While Claudius’s prayers is not honest, Hamlet reasons killing him “in the purging of his soul” will sends him to heaven (Shakespeare p.84 III.III). Surprisingly, in spite of the fact that Hamlet is incapable of making decisions individually, he is disposed to take orders from a ghost. In fact, it is overthinking that deprives his autonomy. Equal situation is observed nowadays as well. The elevated individual’s choices in modern life, from careers we choose to peruse, to foods we eat, offers so much variety.
Hamlet’s Defect: A reinterpretation of the word “defect” in Hamlet The word “defect” appears only twice in Hamlet’s Shakespeare yet this is a word which has profound consequences on the interpretation of key elements in the play depending on the definition attributed. It is very possible Shakespeare incorporated such words to help add a sense of ambiguity when needed, yet it is also possible our current or common understanding of words such as “defect” give a false meaning which Shakespeare had not intended. If one takes “defect” to mean something essential that is lacked, then the scene where Hamlet tells Horatio about the things which cause people to “in the general censure take corruption,” (1.4.35) and the scene where Polonius ponders “the cause of [Hamlet’s] defect,” (2.2.102) ostensibly lead an audience to relate the scenes to the larger issue of ambition throughout the play. The two definitions of the word “defect” which are important in this paper are best described in the Oxford English Dictionary. The first definition given is a meaning conceived very close to the time when Shakespeare wrote Hamlet—1589.
“Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain,” advice that would have served Polonius well. Both L. Frank Baum's Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Shakespeare’s Hamlet had had a common theme, lying and deception. Lies and deceit affect each central character of Shakespeare’s Hamlet as they develop on social, psychological and moral levels. Prince Hamlet, the protagonist, is morally opposed to deception and constantly craves truth. Hamlet's apparent psychological state as the play progresses changes from that of a scholar, to that of a madman, though contradictorily this change is in itself a deceptive act.
MEL GIBSON Each rendition approached Hamlet's “to be or not to be” speech from a very different angle. I found it interesting to watch the many different ways the soliloquy could be delivered. However, the two versions that stuck out were Gibson’s and Tennant. Of the two, I think that Gibson did the best job. While both Mel Gibson's and David Tennant's versions of Hamlet were both depressed and lamenting in their scene there were some major differences.
Hamlet's tragic flaw is his indecisiveness to act on his thoughts. Hamlet tends to over-think and weigh the consequences of his actions rather than just act on them, this is shown through Hamlet's soliloquys. Hamlet is always questioning himself so he will make the best decision. No matter how admirable this is it slows him down from killing Claudius. Hamlet even says himself, “Thus conscience does make cowards of us all” (III.i.54).
Despite all this negativity, it would be a great over-simplification to assume that the overall play ‘presents us with a bleak and cruel world and offers no comfort at the end’, though this is an easy assumption to make given the obvious bleakness that infects the play throughout. Shakespeare does not dance around with back stories for the characters; rather he launches straight into Lear’s grand mistake in the first scene, and leaves the characters actions to imprint on the audience’s mind, introducing them. Lear’s flaws become evident immediately, even if the consequences of such flaws are not fully unveiled until later. Lear’s pride can be dismantled to have many layers; too proud to accept the truth in Cordelia’s words, seeking only mindless, false flattery; too proud to listen to Kent’s wise warnings, hearing only ignorant interruptions. ‘In thy best consideration check this hideous rashness.’ Lear does not only ignore the good advice his good friend Kent is giving him, he also
iii 106 - 140] then meddling and subversive, as he sets spies on his own son, and finally irredeemably and ultimately fatally corrupt and subversive, as he schemes and plots around Hamlet. His death - physical corruption - is a precursor, signifying to the audience the ultimate fate of all those characters exhibiting signs of corruption. Polonius seems to be the most obviously corrupt character, but the centre of evil of the play's plot and of the kingdom is Claudius, as he kills King Hamlet. When Marcellus states, 'Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.' [Act I, Sc.
A tragedy is a story of a person’s demise brought on them by the specific flaws in their character. The “Tragedy of Othello” by William Shakespeare tells a story of deceit and revenge. Othello, the central figure of the play, is a man noble to his country and people. He is an amazing character, a tragic hero, who has befallen to undeserved misfortune and folly. While it may seem, that the tragedy of Othello was caused by the evil villain Iago, I believe that he was not the only one to blame.
A tragic flaw is defined as “a weakness or error in judgment that brings about a tragic hero's downfall” (Clugston 2010). Ambition was Macbeth’s tragic flaw. An idea was planted inside Macbeth’s mind by the three witches’ prophecy that he would be King. This was what drove Macbeth to madness, in a sense, stopping at nothing, not even murder, to achieve this goal. He is tempted to evil by the
The Tragic Demise of Hamlet A tragedy is an austere drama with an unpleasant outcome. Every Shakespearean tragedy results in the demise of the protagonist. In the tragedy Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, Hamlet’s personality traits and decisions ultimately cause his own, tragic decease. Shakespeare illustrates that Hamlet’s actions of procrastination are the main cause of his death. The personality traits of insanity and intellectuality also contribute greatly to the death of Hamlet.