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Humor, Tone, And Irony In Shakespeare's Hamlet

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“To be or not to be, that is the question.” A very iconic line. Shakespeare’s use of literary elements helped create this line. Shakespeare used many literary elements but the main focus in Hamlet is mood, tone, and irony. To develop a theme, an author must use literary elements such as mood,tone, and irony. Shakespeare uses mood, tone, and irony to develop the themes of curiosity and betrayal. Shakespeare uses mood to develop the themes of curiosity and betrayal. In Act iii, Scene i Ophelia is told by hamlet that he “loves her no more.” which gives the reader a curious feeling because previously in the book he had acted as if he was madly in love with her. Now later on in the Act King Claudius informs polonius that if Hamlet’s state of mind …show more content…

They may have reasoning to this because in earlier acts Hamlet is visited by his deceased father and told to avenge his death because he was murdered by Claudius. Hamlet also acts as if he is madly in love with Ophelia which could make people feel that love is a plausible theme. Although these themes could work, the themes of curiosity and betrayal work throughout the whole story. Love dies out as a theme in Act iii when Ophelia is told by Hamlet that he loves her no more which kills love as a theme. Vengeance dies out as a theme when Hamlet starts rationalizing with himself that the ghost he saw could be evil and Claudius could really be innocent. Although love and vengeance are decent themes they die out by the third act while curiosity and betrayal last throughout the whole book. Shakespeare uses mood, tone, and irony to develop his themes of curiosity and betrayal. Curiosity and betrayal last as themes throughout the entire book which makes them strong themes for Shakespeare to develop with his use of the three literary elements mood,tone, and irony. Throughout Act iii Shakespeare develops his themes to make the story more dramatic and add to his storyline. Shakespeare’s use of the literary elements helped make Hamlet the iconic book that it is today. Without his great use of them this book and story could have very well been lost in the crowd of the other amazing books he has

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In Act II Scene 2, as Hamlet berates himself for his irresoluteness and cowardice and contemplates vengeance for his father, the concluding soliloquy vividly portrays Hamlet’s transition from irritation to insanity. Shakespeare extensively utilizes analogies and carefully chosen diction and syntax to dramatize the state of uneasiness in Hamlet’s conflicted mind. Shakespeare makes both direct and indirect comparisons and contrasts throughout the soliloquy. For instance, Hamlet’s remarks about the player makes a clear illustration of their subtle similarities and differences to the readers. The imaginary situation in which the player had Hamlet’s “motive and cue for passion” demonstrates that the player, who would be able to “make mad the guilty and appall the free,” is not only keen on, but also subliminally excellent at the art of acting (II.2.520-524).

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The main literary lens used in Hamlet is the Psychoanalytic lens to show his views on revenge. The entire story of Hamlet is basically set on revenge and what Hamlet thinks of it and how he gets revenge. The psychoanalytic lens focuses on the unconscious mind and its influence on behavior. In this play, revenge is a central theme that is explored through the character of Hamlet. We can see how Hamlet's views on revenge are shaped by his unconscious desires and fears.

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Ophelia suspecting the cause of Hamlet’s madness to be his love for her is a clear example of dramatic irony as it shows her not grasping what is the real reason for him acting in that way. The conversation between Ophelia with Laertes and later on Polonius in Act 2 scene 1, leaves the audience with tension as Polonius says “This is the very ecstasy of love, / Whose violent property fordoes itself / And leads the will to desperate undertakings / As oft as any passion under heaven / That does afflict our natures.” (2.1. 102-106) The audience knows that the real reason of his madness is to distract attention from his investigation of the murder by leaving everyone concerned about his mental state.

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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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In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Shakespeare uses range of literary techniques such as soliloquies to express Hamlet’s depression and anger. Hamlet’s emotions play a crucial role to achieve his secret ambitions. Events such as King Hamlet’s death, Hamlet’s mother’s expeditious marriage, conflict between Hamlet and Ophelia. Hamlet’s depression and anger is expressed throughout the play but what are the causes. The root of Hamlet’s feelings of depression and anger was his father’s death.

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Did you know that emotions can lead to bloodshed? In the book Hamlet by William Shakespeare which the book is about a sad tragedy. The main character Hamlet thinks his dad was killed by someone, so he is on his journey to find out who did it. I believe that emotions holds the greatest power of all. Emotions can influence the decision make, it can lead to a lot of deaths, and it can create hatred between people.

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The ability for an author, character, or actor to portray certain emotions is key and can potentially change the whole storyline of a play. Shakespeare's writing is no exception and may sometimes leave the reader confused. Throughout the play of Hamlet, there is a constant battle between love and revenge amongst the characters, which causes the reader to vacillate between the idea of which emotion the plot is based around. In the play, the protagonist, Hamlet, is confronted with the problem of his uncle marrying his mother and killing his father. Along the way he continues to contemplate whether or not to kill his uncle, Polonius.

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“But o, how bitter a thing it is to look into happiness through another man’s eyes” Hamlet written by William Shakespeare during the Elizabethan age revolves around the setting, time and the nature of its characters. Happiness in Hamlet is a vague theme that involves almost all the characters, who are significantly influenced by the time and place of the play, the sexuality of the characters and also, how they practice deception. The tragedy of Hamlet presents various characters who pursue or compromise their happiness to satisfy their conscience. This is shown through characters such as Hamlet, Claudius and Ophelia. In addition, to how their differences and similarities shape their personalities, which causes them to pursue or compromise their happiness.

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Shakespeare’s puns are often an important factor in his plays and sonnets. One of the most distinctive characteristics Shakespeare gave Hamlet is his humor. His humor begins with being a playful tone, however, he also uses puns as a way to convey his madness. Shakespeare uses puns and paradoxes most of the time in Hamlets dialogue. His first words in the play are towards King Claudius and are in the form of a pun, “A little more than kin, and less than kind.”

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This aids the reader in analyzing the motives for each of the intricate characters and how every action has a motive that can tie back to Hamlet’s grand scheme which is to get revenge for the kingdom overtaken by an authority figure who did not earn that title, honor his father’s legacy that is taken from him in the crossfire of jealousy, and for the good of Denmark. Between the murder of King Hamlet and Polonius, Ophelia’s death, and the disloyalty of many characters, we enable ourselves to see the mood of confusion

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William Shakespeare was a master of his craft, as he managed to write countless of classic plays that are more complex than most today. In Hamlet, Shakespeare used the mental and psychological events to create a sense of excitement, suspense, and climax usually associated with external action. The play very much centers around Hamlet’s mental state, making the audience question whether or not the protagonist is actually losing his mind. With this psychological-centered story, a lot of the suspense and excitement comes from questioning Hamlet’s state of mind. Although, Hamlet’s mind isn’t the only source of intrigue, as almost every character has some important psychological event or problem that creates more suspense in the story.

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“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.

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The first character trait a tragic hero must fulfill is to awake a feeling of pity and fear in the audience. This happens at the point where Hamlet is thinking about suicide were he gets an interesting character (Act 1 Scene 2 p.23, 25). Furthermore, Hamlet is tough, grief world and upset with his mother’s love life with her new husband Claudius. He also feels betrayed when his mother marries his fathers brother so soon after his father’s death

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