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Throughout Shakespeare's plays, the maintenance of identity is a very common conflict, as it was shown in Macbeth and now in Hamlet. In this play Shakespeare has portrayed young Hamlet to convey the two sides to him; one side shows his insane behaviour towards his family, the other side determines his thoughts of either doing right or wrong according to what he has seen. The play trembles with conflicts: one being identity, which shows all the characters in different disputes of their own. We also see the problems of lack of self-confidence, misjudgement, and betrayal.--Submitted by imran.
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I need to memorize all these lines. I have all the Hamlet part smemorized but then, I'm stumped does anybody know how to memorize quickly? HAMLET To be, or not to be: that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep; No more; and by a sleep to say we end The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep; To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub; For in that sleep of death what dreams may come When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause: there's the respect That makes calamity of so long life; For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of despised love, the law's delay, The insolence of office and the spurns That patient merit of the unworthy takes, When he himself might his quietus make With a bare bodkin? who would fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death, The undiscover'd country from whose bourn No traveller returns, puzzles the will And makes us rather bear those ills we have Than fly to others that we know not of? Thus conscience does make cowards of us all; And thus the native hue of resolution Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought, And enterprises of great pith and moment With this regard their currents turn awry, And lose the name of action.--Soft you now! The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisons Be all my sins remember'd. HAMLET I humbly thank you; well, well, well. HAMLET No, not I; I never gave you aught. HAMLET Ha, ha! are you honest? HAMLET Are you fair? HAMLET That if you be honest and fair, your honesty should admit no discourse to your beauty. HAMLET Ay, truly; for the power of beauty will sooner transform honesty from what it is to a bawd than the force of honesty can translate beauty into his likeness: this was sometime a paradox, but now the time gives it proof. I did love you once. HAMLET You should not have believed me; for virtue cannot so inoculate our old stock but we shall relish of it: I loved you not. HAMLET 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 my mother had not borne me: I am very proud, revengeful, ambitious, with more offences at my beck than I have thoughts to put them in, imagination to give them shape, or time to act them in. What should such fellows as I do crawling between earth and heaven? We are arrant knaves, all; believe none of us. Go thy ways to a nunnery. Where's your father? HAMLET Let the doors be shut upon him, that he may play the fool no where but in's own house. Farewell. HAMLET If thou dost marry, I'll give thee this plague for thy dowry: be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow, thou shalt not escape calumny. Get thee to a nunnery, go: farewell. Or, if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool; for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them. To a nunnery, go, and quickly too. Farewell. HAMLET I have heard of your paintings too, well enough; God has given you one face, and you make yourselves another: you jig, you amble, and you lisp, and nick-name God's creatures, and make your wantonness your ignorance. Go to, I'll no more on't; it hath made me mad. I say, we will have no more marriages: those that are married already, all but one, shall live; the rest shall keep as they are. To a nunnery, go. Exit KING CLAUDIUS Love! his affections do not that way tend; Nor what he spake, though it lack'd form a little, Was not like madness. There's something in his soul, O'er which his melancholy sits on brood; And I do doubt the hatch and the disclose Will be some danger: which for to prevent, I have in quick determination Thus set it down: he shall with speed to England, For the demand of our neglected tribute Haply the seas and countries different With variable objects shall expel This something-settled matter in his heart, Whereon his brains still beating puts him thus From fashion of himself. LAERTES How now! what noise is that? Re-enter OPHELIA O heat, dry up my brains! tears seven times salt, Burn out the sense and virtue of mine eye! By heaven, thy madness shall be paid by weight, Till our scale turn the beam. O rose of May! Dear maid, kind sister, sweet Ophelia! O heavens! is't possible, a young maid's wits Should be as moral as an old man's life? Nature is fine in love, and where 'tis fine, It sends some precious instance of itself After the thing it loves. LAERTES Hadst thou thy wits, and didst persuade revenge, It could not move thus. LAERTES This nothing's more than matter. LAERTES A document in madness, thoughts and remembrance fitted. LAERTES Thought and affliction, passion, hell itself, She turns to favour and to prettiness.
Posted By shakespeare87 at Tue 5 Aug 2008, 1:44 PM in Hamlet || 1 Reply
religious development...
how do hamlet's religious views develop during the play? what's different between how he starts off, and how he ends up...? and kinda hurry... :)
Posted By inneedofhelp at Fri 1 Aug 2008, 3:03 PM in Hamlet || 9 Replies
Hamlet Essay...Need Refining and Critique
The topic is on: "Write an essay demonstrating how Shakespeare reveals that a character's experiences, beliefs, morals, and/or needs affect his/her behaviour and choices." I would like some opinions on the essay in general, as well as some ideas on what else to write. So far this paper is ~600 words, I need to get it up to 1000. I realize that the conclusion isn't done yet, so I'm assuming that's going to bump it about 150 words. If i could get some ideas on what else I should add it would be greatly appreciated. Enjoy! Society and the interactions that take place are all built on decisions. These choices, no matter how significant, materialize thousands of times throughout the day, and while the majority of them are minor in significance, there are rare occasions where the resulting conclusion can have life-altering results. Some of these results may have been foreseen whereas others may have been more unpredictable, but the basic problem solving for each decision remains the same. The needs of a person are at the utmost priority, such as one’s life -- including the fundamental needs of food, water and shelter. From there it branches off into many different ways that is all determined by one’s personality and the circumstance they are in. Morals, beliefs, past-experiences, and needs all fuel a person’s decision, which has ultimately not changed since the beginning of mankind’s existence. In Shakespeare’s writings, his depiction of characters his plays are well thought out and are almost given a life of their own. In Hamlet there is no exception Mahatma Gandhi once said "An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind." It's known that revenge causes one to act through anger, rather than reason. In a world like the one we live in today, revenge is thought as being barbaric and adolescent. In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare Young Fortinbras, Laertes, and Hamlet were all looking to avenge the deaths of their fathers. Every one of the three eldest sons had one thing in common, they all wanted revenge for a slaughtered father. In the time in which this play is set, avenging the murder of a father was part of one's honor, and had to be done. All of the three sons swore vengeance, and then acted towards getting revenge for the deaths of their fathers. They all acted on emotion, this was the main reason that lead to their downfall. They let revenge poison their minds and didn't give justice a chance to deal with their problems. Shakespeare attempts to show how one's state of mind can become corrupted when they allow emotions to take over. In the play Hamlet, fear was a major motivating factor in the character’s decisions and actions. Namely Hamlet was fearful of being caught and forced to pay the consequences for the crimes he has committed. Hamlet debates whether or not suicide can be a good decision when life is so filled with pain and suffering. He wonders and seems to think that death may be the most peaceful decision. However, he is kept on the path of life by his fear of what lies beyond the grave. Throughout the play Hamlet thinks about the moral aspect of revenge, and as a result his goal to avenge his father's death is delayed. Morality is defined as a set of ideas or actions that are considered right and wrong, and this becomes a factor in Hamlet's revenge. When Hamlet sees King Claudius praying he is held back by his moral considerations. This is seen when he goes to kill King Claudius and says, "Now might I do it pat, now he is praying;...That should be scanned" ( ). Here Hamlet shows how he wants revenge, but also shows how he is thinking too much about the consequences and the morality of killing while one is in the face of god.
Posted By shadman at Thu 3 Jul 2008, 1:54 PM in Hamlet || 5 Replies
Hamlet Questions. NEED HELP!
Hey all, just read Hamlet, and now I have a few questions that I have to do for my essay. Choice B: "Write an essay demonstrating how Shakespeare reveals that a character's experiences, beliefs, morals, and/or needs affect his/her behaviour and choices." I would like some ideas on how i can develop some topics to discuss, and which pieces from the play I SHOULD use. Your help is greatly appreciated.
Posted By shadman at Mon 30 Jun 2008, 10:04 AM in Hamlet || 7 Replies
Essay on Hamlet's soliloquies- pointers...? (please)
Ok, this is bloomin' terrible. I attempted to write an essay on the question below (thankyou so much Gladys for your guidance. I am hasty to assure that following is weak from my inability to write lucidly and express ideas competently). If it's not so much trouble, could someone please read this, and give me some pointers on how to improve it? I fear i shall be met with a dreaded D on its return otherwise. I don't even know if i've answered the question......sigh. 1. The soliloquies in Hamlet do not, as soliloquies sometimes can, hold up the action of the play. They are in the fullest sense, dramatic, part of the action. Discuss this judgement with reference to two or three soliloquies. Shakespeare’s soliloquies in Hamlet differ radically from their common convention as inessential speeches to augment audience understanding. On the contrary, they are just as important, if not more so, as the segments where character interaction occurs. Without the soliloquies, the play would be vacuous and sporadic. Highly dramatic, they give it momentum; propel it forward to new and exciting levels by influencing plot, characterisation and mood, as well as expressing key themes. This is primarily based on the fact that much of Hamlet involves a struggle with the self; there are conflicts between characters, but there are also individual, existential, psychological conflicts. Hamlet’s highly dramatic second and third soliloquies are two such arias. Hence, in Hamlet, soliloquies should not be considered standalone speeches as they are integral to play action. Hamlet’s soliloquies both influence are influenced by plot. It is through the soliloquies that the intrinsic theme of Hamlet’s procrastination is extended and realised by the audience. If he did not constantly remind us of his inaction through self-directed harangues, the audience would scarcely notice his procrastination nor realise the extent to which he agonises over his inexplicable delay. The first and second soliloquies function in bringing this to light. The former does this through Hamlet’s violent criticism of himself– “I am pigeon-liver’d and lack gall to make oppression bitter”-and at the through revealing that doubt of the ghosts validity has weakened his purpose. In the second, Hamlet contemplates how “enterprises of great pitch and moment” (as his resolution to avenge his father) “lose their name of action” by thinking too much about them. To examine the importance of soliloquies in terms of how they contribute to action, it is first necessary to define the nature of this ‘action’. What must be understood is that Hamlet is largely a play about inaction. The plot centres on his persistent irresolution to fulfil his filial and moral duty. In Hamlet’s second soliloquy, he begins “o, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!” He compares his dismal deficiency in passion to an actor, who had ‘tears in his eyes, distraction in his aspect’ for a work of fiction. More importantly, it is because of his soliloquies that action eludes him. He is cursed with an excessive meditative faculty- by concentrating too much on whether or not he should act, “the native hue of resolution is sicklied over with the pale cast of thought”. Action characteristically influences further action- it is a never-ending and overlapping sequence of cause and effect. Hence, we should not consider soliloquies as isolated passages- but should broaden the scope of analysis to judge how they act as a catalyst for future events. Hamlet makes a profound decision to use a play to determine the validity of the ghost and “catch the conscience of the king”. This decision leads to a vital turning point, and dictates the plots direction from there on. The third soliloquy follows the second without any section in between where Hamlet interacts with other characters. After indulging in this prolific amount of self-pity and arousing acute melancholy, his abnormally violent reaction to Ophelia’s rejection is not so surprising- especially when he just reflected on the ‘pangs of dipriz’d love.” Plot fluctuations hence are highly dependent on Hamlet’s soliloquies, and therefore play a significant role in the action of the play. Hamlet’s character is filled out and further clarified through his soliloquies, and hence the interpretation of our hero very much depends on them. These intimate revelations permit the audience to examine and discern Hamlet’s true emotions. On scrutiny by the entire kingdom, it is necessary to constrain or disguise real feeling in the presence of others. One palpable impression that is portrayed via his ‘to be or not to be’ soliloquy is his fixation and yearning for death, and conversely his disgust at the banality of life. Melancholy has completely percolated his character, until existence seems nothing but a ‘mortal coil’- something which ropes him down brutally to humanity in a useless fleshy package. While Hamlet reveals this repugnance earlier during his conversation with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, his already pessimistic attitude has exacerbated since then, so that he teeters near the brink of suicide. A release from the ‘whips’ ‘scorns’ ‘insolence’ and ‘pangs’ annexed to a ‘weary life’ has become something ‘devoutly to be wished’. His sensitivity to the injustice in the world marks his idealistic desire for a moral world. Integrity is especially important to him, and he agonises over which is ‘nobler’; to endure life’s ills with patience, or to ‘take arms’ against them in intrepid defiance. This value also links to his struggle to define ‘truth’. While some regard Hamlet as enigmatic and profound, others interpret Hamlet’s soliloquies as little more than another example of extreme introversion. Indeed, his mind lapses into disconsolate philosophizing whenever he is alone, complaining unremittently. We also realise how prone he is to making sweeping statements, using the pronouns ‘we’ and ‘us’, when his observations on human sociology appertain mainly to himself. This links to the next passage, when he remarks to Ophelia that men are “arrant knaves, all of us”. Furthermore, Hamlet states death is “the undiscovered country /from whose bourn no traveller returns.” Depending on how one interprets this line, it may reveal that Hamlet is prone to indulging in grandiose and melodramatic axioms, without consulting memory first. For his father ‘returns’, at least in spirit, to the mortal realm- he has witnessed the spectre himself. This tendency to give in to his dramatic side links to his rash conflict with Laertes in the graveyard scene. Soliloquies are just as important to play action as other sections because they illustrate crucial character features. Hamlet’s soliloquies are vital in establishing the mood and themes of the play. Without the soliloquies, Hamlet would remain an entertaining revenge drama. But that enigmatic and sordid quality which suffuses the tragedy would be significantly diminished. The soliloquies, triggered by self-doubt and distress at the corruption of Denmark, explore the dimensions of the human character through Hamlet’s sordid contemplation. The play becomes a dense examination of how external difficulties (the incestuous marriage between Hamlet’s mother and uncle, the ‘unweeded garden’ of the Kingdom, the onus of forced revenge) affect man psychologically. We see the self-directed anger and torment in his second soliloquy- “I,/ a dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak/ like a John-a-dreams, unpregnant of my cause,/ and can say nothing- no, not for a king”. A heart-wrenching hopelessness is also established. Hamlet knows that he has all the motive in the world to kill Claudius- the man murdered his father, married his mother, and usurped his rightful position on the throne. The spectre of his father’s spirit demanded revenge. And yet, he cannot act, and he doesn’t know why. “Fie upon’it! Foh!” he explodes, when he realises that all his ranting on the “remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindles villain” mean nothing in the end, because it achieves nothing. Even through remarking on his procrastination, he is still procrastinating. The third soliloquy is structured similarly to a scholar’s argument; but the subject of this contention is weighty- ‘to be, or not to be’. To live, or to die. He desires the latter, but, a ‘coward’, fearful of ‘what dreams may come’ after death, he resigns himself to life. This theme of death hangs over the entire play; we see Hamlet’s ideas develop on it later during the graveyard scene. Soliloquies affect the mood of the entire play, and are thus part of the action. Hamlet’s soliloquies constitute a crucial and dramatic part of play dynamics. Often highly intimate, they do not merely reflect on the plays general happenings, but are interwoven into the action. Acting as portals into Hamlet’s psyche, they establish crucial elements of character. Furthermore, they are infinitely important in the interpretation of plot, especially through exploring the theme of Hamlet’s procrastination. The tumultuous state of his mind affects and explains some of his following actions. Additionally, important decisions are made which steer the course of the play. The fact that psychological action is part of the physical action means that the mood of the play becomes more complex. If the audience weren’t privy to the hero’s agonising thoughts, no doubt the play would have only half the reputation it holds today.
Posted By John-a-dreams at Sat 21 Jun 2008, 11:21 PM in Hamlet || 1 Reply
Soliloquies! Essay! Help!
I have this essay question: "the soliloquies in hamlet are in the fullest sense, dramatic, part of the action. discus this judgement with reference to one or two soliloquies." "about my brains"!!! :crash: I mean, i know they are dramatic and part of the action, but i'm having trouble expressing WHY. Do i just say what happens in them, and how this is crucial to the rest of the play? Do i comment on the dramatic language used, which evokes a highly emotive audience response? Alas, i am lost! The more i think about it, the more i confuse myself, and make action impossible, (haha...hamlet relates to everything). anyhoo, please help! My procrastination cannot go on for too much longer (or else any action after that won't matter...as the due date will have flown by!) by the way, did the exclamation marks in my title have any effect in arousing your interest? it would be an interesting study..........ah, never mind.
Posted By John-a-dreams at Thu 19 Jun 2008, 6:26 AM in Hamlet || 1 Reply
Readings and Inturpratations
I am having difficulty in finding quotes from critics about their own views and opinions on Hamlet and even specific characters within the play. They are particually useful in my exam you see xD I am looking at something like this John Doe stated that Hamlet was "his least favourite character, full of meaningless words and a procrastinator who needed to take his finger out." However by looking at the text it can be said that Hamlet is not a coward or a procrastinator at all, just a man of intelligence who is in a complicated situation due to his vow to his fathers ghost not to harm his mother in anyway, and killing her husband would cause her grief. Its mainly names I need to drop and paraphrase their views :D
Posted By laplinp at Tue 10 Jun 2008, 8:55 PM in Hamlet || 2 Replies
Why does Hamlet still associate with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern??
Hamlet's amazing discernment means he can see the ulterior motives which brought Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to Elsinore- that they are spying on him for the king and queen. And yet, even after telling them he knows that they are partaking in the skulduggery, they move on to another topic, without any seeming animosity! They talk in depth about the "war of the theatres" and the players that are coming to town. Later, besides, he associates with them. I am confused. Why doesn't he reject his university friends entirely? Does he think them utter fools? That they are so dim-witted that he believes himself safe from their gleaning any information to present to Claudius? eh. i dunno. :banana: no particular reason for the banana. It just cracks me up.
Posted By John-a-dreams at Sun 8 Jun 2008, 1:27 AM in Hamlet || 1 Reply
Questions.
I'm new here and joined hoping I can get some answers. -How come Hamlet didn't become king after his father passed? -What causes Hamlet's "madness" beyond the death of his father and his mother remarrying? -Also, I was wondering if anyone wanted to share opinions on T.S. Eliot's poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock". This section specifically. No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be; Am an attendant lord, one that will do To swell a progress, start a scene or two, Advise the prince; no doubt, an easy tool, Deferential, glad to be of use, Politic, cautious, and meticulous; Full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse; At times, indeed, almost ridiculous-- Almost, at times, the Fool. Prufrock describes himself as being comparable to Polonius. Is his description accurate? Any specific lines in Hamlet that you've found that support?
Posted By onelastliex18 at Thu 5 Jun 2008, 6:55 PM in Hamlet || 1 Reply
A Challenge: Why does Hamlet refuse the letters from Ophelia in III,i ?
In act three, scene one, line ninety six Hamlet claims to have never given Ophelia the letters of affection which she presents to him. He refuses to accept them. I am currently enrolled in a University course exploring critical analysis of Shakespeare's work. My final paper for the course will revolve strongly around the previously mentioned scene and specifically line 96. Before I go any further into my own personal contention I would like to know what some of you think. Why does Hamlet deny knowledge of the letters?
Posted By Darkwingpuck at Mon 26 May 2008, 4:58 PM in Hamlet || 3 Replies