985. Print.). After Hamlet is visited by his father’s ghost and learns that Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle, murdered King Hamlet. Hamlet uses insanity as a cover to mask his true intentions of revenging his father's murder by exposing and killing Claudius. The context of Hamlet leaves enough evidence to prove that Hamlet was sane and only pretended to be mad.
Hamlet was destined to be damned the moment he was asked to avenge his father. There is the argument that it was Hamlet’s free will to kill Claudius based on the quote, “my thoughts be bloody or nothing worth.” Killing a King is punishable by lifetime imprisonment or even death. By killing Claudius, Hamlet will be admonished by the court and either consequence that he will receive is awful. The other option instead of taking Claudius’ life would be to disregard his father’s ghost and go on with life as normal. This option seems prime to many, yet when Hamlet dies he will be stuck in purgatory for not avenging his father.
Hamlet is presented as the obvious tragic hero in the play. Tragic hero's are born into nobility and are responsible for their own fate, just like Hamlet. They are also endowed with a tragic flaw, Hamlet's being his intellect. We can relate to Hamlet in a personal way because he consists of multiple dimensions and characteristics which we relate to. Hamlet feels heartbroken when his mother, Gertrude marries the new King, Claudius.
“Look Here…” In Hamlet, one of the most famous works of all time, written by William Shakespeare during the Renaissance period, dramatic monologues and soliloquys are used to delve into the livid thoughts of Hamlet about his family situation. Hamlet spends a majority of the play trying to avenge his ghostly father’s wishes, which are to avenge his murder done by the king’s own brother, Claudius. Hamlet also tussles with concepts of incest and betrayal due to his mother marrying her brother-in-law Claudius after King Hamlet is murdered. In Act 3 Scene IV, Hamlet uses his “Look here” monologue in order to depict to Gertrude the horrors she has committed, and while doing so, portrays major theme elements in betrayal and incest. One quintessential part of the plot deals with Hamlet’s struggling with his mother’s incestuous betrayal to his father until he finally confronts her, which is embodied in his dramatic monologue in Act 3 Scene IV.
Wherefore should I, Stand in the plague of custom and permit, the curiosity of nations to deprive me,” (Shakespeare 1.2.1-4) so Edmund punish his father for the lack of respect he has gotten over the years. Edmund does get retributive justice catches him at the end when he is killed. Fraser believes that it will not solve anything, anger “can easily serve to perpetuate violence and hatred- one act of violence leading to another in response, which can provoke yet another” (Fraser pg2). Fraser states “Forgiveness is
Hamlet makes his first move against King Claudius by telling the actors to play a tragic play by which he can see King Claudius’s reaction. “Oh, my offence is rank, it smells to heaven. It has the eldest primal curse on it—a brother’s murder.” (Act 3, Scene 3, Lines 36-38). Claudius says these lines in despite of the play he has seen and drives him crazy. This is when we know he actually killed Hamlet’s father.
This is significant of the incest, the murder, considering that he is the king and the king was always believed to be chosen by god himself or possibly the fact that he is in purgatory as he left “unhouseled, disappointed [and] unaneled”. Appearance of reality is explored as a theme when Gertrude’s incestuous sin is being discussed. Natural imagery is used again when Shakespeare, through Old Hamlet’s character decides to “leave [Gertrude] to heaven and to those thorns that
Laertes’ father- Polonius is mistakenly killed by Hamlet. Therefore, at this point, Laertes has a similar situation as Hamlet. Laertes resolves to avenge his father’s death on Hamlet as Hamlet decides to avenge his father’s death on Claudius. However, the way they each avenge for their fathers’ death is opposite to one another. While Hamlet is self-conflicting with plans, Laertes is taking action immediately after he knows of his father’s murder.
Should he make himself feel better with revenge or with honor. The third soliloquy shows how Hamlet realizes that his conflicts in his mind cause his indecision and personal turmoil. By not having resolved these conflict he feels makes him weak. To become strong he decides to follow the path that kills his Uncle. Having resolved on a negative path he now is deciding on weather to live with himself or not, that is to end his own life rather than suffer a painful existence.
Oedipus’ actions of murdering or stealing the place of the father and having all of his mother affection for himself, depicts the Oedipus Complex invented by Freud. Another connection between psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud and tragedian Sophocles is the sexual fixations found in their work. Sophocles’ fixation come to light through symbolisms like the Oedipus scene where he stabs his eyes out. Freud’s fixation emerge in theories like dream interpretations and psychosexual stages. Eyes are characterized for representing truth and male power.