out more information for the king. After Hamlet begins to scare Gertrude and she calls for help, Polonius reveals himself. Immediately, Hamlet takes action, killing Polonius before he knew that it was his father’s right hand man behind the arras. Polonius’s death was surprising and dismaying to Denmark, but it was not without reason. Although Polonius dies tragically, he ultimately deserves his fate because his actions are motivated by selfishness throughout the entirety of the play. Polonius controls…
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Grace 1 Kayla Grace October 29, 2012 Unit 2: Family 797 words Hamlet: Family Relationships The theme, family, in The Tragedy of Hamlet is major theme with lots of major points. This play is notorious for how it dwells on the issue of incest. In Shakespeare’s time, incest was a sin against God and the state. Queen Elizabeth I asked the Church of England to come up with a list of rules about marriage, basically a list of relatives who couldn’t marry, including in-laws. Also another focus is…
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theme development and is essential to the play. Polonius Minor characters are also known as flat characters, and according to How To Read Literature Like a Professor, they are static and they lack development in narrative, which is explanation for Polonius’s sudden death. Throughout the play, Polonius provided comic relief for the audience with his talkativeness and egotistical self. Overall, the mood of Hamlet is dark and morbid, Polonius gives the audience a break from that atmosphere and adds an…
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so many ways. Ophelia and Hamlet are somewhat in a romantic relationship, this just depends on the day. Some would say that Ophelia is the reason for Hamlet's madness and complicates the reasonable thinking of wanting to revenge his father's death. Also she gets in the way of Hamlet's plans and convolutes everything. Hamlet really does care about Ophelia, their love is not the normal compatient, inseparable love for one another. He insults her “Get thee to a nunnery”(3.1.45). Ophelia has her own insanity…
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Throughout Ophelia’s mind was being pulled in two conflicting directions. Ophelia had a strong love for Hamlet and it especially showed in the beginning. However, she was conflicted between her love for Hamlet and her love for her father, Polonius, and for her brother, Laertes. It seemed Ophelia felt the need to define herself by male judgements instead of making decisions for herself. Ophelia showed her love for Hamlet in different ways. When Polonius and Laertes both caution her to Hamlet’s…
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Claudius's brother. The ghost of Hamlet's father appears to him and tells him that Claudius has poisoned him. He kills the eavesdropping Polonius in the court chamberlain. Polonius's son Laertes returns to Denmark to avenge his father's death. Polonius's daughter Ophelia loves Hamlet but his behavior drives her to madness. Ophelia dies by drowning. A duel takes place and ends with the death of Gertrude, Laertes, Claudius, and Hamlet. In Shakespeare’s famous play Hamlet explores themes of revenge, death…
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his scheme. In order to track the source of Hamlet’s madness, King Claudius seeks Polonius’s help, because the King has not the faintest clue what might be making Hamlet appear so estranged from the court. The king’s initial assumption was that it was caused by the death of his brother, the former king Hamlet. Polonius tells the king he believes it is because Hamlet is smitten with his daughter, the fair Ophelia. The two men then decide they will work in tandem to try coercing Hamlet into spilling…
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death, seeks revenge on Hamlet. Lastly is Ophelia who, because of the revenge and madness all around her, was driven to the brink of sanity herself. Ultimately this revenge lead nowhere but death. Shakespeare uses the motifs of madness and revenge to demonstrate just what they can do to a person when they get to deep. When the play opens Hamlet’s father is dead and Hamlet’s…
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Analysis of Ophelia in Shakespeare’s Hamlet Ophelia is one of the most popular female characters in Shakespeare’s plays. She enjoys many appellations from bards -“most beautified Ophelia,” “sweet Ophelia,” “Poor Ophelia,” “minist'ring angel.” She is beautiful, obedient and loyal to her family, maybe even too loyal. Shakespeare integrates a great deal of analytical thought in his writing. Like in any other character, readers can find symbolism, motifs, and representative in the character of Ophelia. Although…
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Claudius, Polonius, Laertes, and even Prince Hamlet. There are many moments in the play where Ophelia shows just how frail she is. Hamlet calls out the frailty of women in I.ii.146: “Frailty, thy name is woman!” It is clear that Hamlet is passionate and bold in his statement, and the moments where Ophelia and Gertrude are frail in the story reaffirm his claim. This essay will examine the moments of Ophelia and Gertrude when they show just how frail they are. The two women in the play are very close…
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