Characters in Hamlet

William Shakespeare foiled two main characters throughout ‘Hamlet.’ By doing so, he chose polar opposites to fight for the attention of Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude. Hamlet, a young, strong, and intelligent prince who attempts to prove his father, was murdered. Hamlet, who sees his father as a ghost, realizes the cold, hard truth about his murdered father. However, Claudius deceives the young Hamlet, murders his father, and proceeds to marry his mother. Both characters struggle for the love and…

women in Hamlet played a significant role in terms of affecting the character of Prince Hamlet, the conflict and the outcome of the play. Gertrude, Prince Hamlet’s mother, and Ophelia, Prince Hamlet’s lover, are the only two female characters in the play; however, they are able to have a tremendous impact on the life of Prince Hamlet. My paper will focus more on Gertrude and reflect her influence on Prince Hamlet’s character. Gertrude is the exact opposite of her son Prince Hamlet. Prince…

In the play “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare, the main character Hamlet experiences many challenges both physically and mentally that lead to his resolution at the end of the play. Hamlet develops into a distressed and deceiving character by the end of the play and has completely changed from how he was at the start of the play. He transitions from being a patient, quiet, and immoral young man but soon discovers the truth about his father’s death and the incestuous relationship between his own…

In William Shakespeare's play, Hamlet, there are many different instances of the main character, Hamlet, acting out in a harsh manner against his mother, Gertrude. The reason Hamlet is extremely livid at his mother is because she unexpectedly and unfaithfully married Hamlet’s uncle. What she did not realize is that Gertrude’s husband is the killer of Hamlet’s father. Even though Hamlet loves his mother, his animosity towards her for not staying loyal to Hamlet’s father, has not decreased…

turn leads to death. Bluntly tragic, this line is fit for a Shakespearian play, and aptly applies to the fall of Ophelia in Hamlet: Prince of Denmark, by William Shakespeare. Though the main character is Hamlet himself, the maiden Ophelia provides an equally interesting figure. Amanda Mabillard explains in her article entitled “Ophelia”, “Of all the pivotal characters in Hamlet, Ophelia is the most static and one-dimensional. She has the potential to become a tragic heroine -- to overcome the…

It is very interesting how Fortinbras, Laertes and Hamlet have in common, but the outcomes of their individual lives are so different. First, it is true that Fortinbras and Laertes serve as ‘foils’ in Hamlet. A foil is a character that is quite different from another character bringing out noticeable difference, bringing to light those specific differences in the other character. Fortinbras and Laertes suffer the same loss as Hamlet, which is the murder of their individual fathers. Each of…

The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is, without question, one of Shakespeare 's most tragic and dramatic plays. Although the play is centered around a single, precise conflict, it is filled with uncertainties relating to the developing disputes behind the main plot. The audience is left with many questions regarding the true feelings of Ophelia. One of these questions in particular is, what caused Ophelia to lose her mind and, in turn, kill herself? Was she simply driven mad by her…

In Hamlet as much as many questions about the characters were answered, an opulent amount of them were not. Through the character developement of Gertrude, there are several takes in understanding her character through her equivocal actions and verbose. As much as she is naïve, or seem to be a hypocrite to the public mainly through her responds to King Hamlet’s death, her “private” talk with Hamlet, and her final death scene. In the visual representation, the upper portion of Gertrude’s dress is…

father to Laertes and Ophelia in Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet, cares deeply about his family’s reputation, which to him, is the same as his own. Polonius is often more concerned with his position in Denmark than the welfare of his children and as a result, his approach to parenting is often flawed due to his overprotective, suspicious, and controlling tendencies in regard his children, for their behaviour may reflect upon his own character and jeopardize his status at court. Primarily, Polonius…

William Shakepeare 's Hamlet is a powerful demonstration of the spiteful and greedy nature of people. Throughout the play, the common response to unfortunate events is to seek out revenge, and to bring punishment upon whomever has hurt you. The one expection to this recurrence is Ophelia, who responds to the horrific events that she endures with sorrow and lunacy. Unlike those around her, Ophelia assumes guilt for the suffering that she helps cause, and lacks the cruelty that characterizes…