Hamlet 17
1. As the play opens, Hamlet is troubled by the turn of events following his father's death. It seems (and later becomes apparent), that Hamlet's upset is caused more by the remarriage of his mother and her love and devotion towards Claudius so soon after King Hamlet's death, than by simple mourning of his fathers passing. This is shown in lines 147-162 "Why she would hang on him / As if increase of appetite had grown / By what it fed on. And yet, within a month / (Let me not think on't; frailty, thy name is woman!)...She married, O, most wicked speed, to post / With such dexterity to incestuous sheets!" [Act I, Scene II, Ll.147-162]2. Hamlet seems melancholic and satirical at the beginning of the play. When Hamlet appears in Act I, Scene II, his first words are "A little more than kin and less than kind." [Act I, Scene II, L. 67] in response to Claudius addressing him as both his nephew and son. The King (Claudius) then asks Hamlet "How is it that the clouds still hang on you?" [Act I, Scene II, L. 68] and Hamlet puns in response once again, saying "Not so my lord; I am too much in the sun." [Act I, Scene II, L. 69]. In both of these quotes (L. 67 & 69) Hamlet shows a depressed detachment and an obvious sa
5. I am going to refute the basis of this question and argue instead that Gertrude is ruled by those people around her in her everyday life. I do not believe that Gertrude can be ruled by her emotions because she lacks the (moral) independence to be happy or sad as a result of situations surrounding her. Throughout the play this theory is supported, Hamlet is shocked and cannot understand how the Gertrude he remembered - who lusted to be one with his father, could have married and apparently fallen deeply in love with Claudius so 1-2 months after the Kings death. The Kings death was unexpected and there is no way anyone should be able to recover that quickly, in Gertrude case it is a laughable idea (if she had her own emotional center)(hence Hamlets confusion and anger), yet Gertrude cannot bear any pain or conflict in her world and thus falls into whatever force (person or idea) that will sweep her off her feet! 6. Polonius and Laertes are worried about Hamlet's interest in Ophelia because they question Hamlets intentions and Ophelia's judgement. The first such display of this concern was in Act I, Scene III, when Laertes met with his sister Ophelia to say goodbye before he leaves Denmark to return to France. Laertes gives Ophelia and long talk on how she must handle herself and her relationship with Hamlet, and thus she should be careful not to give up her "chaste treasure", saying "Perhaps he loves you now...but you must fear, / His greatness weighed his will is not his own,"[Act I, Scene III, Ll. 17-20] and "If he says he love you...weigh what loss you honor may sustain...to his unmastered importunity...The chariest maid is prodigal enough / If she unmask her beauty to the moon...Keep you in the rear of your affection" [Act I, Scene III, Ll. 27-38] 9. It becomes clear in Act II, Scene II, that Hamlet doubts the truth of the ghost's story. In this scene Hamlet finally forms a plot, not to execute his revenge, but to test the ghost's story and find out if Claudius is really guilty of any crime at all. Hamlet does this because he believes the ghost he saw was possibly not the spirit of his dead father, but the devil torturing him, saying "The spirit I have seen / May be a devil, and the devil hath power / T'assume a pleasing shape" [Act II, Scene II, Ll. 627-629].
Some common words found in the essay are:
II Ll, Scene Ll, Act Scene, Scene II, VII Ll, King Hamlet's, III Ll, Scene VII, II Hamlet, Scene Polonius, act scene, scene ii, act scene ii, act ii, act ii scene, ii scene, scene ii ll, act iv, scene vii, iv scene, iv scene vii, ii ll, act iv scene, scene hamlet, scene ll,
Approximate Word count = 2479
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)
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