Fortinbras

Look at the way people dress. Listen to the words of music. Look closely at the plot in movies. We do not often know that some of these are often influenced by the most famous writer and playmaker, William Shakespeare. Shakespeare has influenced quite a bit of today's modern culture through tragic, comical, and love filled writings and plays he wrote in the Renaissance period. We often see remakes of his romantic play, Romeo and Juliet, or his tragic play, Macbeth. Movies such as The Lion King…

“Thou know’st tis common; all that lives must die, passing through nature to eternity” (Mowat 25). Death, a topic often pondered or discussed, is the basis of many novels in our society. Hamlet by William Shakespeare is a play completely revolving around death. Life’s toll on humans and the problems of life and death are mentioned even from the very beginning of the play (Cliffnotes.com 1). As the story begins, a ghost appears to Hamlet telling him that he needs to avenge his father’s murder.…

The definition of revenge is “to exact punishment or expiation for a wrong on behalf of, especially in a resentful or vindictive spirit” (Harper, Douglas). And William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” is all about revenge. There are many instances of wanting revenge throughout the play. Although some examples might be clearer than others, revenge is the biggest theme of this play. Throughout the play, many of the characters seek vengeance upon one another. The characters in this play will not stop until…

Hamlet realizing he is ever so close to proving the fallacies of his uncle, just not quite yet. This becomes a classic example where the element of revenge becomes more powerful than the aptitude of the characters involved in the plot. In the end Fortinbras is the only person able to act out his agenda and not complete the cycle till death. He can require the lands of his father’s that became lost. Yet, all this is achieved while not incorporating a cycle of violence, all exhausted after the…

Literary merit is a term which describes a text or piece of writing that contains quality and value. This term is often used to refer to writings that relate to a certain event or aspect of the world. An example of literary merit are Hamlet by Shakespeare and Antigone by Sophocles. Both Hamlet and Antigone contain literary merit due to the several literary elements and values that make them classic and praisable. Although both pieces of work have their differences such as the moral lesson and…

Shakespeare tells of the internal conflict endured by the protagonist in his play Hamlet and brings the audience to question his sanity. Is Hamlet insane? Does he simply act insane? Or is he completely sane and acts rationally given his circumstances? The definition of “sanity” according to dictionary.com is: “having or showing reason, sound judgment, or good sense”. Based off of the soliloquies Hamlet gives, I believe that he is completely sane and acts as any person would if they were in a…

a courageous and strong leader. In the beginning of the play, Hamlet seems to speak in a youthful tone. However, as the play progresses you see that he matures greatly in his words and actions. Lastly, when Hamlet dies, he gives his crown to Fortinbras, young prince of Norway, who he knows will take great reign of Denmark and lead his people to a bright, prosperous…

Decay and disease are ever present within the natural world, in both physical and metaphorical forms. Disease may entail physical degradation, while an internal interpretation may represent corruption or emotional turmoil. In Hamlet, Shakespeare weaves motifs of disease and decay into every scene to illustrate Denmark’s underlying corruption. Images of decay and rotting, plus their spreading effects, are present symbols of the infectious quality of sin. The motifs of disease and decay manifest…

William Shakespeare is renowned for his extraordinary works in the tragedies he has composed. A Shakespearean tragedy is so well distinguishable from other writings that someone with little knowledge of his work could easily recognize it. Shakespeare’s signature is his use of the tragic hero: A person of nobility with several redeeming qualities that inevitably meets his or her own destruction due to a judgment error or character flaw. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, the tragic hero in “The Tragedy…

"That it should come to this!" (I. i. 137). This well-known quote from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, expresses Hamlets conundrum, in which Hamlet’s world starts to fall apart. It’s also the beginning seeds for Hamlet’s hatred of King Claudius (his uncle). Hamlet’s deep seeded hatred towards King Claudius derives from Claudius marrying his mother. The hatred also comes from the fact that he was the one who murdered his father. The quote is the start to one of the most important themes of the play;…