The tragedy of Hamlet epitomises the very meaning of madness, revenge, lies and betrayal. Shakespeare’s portrayal of characterisation within the play of his main protagonists contributes to a better understanding of those themes, along with the play itself. Written during 1600 - 1601, and published in 1603, the story and the themes within it attempt to resonate the problems faced by those who lived during the Renaissance. Questions about loyalty and national security, and the figure of the aging female monarch, were current in Elizabethan England, with Shakespeare emulating these concepts within the play. He sets the tone when we are initially exposed to Hamlet, Claudius and Gertrude in the earlier scenes and develops his characters throughout
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Hamlet’s first line in the play is one of sarcastic nature towards his ‘mother/aunt [Gertrude] and father/uncle’ where he states (Aside) A little more kin, and less than kind {Act 1 Scene 2}. This line highlights the first glimpse as to why Hamlet eventually turns mad, as his father was murdered and his mother remarrying Hamlets uncle. His grief and anger towards is mother and uncle escalates further throughout the play, when his true madness becomes an act to begin probing his father's death and Claudius's involvement. Shakespeare’s portrayal of characterisation allows this to unfold, when in Act 2 Scene 2 Hamlet begins to contemplate suicide after a fall out between his love Ophelia and the fact that Claudius sent two close friends of Hamlet to spy on him whilst he was away. Hamlet says You cannot sir take from me anything that I will more willingly part withal; except my life, except my life, except my life. The repetition of the last three words is a technique used by Shakespeare to emphasis Hamlet’s grief and unhappiness with what has unfolded. Further characterisation of the character Hamlet leads to him stating at the beginning of his speech in Act 3 Scene 1 To be or not to be, that is the question. His madness which is driven by his mother/aunt, father/uncle, is lover who has been forced away from Hamlet by her father has pushed him to the point of madness, or fake madness as critic Samuel Johnson wrote in his essay “Johnson on Shakespeare” [1908]. He also writes “Of the feigned madness of Hamlet there appears no adequate cause, for he does nothing which he might not have done with the reputation of sanity.” Johnson here means that whether Hamlet was mad or sane, he would of done the same thing which was eventually avenge his father by killing is uncle Claudius, which leads into the theme of
Hamlet’s first line in the play is one of sarcastic nature towards his ‘mother/aunt [Gertrude] and father/uncle’ where he states (Aside) A little more kin, and less than kind {Act 1 Scene 2}. This line highlights the first glimpse as to why Hamlet eventually turns mad, as his father was murdered and his mother remarrying Hamlets uncle. His grief and anger towards is mother and uncle escalates further throughout the play, when his true madness becomes an act to begin probing his father's death and Claudius's involvement. Shakespeare’s portrayal of characterisation allows this to unfold, when in Act 2 Scene 2 Hamlet begins to contemplate suicide after a fall out between his love Ophelia and the fact that Claudius sent two close friends of Hamlet to spy on him whilst he was away. Hamlet says You cannot sir take from me anything that I will more willingly part withal; except my life, except my life, except my life. The repetition of the last three words is a technique used by Shakespeare to emphasis Hamlet’s grief and unhappiness with what has unfolded. Further characterisation of the character Hamlet leads to him stating at the beginning of his speech in Act 3 Scene 1 To be or not to be, that is the question. His madness which is driven by his mother/aunt, father/uncle, is lover who has been forced away from Hamlet by her father has pushed him to the point of madness, or fake madness as critic Samuel Johnson wrote in his essay “Johnson on Shakespeare” [1908]. He also writes “Of the feigned madness of Hamlet there appears no adequate cause, for he does nothing which he might not have done with the reputation of sanity.” Johnson here means that whether Hamlet was mad or sane, he would of done the same thing which was eventually avenge his father by killing is uncle Claudius, which leads into the theme of