Hamlet Literary Analysis
In “Hamlet”, the tragedy by William Shakespeare, Hamlet, the prince of Denmark withholds a great internal conflict throughout the play. As a result, Hamlet contradicts himself many times throughout out the play, which caused the unnecessary death of many others. As well as trying to be true to himself, Hamlet is an expert at acting out roles and making people falsely believe him. The roles he plays are ones in which he fakes madness to accomplish his goals. While one second Hamlet pretends to be under a strange spell of madness, seconds later he may become perfectly calm. He struggles with the issue of avenging his father’s death. He vows to kill Claudius but then ...
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this, Hamlet lets Gertrude know that he is what she sees, torn over his father’s death. Later, he makes a clear statement about his state of mind when he commits himself to revenge. "I’ll wipe away all trivial fond records, all saws of books, all forms, all pressures past, that youth and observation copied there, and thy commandment all alone shall live within the book and volume of my brain" (1.5.100-104). In that statement, Hamlet is declaring that he will be committed to nothing else but the revenge of his fathers death. There is no confusion about Hamlet’s character in Act One. He has said earlier that he is what he appears to be, and there is no reason to doubt it.
In the next act, Hamlet’s intentions suddenly become confusing. In the first act, Hamlet was dedicated and inspired in seeking revenge. However, when Hamlet appears again in the second act, he loses the conviction that was present earlier. He has yet to take up the orders assigned to ...
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he established in act one.
However, when the players come around, the resolved Hamlet returns. Hamlet is prompted to vengeance again by the moving speech that is given by one of the players. In this speech, he says, "What’s Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba, that he should weep for her? What would he do had he motive and cue for passion that I have" (2.2.513-516). In the praise of this player’s ability to act, Hamlet says that if this was a play he acted in, he would have killed Claudius by now. He is then moved to swear that he should kill Claudius when he says, "I should ha’ fatted all the region kites with this slave’s offal. Bloody, bawdy villain! O, ...
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Hamlet Literary Analysis. (2008, April 27). Retrieved April 20, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Hamlet-Literary-Analysis/82722
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"Hamlet Literary Analysis." Essayworld.com. April 27, 2008. Accessed April 20, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Hamlet-Literary-Analysis/82722.
"Hamlet Literary Analysis." Essayworld.com. April 27, 2008. Accessed April 20, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Hamlet-Literary-Analysis/82722.
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