Essay on Hamlet Character Analysis- Free Essay Example

Hamlet Character Essay

The Tragedy of Hamlet has been written by William Shakespeare in the period between 1599 and 1601. Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, is the protagonist of the play who is represented as a weak character and conserves bitter experience towards the women in his life. The bitterness has been infused primely due to the betrayal of his mother, Gertrude, after the death of his father. In the contemporary patriarchal society, women have been subjected to be integral to their husbands and the sort of behaviour of Gertrude has been utterly unacceptable. The character of Hamlet has captivated audiences and readers for centuries due to the enigmatic behaviour of Hamlet. To define the character prominently Shakespeare has utilized dialogues and soliloquies.

Discussion:

In the beginning, Hamlet is a university student whose studies confronts interruption due to the death of his father. The character of Hamlet is utterly contemplative and philosophical. His innate duality between choices and decisions fails to conserve certainty. In the initial stage, Hamlet has become distraught at the morbidity of his father and remarriage of his mother to Claudius, his uncle. Claudius and Gertrude have publicly acclaimed their relationship, “Therefore our sometime sister, now our queen”. The situation has fuelled deprivation in Hamlet who idolises his father. In the tragedy, it is seen that Hamlet has encountered numerous pieces of evidence which define the pessimistic appearance of his uncle in the death of his father, however, Hamlet becomes obsessed to prove the guilt of his uncle publicly rather than trying to act. The definition of ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ is clearly unacceptable to Hamlet. Consecutively, Hamlet has been plagued with questions regarding the existence of an afterlife, consequences of the body after people die, the wisdom behind suicide and other extensive subjects. His core patriarchal self has become obsessed with the re-marriage decision of his mother.

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Though Hamlet is quite thoughtful regarding his obsession, his impulsive behaviour brings several other conundrums. His swift actions with the least premeditation reflect the shadow of cognitive disorders. The situation can be seen when he stabs Polonius without checking who he is. His inclination in the character of a madman has been fuelled with pointed innuendos and deprived speeches. While Hamlet constantly disagrees with the decision of re-marriage, queen Gertrude, the cold woman of the play has explained to Hamlet that “all that lives must die”. Moreover, Hamlet has been criticized for his behaviour and responses by his mother. “These are but trappings and the suits of woe” which reflects that it is easy for someone to captivate the act of grieving, while he is actually in grief. In Act I Scene II, Hamlet has been persisted to mourn his father’s death, as significantly as getting upset regarding the too-soon marriage of his widowed mother to Claudius. In this context, the new king has observed that his nephew or stepson requires help to overcome the grief and move on in his life. Hence, King Claudius has marked the grief as “unmanly”. Claudius has depicted that the visible mourning can raise questions regarding the masculinity of the prince.

Shakespeare has used soliloquy to appropriately denote the innate flairs of a character. The section has conserved immense significance. In the soliloquy, Hamlet has marked Gertrude as “rank and gross” conveying a strong symbolism of disgust. His acclamation for his father, “so excellent a king”: reflects two contrasting feelings for his parents. Moreover, Hamlet has conserved a hatred against women which s inherited by the recent steps of his mother. In the soliloquy, Hamlet has signified that “Frailty the name is woman!” which mirrors that Hamlet asserts that women can be easily corrupted, furthermore, the exclamation mark develops the significance of the utterings. Shakespeare has also infused slang terms in the soliloquy of Hamlet to symbolize his hatred towards his mother. Regraded as an outcome of patriarchal society, it has been seen that, Hamlet denounces his mother more than his uncle, though they have made the same mistake. Other than Hamlet, Horatio also finds the wedding as too-soon.

The confrontation of his father’s ghost (the ghost of the Old Hamlet) is another important section of Hamlet. This is the section that affirms Hamlet’s postulation regarding the involvement of Claudius in the death of his father. “The serpent that did sting thy father's life Now wears his crown”. The stress on the word ‘serpent’ shows the assertive belief of the Old Hamlet about the inappropriate and wicked behaviour of Claudius. The ghost has also proclaimed that “seeming-virtuous queen” which reveals the contrasting behaviour of Gertrude who is believed to be integral, however, she is not. The supernatural appearance of the Old Hamlet has also objected that Claudius should be persecuted rather than Gertrude. The disappearance of the ghost writer accelerates the madness and anger of Hamlet. Though Hamlet is deprived of his ‘evil’ mother, however, the supernatural entity disagrees with the concept of revenge. The confrontation of supernaturalism can be entitled as the catastrophe of Hamlet which deals with the downfall of Hamlet and increment of his anger and hatred to Claudius and Gertrude.

Ophelia and Polonius have optimized the growth of madness in Hamlet. In Act 3, Scene I, Hamlet rejects Ophelia by the notion of all women are evil. The inheritance of evil in women has been incorporated with the Biblical concept. Eve, being the first woman on Earth has sinned in the Garden of Eden, hence, the rest of the feminine class would have conserved the quality. Though Hamlet has preserved the feeling of love for Ophelia, still he believes that she has inherited the quality to corrupt any person.

Conclusion:

Hence, it can be said that Hamlet is cynical, melancholy and full of hatred for the pessimistic impression of his uncle and disgusts by the sexuality of his mother. Apart from negative qualities, Hamlet has conserved optimistic flairs as well. He is thoughtful, reflective and intellectual. His indecisive attitude and reliance on duality make him prone to impulsive actions. As the paper help has reached a cohesive conclusion it can be said that Hamlet is mysterious, morose and thoughtful.

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List Of Few Topics On Hamlet Character Analysis Essay

The character of Hamlet and his relationship with his mother, Gertrude.
The role of Laertes in the play and his relationship with Hamlet.
The character of Claudius and his motivations for killing King Hamlet.
The character of Ophelia and her relationships with Hamlet and other characters.
The character of Polonius and his role as a foil to Hamlet.
The theme of madness in the play and how it is reflected in the characters of Hamlet, Ophelia, and others.
The character of Fortinbras and his role in the play.
The character of Horatio and his role as a confidant to Hamlet.
The character of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and their relationship with Hamlet.
The role of ghosts in the play and how they influence the characters of Hamlet and others.
The theme of revenge in the play and how it affects the characters of Hamlet, Laertes, and Fortinbras.
The character of the gravedigger and his role in the play.
The character of the Player King and his relationship with Hamlet.
The character of the Player Queen and her relationship with Hamlet.
The theme of deception in the play and how it is reflected in the actions of Claudius, Polonius, and others.
The theme of corruption in the play and how it is reflected in the actions of Claudius and other characters.
The theme of mortality in the play and how it is reflected in the actions and thoughts of the characters.
The theme of gender roles in the play and how they are challenged by the characters of Gertrude, Ophelia, and others.
The theme of family dynamics in the play and how they are affected by the actions of Claudius, Gertrude, and others.
The theme of free will versus determinism in the play and how it is reflected in the actions and thoughts of the characters.
The theme of betrayal in the play and how it is reflected in the actions of Claudius, Gertrude, and others.
The theme of love in the play and how it is reflected in the relationships between the characters.
The theme of appearance versus reality in the play and how it is reflected in the actions and thoughts of the characters.
The theme of power and its corrupting influence in the play and how it is reflected in the actions of Claudius and other characters.
The theme of trust and its importance in the relationships between the characters.
The theme of communication and its breakdown in the play and how it affects the relationships between the characters.
The theme of isolation and its effects on the characters in the play.
The theme of loyalty in the play and how it is reflected in the actions and thoughts of the characters.
The theme of friendship in the play and how it is reflected in the relationships between the characters.
The theme of justice and its pursuit in the play and how it is reflected in the actions of Hamlet and other characters.
The theme of identity in the play and how it is