ipl-logo

Personification And Appropriate Diction In William Shakespeare's Hamlet

603 Words3 Pages

In William Shakespeare's tragic epic Hamlet, the title character speaks to a troupe of actors who will later be performing for him. In this speech, Hamlet conveys his deep respect and enamorment for the art of theater. To display this, Shakespeare employs both abstract personification and passionate diction.

As Hamlet rants on to the players detailing how he would like them to perform, Shakespeare uses multiple abstract metaphors to display Hamlet’s reverence for the art of acting. This is first shown as Hamlet curses the wretched actors who overact their parts in order to receive the petty applause of the uneducated lower class. While emphasizing the importance of showing the proper amount of emotion, he mentions the infuriation he experiences when he hears “[an actor] tear a passion to tatters, …show more content…

Shakespeare's use of personification creates a vivid and visceral image of the non tangible emotion and dedication associated with acting being physically demolished. As shown by this usage of personification, poor acting not only irritates Hamlet, it goes as far as to insult him on a personal level. This utter dismay that Hamlet feels towards poor acting helps to show his true love of the art of acting. An additional example of personification, which displays Hamlet’s true passion for acting, is shown as he describes the true purpose of acting itself. In the midst of his heartfelt rant at the actors, Hamlet describes theater as, “ the mirror up to nature, to show virtue her own feature, scorn her own image, and the very age and body of the time his form and pressure”. In this quote, Hamlet’s use of personification

Show More
Related
780 Words | 4 Pages

This article explains how Shakespeare is able to create “at once deeply physical and insistently metaphysical” Character interiority played a huge role when shakespeare writes. Shakespeare has a wide knowledge of perspective and uses it towards to broaden and explore the different types of possibilities for character interiority. The article is very helpful because of the many different types of details and ideas about the characters and their inward character as well as their outward character. Again this opens up many different ideas and thoughts about Hamlet that someone may have not been able to think about themselves. The Author, Mead, Stephen X, is a professor in the english department at Saint Martin's University in Lacey,

Read More
884 Words | 4 Pages

In Solo on the Drums we see how pain is sometimes shown not necessarily through physical appearance but by behavior instead. And through Pilkey’s Captain Underpants, we get a glimpse of how someone motivated by pain and anger can cause disorder through their deeds. Hamlet is a play known for its theme of indecision, but that indecision is deeply rooted in Hamlet's inability to act on any emotion though he feels them deeply. When he hires the actors to put on a show for the royal family, he bemoans the irony of the situation as he wonders how actors are able to so readily act on their convictions and emotions while their situation is fake, whereas he is unable to properly execute his mission and his situation couldn’t be more real. His soliloquy gives readers a preview into what it looks like to have inward emotions not dictate actions and this seemingly torments Hamlet.

Read More
769 Words | 4 Pages

In the ever changing world of literature, one play stands the test and that is William Shakespeare's Hamlet. This dramatic, thrilling, tragic play tells the story of a “young prince of Denmark, Hamlet, who is seeking vengeance for his father’s murder.” () The storyline itself is able to grasp the reader, and take them alongside Hamlet as he slowly takes down his enemies and uncovers the secrets, betrayal, and scheming nature of his family. Aside from the storyline, what makes this play great is the monologues, as well as dialogues between characters. Shakespeare incorporates an array of vivid imagery, metaphors, and exquisite vocabulary to make known the passion and heart behind every single character.

Read More
1576 Words | 7 Pages

As shown in Michael Almereyda’s 2000 Hamlet these devices can overwhelm and distract audiences taking away the emotional essence of the soliloquy ‘to be or not to be’. In comparison, Gregory Doran’s 2009 adaptation uses unimpressive and minimalistic film techniques which allows for

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
1380 Words | 6 Pages

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a literary masterpiece — a story of revenge, psychological distress, distorted truth, sexism and corruption — bound into a framework laced with cynicism and volatility. All intricately woven into a narrative through the characters Shakespeare develops. Hamlet, the central personality of the story and protagonist throughout, is characterized in a particularly maverick manner: through the other characters. This idea in literature is called the character foil: when the contrasting qualities or attributes of two characters aims to highlight specific traits or actions (or lack thereof…) of one of the characters. In Hamlet, Shakespeare crafts each character to contrast with Hamlet in some significant way to highlight

Read More
1062 Words | 5 Pages

In the play, Shakespeare portrays Hamlet as a dynamic character to cause a mental state conundrum among the audience and explore themes of suicide, spying, friendship, madness, love, hate and humour. Furthermore, by utilising literary devices such as soliloquy, characterisation,

Read More
1083 Words | 5 Pages

It’s amazing how different directors can interpret the same exact scene in their production of Hamlet. The four scenes of Shakespeare’s Hamlet are unique in their own way with each director breathing life into their production of a classic Shakespeare play. The differences in each production whether subtle or extreme can make or break the film adaptation. The actors, costuming, music and set design also play a pivotal role in comprehending a production such as Hamlet. There are those who appreciate a more pared down simplistic version of Shakespeare’s work or, like myself, yearn for a complete visual masterpiece that not only seduces the eyes but also speaks to the mind as well as the heart.

Read More
398 Words | 2 Pages

While King Hamlet is describing this situation to Hamlet, he uses a tone that persuades him which also motivates him for revenge. Shakespeare uses imagery to portray the want of using the act of

Read More
897 Words | 4 Pages

Hamlet, written by famous playwright and poet, William Shakespeare, is frequently referred to as the “Mona Lisa” of literature. The true purpose and complete understanding of the play is, up to this day, not remotely knowledgeable by scholars and the audience alike. The play has led to much conversation about what Shakespeare was ultimately trying to accomplish with it. One vexed and widely referred critique was that made by T.S. Eliot, in which he described, “The ‘madness’ of Hamlet lay to Shakespeare’s hand…a deliberate dissimulation, but a form of emotional relief” (Eliot 93). In creating Hamlet, Shakespeare achieved perplexity in the scheme that created for misinterpretation of an unexplained Hamlet.

Read More
1298 Words | 6 Pages

It is not until now that he realizes that “The spirit [he saw] May be a devil, and [that] the devil hath the power t’assume a pleasing shape” (II.ii.585-587). It is here that the audience makes the connection that one of the MANY problems Hamlet is facing he has no clue as to if

Read More
534 Words | 3 Pages

Shakespeare is well known for writing plays and poems because of the language he used to make them masterpieces. In Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet he uses strong language that help the characters and story develop. In Act I the Ghost is introduced and has a conversation with young Hamlet. Hamlet and the Ghost both express their feelings for Claudius and the Queen through the language they use. The language the Ghost and Hamlet use, such as diction and imagery help the reader further understand the contempt the Ghost and Hamlet have for Claudius and the Queen.

Read More
1918 Words | 8 Pages

400 years later and his fame still stands, as he lives on through his work repeatedly performed by actors over the years (Shapiro). Despite his apparent genius, it is easy to see the strange unhinged psyche of the writer, as we all incorporate our personality into our written works. It doesn’t take a professional to interpret the underlying tone of Shakespeare’s work which revolve around the madness of characters that have sprouted from his own mind. Macbeth and Hamlet are prime examples of the dark recesses of a certain writer’s mind.

Read More
1099 Words | 5 Pages

Shakespeare's story plays have been very popular and influential for many in entertainment and literature since the time he was still alive, in what I refer to as the “Shakespearean- Era”, until modern day. His influence has become so large that his plays, characters, and stories all together have been quoted and performed in modern ensembles for hundreds of years. His work has been read, studied, and analyzed for the past hundreds of years since his death as well. This has brought about support and criticism of what ideas may be present in his works by the analysis's of scholars and literature experts in the field. I want to discuss first how the impact of the events that may have influence the works of Shakespeare on a cultural

Read More
272 Words | 2 Pages

Second, one’s self-consciousness decides whether or not the character is considered “theatrical”. Hamlet’s continuous deliberation for theatricality is part of his tragedy. He thinks of himself as a character of a play and always feels compelled to do something because of the influence the ghost of his father holds upon him. Conclusively, Hamlet’s self-consciousness implies that internal freedom can be attained when the he can separate his intelligence for intensifying his mindfulness from his own precarious passion for pure

Read More

More about Personification And Appropriate Diction In William Shakespeare's Hamlet

Related Topics

Open Document