Derek Reese

The complexity of disposition that is so central to the characters in Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Hamlet is exemplified best in King Claudius, a man whose ambition and envy leads him to murder his own brother, but whose conscience and morality complicate his intentions. The internal battle within Claudius, revealed in III. iii, muddles the reader’s initial impression of the usurper king, from a ruthless, Machiavellian murderer to a complex, conflicted character. While Claudius enjoys the lavish…

Hamlet is largely considered to be one of the greatest works of English literature of all time. Written by one of the greatest writers of all time, William Shakespeare, it tells the story of a young prince whose father is secretly murdered and his mother marries the king’s brother, and the prince avenging his slain father. As with all stories, there are themes that go along in the story that help to understand the story and to put the story in a real life perspective. The themes in this story…

Hamlet! What a psycho, right? When hearing others talk about the famous Hamlet, you tend to make this reputation of such a character. In this instance, “psycho” isn’t such a deranged word to use. Hamlet shows multiple symptoms of an actual mental illness, called psychosis throughout the play. For example, he shows symptoms of thoughts of suicide, inappropriate behavior, hallucinations, social withdrawal, and aggression. Now, for a better understanding, psychosis affects the mind where someone…

Cindy Roseman 1024325 ENG 1204 Introduction to Drama Mr Alcreighton 8th May 2017 Analysis of the Dramatic Performance of “Ti Jean and His Brothers” by Derek Walcott In his play “Ti Jean and his brothers”, Derek Walcott presents the tale of three brothers who are dared by the devil, who is striving to grow human qualities, so that he can enjoy the evil he ventures. Walcott attempts to convey a number of issues and or themes within the play to show that people and society can fight…

To feign or not to feign: that is the question surrounding the behavior and actions of one of literature's most enigmatic tragic heroes. In William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, the question is often asked of whether or not Hamlet is indeed insane, or feigning insanity for his own personal desire of investigating the truth behind Claudius and his role in murdering his father without raising too much suspicion on his part. After centuries of debate on the topic, Franco Zeffirelli came in confidently…

Hamlet Essay Throughout Shakespeare's play Hamlet, Hamlet is shown performing a balancing act between a mind of insanity and a mind of sanity. By the end of the play readers are left wondering whether Hamlet had lost the bit of sanity he had earlier in the play, but although Hamlet continues to play the role of a man gone insane out of vengeance his purpose for his insanity remains the only thing keeping what’s left of his mind intact. During many interactions with other characters Hamlet is…

To lack good judgement is one of the major themes Shakespeare explores in his masterpiece King Lear, a tragedy concerning the aftermath of the abdication of King Lear. The plot carries a character development; a descend into madness as a result of an act of folly. This paper further examines the origin of Lear’s madness, how the madness is externalised and finally puts the play and theme into historical context. The cause of Lear’s madness can be pinpointed to several places, depending on your…

Hanna Roan Mrs. Kelly AP Literature Period 2 2 December 2014 Hamlet Essay In the tragic play, Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, honesty and deception is a prevalent theme throughout. The consequences of deception are revealed in many instances throughout the play including characters such as Claudius, Polonius, and Hamlet himself. Claudius is one of the most deceptive characters throughout the entire play. His most important example of deception would be when he lied to everyone about the…

Philosophers have continually debated over what defines an individual being, and what this means for the world in terms of ethics. I am going to discuss two basic categories of theories on personal identity – a reductionist view through the eyes of Derek Parfit, and a non-reductionist one, namely, the self-interest theory based on the assumption of a Cartesian Pure Ego. Theories of identity similar to the Cartesian pure ego have been an underlying assumption in many belief systems. Many…

A Revealing Hamlet By looking at Hamlet in William Shakespeare's most powerful work of literature "The Tragedy of Hamlet" in the 16th century, one can see the effect his fathers death left on him, causing his madness and insanity that transformed him into a monster, and a complete impulsive, rash being. After his encounter with his fathers ghost, Hamlet isolates himself, and goes beyond his limits to avenge his death. He is filled with disgust and enmity towards his uncle Claudius when…