Preview

Dramatic Irony In Shakespeare's Hamlet

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
873 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Dramatic Irony In Shakespeare's Hamlet
Hamlet is a play written about a prince that is troubled about the death of his father, the king, and the fact that the brother of his father married his mother. He is conflicted by his own thoughts and the need to take revenge for his father’s death, but due to his philosophical nature, he begins to overthink things and makes things go awry. Due to Hamlet being a play, the audience or reader possesses information that the majority of characters are not aware of, which is known as dramatic irony. Therefore, the audience can notice the minor, or even major, discrepancies or missed opportunities by the characters portrayed in the “madness” of Hamlet, the missed opportunity of killing King Claudius, and the untimely death of Ophelia. As the play …show more content…
However, he doesn't feel that his offense is so horrible because he knows that what has happened has happened and God cannot forgive him, therefore there's no reason for repenting when his path has already been laid for him. So King Claudius kneels as to pretend to repent right as Hamlet comes up behind him. Hamlet believes that he is repenting and therefore decides that he should not kill King Claudius at that moment because Hamlet feels that King Claudius deserves to be sent to Hell and any chance that he has of being sent to Heaven should not be due to Hamlet, therefore, Hamlet does not kill King Claudius at that moment, but the dramatic irony in this shows that King Claudius was not repenting, but merely kneeling and if Hamlet had indeed killed him, none of the things that happened after would have happened and the King would not have had more time to plan how to kill Hamlet. Hamlet believed that he was making the correct decision by not killing Claudius at that moment, had he been praying and Hamlet killed him, then, Claudius would’ve been sent to Heaven and Hamlet believed that Claudius does not deserve that. Sadly, Hamlet overthought it all and didn’t want to take the chance given at that moment due to his massive hatred for him. So Claudius rises and says, “My words fly up, my thoughts remain below” (3.
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Best Essays

    Hamlet (Dont Read Got Off the Internet)
    • 1773 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Hamlet (Dont Read Got Off the Internet)

    Hamlet, Prince of Denmark has remained the most perplexing, as well as the most popular, of William Shakespeare’s tragedies. Whether considered as literature, philosophy, or drama, its artistic stature is universally admitted. To explain the reasons for its excellence in a few words, however, is a daunting task. Apart from the matchless artistry of its language, the play’s appeal rests in large measure on the character of Hamlet himself. Called upon to avenge his father’s murder, he is compelled to face problems of duty, morality, and ethics that have been human concerns through the ages. The play has tantalized critics with what has become known as the Hamlet mystery, that of Hamlet’s complex behavior, most notably his indecision and his reluctance to act.…

    • 1773 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Best Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Analysis Of Hamlet's Tragic Flaw
    • 179 Words
    • 1 Page

    Analysis Of Hamlet's Tragic Flaw

    Consequently, Hamlets’ tragic flaw leads to his downfall. His lack of action causes him not to kill Claudius when he has the chance, giving him the advantage. It can be seen that Claudius has the advantage to kill Hamlet when he states, “By letters conjuring to that effect/The present death of Hamlet. Do it, England” (4.3.65-6). Since Hamlet reveals that he knows that Claudius killed the former king, Claudius is deceiving Hamlet into going to England, where he will be executed. Hamlet reveals his knowledge of the murder when he puts on the play, re-enacting the former King’s murder. Now Claudius knows that he must kill Hamlet in order to avoid getting caught and stay on the throne. Claudius tells Hamlet that he is sending him to England for…

    • 179 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Dramatic Irony In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet
    • 911 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Dramatic Irony In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

    Many factors contribute to the tragic end to one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays. Shakespeare uses dramatic irony to detail the plotline of the story to the audience, as well as the indiscretion of Romeo’s decision to kill himself due to his oblivion that Juliet was actually alive in the tomb. Shakespeare also uses the literary device of chance versus choice to portray the reckless decisions made by both Romeo and Juliet when they are faced with situations that they could not control, or “chance”. Finally, Shakespeare employs multiple antagonists in the play to influence their decisions to both run away and kill themselves because they knew their love will never be accepted in Verona. Throughout the play, Shakespeare uses various literary…

    • 911 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Hamlet Comparison Essay Example: Movie vs. Play
    • 2591 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Hamlet Comparison Essay Example: Movie vs. Play

    Tony Robbins said, “To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others”. Shakespeare’s writing has had many different ways of being presented because people perceive it in different ways. Whether it is a literal representation or a spin, directors like to show viewers the way they perceive the text. In the movie version of Hamlet the director, Kenneth Branagh, wanted the viewers to find Shakespeare interesting and full of action and drama. Kenneth chose the right direction to go in to keep the audience’s attention but it did not show the true tragedy of Hamlet. The story of Hamlet is very depressing because many people are betrayed and die. Hamlet’s own uncle killed his father and married his mother. It is easy to feel sympathy for the characters that had lost people they loved; such as Hamlet and Ophelia but the movie did not show that emotion. The movie was too over the top to really show true emotion. All of the scenes were very dramatic and Hamlet’s character was one that was too overdone. Branagh chose to have Hamlet act extremely crazy but Shakespeare wrote Hamlet’s character as possibly being crazy but the reader does not know for certain. Although Kenneth did make the movie dramatic he did make right choices when showing certain themes such as hatred. He highlighted the hatred that Claudius had toward both Hamlets and he also made it known that Hamlet hated Claudius even though in the play it was not that apparent.…

    • 2591 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Hamlet's Silver Platter Rhetorical Analysis
    • 709 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Hamlet's Silver Platter Rhetorical Analysis

    Insanity and sarcasm are intertwined wisely in Hamlet to really capture and allow for inner emotions and connections to be made by the audience. As the reader gets more the depth it is nearly impossible not to feel sympathy for Hamlets broken heart and Ophelia’s naive mind. An emotional roller coaster is a place Hamlet has found himself on and he has not reached his…

    • 709 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Why Does Gertrude's Use Of Setting In Hamlet
    • 913 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Why Does Gertrude's Use Of Setting In Hamlet

    In Shakespeare’s text, Hamlet’s insistence that Gertrude has rushed to “incestuous sheets” conveys a far less sympathetic view of her character, and essentially putting her at fault for marrying Claudius and betraying the late King Hamlet. Instead, the directors use the nuances of a setting in order to shift the blame to Prince Hamlet and create a far less biased view of his emotions and motivations. As a result, Hamlet’s preoccupation with finding an entity to blame can be observed by the reader as a consequence of his being overwhelmed by various emotions, such as anger and possibly…

    • 913 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Shakespeare Major Paper
    • 2842 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Shakespeare Major Paper

    In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet himself is a difficult character to figure out. With his elegant intensity and reckless but cautious attitude, he is able to keep his readers entertained as the play progresses. Through his irrational decisions, emotional madness and admirable qualities, Hamlet becomes a character with whom readers will continuously empathize. Our first impression of Hamlet sets the tone for the entire play. We are brought to one of the beginning scenes where Hamlet is…

    • 2842 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Examples Of Turning Points In Hamlet
    • 993 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Examples Of Turning Points In Hamlet

    William Shakespeare's play, Hamlet, documents one character's continual development. From a hesitant youth to a ruthless revenge-seeker, there are three major turning points that propose the start of Hamlet's wicked evolution. In dealing with his father's passing, Hamlet's grief burdens him to be overwrought with emotion and causes him to contemplate the irrational, even murder. The Players' scene, Prayer scene and Closet scene all present possible key turning points for this change. Although Hamlet's sanity remains questionable throughout the play, these three scenes suggest possible points in which Hamlet becomes particularly vicious. Beginning with the vision of his father's ghost relaying the notion of his own murder by Hamlet's uncle, Claudius, Hamlet's mind becomes increasingly flooded with impulsions.…

    • 993 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Role Of Insane In Shakespeare's Hamlet
    • 460 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Role Of Insane In Shakespeare's Hamlet

    Hamlet is a very ironic play.You may start to question each characters thoughts at one point in the script. Especially the main character Hamlet, does he truly go insane or is it all a trick? For me in this play I never knew what was to be expected.…

    • 460 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Hamlet Rhetorical Analysis
    • 1632 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Hamlet Rhetorical Analysis

    Throughout the course of the play, Claudius is manipulating the royal court and Hamlet. Immediately following his murder of the late king of Denmark, he cons the royal court into believing that the passing of the late king caused him much grief. However, Claudius exhibits no contrition for murdering the king because of “fruits” he had gained from it: “[his] crown, [his] own ambition, and [his queen]” (III.iii.59). He has no intention of handing over the “fruits” of his crime, that he is well past any chance of redemption. Claudius is unwilling to surrender everything he has gained from his crime because it was those ambitions that drove him to commit the murder in the first place. Claudius maintains his power by acting in favor of the people’s anticipations. Even after he had already wed Gertrude, Claudius confessed his sorrow for the late king and how he was overcoming his sorrowed heart to the royal court to be strong for the kingdom (I.ii.10-12). Claudius hastily shifts from the sadness over the late king and merriment of marriage to his future proposals and allegiance to Denmark (I.ii.17-38). In addition, Claudius also requests permission from Laertes father, Polonius, to authorize Laertes to go to France, as opposed to authorizing Laertes himself (I.ii.59-65). This generates favor from the people…

    • 1632 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Ah Fie's Flaws In Hamlet
    • 788 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Ah Fie's Flaws In Hamlet

    William Shakespeare’s Hamlet portrays the prince as an undeniably complex character. It is evident from the beginning of the story that he is in the midst of crisis and is struggling with both the death of his beloved father as well as his mother’s hasty marriage to his uncle. Throughout the play the prince increasingly goes mad as his world is turned upside down. Hamlet’s obsession with existential questions and passionate nature combine to create a flawed and problematic prince whose downfall is inevitable.…

    • 788 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Gertrude's Guilt In Hamlet
    • 646 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Gertrude's Guilt In Hamlet

    At the end of Act III of Hamlet, Claudius has been sent reeling with guilt after seeing his own act of murder carried out on stage. The King begins to pray as his own repentance for his sins all the while he is being spied on by Hamlet who decides that rather than use this opportunity to fulfill his revenge, he should postpone it so that Claudius would not be able to enter heaven.…

    • 646 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Essay On Free Will In Hamlet
    • 1409 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Essay On Free Will In Hamlet

    Hamlet is generally regarded as Shakespeare’s magnum opus, sometimes it is even referred as the highest literary product of human genius. Critics have always been argued on the interpretation of Hamlet and even after more than 400 years, yet these argues still going strong. One of the most controversial that topic for critics since the beginning is the interpretation of the third act of Hamlet, where many critics themselves baffle because normal interpretations will make Hamlet subsequent actions irrational and impossible to explain. Many will use insanity to explain Hamlet actions. However, we will presume that Hamlet is staying sane throughout the course of the story. This paper is an attempt at interpreting the purpose and significant of…

    • 1409 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Character Interactions in Hamlet
    • 726 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Character Interactions in Hamlet

    Shakespeare’s revenge tragedy Hamlet was composed in the early 17th century Elizabethan Era, reflecting this society’s preoccupation with retribution and vengeance. It explores key concerns and concepts of everlasting relevance to audiences of all ages. The tragic hero Hamlet is intensely human and his struggles are familiar to all audiences. He educates the audience via vicarious learning, sharing his experiences as he explores fundamental issues of morality and mortality through his intense interactions with the lead female characters. Key concerns that are the driving forces in Hamlet include: deception and revenge. These overarching concerns help the audience to understand the prevarications and motivations of Hamlet, along with the multifaceted relationships between Hamlet, Ophelia, Gertrude and Claudius.…

    • 726 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Sanity of Hamlet
    • 1066 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Sanity of Hamlet

    Hamlet’s mind at first glance is not all it appears to be. One would believe Hamlet to be completely insane with everything that had transpired against him. The loss of his father and his mother’s hasty marriage should have driven his mind to utter desolation and insanity, but on the contrary these events only enhanced the fortitude of his mind and intellect. Hamlet’s ability to form coherent thoughts and his clear use of diction express his sanity; the weight of avenging his father’s death and woes over his mother’s betrayal have affected his emotions, but have not corrupted his mind.…

    • 1066 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics