramatic and language techniques.