Act 1, Scene 1: “Let us impart what we have seen tonight Unto young Hamlet, for, upon my life, This spirit, dumb to us, will speak to him” (Crowther 16). I think this quote really sets up things for the next act, and the rest of the play. The ghost would not talk to them, so they decided to tell Hamlet about the ghost because they felt it would talk to him. This sets up Hamlet to discover the ghost who is his late father, and learn about his murder. Act 1, Scene 2: “Together with all forms, moods, shapes of grief, That can denote me truly” (Crowther 24).
As with the previous acts in this play, there are unusual words and phrases used in act four. At one point, while he seems to be in confused dismay, Laertes proclaims, “O heat, dry up my brains!” And at another point, as the king seems to be asking about Hamlet’s welfare or perhaps his sanity, he says, “How does Hamlet?” As one may anticipate, the cast still thinks Hamlet is insane, and the fact that he just killed a man doesn’t help his case.
In Act 2, Scene 2, a theatrical troupe arrives at the castle to perform a speech from Aeneid. Impressed with the player’s performance, Hamlet asks that the player act out a short speech he has written for the next day. Once alone, Hamlet undergoes an introspection that sheds light to his cowardly disposition. The soliloquy is divided into three sections: problem, cause, and resolution. Through his initial self-condemnation for being passive, Hamlet realizes the essence of his internal struggle and devises a plan to take action without having to go against his true nature.
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.
Many playwrights begin with conveying introductions to captivate the audience with, suspens, depth, drama etc; this keeps the audience intrigued throughout the play using different styles of playwriting events, from beginning till end. In Hamlet scene 1 act 1, the play begins with a suspenseful dialogue exchanged between two characters, Francisco, gets startled by a sound as, Bernardo, then comes in. The two see a ghost figure much like the king who died, putting them in a fear, Bernardo, tries to communicate with the ghost, but doesn't reply, having a conversation about who might the ghost be, why it keeps appearing, and how to communicate with this ghost. In this play stageability was used as the dialogue, allowing the script to be written
In act two scene one, Ophelia tells Polonius, her father, about when Hamlet came to her room. “O my lord, my lord, I have been so affrighted! . . . Lord Hamlet . . . as if he had been loosed out of hell to speak of horrors-he comes before me” (Shakespeare II.
The soliloquy in Act 4 Scene 4 of Hamlet by Shakespeare is a crucial part of the play, as Hamlet decides to seek revenge for his father’s death. In this scene, the central theme of revenge is accompanied by themes of religion, decay, and corruption. Hamlet sees Fortinbras’ army and realizes how many men bravely faced death to defend their honor; this enables him to connect to his father’s murder and how he should seek vengeance. The sight of the army not only influences Hamlet’s actions, but also demonstrates the political discourse during the time of the play. These themes of decay and corruption are addressed in the political discourse in this scene along with Hamlet’s use of religion to justify seeking revenge.
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.
Stemming from Scene two, Polonius reveals his method of extracting information when he sends Reynaldo to spy on Laertes in Paris and orders him to find information through roundabout ways of asking, “Inquire me first what Danskers are in Paris/...that they do know my son/...put on him what forgeries you please. (Shakespeare 2.1.8-23)” Through this method of extracting information, Polonius is the cause of many of the conflicts in this play; fueling Hamlet’s paranoia. Hamlet, by scene three, has had many misfortunes and tests to his trust, and is viewed as being unpredictable and unruly by Polonius, who thrives on control and order. Polonius believes that by helping Hamlet, he is helping the king, thus gaining higher favor.
Shakespeare uses metaphor to emphasize how King Claudius’ action is characterizing him as a malignant person. When Hamlet was alone at night, the ghost of King Hamlet approaches to converse with him and tells Hamlet that King Claudius killed him. The ghost says “a serpent has stung me”. The word ‘serpent’ resembles to King Claudius. The fact that Shakespeare uses the word ‘serpent’ to identify King Claudius, give him a negative connotation.
Discussion 4: Within the play Hamlet there are four acts in it therefore there is something unique about each so that it can help the plot or grasp the viewer’s attention. In the first, as previously mentioned, revolved around Hamlet’s father and what caused his demise, or more accurately who. However during the beginning of the second act Polonius, Claudius, and Gertrude are concerned as to what is wrong with the “mad” Hamlet, so much so that the King and Queen sent two of his old friends to investigate his odd behaviours further. One named Rosencrantz and the other named Guildenstern.
Hamlet and Laertes are dramatic foils because of their different personalities, their difference in personalities cause them to be dramtic foils. A dramatic foil is a character who contrasts with another character. A quality that differs from Laertes from Hamlet is how they handle obstacles. Hamlet approaches situations with more thought; planning and strategizing. Laertes on the other hand likes to jump to conclusions, and reacts with no thoughts about future consequences.
Exploring the Depths of Hamlet's Complex Character Who am I? What is the meaning of life? Why do I exist?
“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.
This submissiveness leads to her being stuck in an uncomfortable situation with the man that she loves. She is extremely disheartened and surprised when she sees Hamlet’s violent reaction to the thought of separation. When Hamlet angrily storms off, her grief starts to overflow and she helplessly cries out and mourns Hamlet’s lunacy. “O, what a noble mind is here o 'erthrown!” (Shakespeare Act III Scene I).
