An Analysis Of Hamlet
It is reasonable to wonder what Shakespeare had in mind while
writing Hamlet. After all, Shakespeare wasn't a philosopher or historian,
or even a literary critic. He was a playwright. He didn't leave us critical
essays examining his work. It is left to us to examine his work and decide
for ourselves, if we care to, what Shakespeare was thinking. Did he know
that he was writing a drama of deep psychological significance, a play
which would eventually be viewed and read the world over, produced many
times over hundreds of years, taught in schools, and thought of as one of
the world's greatest plays? I, for one, imagine him dotting the "i" in the
last word of the play, "silence," putting down ...
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relationship between the Earl of Gloster and his
two sons, Edmund, who is supported and approved by Gloster and betrays him,
and Edgar, who unjustly becomes a fugitive from his father's wrath. The
mirror is whole. In it we view Cordelia's reflection and see Edgar, while
Regan's and Goneril's reflections, which are of one face, show us Edmund.
In the main plot ofHamlet, Hamlet's father has been murdered.
Hamlet swears revenge, but feign's madness and delays. In the subplot, the
chamberlain, Polonius, is murdered by Hamlet. One of Polonius's children,
Laertes, swears revenge, while the other, his daughter Ophelia, goes mad.
Here, the mirror is cracked. Hamlet's reflection is splintered. We
see one part of him, his revenge motive, in Laertes' action, and we see his
pretended madness in Ophelia's piteous condition. More than this, Hamlet's
image is dimmed compared to those of his counterparts. Hamlet speaks of
revenge, but procrastinates; Laertes instantly raises and army and ...
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to be the protagonist of Hamlet.
The tragic hero is a person of high degree or great importance.
Claudius qualifies here. He is the king. As his fortunes go, so go those of
all who surround him. As he is cheerful, the court is cheerful. As his brow
is contracted in woe, so the Danish court suffers.
The tragic hero has a predisposition in some particular direction,
accompanied by an inability to resist the force which drives him or her.
Claudius is ambitious. His ambition drives him to murder his brother, the
former king. Claudius is evil. But the tragic hero need not be good.
Consider Macbeth and Richard III. By their acts, Shakespeare's tragic
heroes hope to achieve ...
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"An Analysis Of Hamlet." Essayworld.com. March 21, 2005. Accessed April 24, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/An-Analysis-Of-Hamlet/24054.
"An Analysis Of Hamlet." Essayworld.com. March 21, 2005. Accessed April 24, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/An-Analysis-Of-Hamlet/24054.
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