Essays on Hamlet

Protagonists are regarded as extraordinary people. They share certain characteristics and aim at a particular goal. Oedipus is the main character in Oedipus the king. His downfall comes through his pursuit of knowledge. He is seen as a classic hero through his fatal flaw. His endless determination can be referred to his tragic flaw. Hamlet is the main character in the play. All the actions in the play focus on him. Winston is the main character identified by the readers. He is innocent but surrounded by people of bad character. This paper seeks to establish the goals of three Continue reading...

John Donne’s poetry reflects a deep image of religious elements and most of his sonnets are the combination of both Catholic and Protestant. In “The Flea” and “Show Me Dear Christ” John Donne also uses religious imagery. He expresses in implicit way this tactic. HHHHis early poem “The Flea” implies the concept of sexual love; furthermore, it exemplifies unconventional metaphor by which the flea bites two lovers, who are compared on the basis of sex. Moreover, we see a woman trying to resist sexual advances. The speaker with the help of the flea was trying to convince her Continue reading...

- Characterization: Characterization is defined as a literary device that the writer uses to highlight and explain step by step a character’s details in a story.
- Flat character: A flat character in a work of fiction is a character with little development. The character does not change or undergo significant change as the story progresses.
- Round Character: A round character is a term coined by E. M. Foster. It is opposite to a flat character, and is defined as a complex character that changes and is developed by the writer during the course of the story.
- Continue reading...

What Hamlet Is Asking Himself

The soliloquy begins with the question to be or not to be. For any character playing the part, it is the most vital question. It does not simply mean whether the character should commit suicide or continue to live in a certain way. The basis of the question is still open to interpretation. The self-dialogue shows the dilemma that face Hamlet when deciding whether to end his life or continue with his miserable existence. He also has the dilemma of whether or not to kill his father’s killer and commit murder, or let the situation remain as it Continue reading...

The American miscegenation laws prohibited the white women from relationships, love, and companionship with the black men. This was perhaps due to the nature of the relationships. In most states, whites were forbidden from relating with the blacks. Slavery prevailed, and the slaves who tried to break rules that controlled them witnessed brutal treatment from their masters. The writings of Frederick Douglass and Peggy Pascoe present a view of the treatment that slaves went through in their efforts of building strong families and relationships. This paper compares the two readings with the view of deducing the similarities in the Continue reading...

The movie made a deep impact on me; the characterization was superb, especially Hamlet, whose performance brought the emotion of the film to life. His girlfriend, Ophelia too performed in a manner that resonated with the destructive energy raised by Hamlet’s vengeful actions. Her insanity and subsequent suicide, indicating the imminent loss of important people Hamlet would encounter in his quest. While it is an absorbing tragedy, Hamlet manages to do a final and last act of honor by leaving the throne to prince Fontibras of Norway (Kenneth, 1996). With his dying breath, he instructs Horatio to explain Continue reading...

Literature has been widely known to bring issues that concern society into life; these include day to day events and things that humans relate with. For example, literature has been used by literary giants to speak of their experiences in their interactions, to tell of people’s cultures and even to correct behavior. Literature is a great influence in the lives of people and brings into perspective the society as a whole.
Devoted Son is a story by Ms Anita Desai and is a piece of writing that demonstrates the power of literature. This story speaks about a father Continue reading...

- Introduction
When literature is translated onto a stage, it becomes a play; it takes on a facet of reality that merely reading the words does not bring to the reader. Not every story translates perfectly into the medium of the play; plays have to have a lot of interaction between characters and environments to translate properly into theatre. Although there are certainly plays where not much happens, these plays are few and far between; most plays focus on the relationships between characters and their environments-- including the other characters that are present in the play.
In theatre, the Continue reading...

In the history of human civilisation, theatrical performance was one of the ways of sending a message from authors to a target audience. The mean of sending this message was an actor and his ability to create a contact with the audience, to make his acting credible and understandable for the target audience in a specific context of performance. The aim of this essay is to explain what it means to perform on stage and how our perception of it has changed under the influence of the contemporary theatre-makers.
Looking through critical reviews of different plays, one can come Continue reading...

What Hamlet Has Changed and What We Learn From Hamlet and Hamlet the Play by William Shakespeare

Information Hamlet Learns Concerning Events in Denmark
Hamlet learns about various events in Denmark and finds out more information concerning his family, friends, reality, and appearances, balancing thoughts, loyalty, polities, and love. The new information that Hamlet learns becomes essential in his life and influences his perception and conception about various aspects in life. Hamlet realizes that Denmark is filled with corruption and is on the verge of destruction. He finds out that ruthless scheming by many people starting with the palace, and royal treason troubles Denmark.

Family

Hamlet learns significant information concerning his family. First, he finds out that Continue reading...

Dark Ages is a term that is commonly used together with middle Ages. It defines a period between the fall of the Roman Empire and the start of the Italian Renaissance as well as the Age of Discovery. An Italian scholar Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) 1304-1374 coined the term Dark Ages. He used the label in the description for what he viewed as a lack of quality in the Latin literature of his time. The term evolved with time to define lack of culture and development in Europe. At the time, Greek and Roman civilizations were well advanced for the Continue reading...

The theatre act is about two people on a stage. They are often joined by the persona of hamlet who Shakespeare used in his plays. The two, Guildenstern and Rosencrantz are in a train and in constant movement to go around and collect things. This play is about things in life a person wants and what he can get. The play also gives the audience various possibilities by developing a multi-dimensional line of thought. This is greatly supported by the games that they play on stage.
The play begins with the two characters standing near each other. Apparently, Guil Continue reading...

1. A draft of the opening paragraph. Revenge is a menacing force driven by the dark section of an individual. So hard to control, revenge results in atrocious actions. When a person seeks such an action, he has to acknowledge getting back the same consequences; in other means, he has to be ready to dig two graves. William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, conveys how revenge can lead to the ultimate destruction of a person’s life and causing a never-ending chaos. As well as, it portrays how it results in the devastation of not only the revenge-seeker, but the Continue reading...

Hamlet and ‘As You like it’

Shakespeare work defines the perspective of the human being in different ways and works by him. The work of Shakespeare defined the reason of portraying the different ways that human beings view ideas, and also, how the human perspective defined in the works. In this work, it will argue between the two works that portray the human perspective on different aspects. For instance, in the Tragedy of ‘Hamlet,’ Denmark Prince, who is the most popular work of the Shakespeare. The other work that can be compared and contrasted is “As You like it”. For instance, in the Hamlet article, Continue reading...

A young Prince is haunted by the spirit of his murdered father. The son has hardly slept or eaten since he heard the news. Stunned with grief he will not be counseled by his lover, family, friends or ministers of the military or the court. He prowls the castle nightly, a somnambulant lost in the coma of his will’s paralysis. At last the smoldering embers of revenge burst into flame and he wakes to restore justice and order to his world. His decision is swift and unequivocal: War on Denmark!
This, of course, is Prince Fortinbras whose quest Continue reading...

Hamlet is defined as a play of tragedy that was written by William Shakespeare between an uncertain date of 1599 and 1602. The play on tragedy of Hamlet is set in Denmark Kingdom and dramatizes revenge. The revenge is of Prince Hamlet who aims at enacting revenge on his uncle, Claudius. In the play Hamlet, Claudius had involved himself in the murder of his own brother, King Hamlet who is Hamlet’s father and later seized the throne. Further, Claudius engaged in marrying the widow of his deceased brother, Gertrude who is Hamlet’s mother. The play Hamlet is Continue reading...

Many people use deception to either cover up their deeds or to try to uncover the deeds of others. As one of William Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies, Hamlet is a play that has many deception themes throughout its story. Three forms of deception can be seen in Hamlet that is the fear of some of the characters that they are being deceived by others, the act of deceiving others, and the outcome of the deception. In the play, many of the characters such as Claudius, Hamlet, and Polonius all used various forms of deception to either hide information from Continue reading...

Discuss Act 1 in a brief paragraph

In act 1, Hamlet’s dead father appears to the two watchmen Bernardo and Marcellus and Hamlet’s friend Horatio. Bernardo and Marcellus had on the previous night seen the ghost of the late King Hamlet and thus decide to alert Horatio believing that the ghost wants to deliver a warning message. They summon Horatio who does not believe in ghosts and witchcraft, but who would probably deliver the news to Hamlet. Horatio sees the ghost and fails in his attempt to speak to it. He thus resolves to have Hamlet meet it concluding that the ghost would not Continue reading...

Introduction

Folklore comprises of legends, music, oral history, sayings, jokes, mainstream views, children's stories and traditions that are the customs of that society, subculture, or gathering. It is likewise the situated of practices through which those expressive classifications are imparted. The English savant William Thoms in a letter distributed by the London Journal in 1846 initially utilized the expression “old stories”. Old stories can be separated into four zones of the study: antiquity, (for example, voodoo dolls), describable and transmissible substance (oral convention), society, and conduct (customs). These ranges do not remain solitary; on the other hand, as frequently a Continue reading...

The title has many references in its natural context. This means that it has a lot of cliché’s to it. The soliloquy therefore depends on a specific decipher. In this context, it is the opening line. Gibson’s hamlet is one of the best because he places less emphasis on the opening line. This allows people to focus more on the power and gravity of the soliloquy. People have the feeling of understanding the soliloquy in a better manner. The reader feels like an actor reading the script rather than a man having thoughts to him. It is Continue reading...

Episode 2: Utilitarianism

The utilitarianism theory is referred to as a normative theory because of its characteristics and positive advocacies in the society, for example, its championship for a utilitarian society that is free from control of the government and one that causes more happiness (West, 214). The proponents of the utilitarianism theory believe that human beings are rational and are able to judge between good ideas and bad ones. Human beings have their individual rights that should be respected and not be infringed at any cost. One of the human rights supported by utilitarianism and one that is deeply discussed in Continue reading...

Facilitator’s Name

Introduction
Shakespeare is regarded as the greatest writer in the history of English Literature. The literary piece by Shakespeare is still regarded as masterpieces and myriad playwright takes the major inspiration from him. In the initial days of his efforts, he mainly focused on comedies and histories, but later his focus was on tragedies. Othello, King Lear, Hamlet, and Macbeth were his finest works on tragedies (Gielgud & McEvoy 187). Later in his career, he focused on tragic comedies that can also be titled as romances. He wrote numerous manuscripts. Among them, only those were survived which were in the Continue reading...

Horatio: "Before my God, I might not this believe without the sensible and true avouch of mine own eyes.

For they are the actions that a man might play,
But I have that within which passes show,
These but the trappings and the suits of woe. (I.ii)
This passage gives information that makes Hamlet more complex and not simply seem crazy. No one believes that he has seen the ghost of his dead father, and considering that his father’s ghost asks him to get revenge for him by killing the King, he reacts with emotional distress. His emotional outbursts and strange comments have everyone around him believing he has gone crazy and that the ghost of his Continue reading...

Human ability to adapt to change has been a subject matter of great contention. History shows that people have fought wars and caused great social disharmony to resist change. For instance, the Crusades that were wars that lasted for centuries to resist the growing power of Islam in the Western World. The idea of change, a new religion was too threatening. Moreover, literature is rife with stories that illustrate the problems created because of characters’ inability accept change. For instance, it is believed my many that Shakespeare’s Hamlet is actually a story about the titular character’s inability Continue reading...

“Hamlet” is one of the most admired and influential plays of William Shakespeare. Hamlet is a tragic play that was written in the beginning of seventeenth century. The play starts with a series of revengeful acts that was a common trend in that period. The play, “Hamlet” is known as one of the most influential plays of English literary world and at the same time it has the privilege of being the longest play of William Shakespeare. It is often alleged that Shakespeare’s Hamlet is influenced by Oedipus that was written by Sophocles centuries ago. Hamlet is also Continue reading...

The class

Summary on Hamlet and Beowulf
“Hamlet, prince of Denmark” is a tragedy by William Shakespeare which reveals a story of one young man facing cruelty, lies and unjust society. Hamlet is the main character of the play; his biggest challenge is to find out the truth about his father’s death and to bring back justice. Hamlet believes that his uncle Claudius murdered his own brother, Hamlet’s father. He is also shocked by the fact that Claudius married his brother’s widow Gertrude and blames own mother for betrayal.
The play begins with a scene before the royal Continue reading...

Hamlet is one of the most memorable characters created by the stalwart playwright, William Shakespeare. The playwright, however, never clearly explains whether Hamlet goes insane in the course of the play. In the beginning he says that he would pretend to be mad to carry out his retaliation without much impediment. His “antic disposition” was aimed to avenge his father’s death.
But, as the play progresses, the audience and readers are left wondering if the protagonist has become insane. He is really shaken as he comes to meet the ghost of his father. Also, during the Closet scene, Continue reading...

The dramatic element I want to focus on is mood during Hamlet’s soliloquy in Act III Scene I. Hamlet starts off his soliloquy questioning whether he should commit suicide and end his pain, “To be, or not to be: that is the question (III.i.58).” This question brings toward the mood of uncertainty and gloom—uncertainty because of the after death and being afraid of something “after death (III.I.80)” and the gloom in dealing with what “ills we have (III.I.83).” The diction, relentless monosyllables, and the repetition of the “to be” brings anguish to mind and draws that gloomy Continue reading...

In the article Where am I, Dennett is described as a person who is recruited by the Pentagon to work for NASA. The Pentagon needs Dennett to retrieve a missile underground. Since the missile is highly radioactive, the Pentagon requires Dennett to leave his brain behind. Dennett is operated on and has his brain removed. His brain is placed in a vat. After waking up, Dennett cannot recognize where he is, which makes him pop the question, “Where am I?” Dennett has radio links connected to his body after the operation. Dennett thinks of this question philosophically, which is Continue reading...

Shakespeare’s "The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark" presents the themes of love and madness to the audience. Literary critic, Alexander W. Crawford introduces the controversial “the usual interpretations of Hamlet make it a very curious and mysterious but not a great play, and the Prince a very interesting psychological phenomenon but not a great character.” (Crawford, par. 1). However, one may say that Hamlet is not free to fashion himself, however, he is the voice of Denmark. This voice speaks of the horrors of his life and the trauma of his mother’s marriage to his uncle. Continue reading...

Ending of Movie Hamlet

The end of the movie presents defining moments where the truth is preceded by tragedy. Laertes strikes up a heated confrontation with Hamlet. This confrontation results into a fight between Laertes and Hamlet. Hamlet wins the fight by striking a fatal blow with his sword leaving Laertes bleeding to death. As Laertes slowly succumbs to the wound, he confides loudly that the idea that Hamlet caused Ophelia to commit suicide came from King Claudius. In abject awe, Hamlet interjects claiming that the reason Laertes father and mother Gertrude died was King Claudius. Hamlet also claims innocence concerning the allegations Continue reading...

While Hamlet is one of the most celebrated plays of the literary stalwart, William Shakespeare, it has been adapted in films all over the world owing to it aesthetic quintessence and relevance. One such adaptation of this play is the 1990 film, Hamlet, which stars Mel Gibson. However, there are several differences between the original play and the cinematic adaptation. Delving deep into the two works of art makes the deviations crystal clear to one and all.
The director of the film, Franco Zeffirelli, opts to make certain changes in the film. This is done in an endeavor to Continue reading...

Classic English Literature: Research Paper

The writers and poets use different literary devices and literary techniques to convey their message. The literary device is thus a way of conveying a message by the writer. The literary devices interconnect the literary techniques and literary elements with each other as an essential part of the literature. In this research paper, an analysis of the literary devices used in literature shall be carried out with a view to understanding their usage and relevance to the writing of literature.
More often, the writers use the term literary devices for referring to the typical structure in their written work Continue reading...

World literature Topic Literature always gives an opportunity for people to explore the cultural diversity in the society. Most literary works, as depicted in the works of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, V1:1801-1900, Candide, VII: 97-159, and Popol Vuh, V1: 1905-1920 bar plots that were obtained from different sources, showing the rich research embraced when coming up with the texts. In line with the distributed plays, acting versions, feedback, and adjustments can moreover shed light on decisions made in performing the plays. The listed texts, especially basing on their cultural perspectives that people always accentuate to, can regularly help a Continue reading...

Shakespeare’s “Hamlet, Prince of Denmark”, shows the major character Hamlet moving between sanity and insanity. Hamlet continues to captivate readers across the centuries. He is mysterious and there is more to his character than the other characters know. He becomes mad when it suits his purpose, and takes on an “antic disposition" (ActI.SceneV.Line171). Similarly, he acts sane when he wants to, and is quite logical in his reasoning. Centuries ago Shakespeare wrote of the social issues that existed in his society. Today, the themes in Shakespeare’s works remain common in the society. The deception of his uncle Continue reading...

In Hamlet, the mainstream of the play takes place at Elsinore Castle, located in Denmark. This is a real place and Shakespeare describes in details this literary home of Hamlet. These details of the setting significantly transfer the motifs of spying and deception. The audience perceives the ideas of dishonesty due to Shakespeare’s successful highlights of the scenes. The graveyard scene becomes the ideal setting for Hamlet to express his existential thinking. The image of the man with the skull must be the most recognizable symbol. Another similarly familiar image and scene is Ophelia’s death. The aura Continue reading...

Hamlet is as much the product of Shakespeare's understanding of psychology and culture as Shakespeare was a product of Elizabethan England's renaissance. The famous theme is the theme of two faces, one personal and hidden and the other public. Hamlet cannot find peace because he cannot reconcile the two characters that he has needed to adopt, and the cogitative dissonance that affords him leads to his demise. The play is fueled by a central theme of revenge. This is not just any revenge, and this is revenge to avenge the death of a father. This causal effects of this Continue reading...

‘Instructor’s Name’

Hamlet Insane or Antic Disposition?
Is Hamlet mad? This is a question which has plagued the minds of generations of readers and critics, and one that have drawn various analysis and theories. Hamlet’s sanity is not just an academic debate, but one which is contemplated by every reader/viewer of the play when he replays the play again and again in his mind. His being insane or otherwise, affects the perceptions of the reader in many significant ways. It will explain many things like why Claudius refuses to accept in his mind that Hamlet is mad, but yet publicly Continue reading...

Thesis Statement

The Royal Shakespeare Company’s television production of William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet in 2008 is a refreshing and breathtaking depiction of the famous play and honestly one of the best in recent years.

Overview

- The name of the play is Hamlet.
- The play’s author is William Shakespeare, and director Gregory Doran adapted the play to a cinematic version (IMDB)
- The Royal Shakespeare Company presented this production (IMDB).
- I personally watched the play on the Tuesday of 31st December 2013 at around 9.30 p.m.
- I watched the film with my girlfriend and we both Continue reading...

Analysis of Selections from Nagel, What Does It All Mean?

Thomas Nagel’s 1987 book, What’s It All Mean?, offers an introduction to philosophical thought. He directs this book toward a person who has never studied philosophy before. He bases his introduction not in the writings of the great philosophers or great thinkers, but instead he offers nine categories of questions for his reader to think about. As he puts it, “The main concern of philosophy is to question and understand very common ideas that all of us use every day without thinking about them” (Nagel 5). By laying out these problems and his ideas about them, Nagel Continue reading...