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Why Is Hamlet Unreliable Narrator?

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To begin, William Shakespeare's Hamlet has been the subject of much debate and interpretation throughout the years, particularly when it comes to the character of Hamlet himself. While some argue that he is a reliable narrator, there are compelling arguments to be made that he is not. By comparing and contrasting Hamlet's narration with that of the reliable narrator in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, it becomes clear that Hamlet's narrative is unreliable due to his psychological state, his subjectivity, and his tendency to manipulate the truth. Hamlet's narrative is unreliable due to his psychological state, his subjectivity, and his tendency to manipulate the truth. By comparing and contrasting his narration with that of the reliable narrator in Pride and Prejudice, it becomes clear that Hamlet's version of events cannot always be trusted. …show more content…

As he descends into madness, his perceptions become distorted and his ability to accurately report events is compromised. Even the people around Hamlet's start to worry for him because of his declining mental state. When Hamlet mistakes Polonius for a fish seller, Polonius states, “Now, what does he mean by that? Still harping on my daughter. But he didn’t recognize me at first. He mistook me at first. He mistook me for a fish seller, He’s far gone”(2.2.179-182). In contrast, the narrator in Pride and Prejudice is stable and rational, able to provide an objective perspective on the events of the story. As Elizabeth Bennet notes, "He was exactly what he had been when I knew him in Hertfordshire, but I would not tell you how little I was satisfied with her behavior while she stayed with us" (Austen 239). This statement demonstrates the reliability of the narrator in Pride and Prejudice, as he is able to report events accurately without his own biases and prejudices influencing his

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This article is split into eight different sections. Each section is related to a different misconception about the play Hamlet. For example one of the misconceptions she list is about how Hamlet as a character is inconsistent. In this article she describes the character of Hamlet to be a “speaker and a thinker”. The author also tells us how his character seems to be a tad bit flawed in his role.

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In order to make sense of his behavior, the royal family spies on Hamlet. Polonius, the king’s chief counselor, believes that he is lovesick for his daughter Ophelia. However, in reality, Hamlet plans to kill the king. Hamlet’s deception can be seen when he is questioned by Polonius as he says, “These tedious old fools!”(Shakespeare, II.II. 218). After Polonius leaves Hamlet, Hamlet drops his act and refers to Polonius and King Claudius as fools.

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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.

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In William Shakespeare’s, “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark”, a young prince named Hamlet is depressed and misguided. His father, the King has died and his mother Gertrude has already remarried his uncle Claudius. Hamlet is absolutely torn until his father’s ghost visits the castle and entreats Hamlet to avenge his death and kill his uncle King Claudius. Hamlet begins to test Claudius with plays and when Claudius finds out, all he has by his side is his councilor Polonius. Polonius tries to entrap Hamlet in every way possible, even by using his daughter Ophelia.

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Polonius fuels Hamlet’s paranoia by pitting his friends against him through deception to make them garner information on Hamlet’s woes in his

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Contrasting his attitudes with the moments that the king walks in, his behavior towards Polonius while the play is preparing, and his actions to Ophelia during the play, Hamlet is sporadic, when alone with Horatio, he is calm and collected, then again the sudden resumption to his “antic disposition” when Rosencrantz and Guildenstern enter. There is a long break in which we don’t sense any insanity from Hamlet, this is due to the fact that he has no need to assume his disguise. When we find Hamlet with the players, he is giving them directions for the play. With the players, Hamlet acts normal and of sound mind because the players are not likely to betray him, they don’t have the opportunity or the wish to do so.

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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.

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Over Thinking and Its Effects On Society Everyone has flaws and flaws are great to have as it increases diversity, but sometimes flaws some flaws can lead to destruction. In the story of Macbeth the tragic flaw of unchecked ambition that created a monstrous Macbeth and multiple murders of innocent people, leading to Macbeth’s unruly power and greed. While in the story of Hamlet the tragic flaw of overthinking and Hamlet’s procrastination resulted in a domino effect of unnecessary deaths because he was unable to think quickly and follow through with his plan. The flaw of over thinking and inaction results in a world where no one can accomplish what needs to be done and our world can no longer progress at a faster rate.

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In William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, Hamlet assumes the disguise of a man that has lost his mind. Hamlet uses this madness to masquerade around in such a way as to not draw attention to his true plan, to avenge his murdered father. Many readers debate as to whether Hamlet is truly mad, or whether he is fully aware of his actions and what he is doing. However, both sides of the debate can agree that Hamlet’s apparent madness is a key element of the play, Hamlet. There are many reasons as to why readers debate Hamlet’s madness.

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His father was murdered, his mother remarried quickly after his death, and he also had to deal with his forbidden love with Ophelia. Polonius admits that Hamlet “knew me not at first; he said I was a fishmonger: he is far gone, far gone: …” (II.ii.8). He says that Hamlet really is going insane.

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Williams Shakespeare is recognized as the greatest English writer. One of his best works ever written is “Hamlet”, which is the most complex, confusing, and frequently performed play. The extreme complexity of the main character – prince Hamlet in this play contributes to its popularity until today. “Hamlet is supposedly the most quoted figure in Western culture after Jesus, maybe the most charismatic too” (Bloom 384). In the most famous revenge tragedy, his biggest weakness that he procrastinates completing his revenge for his father’s death by killing the murderer.

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His father’s sudden death, and his mother’s quick remarry did not help his case. That being said, his emotions lead him to his insanity. Many people claim that Hamlet’s insanity is feigned, but his actions based on things that have happened in the past, prove otherwise. Very shortly after the tragic death of King Hamlet, Gertrude, his wife, immediately remarried to Claudius, making the mourning process quite uncomfortable for Hamlet. Hamlet 's act of stabbing Polonius through the curtain, which occurs almost casually in the middle of the tirade against Gertrude 's lust, seems only to increase his passionate desire to make her see her error in preferring Claudius to her first husband.

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