Top-Rated Free Essay
Preview

hamlet literary analysis

Good Essays
271 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
hamlet literary analysis
In “Hamlet”, the tragedy by William Shakespeare, has Hamlet truly gone insane? Or is it all an act? The prince of Denmark is an expert at acting out roles and making people falsely believe him. The roles he plays are ones in which he fakes madness to accomplish his goals. Hamlet is not just putting on an antic disposition; Hamlet gradually slips into madness the longer he puts on his antic disposition. (II.ii.189-195) In this text, Hamlet is giving an example of how he is undergoing his antic disposition; Hamlet is saying that he has no idea who Polonius is but everyone knows that Hamlet does know who Polonius is, thus showing his antic disposition. (V.ii.15-28) In this text, Hamlet tells Horatio how he plotted to overcome Claudius’s scheme to have him murdered in England. He replaced the sealed letter carried by the unsuspecting Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, which called for Hamlet’s execution, with one calling for the execution of the bearers of the letter—Rosencrantz and Guildenstern themselves. Here is where Hamlet reveals to truly be mad by intentionally killing his own friends and not to just be putting on an antic disposition. (III.iv.27-35) “How now, a rat? Dead for a ducat, dead.”- Hamlet When Hamlet and his mother are talking; he hears a man, Polonius, behind the tapestry and proceeds to murder him without remorse. This Hamlet is extremely different from the one that was introduced at the beginning of the play. The sane Hamlet was kind, respectful, handsome, and behaved responsibly. This mad Hamlet is cruel, impulsive, slovenly and unforgiving.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Hamlet Analysis

    • 3020 Words
    • 13 Pages

    Hamlet decides to get more information / prove what the ghost was saying before doing…

    • 3020 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hamlet Essay

    • 948 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, through his protagonist, he explores ideas relating to conflict. Using detailed textual evidence, how has your personal response to Hamlet been shaped through the composers use of dramatic techniques?…

    • 948 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Hamlet appears to be insane, after Polonius's death, in act IV scene II. There are indications, though, that persuade me to think other wise. Certainly, Hamlet has plenty of reasons to be insane at this point. His day has been hectic-he finally determined Claudius had killed his father, the chance to kill Claudius confronted him, he comes very close to convincing Gertrude that Claudius killed his father, he accidentally kills Polonius, and finally the ghost of his father visits him. These situations are enough to bring Hamlet to insanity, but he remains sharp and credible.<br><br>Hamlet is able to make smart remarks to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, comparing then to sponges, "When he (Claudius) needs what you have gleaned, it is but squeezing…

    • 457 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Because my post is late my Hamlet Update is going to really be the end result. Now when we were at first assigned this project I felt my insides close in on each other as I began to think of how in the world I was going to pull this off. It wasn't until our class discussion were we pondered the idea of Ophelia being the game maker in this play. It began as just talk but then this idea quickly evolved into something much greater and fairly practical. After class Roshan and I walked away together planning out our process.…

    • 476 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hamlet’s behavior makes everyone worry about his insanity, but his sagacious thinking shows his actions are thought out, and his depressive state of mind. Hamlet does not appear to be suffering from insanity or from the disabling mental illness, schizophrenia. The National Institute of Mental Health describes the illness, “People with positive symptoms often ‘lose touch’ with reality” (“What is Schizophrenia” 2). With schizophrenia, just like with insanity, someone might lose their understanding of what’s right and what’s wrong. In the play, Hamlet states his plan, “As I perchance hereafter shall think meet / To put an antic disposition on” (I.v.172-173). Hamlet clearly confesses to Horatio he will have to act erratic behavior. Through this…

    • 147 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Hamlet Rhetorical Analysis

    • 1632 Words
    • 7 Pages

    In spite of the fact that the plot evokes the implication that it occurred between the close of 16th century and the start of the 17th century, Shakespeare’s Hamlet surpasses the constraints of time and muses upon both the primitive and contemporary man. In the late 16th century in England, people of all classes on the social echelon, with the exception of royals, were able to publicly eyewitness theatre. Audiences craved new plays to assuage their appetites. One of numerous dramatists that capitalized this abundance of opportunity was Shakespeare. Opposed to the modern time, audiences spectated the play to hear it rather than see it. The articulation of the lines and significance of how the story was recited was crucial…

    • 1632 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hamlet clearly demonstrates how insane he is after killing Polonius and showing no remorse for his death. Right before Hamlet entered the chamber to talk to his mother, Polonius explains to the queen that he will be hiding and ease dropping on their conversation, to find out the real reason for Hamlet erratic behavior. Hamlet enters the chamber, on a rampage after finding Claudius guilty of killing his father and also seeing him trying to pray. Hamlet goes off on his mother when she says, “Hamlet, thou hast thy father much offended” (l. 10). That also triggered his anger to the point where the queen feared for her life and as told to do so, she yelled for help. Polonius tries to come out from behind the curtain and before you know it, he was stabbed by Hamlet. At this point, after he stabbed Polonius, killing him, Hamlet first thought it was Claudius that was hiding behind the curtain. Later finding out it was Claudius, Hamlet says, “A bloody dead-- almost as bad, good mother, as killing a king, and marry with his brother” (l. 27-28). You would think that Hamlet would be scared for his life after realizing he killed someone. Not Hamlet, he just continues on with his conversation with the queen about how crazy it is that she remarried so soon. Hamlet showing no remorse for killing someone shows that he is not mental stable and doesn’t realize what just happened.…

    • 632 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Early on in the play the reader is shown that Hamlet is going to act insane in order to figure out the murder of his father. Therefore, at random moments throughout the play, Hamlet will act insane in so that he can in turn retrieve more information about the death of his father. Although young and handsome Hamlet says he is feigning his madness many readers have called into question whether or not he is genuinely mad. The fact that he is indeed going mad at times is true. It is true for many reasons. Reasons such as questioning his existence, showing true evidence of insanity not achievable by a sane person and at times using consequentialism in his train of thought. There are many factors that play into…

    • 1326 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Why Is Hamlet Crazy

    • 1634 Words
    • 7 Pages

    “Great wits are sure to madness near allied, and thin partitions do their bounds divide”. Although this quote by John Dryden was not directed towards Hamlet, this quote relates well to the argument of whether or not Hamlet was insane. The character of Hamlet in Shakespeare’s play The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is perhaps one of the most complex tragic heroes and possibly the most analyzed in all of English literature. Whether Hamlet was actually insane, or simply acting mad depends on the reader’s interpretation of the play. Hamlet is a complex character, he is the direct result of his psychological disorders. He is capable of quickly changing his emotions and state of mind from being happy, to being sorrowful, to being seemingly…

    • 1634 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The primary function of the first soliloquy is to reveal to the audience Hamlet's profound melancholia and the reasons for his despair. Hamlet explains, with an outpouring of disgust, anger, sorrow, and grief that everything in his world is either futile or contemptible.…

    • 529 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    1.The change of mood that occurs In scene one is mainly because of Polonius. This is shown in the beginning of the act when Polonius is hiring a spy to find out how his son is behaving. In the beginning of the scene it is quite funny and suspicious since Polonius acts like he trusts his son, but in actual fact he’s so concerned that he hired someone to look after him. The change of mood occurs when Ophelia runs into the room and explains to Polonius what had just happened with Hamlet ( II,i,ll 85-112). This changes Polonius’s mood and concern about his son towards his daughter Ophelia and how he was the reason for Hamlet’s insanity, Polonius shows that he is very concerned and feels that he is to blame for what is going on.…

    • 322 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    We can definitely see his madness and the evidence that he really goes mad when he said he sees his father’s ghost in his mother’s chambers while his mother does not see the ghost. Hamlet intentions in acting insane in order to get to his goal: "I essentially am not in madness”, Hamlet tells his mother that he is not mad and that he is mad in craft. [Act III, scene IV, lines 188-199]. Hamlet believes he is sane all the times, and did not realize that his actions and his madness is overwhelming him. His attitude resulted to the death of several people which included his mother and the King of Denmark. He is more desperate with the marriage of his mother to his uncle. We realize his violence and jealousy towards his mother. With these events, he builds frustration and anger and which turns him into an insane character. After Hamlet had killed Polonius, he had nothing to say and he even went on to call him a rat. This shows that he doesn’t care much about killing someone and moreover it does not affect him too much because he is so persistent in revenge. It seems as if he will go above and beyond his limits to get revenge. After the death of Polonius, Ophelia dies and this does not affect Hamlet as much as we believe in the consequences because he does state that, “[He] did love [Ophelia] once,”…

    • 868 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Hamlets Sanity

    • 1776 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Is Hamlet insane? That is the question. Literary scholars have debated this question for more than 400 years. Throughout the play “Hamlet,” by William Shakespeare, there are questions of whether Hamlet is sane or not. In general there two types of theories about him, one is that he suffers from some sort of malady, either insanity or neurosis. Then there are those who believe Hamlet is a genius and a hero. A character who was put through an extreme test and triumphed over his moral problem. In the Article “Hamlet’s Precarious Emotional Balance,” by Theodore Lidz, he states that although he is clever, he still doubts himself. In the article “Madness,” by P.J Aldus, he states that hamlet suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. Hamlet was definitely a genius and a moral man. He does struggle with the decision to avenge his father’s death. He is so obsessed with his father’s murder that he over reacts to and rejects the people around him, giving reason to suspect his insanity. In the end Hamlet does get revenge for his father’s death, thus winning a very spiritual victory in the face of death.…

    • 1776 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Hamlet Character Analysis

    • 1996 Words
    • 8 Pages

    In Hamlet, many think of Hamlet as being the main or only tragically flawed character within the play. However, in actuality, the play contains many other characters that possess varying severities of imperfection, some of which put the shortcomings of Hamlet, the title character of Hamlet, to shame. Despite the tragically flawed nature of Hamlet’s character, other characters in the play are clearly more flawed in comparison to Hamlet. As a result of this character’s imperfection, many of the characters within the play Hamlet are considered tragic; however, those in which this trait is predominant are Claudius, Laertes and Gertrude.…

    • 1996 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hamlet Analytical Essay

    • 895 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The play, Hamlet, by William Shakespeare is a tragic story about a prince named Hamlet attempting to get revenge for his father's murder. As Hamlet only to slowly destroy his life in the process. As Hamlet attempts to get revenge, he ultimately ends up destroying himself and the people around him. But before his death, Hamlet slowly decides what he wants to do with his life. Hamlet goes from thinking the world holds nothing for him but not wanting to kill himself because he fears god in the first Soliloquy, to living to avenge his father if needed in the second Soliloquy, to fearing death in the third Soliloquy. Hamlet slowly decides what he wants to do with his life, through his first three Soliloquies in the play…

    • 895 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics