Preview

Family Conflicts In Shakespeare's Hamlet

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
897 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Family Conflicts In Shakespeare's Hamlet
No family is perfect. Some appear perfect on the outside, but behind closed doors, life is not as good as it seems. Some families struggle with sexual abuse, alcoholism, drug abuse, and pedophilia. Even trust issues and differences of opinion can drive family members apart. In Shakespeare's Hamlet the main character experiences many conflicts. Hamlet first struggles with his relationship with this mother. What enrages Hamlet is the fact that his mother married her own brother-in-law. Gertrude thinks that Hamlet seems to be depressed about his death even though she points out that it happens to all of us. Seems, madam? Nay, it is. I know not "seems."p 'Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother, Nor customary suits if solemn black, Nor windy suspiration of forced breath, No, nor the fruitful river in the eye, Nor the dejected havior of he visage, Together wi …show more content…
Hamlet's father tells him how he died because of poison poured into his ear my his own brother while he was asleep. Hamlet's father knows he'll want to get revenge on someone but tells him not to plot it a against his mother. "But howsomever thou pursues this act / Taint not thy mind, nor let thy soul contrive / Against thy mother aught." (1.5.84-86) when Hamlet found out how his father died, he immediately wants to seek revenge. Hamlet's father tells him not to go against his mother but Hamlet really wants to even though he knows he should listen to his dad. Hamlet's dad tells him to let heaven decide her fate. Have heaven punish her and let her punish herself for the guilt she feels. Hamlet wants to get revenge on whomever he feels is necessary, but his dad tells him not to. It's hard for Hamlet to find a solution to his problem. He wants to get revenge but he also wants to follow his father's advise. This internal conflict only adds to the frustration he feels not only with his mother, but also his
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Family Relationships In Hamlet
    • 831 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Family Relationships In Hamlet

    The negative impact of family relationships in William Shakespeare's play Hamlet are illustrated by highlighting the harmful repercussions of disrespectful familial gestures on Hamlet Jr.'s character. Claudius and Gertrude are now the King and Queen of Denmark, and Gertrude's son, Hamlet Jr., is the Prince. Claudius murdered Hamlet Sr., the former King of Denmark, usurp the throne and married Gertrude, Hamlet Sr.'s former wife within two months of his death. Hamlet Jr. experienced anguish for the loss of his father, resentment towards his mother's betrayal of him and his father and hatred against Claudius for his recent acts of deception, which all deteriorate Hamlet's mental condition. Claudius manipulates Hamlet's life to try to understand…

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

    Ghost In Hamlet
    • 1324 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Ghost In Hamlet

    Hamlet was considered to be wallowing in self-pity over everything that had recently transpired. His father’s death, his mother’s marriage to his uncle as well as he had been stripped of his rightful place as King of Denmark. Hamlet was of high morals and religious background. He was raised within the Lutheran Christian Faith and was appalled by everyone’s behavior. Resentment now raised its ugly head towards his mother in her “incestuous” union when Hamlet during his soliloquy, proclaims “Frailty, thy name is Woman!” to reflect his disgust of her weakness. But due to the love for his mother Hamlet keeps his resentment and disappointment to himself at this time. Faced with the realization of the murder of his father, who he had idolized and compared to a Greek sun-god and whose ghost has demanded revenge in order to leave purgatory, Hamlet is further torn between his moral values and his Christian faith, as his faith does not allow murder (“Thou shall not…

    • 1324 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Indecisiveness In Hamlet
    • 459 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Indecisiveness In Hamlet

    Hamlet’s indecisiveness to act leads to the deaths of his beloved mother Gertrude, his only love Ophelia, her father and brother, along with his old friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Hamlet is a young, childlike character who is also a student of life due to his contemplating nature in which he is always questioning everything “to be, or not to be: that is the question” (Act III, Scene I). Hamlet delays to act because he does not know how to respond to Claudius’ action because secretly that is what he wanted—to kill his father and marry his mother. Not in actuality, but deep down in the recesses of psychological turmoil almost all sons love their mothers to such an extent that they are jealous of their fathers, and wish to take their…

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

    Essay On Hamlet's Relationship With His Father
    • 477 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Essay On Hamlet's Relationship With His Father

    Slamming doors, cold, clear tears running down your face like miniscule rivers. The yelling has subsided and it is eerily quiet, but the anger still roars inside of you. A fight with the parents is never a pleasant one. The relationship between a father and son is a strong bond, which can be devastated if one of them is murdered. What if, perhaps, that fight or conversation took place with you dead father. In William Shakespeare's Hamlet Act 1 Hamlet Jr. is presented with that not so usual situation.…

    • 477 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Characters in Hamlet and Hamlet S Obsession
    • 1437 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Characters in Hamlet and Hamlet S Obsession

    Shakespeare’s Hamlet has many themes such as Impossibility of Certainty, The mystery of Death. But the basic theme would be Revenge. Revenge, in Hamlet, serves as the driving force of the play. The main character of the play, Hamlet, is always obsessed with the revenge for his father’s death. This obsession leads to the actions he performs and eventually to his death. Hamlet just wants the revenge to be perfect. He even spares the life of King Claudius even when he had the opportunity to kill him just because he thinks that if he killed him then, his revenge wouldn’t be perfect. “Now might I do it pat, now he is praying; And now I'll do't. And so he goes to heaven; And so am I revenged" (3.3.73-75). Whatever Hamlet does in the play, he does it in order to avenge his father’s death.…

    • 1437 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Characters in Hamlet
    • 2062 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Characters in Hamlet

    Understandably, the intense relationship between Hamlet and his uncle is not a sturdy bond, even before Hamlet learnt of his father’s murder, and before Claudius began to fear for his safety. It is believed that Hamlet’s distrust and dislike towards Claudius sprung from his mothers “o’erhasty marriage” 2.2.57 and would certainly be the origins of Hamlet’s suspicions. The best scene in which to view the relationship of Hamlet and Claudius would be Scene 3 of Act 4, where Claudius confronts Hamlet about the murder of Polonius.…

    • 2062 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Father's Relationship In Hamlet Act 1 Scene 2
    • 230 Words
    • 1 Page

    Father's Relationship In Hamlet Act 1 Scene 2

    Hamlet over reacts to his mother’s remarriage, but I think that the fact that she married his uncle played a large role in it. When Hamlets father dies him mothers vows to never marry again. But, when she does she marries her first husband’s brother Hamlets it very upset by that especially when he finds out that the father was murdered by that man. Hamlet calls his mother’s new marriage “such love must needs be treason in my breast” I think it means that he is calling his mother a trader. I do not think that Hamlet wanted mother to be single the rest of her life I think he just wanted her to be honorable and not embarrass him. In Act I Scene 2 when he says that "a beast, that wants discouse of reason / Would have mourned longer." Meaning that…

    • 230 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Critical Analysis Of Hamlet
    • 900 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Critical Analysis Of Hamlet

    Hamlet returns home after he receives the devastating news about the death of his father. When he arrives in Denmark, he is welcomed by the incestuous marriage between his mother and uncle, Claudius. Hamlet cannot wrap his head around the fact that his mother was able to get over the death of his father after one month. Due to his inability to understand his mother, Hamlet starts to ponder the idiocy of the world, "How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable / Seem to me all the uses of this world" (1.2.137-138). This is the start of the sense of morality and ethics around Hamlet begins to decay. He is angry at his mother and begins to isolate himself from everyone else. King Hamlet's ghost tells Hamlet that Claudius murdered him. The rest of the play consists of Hamlet trying to prove that Claudius murdered his father. However, Hamlet always seems to be reflecting in deep thought , sometimes even ruminating. He overuses his intellect while disregarding what he believes "feels…

    • 900 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Ophelia's Portrayal Of Women In Hamlet
    • 1547 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Ophelia's Portrayal Of Women In Hamlet

    Hamlet seems to have a special distain for his mother, completely disapproving of his mother’s relationship with Claudius. Hamlet is disgusted by her “quick and incestuous remarriage to her brother-in-law” (Bloom 23). Through Hamlet’s words and many others, Hamlet displays distrust in women because of the actions of his mother’s. Hamlet unfairly stereotypes all women to act the same as his mother does. Hamlet groups both Ophelia and Gertrude together as being the same based on the actions of his mother. While Ophelia and Gertrude are not the same, Hamlet starts to treat all women in the way he feels about his mother. Gleed points out that Hamlet “makes no distinction between the two women, tarring all of womanhood with the same brush” as he believes that all women will act the way his mother has (172). His distrust for women only grows the more he interacts with her and the more he thinks of her remarriage. Hamlet distrusted all of the women in his life based on his beliefs with his mothers and his distrust only kept increasing (Bloom 25-26). Though mistreated by Hamlet, his uncle, Claudius does show respect towards her intellect and wishes. Unlike many stereotypes that surround the…

    • 1547 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Role Of Parenting In Hamlet
    • 226 Words
    • 1 Page

    The Role Of Parenting In Hamlet

    What does it mean to have good parenting? Well, a good parent clearly places the effort to provide the best for the child, but in Hamlet, Shakespeare portrays the opposite side of parenting. Parenting plays an important role in the play because it shows how a parent can achieve parental guidance by following and understanding the emotional needs of the child. In other words, Shakespeare shows how Polonius and Gertrude, as parents, need to take the time to understand and listen to their children. Not only is this true in Hamlet, but in today’s society, some parents continue to lack this fulfillment to become their child’s role model.…

    • 226 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Hamlet's First Soliloquy Analysis
    • 524 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Hamlet's First Soliloquy Analysis

    Hamlet opens up about his disgust towards his mother and compares her to “a beast that…would have mourned longer!”(lines 151-152). As she had only mourned the death of her caring husband for less than a month before marrying his brother, Hamlet relentlessly calls her weak and believes she is unfaithful in doing so. Hamlet exhibits signs of obvious betrayal by his mother. He believes she disrespected her previous marriage in remarrying too soon, and takes this to heart. Hamlet clearly still thinks highly of his late father and this sets him into a defensive tone when thinking of the disloyalty his mother has put towards his…

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

    Hamlet
    • 590 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Hamlet

    Gertrude is continuously selfish throughout the play but, her selfishness began with her marriage to Claudius "but two months dead"(I,ii,138), of her former husband King Hamlet. Because of Hamlet's reaction to his mother's quick marriage, it is obvious that Gertrude had not thought of his feelings but only of her own. He mentions often that Gertrude "married with my uncle,/ My father's brother," (I,ii,151-153) "Within a month,/ Ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears/ Had left the flushing in her galled eye,/ She married," (I,ii,154-157). Her action hurt Hamlet deeply and more than any other character in the play. Each instance that Hamlet and Gertrude speak, Hamlet arouses the situation of Gertrude's hasty marriage. It emphasizes her selfishness to both her and Hamlet's lives. When speaking to Hamlet, curious to know if he has gone mad, Hamlet yells "Mother, you have my father much offended," (III,iv,11). Again, he brings up her marriage which shows his agony to the situation. Gertrude's selfish actions not only affect her life, but the lives of others as well.…

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

    Comparing Homosexuality In Hamlet's Relationship With Ophelia
    • 669 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Comparing Homosexuality In Hamlet's Relationship With Ophelia

    the effects of his mother’s actions. Although this sudden poignant event made a profoundly depressing impact on Hamlet, making the situation even more emotionally detrimental is Gertrude’s marriage to Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius, just days after his father’s funeral. Gertrude takes no interest in Hamlet’s desires or opinion of Claudius ultimately driving Hamlet further away from…

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

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

    Gertrude's Guilt In Hamlet

    This brings him to his mother, Gertrude, who has just finished talking to Polonius in her room when her son comes barging in. While Hamlet is still frustrated and brimming with vengeful anger and Claudius is stricken with guilt, Gertrude is in fact quite calm and seems completely un-phased. I think Hamlet is upset that his mother seems to take the death of his father…

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

    Hamlets Relationship with His Mother
    • 794 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Hamlets Relationship with His Mother

    Hamlet's inner monologues reveal much about what he is feeling and also aids in understanding the nature of the Oedipal complex within the character. Aspects of the Oedipal complex can be seen Hamlet's first soliloquy where Hamlet speaks to himself, revealing his personal expression of pain and suffering. The main cause of Hamlet's torment is the remarriage of his mother to his uncle and not the death of his father. When Hamlet says: "With such dexterity to incestuous sheets! It is not, nor it cannot come to good. / But break my heart, for I must hold my tongue" (1.2. 157-9), he is disgusted by his mother's affection toward Claudius because he believes it is incestuous. It can also be deduced the Hamlet is more concerned with the marriage of his mother than the death of his father. Unconsciously, Hamlet believes that because his father is dead, all his competition is gone and Claudius marrying his mother does not fit in with what Hamlet wants - taking his object of desire away…

    • 794 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More