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Examples Of Diction In Hamlet

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In his tragedy, Hamlet, William Shakespeare uses diction and sarcasm to foreshadow different interpretations based on connotations and Hamlet’s complex plans to discover the truth in the corrupt kingdom of Denmark. The multiple meanings of phrases represent the internal conflict Hamlet faces, and sarcasm the different masks he wears, as he considers and debates both sides of many situations, leading to his distraction and inaction.
Following his inauguration speech, King Claudius speaks to a still-mourning Hamlet,
KING. Now, my cousin Hamlet and my son -
HAMLET. A little more than kin and less than kind (1.2. 66-67).
Hamlet’s dark pun uses the diction of “kind”, whose connotation can be taken various ways, the first of which “kind” means ancestral stock, Hamlet is saying that Claudius is less than a direct blood relative to him. “Kind” also means natural, meaning Hamlet is highlighting the unnatural outcome of his father’s death and Gertrude’s lust in marrying Claudius. Similarly, kind may mean considerate, showing Hamlet’s resentment towards Claudius for the hasty marriage to Gertrude, whereas Hamlet is still mourning his father’s death. Overall, Hamlet finds the marriage of his mother to his …show more content…

This sarcasm shows that Hamlet is able to put on a mask, so to say, and to act like he is glad that Claudius has become King, when in reality he is disgusted by the entire affair. The diction easily takes on a second meaning, if sun is changed to son - in this case, Hamlet is saying that being Claudius’ son is too much for him. Between his father dying and his mother remarrying his uncle, Hamlet is overwhelmed and unhappy with his new family situation, and he can not say that he is glad to be Claudius’ son. It is already clear that Hamlet resents King Claudius, so avenging his father later should not be a difficult task, yet it

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Claudius is then compared to the internal organs of slaves and a man without morals, remorse or kindness (Ham.2.2.607-608). The powerful metaphors and adjectives used to describe Claudius not only express Hamlet’s intense contempt and disdain towards him, but also serve to convince Hamlet to commit murder. However, Hamlet depicts himself as a whore, a prostitute, and a swearing kitchen maid (Ham.2.2.614-616), reiterating the notion that he is worthless, as well as weak for expressing his emotions through words rather than actions. The shift from metaphors to similes indicate Hamlet’s failure to move past his cowardice and proceed with an act of revenge that would inflict

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1) In Hamlet, pouring poison in a person’s ear had both a literal and symbolic significance. The literal meaning is that they are telling lies to people in order to deceive them. They are pouring poison or “poisonous” words into that person’s ear. The symbolic meaning of pouring poison in a person’s ear can be associated with the symbolic meaning of the snake in the story of Adam and Eve where the snake lures Eve in through lies. The characters in Hamlet were misled in the same way because they had poison poured into their ears.

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Hamlet, the longest play and one of the famous tragedies story written by William Shakespeare is considered one of the most powerful and influential works in literature has contained various of language uses to create the description and images in Hamlet. Shakespeare uses numerous drama conventions including soliloquy, asides and specific figurative languages to build the imagery of the plot. To make the theme of the drama more easily to understand, Shakespeare writes out the dialogue to show how is speaking and the stage directions, specify the time and place and how the characters should behave and speak. In addition, Shakespeare typically used more literary devices in his dramas. Soliloquy and asides are the way Shakespeare creates to give audiences access to the characters’ private thoughts and feelings.

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S - Who is the speaker? Be specific! What do we know about him? The speaker is Hamlet and we know that he often overthinks his plans, then regrets not acting upon those plans.

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