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Is Hamlet Relevant Today

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Though far removed from the society encompassing the world of Hamlet, humanity today faces the same decisions, adversity, and emotions that have characterized the human race for centuries. Shakespeare paints vivid character sketches in Hamlet that do not solely apply to the story of Hamlet. These archetypes reoccur in literature and life, timelessly representing the human condition and the human race. Poloniuses still walk the street craving power and status. Cladiuses still deceive their brothers and commit unspeakable crimes. Hamlets still mourn losses and grieve alone. Ophelias still fall in love. Therefore, Hamlet proves relevant to society today based on the familiar struggles of revenge versus forgiveness, dealing with grief and tragedy, …show more content…

Instead, it shocks, frightens, and numbs those to whom it affects. It instantaneously leaves people with less than they had before, heightened emotions, and doubts. Dealing with any form of tragedy requires some sort of coping. Coping mechanisms vary. In Hamlet’s case, Claudius mocked his grief. When addressing Hamlet’s choice to grieve his father and wear black, Claudius remarked, “But to persever in obstinate condolement is a course of impious stubbornness” (Shakespeare 7). Mockery catalyzed Hamlet’s revenge and increased his sardonic remarks. Moreover, Hamlet went to lengthy measures to avenge his father’s death, but also toys with the idea of wishing to die. His emotions, plagued by a sense of solitude and sadness lead him to famously say, “To be, or not to be that is the question. Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them” (Shakespeare 26). Hamlet identifies with so many people when he deals with the prospect of loneliness and feelings of living a purposeless life. Hamlet remains relevant to today’s culture in its raw approach to grief. Shakespeare does not shy away from tragedy, coping with tragedy, and grieving tragedy. In this way, Shakespeare establishes a timeless connection with his reader, solidifying its

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When applied correctly, soliloquies successfully allow the reader to experience characters in their most vulnerable state: within their own minds. Hamlet is no exception to this principle, as Shakespeare’s mastery of rhetoric in establishing the main character’s inner conflict provides depth and rawness to his complex character. In this well-known soliloquy, Shakespeare employs logos to acknowledge that death can be both a relief and nightmare due to natural human emotions; accordingly, Hamlet personifies a severe case of teenage depression by simultaneously wishing for an end to suffering yet remaining hesitant to act on his own thoughts due to his fear of the unknown.         Throughout this passage, Hamlet attempts to rationalize ending his life over continuing to endure the painful reality of his existence. The parallelism in this particular soliloquy serves several rhetorical purposes, including the development of an implicit contrast between Hamlet’s mental state and the actual organization of his thoughts.

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William Shakespeare's tragedy, Hamlet, has well stood the test of time as the play is, to this day, still relevant in our modern world. Perhaps it is because of the erratic twists and turns of the plot, or maybe it is because we can all see at least a little bit of ourselves in the dynamic, imperfect characters. More interestingly, the characters themselves seem to have quite a lot in common, to a certain degree. Hamlet has many puzzles, parallels, and paradoxes by which audience can reasonably infer that Shakespeare did not support the idea of revenge (Boyce 136). The tragedy genre is synonymous with death and despair.

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643 Words | 3 Pages

Tragedy is a genre of writing determined by the extent of pain that the characters within its pages feel or experience. Whether through emotional turmoil, their own death or even the death of a loved one, a majority of tragic characters experience pain and defeat. For Hamlet, it was the death of his father, the previous king, who also revealed the horrid state that his beloved homeland of Denmark was in, and in addition the failed relationship with the woman he loved, Ophelia. Drastic changes in behavior also started gradually becoming more apparent within the young Prince. These events drove Hamlet to what he convinced to be an act of pretend lunacy in which he created, unknowingly to Hamlet his control is false.

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Hamlet is a powerful story of love, life, revenge, and death. The themes within the play are written to live on for eternity. It is difficult to fully and accurately represent a play as great as this one. The movie that we watched in class did not wholly represent the wonders and the magnitude of the themes within Shakespeare’s work.

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929 Words | 4 Pages

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet addresses many relatable societal, political and economical issues associated with the Elizabethan audience. The hardships and conflicts that the characters in Hamlet have to deal with and go through, are all incidents the Elizabethan audience can relate to; whether it be losing a loved one, accepting one’s unarguable decision or taking revenge. Hamlet’s speech in Act IV, Scene IV is powerful as he questions the creation and purpose of humans who give in to one’s animalistic desires and evil; leading the audience to reflect on how they live their everyday lives. In addition, Hamlet addresses the importance of making the right decision to maintain honor, which shows the development in his character; creating an effect

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To continue, the King’s inability to sympathize with Hamlet’s situation later in the scene brings about the stark contrast between Claudius and Hamlet’s principles regarding “the death of fathers”(Shakespeare Scene 2). For example, when asked about his grief, Hamlet dramatically and full-heartedly exclaims how anguish has truly enveloped him. On the contrary, Claudius replies to Hamlet in a long, nonchalant lecture about how Hamlet’s “father lost a father; That father lost, lost his”(Shakespeare Scene 2) and more. This dynamic shows both the King’s dearth of sympathy for Hamlet’s father’s death, as well as the complex difference between Claudius and Hamlet’s contradicting point of view on the same subject. The substantial shift from Hamlet’s fleeting, overwhelming speech, to the monologue Claudius gives to express his ideology, plays a significant role in highlighting the complexity of their dynamic.

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944 Words | 4 Pages

Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, tells the story of a man named Hamlet who is subjected to much emotional distress. He arrives home from university one day and finds that his father has died and his mother has married his uncle. Naturally, this is difficult for Hamlet to absorb. To make matters worse, the ghost of Hamlet’s father informs Hamlet that his brother poisoned him and that he should be avenged. This puts a great amount of responsibility on Hamlet, but he does not share it with anyone because he wants to be masculine.

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As the audience watches Hamlet going through a traumatic experience with losing his father and then learning the truth of his father’s death, it is easier to understand what difficulties Hamlet is going through during this time. Hamlet’s inability

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500 years have passed since he put down his pen and faded away from this very Earth; yet if you were to ask the next person you see to name any one of his breathtaking plays, they are sure to reply with “Hamlet” or “Macbeth”. Shakespeare’s plays are still relevant to the contemporary society because of its evaluation of philosophical themes such as the human condition in a way that resonates with people today, centuries after the books were written despite the changes in cultural values and knowledge. Human condition is what it means to be human and deals with the state of being human. Shakespeare explores the human condition through his main character, Hamlet and his struggles. Hamlet contemplates suicide due to his mother’s incestuous

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Irving T. Richards suggests that this perturbed and miserable state is not erratic, but permanent, especially having gone through such traumatizing events (742). Similarly, readers get the sense that Hamlet feels betrayed by the woman

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In the end, not many will get out alive, thus showing us the themes of madness, grief, mortality, and revenge (Shmoop Editorial Team). Even though Hamlet was written 400 years ago, its themes and messages are very relevant in today’s society.

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567 Words | 3 Pages

Hamlet’s Relevance In Society Greed, vengeance, and forgiveness; traits that will never dissipate from society. Shakespeare’s Hamlet gives good insight into some aspects of society that will never change. Because of this, it is still incredibly relevant to modern society. Hamlet delves into greed, vengeance, and forgiveness; the world’s most human aspects.

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1144 Words | 5 Pages

An analysis of the way Shakespeare develops Hamlet following the death of his father implies that adolescents who experience loss suffer many different consequences and deal with those consequences in a variety of ways. Shakespeare examines this idea in Act I Scene ii. Soon after

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A reoccurring theme in William Shakespeare’s, “Hamlet”, is that one’s desire for revenge will ultimately place one’s life in peril. Shakespeare presents three significant aspects that attribute to the demise of Hamlet on his desire for revenge. First, Hamlet portrays many instances in which he constantly delays in desire for revenge. Second, throughout the novel, Hamlet commits mistakes that unfortunately affect the people closest to him as well as, himself. Lastly, Hamlet is viewed as a “tragic hero” who contains flaws in his personality and in his course of thought that will evidently, lead to his destruction.

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1177 Words | 5 Pages

Throughout Shakespeare’s Hamlet, one may see a strong theme of revenge. The three stories in the book provide contrast for each other but offer only two different endings: life and death. “Hamlet deals with three revenge plots, all of which involve a son seeking vengeance for the death of a father. In the end, though, the resolution of each revenge plot highlights the inadequacy of revenge.” (SHMOOP )

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