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Examples Of Internal And External Conflict In Hamlet

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Conflict is the backbone of a good story or play. It is important because it adds suspense to the story. It makes the reader curious about how the main character is going to solve his problems. Hamlet is a tragic story dealing with Denmark’s royalty. Throughout Hamlet, the reader sees many examples of conflict. From the time Hamlet sees the ghost to when Hamlet takes his last breath, outward and internal conflicts have arisen many times. Hamlet has conflicts with most of the people around him including himself. One of the most obvious conflicts in Hamlet is the conflict between Hamlet and King Claudius. The conflict between Hamlet and King Claudius is internal and external. There is tension in the air whenever Hamlet and King Claudius are in the same scene or room. Early in the book, Hamlet learns that Claudius killed his father. Claudius killed King Hamlet so Claudius could be king, and Claudius’s plan succeeded so Claudius became the king of Denmark. A ghost appears to Hamlet and says, “A serpent stung me; so the whole ear of Denmark is by a forged process of my death rankly abused: …show more content…

Claudius praying in the church makes his murder more obvious because innocent people do not storm out of a play to go pray. Hamlet has an internal conflict on whether to kill Claudius or wait until a later time. He believes that if you kill someone while they are praying, they will go to heaven. So is it really revenge for me if I kill Claudius right when he is confessing his sins, in perfect condition for a trip to heaven? No. Away, sword, and wait for a better moment to kill him. (He puts his sword away) When he’s sleeping off some drunken orgy, or having incestuous sex, or swearing while he gambles, or committing some other act that has no goodness about it—that’s when I’ll trip him up and send him to hell with his heels kicking up at heaven.( Shakespeare act 3, scene 3,

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Internal Conflict (Hamlet vs Self): Hamlet wants to avenge his father’s death but he‘s fear of action. Thus, his mental illness is just a pretense to stall more time for him to make a decision on what he is going to go about his father’s murder. External Conflict: Hamlet vs Ophelia: in Act II, Scene I, Ophelia explains to her father that she was in her room sewing when Hamlet came in “with no hat on his head, his shirt unbuttoned, and his stockings dirty, undone, and down around his ankles...” Although Hamlet loves Ophelia, he has to act insane around her because that’s part of his plan. Hamlet vs Polonius: Polonius attempts to talk to Hamlet and he gets called “a fishmonger”.

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Hamlet is very mysterious in his ways, but hesitates on his actions and tries to find the long way out in a situation instead of taking a more logical route. He makes his situation harder for himself not only by hesitating to kill the king, but by also waiting to see if Claudius was guilty for his actions. Something that really stood out about hamlet was his inability to kill Claudius. With the multiple opportunities there was a surprise when Hamlet didn’t just “lash out at Claudius” anytime.

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679 Words | 3 Pages

As a result, secrets are also impelling behind Hamlet which makes him angry. Hamlet is very angry how his life got when his mother married Claudius, which leads Hamlet to start his revenge on King Claudius. For example, when Hamlet was talking to himself he says,” ...there she was marrying my uncle… that's not good, and no good can come of it either,” (Shakespeare 29). Hamlet does not like his mother and Claudius together because he knows something terrible will come from it. It leads Hamlet into finding out that his uncle, King Claudius, killed his father King Hamlet.

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621 Words | 3 Pages

The scene where Claudius was praying, and Hamlet found him alone was the first true chance for Hamlet to get his easy and fast revenge, but when he realized the king was praying he stopped out of goodwill and said: " am I then revenged/ To take him in the purging of the his soul/ when he is fit and season'd for his passage/ No/ Up, Sword; and know thou a more horrid hent:"(III.iii 85-89). This shows that Hamlet had a clear opportunity to get back at Claudius, but he did not take action. As the play progressed, the inaction caused him to keep

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565 Words | 3 Pages

In William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, he showed the reader the life of the protagonist Hamlet and his struggles in the plot. Throughout the Rising Action in Act 2 of Shakespeare play, he shows how Polonius develops from Act 1, the internal conflict in Hamlet that continues to build, as well as the intensification of the relationship between Hamlet and Polonius. To begin with, in Act 1 Polonius is shown as protective of his daughter Ophelia, ordering her to break her relationship with Hamlet. Loyal to King Claudius being respectful towards him as his trustworthy advisor. He’s also portrayed as wise, for offering advice to Laertes as he leaves to school in France, However, in Act 2 Polonius begins to become very interested in Hamlet's madness, thinking that Ophelia ending their relationship is the cause for

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879 Words | 4 Pages

Here the Ghost of King Hamlet speaks about his own death to his son, Hamlet, and provides the reader with details of how his brother, Claudius, poisoned him. Through this interaction, a betrayal between two blood brothers is seen. Claudius poisoned King Hamlet for the honor of becoming the new king, which displays the true characteristic of greed in Claudius. Furthermore, Hamlet learns that it was specifically Claudius who murdered King Hamlet, during his interaction with the ghost. In two short lines, the Ghost proclaims to Hamlet, “Thus was I, sleeping, by a brother’s hand / Of life, of crown, of queen at once dispatched” (I.V.74-75).

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Shakespeare's play Hamlet is a collective piece of internal and external conflict. From the moment we meet the crestfallen prince we are enraptured by his elegant intensity. Acting blindly through his anger and emotions, Hamlet takes on the responsibility of avenging his father's death and maintaining his role as the Prince of Denmark. His unwavering desire for vengeance drives the plot and sets the tone for a compelling story of morality vs. savagery. Shakespeare utilizes the reoccurring themes of revenge, deceit, and violence to take us on Hamlets continuous search for happiness, love and answers.

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This fight is the fight between Hamlet’s revenge on King Claudius, and Hamlet and the king themselves. Hamlet wants to desperately murder the king, but is fighting internally on when would be a good chance to do so. Hamlet’s internal fight becomes an external fight when he starts acting insane, which leads to the king to determine that he is dangerous and send him to

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147 Words | 1 Pages

Hamlet who is the Prince of Denmark, has come back home to mourn the death of his father, King Hamlet. Hamlet’s mother, Queen Gertrude then marries King Hamlet’s brother, Claudius. Claudius is the new King of Denmark. Soon after, a ghost appears to guards and Hamlet’s closest friend, Horatio, who thinks the spirit looks like former King Hamlet. The ghost of his father beckons Hamlet to follow and reveals that his brother Claudius poisoned him in the ear.

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1621 Words | 7 Pages

Hamlet is the prince of Denmark. He loved his late father King Hamlet before his uncle committed a crime. Hamlet claims he has seen a ghost of his late father. Hamlet’s father proceeds to tell Hamlet that Claudius killed the late king. Hamlet’s goal is to kill Claudius to get revenge and let his father rest in peace.

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1028 Words | 5 Pages

After this experience Hamlet is conflicted about killing Claudius. He at first has doubts if Claudius is even guilty of killing Hamlet. He sets a play includes a scene that resembles the way that Claudius killed King Hamlet. Claudius leaves the theater at that moment and Hamlet has his confirmation. Even with this confirmation he still hesitates to kill Claudius.

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387 Words | 2 Pages

Foremost, Hamlet is characterized as extremely hesitant and introverted throughout the play, culminating in his death, along with his mother’s. Shakespeare describes Hamlet in a manner that paints him as indecisive in enacting his father’s revenge, always letting opportune moments pass. For instance, after hearing from the ghost of his father that Claudius is behind Hamlet Sr.’s death, Hamlet synthesizes an elaborate plot to expose Claudius using a traveling troupe rather than confronting Claudius. Specifically Hamlet states: “Out of my weakness and my melancholy/As he is very potent with such spirits/ Abuses me to damn me.

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1537 Words | 7 Pages

Shakespeare’s Hamlet has numerous literary elements and motifs, which allows for many analytical possibilities. Hamlet presents a personal battle of a young prince. The ghost of the king asks that Hamlet kill Claudius, and discusses the murder in the context of his faith. “Let not the royal bed of Denmark be a couch for luxury and damned incest.” (Hamlet, Act I:Scene IV)

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600 Words | 3 Pages

Claudius keeps saying that he cannot grieve for his brother’s death and hates Hamlet for doing so “A brother’s murder. Pray can I not” (III. iii. 42). This is extremely offensive to Hamlet but also not very surprising since Claudius recently murdered his father. It really fires him up to seek revenge against his uncle because he did this.

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471 Words | 2 Pages

After the ghost comes to Hamlet and tells him that Claudius killed his father, Hamlet continues to go back and forth trying to decide whether he should try and get revenge on Claudius or not. The ghost said “the serpent that did sting thy father’s life now wears his crown.” Hamlet decided to procrastinate getting revenge on Claudius because he is thinking maybe the ghost was just deceiving him.

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