Characters in Hamlet Essay Example for Free

Characters in Hamlet Essay William Shakespeare uses various elements, themes and connections between them to present ideas of enduring value in ‘Hamlet. His character development in Hamlet Claudius and use of dramatic techniques present values in ‘Hamlet’ those of which are timeless. These enduring values include guilt, corruption and life death. Shakespeare has used various dramatic techniques to express his idea and enduring value of guilt. In Act 1, as Polonius talks about ‘the devil hiding’, Shakespeare uses a dramatic technique as Claudius acknowledges his conscience in an aside, â€Å"how smart a lash that speech doth give my conscience†. Claudius is the villain of the play, however Shakespeare has a created a complex character with a working conscience and serious feelings of guilt. Claudius sense of guilt emerges through the use of the dramatic technique, soliloquy. Furthermore, it also makes him a more ‘rounded’ character in his development, not merely evil or lacking in human qualities. His guilt is emphasized when he attempts to ‘pray’, and he finds that as a sinner, he cannot, while he still desires the fruits of his crime, these being Gertrude and the crown, â€Å"Forgive me my foul murder? That cannot be since I am still possess’d of those effects for which I did the murder. †Shakespeare has used metaphor and alliteration in, Oh bosom black as death† as Claudius, concedes that he is not really capable of praying. From this point, as a development of his character, his villiany increases as he becomes desperate to eliminate Hamlet and ultimately plotting his death. Gertrude can also be played as experiencing guilt throughout until she concedes her guilt and claims it will not go away, â€Å"I see such black and grained spots/ As will not leave their tinct†. Claudius and Gertrude share the guilt for what goes wrong in the play, as theirs is the corruption that infects Denmark. Corruption is another prominent value in ‘Hamlet’. In Act 1, the dramatic technique, monologue is used as Claudius addresses his court and celebrates his coronation and marriage to Gertrude to reconcile the grieving for Old Hamlet. His speech, â€Å"mirth in funeral and dirge in marriage† is commonly known as ‘spin’ today. There is a notion that Claudius’ motive for killing Old Hamlet is envy, strictly a lust for power and to be king however this cannot be interpreted as Claudius consistently shows true love for Gertrude and displays qualities of a good king. Consequently, it is plausible that the function of the marriage is genuine however also essential for Claudius’ agenda which makes his reign corrupt. Shakespeare demonstrates the idea of corruption, that if the king reigns on false or evil grounds, hence the whole kingdom suffers, as Marcellus says, â€Å"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark†. Furthermore, through Hamlet’s main source of distress of the thought of his mother remarried too soon, and to his uncle, he introduces the theme of corruption with the technique, imagery, â€Å"unweeded gardens†. Hamlet interprets news of Old Hamlet’s ghost as a reflection of the corruption in Denmark, â€Å"My father’s spirit in arms! All is not well†. He believes that foul deeds will rise and that evil will inevitably unravel. The use of Hamlet’s development of a complex multi-faceted persona demonstrates Shakespeare’s idea on life and death, conveyed through the use of the dramatic technique, soliloquy. Hamlet’s situation in the play is relevant today because circumstances force him from being a critical observer of the world to being a participant, an experience that is universal. The flaw in Hamlet’s character lies in the involutions of his character. He is guilty of â€Å"thinking too precisely on th’event†, a man who â€Å"continuously resolves to do, yet does nothing but resolve†. It is assumed Hamlet is honest and open in his soliloquys. At other times he is puts on a ‘faà §ade’, the main purpose is to hide his true state of mind and intentions often portraying himself as ‘mad’. In Hamlet’s first soliloquy he is already contemplating about the desire to disappear or commit suicide, â€Å"O that this too too solid fle sh would melt†. Hamlet rejects the idea of trying to predict the future and reaches a point of acceptance of life, death, and everything more, â€Å"Not a wit, we defy augury†¦ the readiness is all†. This expresses the idea that what is destined is inevitable and what is significant is ‘readiness’. Hamlet acknowledges this when he holds up Yorick’s skull. The dramatic technique of visual imagery of Hamlet looking at Yorick’s skull is one of the most enduring images in all of literary history. It is a human confronting the truth, contemplating death and decomposition that even the greatest of humans are subject to. His speech on ‘readiness’ is all about his own death. It is this, which he must become ready for, something, which is presented as central sad truth of human life. ‘To be, or not to be, that is the question’ is definitive on life and death. It provides a stark contrast to the intense confrontation with Ophelia as it is contemplative, intellectual and uncharacteristic for someone who is supposedly ‘mad’. Shakespeare implies through Hamlet’s character development that the reason people do not commit suicide is because of the fear of the after life which is unknown and could potentially be worse. Hamlet ponders the question as a matter of philosophical debate. Yet though the play is thus rooted in its own time, ‘Hamlet’ seems to have a rapport with all ages and centuries. It speaks eloquently to the twentieth century as it did to the 17th 18th and 19th. Reasons for the play’s enduring appeal is attributed to the values Shakespeare has expressed. How smart a lash that speech doth give my conscience Forgive me for my foul murder? This cannot be for I am still possess’d of the effects for which I did the murder I see such black and grained spots/ as they will not leave their tinct Something is rotten in the state of Denmark Mirth in funeral, dirge in marriage O that this too too solid flesh would melt Not a wit we defy augury My father’s spirit is in arms! All is not well Unweeded garden To be or not be, that is the question

John Keats :: essays research papers

John Keats was one of the greatest poets of the Romantic Era. He wrote poetry of great sensual beauty and had a unique passion for details. In his lifetime he was not recognized with the senior poets. He didn’t receive the respect he deserved. He didn’t fit into the respected group because of his age, nor in the younger group because he was neither a lord nor in the upper class. He was in the middle class and at that time people were treated differently because of their social status. John Keats was born in London on October 31, 1795. He was educated at Clarke’s School in Enfield. He enjoyed a liberal education that mainly reflected on his poetry. His father died when he was eight and his mother died when he was fourteen. After his mother died, his maternal grandmother granted two London merchants, John Rowland Sandell and Richard Abbey, guardianship. Abbey played a major roll in the development of Keats, as Sandell only played a minor one. These circumstances drew him extremely close to his two brothers, George and Tom, and his sister Fanny. When he 15, Abbey removed him from the Clarke School, as he became an apothecary-surgeon’s apprentice. Then in 1815, he became a student at Guy’s Hospital. He registered for a six- month course to become a licensed surgeon. Soon after he decided he was going to be a doctor he realized his true passion was in poetry. So he decided he would try to excel in poetry also. His poetry that he wrote six years before his death was not very good. As his life progressed his poetry became more mature and amazing. He looked up to Shakespeare and Milton. He studied a lot of there poetry and imitated these two writers. His work resembled Shakespeare. Soon after medical school, he returned to London and met Leigh Hunt. They began to write the Examiner, which was love poetry. In his lifetime he published three books of verse: Poems (1817), Endymion (1818), Lamia Isabella and other poems including two famous poems “Odes'; and “Hyperion.';   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hunt then introduced him to a circle of literary men, including Percy Bysshe Shelley and William Wordsworth. These men influenced him to create his first volume of verses, called Poems by John Keats. Shelly persisted that he needed to develop a stronger body of work before publishing.

A Discussion About Animals

There are lots of zoos all over the world. A zoo can be described as the collection of various animal species found in nature. People can know about animals by visiting zoos. Whether animals should be kept in zoos or not,different people have different ideas. Some people are in favor of keeping animals in zoos. However,others argue that keeping animals in zoos ignores animal rights. This essay will discuss the pros and cons of keeping animals in zoos. The main advantage of keeping animals in zoos is that they get saved from dangers of predators. By keeping animals in zoos ensures their safety.At the same time,animals would be kept away from disease if they were in zoos. Moreover,animals in zoos are provided with proper diet. In jungle life,sometimes many animals have difficulty finding foods. In zoos,zoo keepers supply animals with food at a certain time. The animals would have an increased life span because there are no predators and they will never starve for food. In addition,ther e are many interesting facilities in the zoo. Animals can use them for fun. Furthermore,keeping animals in zoos is convenient for entertainment of human beings.Zoos provide a way for people to take a closer look at animals and see how they behave. People visit zoos not only for entertainment but also for educational purposes. Many schools visit zoos to know more about endangered species and the way to conserve them. However,there are also some disadvantages of keeping animals in the zoo. Firstly,it can't be denied that some zoos misuse and violate the animal rights. The workers in some zoos treat animals in a cruel manner. Secondly,animals are kept in zoos for a long time ,they may lose their instinct ability to survive in the natural environment.Animals are equal to human beings. Nobody can suffer from depriving of liberty. In conclusion,we have no right to keep animals in zoos. In my opinion,it is wrong to keep animals in zoos. We should respect animal rights. Animals can survive in the natural environment by themselves. If human beings want to know more about animals,they can read books and search information on the Internet or watch TV instead of visiting zoos. Keeping animals in zoos is not the only way to conserve endangered species. We humans can do much more things to protect animals.

Trust-Busting Theodore Roosevelt’s Effectiveness in...

Before a series of antitrust acts and laws were instituted by the federal government, it was not illegal for businesses to use any means to eliminate competition in late nineteenth-century America. Production technology was now advanced to the point that supply would surpass product demand. As competition in any given market increased, more and more companies joined together in either trusts or holding companies to bring market dominance under their control (Cengage 2). As President Theodore Roosevelt was sworn into office in 1901, he led America into action with forceful government solutions (â€Å"Online† 1). Roosevelt effectively regulated offending business giants by the formation of the Department of Commerce and Labor, the Bureau of†¦show more content†¦Some of the dishonorable measures taken by the interstate trusts and monopolies were product quality reduction, employee exploitation, and even putting ultimatums on necessary products (â€Å"Domination† 1 ). Such abuse of business combinations consisted of secrecy or misinterpretation in corporate organization, overcapitalisation, and of course, price manipulation (Johnson 572). Roosevelt became president as a result of William McKinley’s assassination, but his policies were vastly different from those of McKinley (â€Å"Theodore† 1). McKinley had been in favor of maintaining the Republican laissez-faire status quo, and seemed to favor big business (â€Å"Online† 1). Roosevelt’s bullish personality and brazen self-confidence was a substantial factor that strongly influenced both the development of governmental regulation of trusts and the supervision of corporations functioning across state lines. He believed that â€Å"industrial combination† was unavoidable and â€Å"generally desirable,† adhering to this view (Johnson 571). â€Å"Trust-busting† was apparently not a popular term with the president. He did not believe in destroying th e offending corporations, but only that they needed to be regulated. Critics of Roosevelt’s policies, however, did not consider the difference (â€Å"Online† 1). In reality,