Demetri Bichara Ap Literature and Composition Mrs. Heppard 23 January 2023 Ap Exam 2023: Hamlet’s inability The theme of royalty in literature explores what many readers may wonder about, the mortality and ability of kings to properly govern their nations. However, the prominence of mental illness in people of royal status is something that is often overlooked. While heavy, this angle is important for examining ability and discussing mortality. People with mental illness deserve help and should not be neglected and subjected to the responsibility of major positions of power, even if they want it. Claudius, in Hamlet, a play by Shakespeare, exemplified the unjust aspect of royalty. Claudius manipulated Polonius, (his former right-hand man), …show more content…
He is vulnerable to fits of rage, demonstrated by his murder of Polonius and his ridicule of his mother by calling her a “wretched, rash, intruding fool” (3.4 38). This emotional instability leads to poor judgment and rash decisions that could put Denmark in grave danger. An example of rash decisions in Hamlet is Claudius’ emotionally fogged decision to respond “It likes us well” (2.2.72) to Fortinbras’ plan to storm through Denmark to get a tiny piece of Poland, which ultimately allowed Fortinbras to take the throne. Moreover, Hamlet spends an unusual amount of time self-loathing “O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!” (2.2.577) and raging: “Contagion to this world. Now could I drink hot / blood’ (3.2 422). At one point in rage, Hamlet recognizes “Soft” (3.2 425), however, he would find himself redirecting his purpose “to [his] mother” (3.4 425). This redirection further shows Hamlet’s instability as he knows that he should be solely focused and mad at Claudius, however, his hatred toward his mother clouds his decision-making and judgment. This shows his inability to be king, as he allows his emotions to fog his expertise and
By verbally harassing Ophelia and estranging himself from her, Hamlet provides the apparent image of losing his prior care without a great amount of consideration. Additionally, Hamlet further displays his anger for his father’s death through this display. By dissolving his relationship with Ophelia, Hamlet furthers his image of insanity to further illustrate himself as incapable within Claudius’s eyes while still communicating distaste for his loss of his father. With Hamlet’s intentionally swift change of heart for Ophelia, Hamlet’s procedure warrants a certain level of sanity. Regardless of the sudden nature, Hamlet’s continual barring from Ophelia possesses procedure which causes further doubt of Hamlet’s mental instability from the audience of the
Claudius is a very devious and evil man in the play of Hamlet. In the play written by shakespeare there are many twist and turns in it some you wouldn't even see coming. In the play the king always wants to be in charge and he will do anything to keep that position and i mean anything. When you're jealous of someone or something you’ll do something you regret to get it. Throughout the play all the characters are learning things about each other and figure out that there whole life they haven't known about things and some of them do something about it.
Denmark’s Demise through Foil Characters in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet In his quest for revenge in order to retaliate the responsible party for the death of his father, the character of Hamlet in William Shakespeare’s famed play Hamlet is coincidentally supported by a range of characters through their actions that emphasize the protagonist’s idiosyncrasy of inaction – thus, justifying the conclusion of the play. His lover, Ophelia, emphasizes Hamlet’s hypothesized lack of masculinity which makes him subject to the “female-like” decision making process. Ophelia’s brother, Laertes, brings light to Hamlet’s inability to act promptly enough as intended. Lastly, his opposition, Fortinbras, draws attention to Hamlet’s lack of presence within the
Bottling up his emotions halts his ability to move past exacting revenge. Hamlet faces a comparable difficulty while attempting to communicate his feelings; when he discovers he must avenge his father’s death, he cannot act. This hesitation frustrates Hamlet, but Hamlet does not release these worries by revealing them to Claudius or his mother. When handed the ideal chance to kill Claudius, Hamlet questions the circumstances and concludes he must kill the King when he is “about some act that has no relish of salvation in’t then trip him, . . .
In Hamlet, Shakespeare develops Hamlet with his true nature hidden in his private life. He, then, creates Claudius, a character with his true nature in his public life. Privately, Claudius repents, “forgive me my foul murder” (Shakespeare 89); however, he also realizes “I’m still reaping the rewards of that murder: my crown and my queen” (Shakespeare 90). An environment with constant public scrutiny births a deeper hunger for aggressiveness and a sense of entitlement as well as providing the opportunity to act on impulses for sex and domination (LaBier). This explains Claudius’ actions because he plays a role in the royal family; however, his brother receives the position as King and gains the love and affection of Gertrude.
It is or is it not true that Hamlet was faking his insanity? I’m not saying Hamlet was faking the whole thing. The meaning for insanity on Dictionary.com is “a permanent disorder of the mind.” I don 't think Hamlet had a permanent disorder of the mind he knew what he was doing and even planned the majority of the events that happened. Most of the time anyway.
In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, following the suspected murder of his father, the former king, young Prince Hamlet acts in a crazed way throughout his interactions with those around him in an attempt to seek revenge for his father. His intentional and deceitful displays of madness are received strangely from those who encounter it, leading them to have differing opinions on the cause of Hamlet’s supposed insanity. Polonius, the king’s primary counselor, has a conversation with Hamlet whilst Hamlet is acting strangely, and Hamlet repeatedly belittles and criticizes Polonius, initially telling Polonious he believed the counselor was “A fishmonger” (Shakespeare 7). In addition to the judgements, Hamlet also makes several confusing statements and references, explaining to
King Hamlet was a praised ruler, who “for…this side of [the] known world [was] esteemed…” for his military conquests and leadership. To provide a visualization, the power structures in this play can be conceptualized as an inverted pyramid. The character at the base sits at the top, holding the most amount of influence over others. Before Claudius’ murder of his brother, King Hamlet sat at the base and Claudius occupied the section at the point of pyramid, the section with less area and less influence. As an unmarried and childless character, Claudius craved power.
In “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare there is a king, Queen, Prince, and the king 's brother. The king 's brother kills him and takes his spot as king of Denmark. The prince dead father comes back to him as a spirit and tell him that he didn’t die of natural causes he was killed and the person who has done it now wears the crown. After finding out about what really happen the prince begins to act really strange and that led to the newly king wanting him dead. Throughout Hamlet the reader will notice that the prince Hamlet has a lot of problems.
Contrasting his attitudes with the moments that the king walks in, his behavior towards Polonius while the play is preparing, and his actions to Ophelia during the play, Hamlet is sporadic, when alone with Horatio, he is calm and collected, then again the sudden resumption to his “antic disposition” when Rosencrantz and Guildenstern enter. There is a long break in which we don’t sense any insanity from Hamlet, this is due to the fact that he has no need to assume his disguise. When we find Hamlet with the players, he is giving them directions for the play. With the players, Hamlet acts normal and of sound mind because the players are not likely to betray him, they don’t have the opportunity or the wish to do so.
The main character of William Shakespeare’s tragedy is actually a confused person that’s stuck between two choices. Some may argue that he feels guilty for his father’s death and so it’s his duty to avenge it. While others may disagree and conclude that he is just a maniac who is both violent and dangerous. Hamlet passes through the lane of hesitancy, where he hesitates to kill King Claudius. As a matter of fact, the main conflict of Hamlet is that he feels both the need to solve the crime and punish the responsible.
Her story serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of neglecting one's emotional well-being. In conclusion, William Shakespeare's play Hamlet offers a powerful exploration of mental health and its effects on individuals and their families. The characters of Hamlet senior, Hamlet, and Ophelia all grapple with trauma and the thin line between sanity and
Hamlet by William Shakespeare examines the issue of corruption and power as prophesied at the beginning of the play: “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark” (I, iv, 98). Shakespeare demonstrates how the rot in the centre of Danish society ultimately leads to tragedy through the characters of Claudius, Polonius, and Hamlet. Firstly, Claudius' avarice and obsession with power are the underlying causes of his murder of King Hamlet, manipulation, and lack of repentance.
Hamlet’s depression inhibits his obsession for vengeance due to his inability to take action. Hamlet has suffered emotional trauma and often uses sarcasm to mask his pain. He pokes fun at the situations he’s faced with
What would one expect the personality of a man whose father was murdered by his uncle, who becomes his step-father? The personality in question points to Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark—who William Shakespeare depicts in his play “Hamlet.” A character analysis of Hamlet reveals that through his internal dialogue, his interpretation of his father 's murder, and his actions, his traits—bitterness, depression, and anger—emerge. Scholars have studied Hamlet for decades, and most have concluded that Hamlet 's personality indicated insanity. However, after observing Hamlet 's actions, his actions throughout the play do not resemble those of an insane person.