Hamlet character profile. Shakespeare's Hamlet: Character Analysis & Description 2019-01-08
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Hamlet
Reading the text from a feminist perspective, this may be seen as reinforcing the values of the dominant patriarchal system of the time which viewed women as morally unreliable and a source of corruption. The Prince of Denmark and the son of Queen Gertrude and the late King Hamlet, and the nephew of the present king, Claudius. The villain of the play, Claudius is a calculating, ambitious politician, driven by his sexual appetites and his lust for power, but he occasionally shows signs of guilt and human feeling—his love for Gertrude, for instance, seems sincere. The belief that Hamlet still genuinely loves Ophelia, and that his deep sensitivity and hunger for justice compel him to behave the way he does, allows us to conclude that Hamlet is at once so heartless and yet so virtuous. He uses the fragile and innocent Ophelia as an outlet for his disgust towards the queen, and cannot comprehend that his own vicious words have caused her insanity. Therefore, since brevity is soul of wit And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes, I will be brief. This two-faced persona deceives characters into thinking that he is one person, when in reality he is someone else.
He seems to step very easily into the role of a madman, behaving erratically and upsetting the other characters with his wild speech and pointed innuendos. When comparing their speech it is clear that in her madness Ophelia talks in prose and cannot communicate properly with the rest of the characters and this in turn implies that Hamlet, who could always communicate, was not completely insane … or at least not insane in the same way. But how is it that even seemingly negative qualities such as indecisiveness, hastiness, hate, brutality, and obsession can enhance Hamlet's position as a tragic hero; a prince among men? When the 'ghost' of his father suggests he commit murder, Hamlet believes his uncle should pay for his behavior but wants to make sure he is making his uncle pay for something he really did. Much of what we are told about her character is filtered through the biases of others. Once again we can perhaps see this as a method that Shakespeare uses to evoke increasing sympathy for the Queen and thus further vilify Claudius as she is the innocent victim of his cowardly plot to dispose of Hamlet. After Hamlet heard Ghost's speech, He planed his next step to pretend to be a madman which he told his friend. When Hamlet sees the ghost of his father, he is told that his uncle killed his father and he vows to avenge his father's death.
Hamlet is so complete a character that, like an old friend or relative, our relationship to him changes each time we visit him, and he never ceases to surprise us. Here, Hamlet states that though he is smiling, and happy, he is still a villain nonetheless. God is the only figure that Claudius actually openly accepts his mistakes to, proving that though he may have lost his connection with God at some point, the connection is still there. As a woman, Ophelia must obey the men around her and is forced by her father first to stop speaking to Hamlet and then to help spy on him. We can see this most obviously in the fact that both of the female characters end up dead by the end of the play but we also see this in the way that both Hamlet and Claudius seem to be battling for control over her.
We can't take his judgment at face value. Hamlet is an enigma, a man so complex even he doesn't completely know himself. Yet, at the same time, he is an existential thinker who accepts that he must deal with life on its own terms, that he must choose to meet it head on. Shakespeare also uses Ophelia to evoke sympathy as result of her tragedy, especially when she is used in the games that Hamlet plays with Polonius and Claudius as these ultimately contribute to her madness and her accidental death. Ophelia is the only outlet for the hostility that he must keep secret from the King. For example, he loves his mother but hates her behavior. Act Three: Scene Four Polonius instructs Gertrude on how to handle Hamlet.
Hamlet is impressed by the forcefulness of characters like Fortinbras and Laertes, who turn thought into action quickly Phillips. When Hamlet and the royal family dies, Horatio wants to poison himself with them, but doesn't because Hamlet wants him to remain alive to tell his story to the people of Denmark. Decides that he must tell Claudius of the encounter and brings a distressed Ophelia with him. ¡¨ Gertrude¡¦s question implies that at least on the surface she feels that she has done nothing to deserve Hamlet¡¦s censure which suggests that either Hamlet is over-reacting to her actions after his father¡¦s death or that Gertrude really is heartless and fickle. Hamlet was once in love with her, but now that he isn't anymore Polonius believes that he is. The ghost has placed Hamlet in a most unnatural position by asking him to commit murder.
Gertrude¡¦s hasty marriage to Claudius also serves as one of the reasons for Hamlet¡¦s anger and is thus an important plot device used to create tension. It shows that Hamlet clearly views Gertrude as weak, emotional, and frail. Fortinbras ultimately circles the action of the play while adding complexion to the attitudes of the other characters. Shakespeare¡¦s ability to comment with precision on the human condition in this case the fact that guilty people often give themselves away by the very nature of their attempt to appear innocent that makes his work beautiful and gives it the power to transcend time. How noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god! However, Horatio serves two purposes central to the drama, and it is through these purposes that we can best discuss those qualities that make Horatio memorable. She has the potential to become a tragic heroine -- to overcome the adversities inflicted upon her -- but she instead crumbles into insanity, becoming merely tragic. ¡¨ These lines are significant as they suggest that Gertrude is capable of feeling guilt and that she is less superficial and fickle than might otherwise have appeared.
Polonius — The Lord Chamberlain of Denmark, and the father of Laertes and Ophelia, whom he loves deeply and wishes to protect, even to the point of spying on them. Hamlet breathes with the multiple dimensions of a living human being, and everyone understands him in a personal way. Hamlet experiences internal conflict and thinks about killing himself because of his disgust with the actions of his mother and uncle; generally speaking, Hamlet tends to think carefully about his actions, despite his frequent hypocrisy. Hamlet had a lot of respect for his father and despises his uncle. The actual recognition of his love for Ophelia can only come when Hamlet realizes that she is dead, and free from her tainted womanly trappings: I loved Ophelia: forty thousand brothers Could not, with all their quantity of love, Make up my sum.
Countless philosophers have spent their lifetimes in search of answers to these questions but died before finding a suitable answer. But O, what form of prayer Can serve my turn? He is also aggressive towards Ophelia and tells her to, get thee to a nunnery. Ophelia's loyalty to her father and resulting estrangement from Hamlet ultimately causes her to lose her mind. Threats her like a puppet. Hamlet actually tells other characters that there is more to him than meets the eye—notably, his mother, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern—but his fascination involves much more than this. Polonius even tires to instruct her how to handle Hamlet.
Even when he confronts his mother and is so relentless that the Ghost must intercede on her behalf, we know that Hamlet longs to show her affection; to comfort her and to be comforted by her. There is special providence in the fall of a sparrow. He is quick to action, and is very angry when his father is killed. But even though he is thoughtful to the point of obsession, Hamlet also behaves rashly and impulsively. Hamlet has a good reason to kill Claudius, yet he fails to do it. Therein lies the secret to the enduring love affair audiences have with him. But, despite all of the things with which Hamlet professes dissatisfaction, it is remarkable that the prince and heir apparent of Denmark should think about these problems only in personal and philosophical terms.
