Hamlet Essay Questions 1. The big question of all of English literature: why does Hamlet drag his feet so long to avenge his father's murder? Sure, plenty of scholar-types have tried to answer that, but maybe they've missed something. 2. Hamlet is full of madness, both real and feigned (maybe).
In his view, the end to political instability justifies the means no matter how shady they may be. He states, “Many have imagined republics and principalities that have never been seen or known to exist in reality. For there is such a difference between the way men live and the way they ought to live.... because anyone who determines to act in all circumstances the part of a good man must come to ruin among so many who are not good.” (Machiavelli p.186) Many of the virtues advocated for in The Prince are apparent in Claudius’ character from William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet. Hamlet tells of the various activities that take place during a questionable shift of royal power in Denmark. It is the acquisition and maintenance of this power that shows just how Machiavellian Claudius’ character is in the play.
Foils in Hamlet A foil is a minor charater in a literary work that compliments the main character through similarities and differences in personality and plot. Among all the foils in Shakespear[e]'s "Hamlet," [Titles] Laertes has the biggest impact on Hamlet's character. While Hamlet maintained his status as prince, it was Laertes that represented the well bred son of the royal family and the traditional revenge hero. [The thesis does not cover the essay.] Some similarities in Laertes and Hamlet were that they were both students.
In Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus and Seneca’s Oedipus, dramatic irony is used to demonstrate and emphasize a character's disloyalty, ignorance, and blindness. Oedipus starts out as a prosperous king at the beginning of the play but ends up torturing himself at the end of both plays. Except for the almighty Teiresias, all the characters in the plays such as Oedipus, Jocasta, Creon, the Messenger, and the Chorus know nothing about what is to come therefore their speeches contain a lot of dramatic irony. However, the most dramatic irony is brought to light within the speeches of Oedipus. Oedipus specifically states, “no special favors and no personal ties will tear the guilty party from my grasp,” (Seneca 210).
With the genesis of parliamentary government, Elizabethans individuals experienced justice not as the divine commandment handed down from a divine monarch but as the decision of a mere human, and thus fallible. The revenge tragedy fulfills a desire for direct retribution and a direct administration of justice that appealed to the Elizabethan audience. Sacks discusses The Spanish Tragedy and Titus Andronicus very effectively, but his culminating work on Hamlet received the bulk of my attentions, being the most relevant to my research. Sacks argues that Hamlet is unable to mourn effectively due to the strains that his familial relations place upon him. The language of mourning is
There are figures who will always be in the history books, but they won’t always be regarded as heroes. Let’s consider Julius Caesar – a hero in his own time but regarded, thanks mainly to Shakespeare’s play, as a man with mortal failings: vain, superstitious and arrogant. He can no longer be thought of as a hero – just a man who came to prominence for his actions at a certain point in history. He has his place in the history of the Western world and his face on ancient coins, but scarcely fits our need for a hero for all times whom we can revere. Even Shakespeare himself, the writer of immortal plays and poetry cannot fit our need for a heroic figure.
When Hamlet explains,“ this majestical roof fretted with golden fire, why, it appears no other thing to me than a foul…”, the “why” adds a tone of confusion, hinting that not even Hamlet can explain as to why he feels this way about the air. The sentences that follow continue the pattern of being an antithesis, with Hamlet describing man with great admiration, but then contradicts what he just said with, “Man delights not me”. Hamlet’s usage of antithesis reflects how he repeatedly contradicts his own thoughts throughout the play. Because of his father’s recent death, Hamlet’s mentality is confused, uncertain, and pessimistic. His disinterest in the world he knows is beautiful confirms the depressed state he is in.
Brutus is an honerable man.... the words chosen by Mark Anthony in William Shakespeare's popular play "Julius Caesar." Anthony starts the speech off speaking how Brutus just explained how Caesar was an ambitious man which is why he was murdered. Anthony argues with that stating how Caesar gave to the needy when they needed, "When the poor has cried, Caesar has wept." Following this statement he mocks Brutus saying, "But Caesar was ambitious, and Brutus is an honorable man." After that was all stated he reminded the people how Carsar did turn down the kings crown multiple times, "I thrice presented him a kinlgy crown, Which he did thrice refuse."
Shakespeare is recognized as the most famous playwright in the world. His fame comes not only from his content of plays but also from his comprehensive understanding about life which is exposed through a considerable number of his famous quotes. One of his famous points of view about life is expressed through following lines in Macbeth, one of his darkest and most powerful tragedies: Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more. it is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing. In my opinion, these lines reflect Macbeth’s hopelessness and indirectly reflect much thinking of Shakespeare.
简析夏洛克在《威尼斯商人》中的人物形象 摘 要 众所周知，《威尼斯商人》是莎士比亚的最杰出作品之一。在这部喜剧中，夏洛克毫无疑问是一个具有独特个性，最生动和让人记忆深刻的角色。关于夏洛克是残忍的小丑似的犹太代表还是人性已被他所遭受的悲惨待遇摧毁的悲剧人物方面一直未得出一致的意见。正如古语所说：“一千个读者就有一千个哈姆雷特”。人们对夏洛克的看法也各有不同。本文从夏洛克的内心世界、生存的环境及所处时代特点进行了分析，得出夏洛克并不只是一个贪婪、奸诈、吝啬、残忍的高利贷商人的典型，他的悲剧形象也是当时社会的产物。在这部戏剧中，夏洛克是位具有多元性格的人：除了是个贪婪的高利贷商人还是个能忍耐、会自卫和值得同情的人。另外，文章分析了造成夏洛克多元性格的原因。 关 键 词：《威尼斯商人》，夏洛克，多元性格 On the Character of Shylock in The Merchant of Venice Author：Ai Meifang Tutor：Huang Huan Abstract As we all know, The Merchant of Venice is one of Shakespeare’s masterpieces. In this comedy, Shylock is undoubtedly an image having a distinctive personality and the most vivid and memorable character. And no consensus has been reached on whether to read him as bloodthirsty bogeyman, a clownish Jewish stereotype, or a tragic figure whose sense of decency has been fractured by the woeful treatment he has got. As the old saying goes, “There are one thousand readers, one thousand Hamlets”. It is likely that the opinions about Shylock differ from person to person.