ipl-logo

Humanize Criminals In Hamlet

769 Words4 Pages

Criminals are often viewed as dangerous and unfit for society. As a result, a social barrier has been created between criminals and the rest of society. Act V humanizes criminals by comparing them to the characters of Hamlet. These criminals compare the actions of the characters in the play to their own crimes. They are interviewed throughout the podcast and are heard explaining the unlawful actions of the characters in the play and their interpretation behind it. With this comparison, listeners can understand the mindset of criminals and the reasoning behind their wrongdoings in both modern society and in Hamlet. Throughout the podcast, Jack Hitt interviews several prisoners to hear them speak about their experiences of acting out Hamlet and their opinions on the characters of the play. A significant way Hitt persuades listeners is by allowing the criminals to talk about their …show more content…

Similarly, the documentary 13th humanizes criminals by evoking emotions that allow viewers to experience the emotions of African American prisoners. In Act V, characters such as Claudius and Laertes are humanized by comparing their actions to the crimes of criminals. Likewise, in 13th, African American prisoners are observed as ordinary people who are wrongfully punished due to their race. The podcast achieves the goal of humanization by allowing prisoners to speak about their time in jail and how they have changed. In the podcast, Edgar Evans, who acts as Claudius speaks about his relation to the character of Claudius. Evans states that he was in the position of Claudius and he understands the feelings of Claudius and the reasons for his actions. However, it can be heard that he believes his time in jail has allowed him to become a better person, capable of returning to society. Both mediums compel listeners to humanize these prisoners and allow them to understand that prisoners are humans too, capable of

Show More
Related
838 Words | 4 Pages

Hamlet, the protagonist, acts insane to a selected group of people, specifically nobles. Some of the nobles see through this act and have a hunch that he

Read More
834 Words | 4 Pages

While others look at Hamlet and McMurphy as reckless and unconcerned with the feelings of others, their actions legitimize their purpose: justice for

Read More
981 Words | 4 Pages

Hamlet Journal 1 In William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, the main character Hamlet, appears to be insane, but his mistrust for his uncle and desire for revenge drives him “To put on an antic disposition on— / That you, at such times seeing me, never shall,” (I.v.181). He succeeds in convincing almost everyone around him that he is truly a mad man whose only cure is execution; however, he is enigmatic and ambiguous. By having an appearance of insanity and madness, Hamlet is able to use it to his advantage to achieve his own purpose of ridding his father’s murderer.

Read More
1765 Words | 8 Pages

Although the audience can relate to the general scenarios Hamlet undergoes, most of his experiences are quite incomprehensible to the average person. Thus, proposing these questions naturally leads the audience to put themselves in Hamlet’s shoes, evaluating the “whips and scorns” he has endured, which in turn generates empathy. Interestingly enough, empathy and projection are opposite ideas (Abeles); as Hamlet attempts to redirect the focus off of himself, the audience does the exact opposite by evaluating Hamlet’s life from his cynical yet unique perspective. At the same time, the audience can still identify with Hamlet’s pain stemming from the loss of his father and disconnect with his lover, among other

Read More
1940 Words | 8 Pages

Hamlet Character deception is a common characteristic that has and will be a reflecting characteristic in literature for centuries. In many of William Shakespeare’s tragedies, deception, whether positive or negative, is being used to mislead, to protect characters, or to hide a crime or future crime. Analyzing why the characters are using deception against each other is very important to the reader’s understanding of the work as a whole. In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, He uses Hamlet’s deception of character and also the character’s use of deception towards Hamlet to carry out the overall theme of the tragedy. The theme that is represented, is that in able to get malicious revenge, you must be able to act as if you are someone different than your true self while in turn, being able to deal with others deceiving you.

Read More
1514 Words | 7 Pages

What would one expect the personality of a man whose father was murdered by his uncle, who becomes his step-father? The personality in question points to Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark—who William Shakespeare depicts in his play “Hamlet.” A character analysis of Hamlet reveals that through his internal dialogue, his interpretation of his father 's murder, and his actions, his traits—bitterness, depression, and anger—emerge. Scholars have studied Hamlet for decades, and most have concluded that Hamlet 's personality indicated insanity. However, after observing Hamlet 's actions, his actions throughout the play do not resemble those of an insane person.

Read More
1598 Words | 7 Pages

The main character of William Shakespeare’s tragedy is actually a confused person that’s stuck between two choices. Some may argue that he feels guilty for his father’s death and so it’s his duty to avenge it. While others may disagree and conclude that he is just a maniac who is both violent and dangerous. Hamlet passes through the lane of hesitancy, where he hesitates to kill King Claudius. As a matter of fact, the main conflict of Hamlet is that he feels both the need to solve the crime and punish the responsible.

Read More
1386 Words | 6 Pages

Redemption, is the action, regaining or gaining possession of something in exchange for payment, or clearing debt. In William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, redemption is a common focus for the protagonist Hamlet, followed by Old King Fortinbras’ son, Fortinbras, and Laertes. These ambitious men embark on a quest for truth and redemption because of the loss of their father’s. In spite of the fluctuations in their quest, their journey for truth and redemption is successful because Fortinbras, Laertes and Hamlet all avenge their fathers’ deaths. Through Active Reversal, Fortinbras’ quest was successful, by Laertes’ Fear of Betrayal his quest to kill Hamlet was successful.

Read More
875 Words | 4 Pages

Elizabethan era England was strife with religious conflict. Both of Queen Elizabeth’s predecessors put the country in religious turmoil. Henry VIII had split England from the Catholic church in order to divorce his first wife in favor of Anne Boleyn. However, Mary I feverently persecuted Protestants in pursuit of restoring Catholicism, earning her the nickname “Bloody Mary”. As a result, Queen Elizabeth was tasked with the responsibility of reconciling the opposing religions during her reign.

Read More
887 Words | 4 Pages

The personality of such characters as Hamlet from William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet is much remarked upon. However, it is even more meaningful to analyze changes in Hamlet’s character throughout the play. As Hamlet becomes more driven in his revenge, his actions lose morality and gain consequences. In fact, Shakespeare uses the relationship between a character’s cruelty and the meaning in the pain they cause to comment on the cyclically destructive nature of cruelty.

Read More
1053 Words | 5 Pages

In the play, Shakespeare portrays Hamlet as a dynamic character to cause a mental state conundrum among the audience and explore the themes of suicide, spying, friendship, madness, providence, love, hate and humour. Furthermore, by utilising literary devices such as soliloquy, characterisation, dialogue, personification, metaphor, dramatic and situational irony Shakespeare exploits these themes and questions Hamlet’s sanity. In the beginning, Hamlet is portrayed as an overthinking person, claiming to act an antic disposition. However, as the play advances his manic rage and irrational acts such as Polonius’s murder and

Read More
932 Words | 4 Pages

In this paper, the audience will understand how Hamlet’s moral ambiguity is significant to Shakespeare’s play as a whole. In the beginning of the

Read More
1673 Words | 7 Pages

“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark” (I.v.90). Hamlet is about a young prince who is mourning the loss of his father. He then tries to seek revenge on his uncle Claudius because he poisoned his father. Throughout the play Hamlet’s behavior starts to change which causes him to become mad. The theory about all this is a Psychological Approach.

Read More
749 Words | 3 Pages

The story of a young man by the name of Hamlet has been told since it was first written in the early 1600s. The timeless classic tells the tale of Prince Hamlet, who discovers that his mother had wed his uncle, two months prior to his father’s passing. He visits the throne in Denmark because he is disgusted at the act of incest, where the ghost of his deceased father confronts him, insisting that he was murdered by Claudius, the new king. Hamlet is enraged, and he becomes obsessed with the idea of proving the crime so that he can obtain revenge against Claudius (Crowther). Despite the myriad of themes that circulate throughout the Shakespearean play, many do not realize one hidden yet extensive theme: actions and their consequences.

Read More
1510 Words | 7 Pages

In the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, the title character Hamlet’s mind is violently pulled in divergent directions about the morals of murder. He feels an obligation to avenge his father’s death and thinks that it may be excused, since it is a case of “an eye of an eye.” But he is conflicted because the Bible has also taught him that murder is a sin and revenge should be left to God. Hamlet’s struggle to interpret this moral dilemma and his indecision, together are the ultimate cause of all the tragedy in the play; this internal conflict illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole: that murder, greed, and revenge are sins, no matter the reason, and procrastination is very detrimental.

Read More

More about Humanize Criminals In Hamlet

Related Topics

Open Document