Hamlet commentary In William Shakespeare play Hamlet the reader or audience comes upon a soliloquy from the character of the King, also known as Claudius. In the soliloquy Claudius speaks about how he murdered his brother the former king. This is the first time that Claudius openly admits to killing his brother. Shakespeare use a few different literary devices in this passage but one of the most prominent is the use of biblical allusions and motif. To reveal the reason for Claudius murdering King Hamlet .
Hamlet's incapability to commit revenge for the duration of the play indicates that he is sexually arrosed by the idea of being with his mother and rid himself of his father. Many critics argue this correlation parallels a much earlier tragedy in which a man named Oedipus accidentally slaughters his father and marries his mother. This sexual fantasy Hamlet manifests hinders him from committing revenge upon King Claudius because Claudius himself is a living corporeal representation of the man he hungers to become. "Hamlets problem" throughout the tragedy is articulated by Shakespeare through motif, tragic flaw, and allusion and further fortifies his use of the Oedipus complex. Oedipus, as many say, is rooted in the tale of "Hamlet" This particular work of Shakespeare's is subject to a vast array of interpretations, perhaps the most controversial and significant is the relationship between Hamlet and his mother Gertrude and how it parallels the greek tragedy "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles.
Hamlet pursues his failures by holding off his intentions to kill Claudius, unsuccessfully claiming his love for Ophelia, and the accidental murder of Polonius. All the aforementioned events ultimately lead to the tragic events in the play. King Hamlet’s questionable death results in Claudius’s reign over the Kingdom. Through the appearances of the former ruler's Ghost, the accountability of King Hamlet’s death, Claudius becomes the main suspect of the King’s death. Hamlet decides to kill Claudius to seek revenge over his father’s death.
Who Fears Who? In William Shakespeare’s, Hamlet, Hamlet tries to have justice served with the death of his father. Claudius –Hamlet’s uncle—killed his brother in order to obtain the crown. Hamlet is put in a position where he needs to decide of killing his evil uncle is worth it, and Shakespeare makes a biblical argument. In Matthew10:29 it says “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.
He says that the man who killed the former king of Thebes is among them, it is a blind who could see before, a beggar who was rich, he is brother to his own children, son and husband to a woman who bore him, and son and killer to his father. The climax is the point when Oedipus knows the truth, that he is the murder of the King Laius and his father, and married his own mother, Queen Jocasta. For this fatal answer of Tiresias, Oedipus starts blaming Creon that he is the one who brought Tiresias. Now as he announced in the beginning that the killer will be punished and banished from the kingdom, he must do it. Oedipus blinds himself as a punishment and Jocasta hangs herself, after telling the truth that
“How now, a rat? Death for a ducat, dead... Is it the King?” (III.iv.29-32). This proves that Hamlet’s actions are unintentional, and intends to kill King Claudius. As this incident unfolds, Laertes’s anger from his father’s death channels towards Hamlet. This sets upon a string of events that ultimately leads to Hamlet’s death.
Hamlet stabs the king and Laertes remarks, “He is justly serv’d” (5.2.294). Accordingly, Hamlet must also receive justice as well for he unwittingly murdered Polonius. Laertes achieves this retribution for both Polonius and Ophelia, whose death was spurred by Polonius’. Nearing the end of their lives, Laertes beseeches Hamlet, “Exchange forgiveness with me, noble Hamlet: Mine and my father’s death come not upon thee, nor thine on me!” to ensure that the two may pass peacefully without lingering dissention. (5.2.295-297) Gertrude’s lustful pitfall is also resolved when she sacrifices herself for her son by taking the poisoned drink.
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.
Once he finds out this is true he blinds himself and banned his self from civilization forever. He is the most tragic hero because fate was a main part of the tragedy. Oedipus rose to be king then fell to become a blind person who committed incest. Hamlet main goal was to avenge his father. Hamlet’s father’s ghost appears to Hamlet telling him what happened and to avenge him.
Hamlet is speaking to the mysterious ghost, whose message is if Hamlet ever loved his father he will “Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” (1.5.25). He ask Hamlet to “Haste me to know’t , that I, with wings as swift/As mediation or the thoughts of love,/may sweep to my revenge” (1.5.29-31). Hamlet is not certain if the ghost is honest and begins a plan to see if Claudius is indeed guilty. Hamlet emphasizes the he must seek revenge; “Now could I drink hot blood” (III.iii.397-399). Hamlet derives a plan to have actors re-enact the death of his father as told to him by the ghost.