Hamlet Problem In Hamlet

Improved Essays
Many scholars research Shakespeare’s plays to learn about him, his lifestyle, and the customs of that era. Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare in about 1599, is read and studied by nearly every student. Even though countless scholars have researched it, the play ultimately leaves them puzzled. Each person that has studied Hamlet has come up with a unique opinion and conclusion of the play. Although Graham Bradshaw and William Empson both have different views on the way Hamlet was written and the famous “Hamlet Problem”, William Empson has a more valid argument on the new play.
Graham Bradshaw, a professor at the University of St. Andrew in Scotland, considers that in order to understand some questions posed by Hamlet, we must first look
…show more content…
“Experts mostly agree that Kyd wrote a play on Hamlet about 1587,” but the only record of the play is in 1594, which makes it easy to believe that Shakespeare’s company bought the play (Empson). Shakespeare then rewrote the play only changing the dialogue, without adding or removing scenes. “We are to think, apparently, that Shakespeare wrote a play which was extremely successful at the time and continued to hold the stage, and yet that nearly two hundred years had to go by before anyone had even a glimmering of what it was about” (Empson). Shakespeare had not really written a tragedy before, but the play was written in response to the how the audience interpreted the old. Thus, the problem itself was the audience, who was considered the reason for the re-writing in the first place. In the new play, there were many allusions referencing the old, yet they are not clearly seen since many do not know about the old. In the first writing of Hamlet, Hamlet was sane in his soliloquys and only showed insanity when responding to others. In contrast, the new had the audience laughing with Hamlet early on so they could laugh at him at the end of the play. As to why Hamlet is insane, “there seem to be two main assumptions, that he is trying to frighten his enemies into exposing themselves, and that he is not so frightened himself as to hide his emotions though he hides their cause,” (Empson). Shakespeare essentially made the old play more realistic to the people, but never altered the story itself. Some argue that Shakespeare changed Hamlet to portray himself, but others argue that a man who would show himself as Hamlet has some serious conditions. However, if you take the story literally, Hamlet is thought to have legitimate reasons for his behavior. “It was probably [Shakespeare] who (by way of adding "body") gave Hamlet very much better reasons for

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Hamlet has been adored by countless viewers, and is still in production in theatres all over the world, despite it being written over 400 years ago. As to be expected of such a famous play, there have been countless critics disparaging it. Voltaire 's review, in particular, stands out from the rest. Voltaire profusely argues that Hamlet was written by a “drunken savage,” and that it is a “vulgar and barbarous drama,” where “Hamlet becomes crazy in the second act.” Hamlet’s berserk actions were entirely fabricated to hide his true intentions, meticulously conceived by the playmaster himself, Shakespeare.…

    • 1131 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The Elizabethan era was a time of great change. This resulted in an environment of speculation and uncertainty. It is during this time that Hamlet, Shakespeare‘s most famous play was being performed. This essay will argue that the ambiguity of the Shakespeare’s Hamlet was designed, at least in part as a reflection of the uncertainty of the Elizabethan world, for as Bloom stated “the text was not created in a vacuum”(7). This essay will begin with a brief explanation of how plays can be used as a tool for social and political commentary.…

    • 2238 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Hamlet, the first in Shakespeare's arrangement of awesome tragedies, was at first delegated an issue play when the term got to be trendy in the nineteenth century. Like Shakespeare's other issue plays - Hamlet concentrates on the inconveniences emerging from adoration, passing, and treachery, without offering the crowd a definitive and positive determination to these entanglements. This is expected to some degree to the straightforward reality that for Hamlet, there can be no complete solutions forever's most overwhelming inquiries. In fact, Hamlet's world is one of perpetual…

    • 88 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Hamlet is a world lacking in absolutes. Shakespeare places his characters into situations that reveal the gray areas of their moralities and force them to reevaluate what they consider right and wrong, while never providing a satisfactory answer himself. But Shakespeare always has something final to say about human nature, and in this play full of duality, one of the many binaries reveals a theme: although Shakespeare emphasizes Hamlet’s desire to uphold tradition in the face of corruption, he has Hamlet respond to Claudius’s transgressions by breaking social traditions and norms himself. This juxtaposition ultimately serves to illustrate the idea that tradition is inherently performative, and that humans are inherently corrupt. Immediately upon Hamlet’s introduction, he is preoccupied with the manifestations of corruption in Denmark.…

    • 1131 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare a prince named Hamlet lost his dad and then his mom married his uncle, king Claudius. Understandably Hamlet morns at the lost of his father but he is more upset with his mom who married his uncle after only a month since his father's passing. In the beginning of the play it starts Barnardo and Francisco talking to Hamlet's farther's ghost. A person can tell from the beginning of the play that either the ghost is actually there or everyone is going crazy. Hamlet is very depressed on the experiences he is going through he has no idea on what he is feeling.…

    • 1397 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    There is much controversy in the Shakespearean play Hamlet. It is whether or not Hamlet was really crazy, or if he was just acting, like he said he was at the beginning of the play. However, despite what others say, Hamlet was just acting. He was not crazy, his actions were calculated and precise.…

    • 566 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Archetypes In Hamlet

    • 1529 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The character of Hamlet has remained a topic of interest for literary critics since the play was first published towards the late 16th century. Since then, literary critics and Shakespeare enthusiasts alike have attempted to shed light on his true thoughts and intentions throughout the play—ultimately trying to determine why his character remains so elusive throughout the majority of the pages. A number of theories have been developed, and just as many opinions expressed on this subject, but to truly to understand Hamlet and his actions it is necessary to look beyond the meaning of actions and rather into the psyche and subconscious of his character. Carl Jung’s theory of archetypes and sub archetypes can be used to understand the various aspects…

    • 1529 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet” explores the universal themes of struggle and disillusionment which enables Hamlet to still be relatable today. Shakespeare highlights these themes through the characterization of Hamlet, who lives in a perpetual state of disillusionment as a result of the events that unfold. Hamlet’s struggle with his own moral code in contrast with his faith which he continues to question throughout the play adds to his disillusionment. Similarly, the character of Ophelia represents the struggle of a 16th century woman who is manipulated by dominant male figures in her life. Therefore Shakespeare’s dramatic treatment of struggle and disillusionment enable the play to endure the test of time.…

    • 826 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Rather than being the loving Hamlet that everyone was used too, Hamlet became impulsive and aggressive which was very important to his plan of seeming to have gone mad. For example, when Gertrude calls Hamlet over with intentions of finding out why he has gone mad, Hamlet’s repulsive and aggressive attitude towards…

    • 732 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Hamlet's First Soliloquy

    • 1717 Words
    • 7 Pages

    This paper will discuss how Hamlet performs the other characters within the play. This discussion will focus mainly on Act 3 scene 1 due to how vastly different Hamlet's "to be, or not to be" soliloquy is from his other soliloquies both in form and content. Hamlet has also hinted at his manipulative disposition throughout the play, which will also be addressed with reference to 3.1. This paper will address Hamlet's ability to perform other characters, before moving on to discuss Hamlet's intentions in 3.1 with an evaluation of his character and a close reading of his soliloquy. This discussion suggests an alternative perspective through which to read and analyze not only 3.1 but the rest of the play as well.…

    • 1717 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Hamlet Argumentative Essay

    • 1078 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The original text of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, has not changed significantly over the years. The text has been reprinted into a multitude of facsimiles, all retaining the same style of writing and speaking used in the original copy. The original play of Hamlet has been adapted over the years in film, to make an iconic and historic play more relatable to its audiences. These adaptations retain the combination of verse and prose used in the original version of Hamlet. This shows that Hamlet can be adapted to fit the modern day audience without corrupting the original story of Hamlet.…

    • 1078 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Hamlet’s Impact Hamlet has been around for hundreds of years but it is, to this day, Shakespeare's most famous play, has his most famous character, and his most famous quotes. In all the years that it has been around it managed to impact its readers. Shakespeare’s play has had this significance throughout all those years because it is a story that is open for anyone to interpret it and relate to it in their own ways. One of the reasons that Hamlet has remained so popular is because it isn't a play that strictly means one thing, Hamlet is a play that people can interpret what they are reading or watching. When people can interpret the play they can have discussions and express themselves.…

    • 397 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    He is confused by the lack of sentiments and seemingly careless actions of his mother. This torments his inner self and cause him distress when remembering his deceased father. These changes lead Hamlet to being skeptical towards Claudius and fills him with distrust. After hearing that Claudius actually killed Old King Hamlet, he does a series of deceptive tests to see if he will admit it. First, Hamlet stages a play based on the brutality that Claudius had committed.…

    • 1058 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Hamlet Madness And Madness

    • 1819 Words
    • 7 Pages

    William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is one of his greatest plays. The protagonist Hamlet is a complicated character that many critics have discussed about a lot. A quick overview of the play Hamlet; Prince Hamlet learns about the death of his father and the immediate marriage of his mother, Gertrude to his uncle, Claudius. He notices Claudius is already crowned King in his absence. Hamlet later discovers that his father died an unnatural death, he was murdered by his own uncle.…

    • 1819 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Allusion In Hamlet Essay

    • 1140 Words
    • 5 Pages

    William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a tragedy which illustrates his command of the English language, and resonates to this day as a well-known play. Utilizing allusion and intertwining metaphor and simile perfectly, to create a captivating performance in Act III Scene II of Hamlet, Shakespeare’s rhetoric creates suspense. These literary devices allow this particular scene to shine as a part of the play, and allow for the development of questioning. In the scene, Horatio and Hamlet conversing demonstrates an instance where Hamlet is attempting to gain more knowledge about the situation he finds himself in. Separating itself from other works of Shakespeare, Hamlet does not turn violent until the very end of the play because of his doubting nature.…

    • 1140 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays

Related Topics