Hamlet Essay
- Submitted by: gracechen97
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- Category: English: Shakespeare
- Date Submitted: 07/04/2015 11:01 PM
- Pages: 3
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The quest to become self-aware of the eponymous character’s own identity lies at the crux of William Shakespeare’s revenge tragedy, Hamlet (1603). Hamlet’s continuous struggle about the truth concerning his fathers’ murder, his own identity and humanity’s purpose in life is sympathetic towards audiences of all generations, especially targeting individuals within the contemporary period. Surrounded by individuals corrupted in the pursuit of power who hide behind social facades, Hamlet struggles through enacting revenge without compromising his own morality and integrity. The universal and timeless themes are conveyed through his struggle to discover his own identity in a corrupt world, and showcases Shakespeare’s innate knowledge of the human psyche.
Hamlet’s isolation and growing loss of faith in humanity arises from his psychological struggle to ascertain truth in a shifting world plagued by moral depravity and deceptive appearances. Born out of the climate of espionage and intrigue in England during the early 1600s, much of the conflict in Hamlet exists silently behind social facades and results in further paranoia and corruption of the characters. To Hamlet, the very air he breathes in Elsinore is “a foul and pestilent congregation of vapours”, and through the recurring images of death and decay, Shakespeare further evinces the disorder and corruption in the courts. Furthermore, exploitation and desire for power can be seen through Claudius and his blasphemous actions of regicide and fratricide, as well as the success in his plot to become king. Claudius conforms to several of Machiavelli’s theories presented in The Prince that observed “that reprehensible actions may be justified by their effects”. However, while Hamlet believes Claudius to be a “bloody, bawdy villain!” where the strong palate “b” assonance conveys the strength of his hatred, the state of Denmark remains ignorant of the usurpers actions. In Act 1, Scene 2, he manipulates the court “to bear our...
Hamlet’s isolation and growing loss of faith in humanity arises from his psychological struggle to ascertain truth in a shifting world plagued by moral depravity and deceptive appearances. Born out of the climate of espionage and intrigue in England during the early 1600s, much of the conflict in Hamlet exists silently behind social facades and results in further paranoia and corruption of the characters. To Hamlet, the very air he breathes in Elsinore is “a foul and pestilent congregation of vapours”, and through the recurring images of death and decay, Shakespeare further evinces the disorder and corruption in the courts. Furthermore, exploitation and desire for power can be seen through Claudius and his blasphemous actions of regicide and fratricide, as well as the success in his plot to become king. Claudius conforms to several of Machiavelli’s theories presented in The Prince that observed “that reprehensible actions may be justified by their effects”. However, while Hamlet believes Claudius to be a “bloody, bawdy villain!” where the strong palate “b” assonance conveys the strength of his hatred, the state of Denmark remains ignorant of the usurpers actions. In Act 1, Scene 2, he manipulates the court “to bear our...