Melancholy in Hamlet Essay

start a war with it. In Shakespeare's play Hamlet, it appears that the protagonist Hamlet is faced with detrimental choices that lead to his downfall into insanity. By understanding Hamlet’s insanity, the reader is able to understand the fight within himself and the justification for his actions. The nurture that is present in the play, renders to be a huge factor in the downfall of Hamlet. The many inconsistencies in Hamlet’s life begin to take a toll on Hamlet, changing what was once a gentle,…

King Claudius outrages about Hamlet being in love with Ophelia. He believes his nephew does not think about affection and love. In fact, everyone has been calling Hamlet mad but Claudius mentions that his words “[were] not like madness” (3.1.167) proving that Hamlet may not be mad but just melancholy about his father’s death and the royal remarriage of his mother. A deeper understanding of what the characters thought of Hamlet reveals initially that Hamlet does not appear crazy and that his…

Ophelia’s suicide in Hamlet influences the play as a whole. There are many different causes for her death, an important one being madness. Her madness is a major factor; it resulted from various griefs and stressors caused by men that influenced her and Hamlet’s rejection of her. In Hamlet, Ophelia’s suicide and its effects on the plot are consistent with the beliefs of Shakespeare’s day and reflect religious inconsistencies and contradictions of the newly Protestant England. It demonstrates the…

In The Play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, there are several themes that deal with topics like madness, revenge and morality. These themes reveal themselves little by little throughout the whole play. The theme that stood out the most is vengeance. Especially when it comes to Hamlet, Laertes, and Fortinbras. Both characters share the loss of their father, but approach vengeance in different unique ways. Each action of the character shows a glimpse of their personality and mindset. Laertes is a…

In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Hamlet’s mental state keeps him from avenging his father despite his overwhelming proof and various opportunities and means to do so. However, Hamlet’s state of mind is reflective of what many people experience throughout life - self doubt, hesitation, and fear of failure. Hamlet’s madness may also be interpreted as anger or as intense enthusiasm which could represent Hamlet, despite the other’s perspective of him. However, throughout the book, the most…

then one will begin to exhibit traits of insanity. In Hamlet, William Shakespeare's 1602 tragedy, the Prince of Denmark, Hamlet, changes from acting mentally crazy into actually being crazy; his audience’s views change from trusting him to fearing him as his psyche alters. At the beginning of the play, the audience trusts Hamlet because they agree with his plan of acting crazy in order to get revenge against his uncle. As the play progresses, Hamlet isn’t acting crazy anymore but actually…

order. In Hamlet, justice leads to everybody in the situation feeling satisfied. While revenge is emotionally driven retaliation that is personal, and done to get even. In Hamlet, revenge leads to the targeted character being hurt in some way. Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Oscar Arias Sanchez, once said, “It is essential that justice be done; it is equally vital that justice not be confused with revenge; for the two are wholly different.” A similar message is portrayed in Shakespeare’s Hamlet.…

only some of the interpreted themes in The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark (Ham.). These themes are present throughout multiple intertwining plot lines. Claudius kills Hamlet’s father, which is what Hamlet claims is the reason he wants to kill Claudius. Although, one of his main concerns is Claudius becoming king because that is another role of his father's Claudius is trying to fill. That is only part of three of the plot lines. Hamlet professes that he is at the peak of insanity so…

works of literature have a tendency to depict women as inferior and submissive to men, and despite recent diversifications to the Literary Canon these patriarchal texts still hold prevalence within classrooms and curricula. William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, is one of the most widely taught scripts throughout the American Educational system; yet, the only female characters, Gertrude and Ophelia, play minor roles within the play and function as inferior characters. In fact, their primarily…

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…