“Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts... perhaps the fear of a loss of power” (John Steinbeck). Maybe it isn’t power that necessarily corrupts people, but the idea of having it relinquished that does. Someone in control will enjoy the power and control they possess so much that he or she will never want to lose it. Power can be very addictive, and most people who have tasted it only desire and long for more. As a result, people will do almost anything in their power to hold onto the power and control they’ve worked so hard to attain. In the play Hamlet written by Shakespeare, power is a central theme that is mentioned throughout the book. Political power, the lack of power women have, and Hamlet’s need to seek revenge and take back his father’s …show more content…
Claudius is a very powerful character who is very dominating, intelligent, and well-spoken. These three traits put together compliment his manipulative nature. As Claudius addresses the Court in the very beginning of the play, he deflects attention away from “our dear brother’s death” by focusing on the threat from Norway and what he’s done to take care of that problem (1.2.1). Although Hamlet is perceptive and quickly able to catch on to what his uncle is up to, Claudius is the one in power, therefore his orders will be obeyed. Claudius quickly removes Hamlet from the court and justifies sending him off to England by telling him “Hamlet, this deed, for thine especial safety / thou know’st our purposes” (4.3.40-50). Although Claudius won’t admit it, part of him is greatly threatened by Hamlet. He sends Hamlet away because that is much easier than dealing with him and having him threaten his …show more content…
Claudius demands his wife to “set some watch over your son” (5.1.275). Gertrude allows not only Claudius to overpower her, but Hamlet as well. Hamlet acts as the parent and lectures Gertrude to “confess yourself to heaven, repent what’s past” (3.4.149-50). As Laertes is leaving for France, he gives Ophelia advice, “best safety lies in fear” (1.3.43), although he doesn’t feel as if he needs to follow his own advice. Her father, Polonius is very upfront about her role as a woman stating that “Lord Hamlet… is young, and with a larger tedder may he walk than may be given you” (1.3.124-26). He is alluding to the fact that since she is a woman that she must accept her lesser role in society. Ophelia is aware of the fact that she has very little power, listens to his advice, and even allows him to listen in on her conversation with Hamlet by agreeing to “obey, my Lord” (1.3.136). Gertrude and Ophelia allow men to decide what their roles in society are, and accept that rather than fighting back and questioning it. If these two women stood up for themselves and challenged these men, that would only cause problems since these men take pride in their power. These men are content and comfortable with the power they’ve given themselves, and would be very bothered and somewhat fearful if any man, muchless woman questioned
In the Elizabethan life, this act by Hamlet who is supposed to become the new king as he is next in line since his father had been murdered, would pass over and no one would believe that he did it without any physical proof of him doing it. It could just be sign of jealousy from king Claudius and would backfire on him if he were to try and presume legal action for the death of Polonius. The motivation of King Claudius is to try and get Hamlet sent away so he can cover up the fact that he had murdered his own brother so he could marry his wife. The motivation of Hamlet is to get revenge on King Claudius for his father, but if he was sent away then thee would be no one to get revenge on him for his sins. I think Shakespeare portrayed King
Hamlet was given the prime opportunity to kill Claudius when he found him on his knees begging for forgiveness. Hamlet negated not to kill him right then and there because he wanted Claudius to go to hell, not heaven. Hamlet’s lack of sanity, or his tragic flaw, in the play is definitely what caused his inability to
Gertrude’s Speech on Ophelia’s Death Analysis This passage is from Act 4, scene 7, lines 163-183 of Hamlet. Laertes, hearing of his father’s death, storms the palace seeking revenge. Claudius, in an effort to calm Laertes’ rage, conspires with him on how to effectively kill Hamlet shortly before Gertrude interrupts with the news of poor Ophelia’s death. Laertes, heartbroken after hearing that his sister has died, seeks to mourn in peace, but Claudius insists that he and Gertrude follow him so that he can keep an eye on his temper.
Everyone, at one point in their lives has wanted power more than anything. Those who do get it have to make the decision whether they want to use it for good or evil. Power can turn a person into something they never dreamed they would become because it starts to take over their lives and people do not know what to do with so much power. There are many examples of power in the play Macbeth and every person that got it used it in very different ways. This caused many changes in people from turning from good to evil or evil to good.
It seems that Claudius was not happy with just taking his brothers throne, he also took his brother’s wife. Hamlet feels that the new king is full of greed and has taken over their lives. On top of his obsession with revenge Hamlet also appears to have sexual desire for his mother. The loss of his father along with his mother’s marriage to Claudius and his confusion to his feelings for his mother have set hamlet on a dangerous.
Hamlet once again fails to understand that Ophelia much like himself is only trying to stay loyal to her father, much like what he is doing himself. In addition, Hamlet blames woman for giving birth to such evil and deceiving men like Claudius and himself. When he was talking to Ophelia he told her "Get thee to a nunnery. Why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners? I am myself indifferent honest, but yet I could accuse me of such things that it were better
As Claudius repents, Hamlet feels as though it's the best time to kill him until he says: And so ’a goes to Heaven; And so am I revenged. That would be scanned. A villain kills my father; and for that, I, his son, do this same villain send To heaven (3.3.73-78) Essentially, Hamlet wanted to murder Claudius because he was the Old King’s murderer.
Throughout Hamlet, the thoughts, intentions, and actions of all of the characters can be explained through predisposed gender roles in the play. Hamlet is a tragedy in which the main character, Hamlet, attempts to seek vengeance for his father’s murder, while the relationships with him and around him begin to strain. In the play, gender plays a huge role in assuming the capability and worth of people. Women are most commonly depicted as being weak, powerless, and confused, while men are commonly shown as being strong, analytical, and intuitive. Hamlet features Ophelia and Gertrude as the only two female roles, and even then they show little independence from the males.
Gertrude’s actions make Hamlet fearful of Ophelia because of the potential for betrayal. Hamlet thinks all women are unfaithful because of the actions of his mother. Hamlet projects the anger he has for Gertrude onto Ophelia. Hamlet treats Ophelia in a disrespectful manner.
For the duration of the play, Ophelia was portrayed as a naïve and submissive woman. Her passivity and powerlessness reinforce the voicelessness of women during the Elizabethan era. For example, “I shall obey, my lord” (I.iii.134) shows that Ophelia concedes to her father’s will, even though she believes Hamlet’s love is genuine. She is willing and expected to obey her father despite the fact that she still loves Hamlet, which emphasizes her character’s submissive nature. Furthermore, in Act I Laertes warns Ophelia that it would be shameful of her to love Hamlet, and she responds with “I shall the effect of this good lesson keep as a watchman to my heart” (I.iii.45).
Claudius had arranged an execution for Hamlet, to get rid of him permanently. Behind these acts of deception, we can see Claudius had wanted power, and would do anything to achieve it. This makes
“But o, how bitter a thing it is to look into happiness through another man’s eyes” Hamlet written by William Shakespeare during the Elizabethan age revolves around the setting, time and the nature of its characters. Happiness in Hamlet is a vague theme that involves almost all the characters, who are significantly influenced by the time and place of the play, the sexuality of the characters and also, how they practice deception. The tragedy of Hamlet presents various characters who pursue or compromise their happiness to satisfy their conscience. This is shown through characters such as Hamlet, Claudius and Ophelia. In addition, to how their differences and similarities shape their personalities, which causes them to pursue or compromise their happiness.
“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” (Act 1 Scene 5 line 90). Corruption, if left unchecked, will continue to spread, shattering the social order. This is true in William Shakespeare’s, Hamlet. Greed and the thirst for power become the invitation for corruption.
This behavior caused disrespect and cruelness. While the king is sleeping like he is in heaven Claudius took that from him and sent him into purgatory. This made Hamlet feel even more angry against his uncle and wants to put him to an end. As a result,Hamlet wants to destroy Claudius for every wrong deed he did. Canales 3 Hamlet is severely motivated into killing for his actions.
Furthermore, knowing that Gertrude and Ophelia are dependent and obedient towards their male authorities, they are a little more than pawns for the scheming men in their lives. For example, when Polonius discovers Hamlet 's craziness from Ophelia, Polonius says, " Come, go with me: I will go seek the king / That is the very ecstasy of love / Whose violent property fordoes itself / And leads the will to desperate undertaking / As oft as any passion under heaven / That does afflict our natures"(2.I.101-106).