Miss. A.Sharma
ENG-4U1
July 17th 2014
Role of Family in a characters success or failure In the play “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare, cause and effect is evident through the characters success or failure. Hamlet is a play about revenge and self-destruction; these themes are portrayed through a characters ability to influence another. The main character Hamlet is guided to his success and failure through the influence of king hamlet and Gertrude. Hamlets lover Ophelia is easily persuaded by her father Polonius and her brother Laertes, and Hamlets two friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern get by swayed by Claudius and Polonius. The influential nature of some characters is what prompted the failure or success of other characters. Family influential abilities are a key in ones, path to success or failure. Hamlet was lead to his failure by both his dead father, King Hamlet, and his mother Gertrude. King Hamlet came in the form of a ghost from purgatory to tell his son to avenge his murder. He persuaded his son by telling Hamlet his suffering in purgatory. Hamlet loved his father and did not want him to suffer for eternity.
“I am thy father’s spirit
Doom’d for a certain term to walk the night
And for the day confined to fast in fires
Till foul crimes done in my days of nature
Are burnt and purged away. But that I am forbid”(I,iv,)
King Hamlet is explaining his suffering in the afterlife, prompting Hamlet to kill Claudius for being responsible for his father’s suffering. Hamlet was able to kill Claudius right before his death, but murder is sin which would lead him to even worst eternal suffering just like his father. Which means King Hamlet played a role in Hamlets failure. Gertrude was able to influence Hamlets actions to kill Claudius through her incestuous relationship with Claudius because he was king Hamlets brother. Gertrude created Hamlets rage to increase drastically.
“Ay, that incestuous, that adulterate beast,
With witchcraft of his with, with traitorous gifts,
O wicked with, and gifts that have the power
So to seduce!!- won to his shameless lust
The will of my most seeming and virtuous queen.”
Claudius was able to seduce Gertrude into an incestuous relationship, which is a reason why Hamlet decides to kill him. Gertrude could have said no to the relationship, so Claudius could not take all the blame for that. Gertrude’s desires turned her son into a murder. Hamlet was a failure because he believed the only way to seek revenge was to kill Claudius. Therefore, Hamlets parents, King Hamlet and Gertrude played a role in his failure. Ophelia is lead to a path of self-destruction by her father Polonius, he advised her not to fall for hamlet. Polonius told her that Hamlet didn’t love her but just was admiring her cause of her beauty. Ophelia took it to heart and decided to listen to her father. Eventually she committed suicide due to the amount of love she had for hamlet. If she let her fall in love with him, she would still be alive. “When the blood burns, how prodigal the soul….from this time. Be something scanter of your maiden presence” Polonius thought that hamlets love was not true and that he was just using her for her looks. He believed he wanted Ophelia for his physical desires, but he was wrong and Hamlet actually truly loved her. She killed herself because of her father and his advice. Her brother Laertes gives her the same advice when he is about to leave back to Paris. “Perhaps he loves you now, but you must fear, his greatness weighted, his will is not his own.” He was telling her that he may not be able to be committed to her because his life has already been planned. His future has been decided since the day he was born. He believed that royal marriages were for political reasons and not for love. He wanted his sister to know the less affection he showed towards him; the less she would be humiliated. Laertes reasoning made her distance herself from hamlet and she committed suicide because of her love. She was a failure because she had to kill herself to forget about hamlet and his love. Therefore Polonius and Laertes persuade Ophelia to forget about Hamlet and it leads to her self-death.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
Now wears his crown” (1.5.46-47). Claudius’s brother was a great warrior that probably ruled with ideas of justice and moral balance but Claudius is a corrupt politician, he rules with manipulation and does not even feel guilt for catalyzing the fall from grace of so many characters. He schemes and manipulates other characters to get what he desires. When Claudius was certain that Hamlet knew of his lie about his brothers death he planned a match between Laertes and Hamlet in which Hamlet was not suppose to come out as the victor. Claudius will stop at nothing to maintain his power if he has he heart to murder his own brother, he will have the heart to murder anyone that blocks him from his goal. It is his own scheming that leads to his death, if power is gained by lies and manipulation more lies and manipulation must take place to maintain it and that life can only be held a secret for so long. The constant deaths, spying and confusion led many to become mad. His lack of guilt can be seen when he openly shows his affection for his wife in front of Hamlet and does it in a very obnoxious way. This affection for his wife is questionable because of his need for power. It is not certain whether or not Claudius actually has sincere feelings towards Gertrude or whether she is just another character playing a part in his lie, something that just came along with what he truly wanted, the crown. However even though his motives for marrying the queen are questionable, if he does not truly love Gertrude he covers it up well, showing once again his good use of manipulation. He openly shows affection and even declares his love in words, “The…
- 698 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
In “Hamlet in Pieces” by Andy Lavender, Claudius is described as "calm, reasonable, decisive," yet a small play scares. Claudius showed no aspects of the Machiavellian he was originally thought to be after he is shaken up by Hamlet’s little show. Instead, he hastily orders the death of Hamlet. Rather than slaying Hamlet himself, Claudius has others attempt to do so. Perhaps this is so because he needs everyone, including Gertrude, to perceive him as a good king. The murder of her son by her husband's hand would cause unrest in Gertrude. Claudius could not lose one of his key aspects for stealing the throne in the first…
- 1304 Words
- 6 Pages
Better Essays -
Hamlet is the story of a young prince whose uncle has married his mother shortly after his father, the King of Denmark 's, death. Hamlet presumes, but is never clear as to whether or not Claudius has killed the king. It is also uncertain if Hamlet 's mother, Gertrude is involved because of how quickly she married Claudius, and how deep their relationship appears to be. Hamlet 's uncertainties about the events that surround his father 's death delay any action of revenge that he wants to take against his uncle. This delay in…
- 879 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Claudius kills King Hamlet and sends Hamlet into a dark place inside his mind where an obsession with death and possibly avenging his father's suspicious undoing. After his father's death, Hamlet's mother marries Claudius almost immediately. The inappropriately timed union angers Hamlet and his feeling of betrayal causes him to believe that love and compassion are not an important or real part of any human or relationship. His depressive and morbid outlook assures him that death is the only thing that is certain in the world. In his early soliloquies, Hamlet expresses longing for suicide "O that this too sullied flesh would melt, thaw, and resolve itself into a dew” (I, II, 130) and often thinks about this…
- 508 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
In Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, Claudius, the new King of Denmark, is portrayed as a conniving and manipulative antagonist who will stop at nothing to maintain his unrighteous stature. In the events of solving the death of King Hamlet, Claudius does his part in keeping the murderer from being revealed and in many attempts tries his hardest to keep young Hamlet from discovering the truth. Although their relationship, for the most part, is static, both Claudius and Hamlet are dynamic characters. Claudius’ increasing fear of Hamlet ultimately leads to the death of Hamlet and himself.…
- 498 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Hamlet loved his father, King Hamlet, and it was his death that broke young Hamlet's heart. It is the love he had for his father that brought him to his doom. After King Hamlet's death he appeared as a ghost moving through the castle at one o'clock every morning. When the guards and Horatio, Hamlet's best friend, noticed this ghostly figure, Horatio quite intelligently believed that he could get the ghost to speak with Hamlet. The next day the two guards, Horatio, and young Hamlet were present to speak to the ghost of King Hamlet. The ghost told Hamlet that he was murdered by Claudius, his brother, who had been sworn in as the new king and married his wife, Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude. After hearing this, young Hamlet was asked to avenge his father’s death, but in doing so his mother was to remain unharmed. Hamlet, being the loving and devoted son he was, and unable to accept Claudius as the leader to replace his father, accepted King Hamlet’s request. After this encounter, young Hamlet refused to tell the guardsman and Horatio what happened but made it known that he would act like a…
- 1099 Words
- 5 Pages
Better Essays -
I think there is a misplaced speech in Hamlet which has resulted in much unnecessary confusion. You'll remember that in Act I Hamlet meets his father's ghost, who tells his son that he was murdered by Claudius. Hamlet is full of resolve to do the right thing, but he makes no attempt to kill Claudius until Act III, Scene IV. (That attempt is frustrated when he mistakenly believes Claudius is praying.)…
- 813 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
She wanted to help Hamlet, but she could not stop herself from loving Claudius. Thus Gertrude was feeling guilty about her quick marriage to Claudius after her late Husband’s death, “I doubt it is no other but the main: His father's death, and our o'erhasty marriage" (II. ii. 56-57). She thought that her marriage was causing Hamlet's behavior, because it started after her hasty marriage to Claudius. Also she never told Hamlet about her love towards Claudius until they got married. She was right about the marriage being the cause of Hamlet's behavior, but this started after Hamlet heard these things from the ghost of his father, “If thou hast nature in thee bear it not; let not the royal bed of Denmark be a couch for luxury and damned incest" (I. v. 81-83). However, Gertrude only knew one of the causes for Hamlet's behavior; and she did not really see the big picture. She still felt guilty about her decision; the only thing was that she would not stop now. Seeing that she already did it, she only wants to help her son adjust to this truth now. But Claudius wants to help Hamlet get accustomed to his new…
- 1215 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
Hamlets mother Gertrude betrays her first husband, the first king of Denmark. This betrayal comes in the form of a hasty marriage to the king’s brother Claudius, who we find out later murdered his brother in an attempt to acquire the crown. This is an act of betrayal on Gertrude’s part, because she should be in mourning of the her first husband’s death, but she immediately enters another marriage, with the kings brother. This is a betrayal to Hamlet because his father was killed, and his mother soon marries the man who we find out is responsible for it. We find out that Claudius killed his brother and Hamlets father with poison, we find this out when Hamlet is visited by a ghost in which Horatio cannot identify but shows itself to Hamlet as his father, it is at this time that the ghost tells Hamlet how he really died and who was responsible . When Hamlet learns of this news, he is enraged with the news and he begins looking to get revenge on the murderer Claudius. Hamlet throughout the play begins to doubt his sanity and if he should kill his uncle Claudius or himself “To be or not to be…….” (Hamlet), this is an act of betrayal on Hamlets part.…
- 796 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Persuasion is a powerful and threatening tool against those who are weak. It can sway one's decisions between good and evil, concealing judgment and jading the conscience. It plays the critical role of a spectral villain, an invisible danger to the protagonist in William Shakespeare's Macbeth. Macbeth is a victim of persuasion of others, making him ultimately not responsible for his actions. Macbeth's own partner Lady Macbeth persuades her husband to commit murder and fulfill his ambition. The three witches and their Queen influence Macbeth's decisions through the use of predictions as well as the supernatural. Lastly, the three apparitions conjured by the witches play a very crucial role in establishing Macbeth's fate through their deceptively uplifting prophecies.…
- 1471 Words
- 6 Pages
Better Essays -
His relationships with these people allow the audience to visualize his mental and emotional state and understand his actions. Once Hamlet found out that his father was murdered by Claudius, the good relationships he has starts to fall apart. Hamlet tries to find peace for his father’s death and he thinks avenging his death will help him. The first relationship that fell apart was with his mother Gertrude and it is demonstrated when he says “I will speak daggers to her but use none, my tongue and soul in this be hypocrites.” (3.2.???). This demonstrates Hamlet’s hatred for Gertrude. Hamlet was willing to go and hurt his own mother’s feelings, and in the play, Gertrude is seen as very fragile and vulnerable so he knew that his mother would not be able to bear his insults. Hamlet is so obsessed about getting revenge for his father’s death, he does not even realize that he is hurting other people. Also he does not let anything or anyone get in his way. This is shown when he says, “Why, man, they did make love to this employment. They are not near my conscience. Their defeat doe by their own insinuation grow.” (5.2.???). Hamlet lets his anger get the best of him. He was willing to kill is two best friends, just because they were working with Claudius. Hamlet has broken other relationships in the play as well such as his relationship with Ophelia and Laertes. He was trying to find the truth…
- 2235 Words
- 9 Pages
Better Essays -
The tie they share with Claudius is a perfect example of the contrasting ways of Hamlet and Laertes. Claudius is in one way or another responsible for every death in this play. With the death of King Hamlet and the accidental murder of Polonius, we find both Hamlet and Laertes seeking revenge. Hamlet is told by the Ghost that Claudius is responsible for King Hamlets death. Almost as if it were his noble duty, he plots to avenge his fathers death by murdering Claudius. Once word gets to Laertes that Hamlet killed Polonius, he also wants to avenge his Fathers death.…
- 779 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
“Come, you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe…
- 445 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
In ‘Hamlet’, major antagonist is a shrewd, lustful, conniving king who contrasts sharply with the other male characters in the play. Whereas most of the other important men in ‘Hamlet’ are preoccupied with ideas of justice, revenge, and moral balance, Claudius is bent upon maintaining his own power. The old King Hamlet was apparently a stern warrior, but Claudius is a corrupt politician whose main weapon is his ability to manipulate others through his skillful use of language. Claudius’s speech is compared to poison being poured in the ear, the method he used to murder Hamlet’s father. Claudius’s love for Gertrude may be sincere, but it also seems likely that he married her as a strategic move, to help him win the throne away from Hamlet after the death of the king. As the play progresses, Claudius’s mounting fear of Hamlet’s insanity leads him to even greater self-preservation; when Gertrude tells him that Hamlet has killed Polonius, Claudius does not remark that Gertrude might have been in danger, but only that he would have been in danger had he been in the room. He tells Laertes the same thing as he attempts to soothe the young man’s anger after his father’s death. Claudius is ultimately too crafty for his own good. In Act five, rather than allowing Laertes only two methods of killing Hamlet, the sharpened sword and the poison on the blade, Claudius insists on a third, the poisoned goblet. When Gertrude inadvertently drinks the poison and dies, Hamlet is at last able to bring himself to kill Claudius, and the king falls to his own cowardly doings.…
- 676 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Claudius’s reaction to the scene where the king was murdered is undeniable proof of his guilt. Hamlet schemes to “speak daggers” to his mother, Gertrude, when he goes to meet up with her. He will emotionally harm Gertrude by speaking brutal words to her but has no intention of physically harming her. When Hamlet discovers his death warrant on the way to England he changes his name on it to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, thereby sending them to be executed in his place.…
- 422 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays