Hamlet Criticism
“To be or not to be; that is the question.” (Hamlet) This is the most often quoted phrase in the English language. (Friendly Shakespeare) It comes from Hamlet, a tragic play written by one of the world’s most renown writers: William Shakespeare. Hamlet, while considered a work of art, has often been the brunt of criticism from the time it came out until today. Perhaps play needs to be completely re-done to fit modern times.
To understand why Hamlet has been criticized, one first must know the plot line. In the beginning of the play, the Ghost of Hamlet’s father, the late King of Denmark, has on two successive nights terrified officers guarding the royal castle at Elsinore. Horatio, ...
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thanks the assembled courtiers for their helping him take the throne of his brother. He then quickly marries Gertrude, the widowed Queen. Hamlet is very angry at this situation. Claudius sends emissaries to the aged uncle of Fortinbras, asking him to restrain his nephew. The King and Queen then reprimand Hamlet; he has been unduly melancholy since the death of his father about two months before. Left alone, the Hamlet continues to grieve and rage over his mother’s ‘incestuous’ remarriage. When Horatio tells him about the Ghost, Hamlet arranges to stand watch himself.
Meanwhile, hotheaded Laertes, about to return to school in France, warns his sister Ophelia not to believe Hamlet’s love. A prince, he says, is not free to choose a wife. One must be chosen for him by an older, wiser person. A prince cannot just marry anyone. Their father Polonius, chief counselor to Claudius also forbids Ophelia to meet Hamlet again.
That night on the battlements of the castle the Ghost ...
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on his way to attack Poland.
A troupe of players comes to the castle, and Hamlet wants them to do a play before the court. The play is a tragedy containing act very like the alleged murder of his father by his uncle. If the King reacts guiltily, Hamlet will know that the Ghost is telling the truth. This will convince Hamlet that is uncle is guilty and then he will kill him.
Act 3 begins the following day when Hamlet sees Ophelia and shocks her with his crazy behvior. Claudius and Polonius hear the tirade from a hiding place. The King, fearful of the future decides to send Hamlet away. Polonius suggests that Hamlet see in his mother. He arranges a meeting between them, at which he ...
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Hamlet Criticism. (2004, April 19). Retrieved April 23, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Hamlet-Criticism/6474
"Hamlet Criticism." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 19 Apr. 2004. Web. 23 Apr. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Hamlet-Criticism/6474>
"Hamlet Criticism." Essayworld.com. April 19, 2004. Accessed April 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Hamlet-Criticism/6474.
"Hamlet Criticism." Essayworld.com. April 19, 2004. Accessed April 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Hamlet-Criticism/6474.
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