Hamlet Prejudice free essay sample

Hamlet, In spite of a prejudice current in certain circles that if now produced for the first time it would fail, is the most popular play in our language. ~ G. H. Lewes. The distinctive concerns of a time and place construct the foundation and shape meaning in a text. The Shakespearean play of Hamlet is an enduring play as the themes introduced in the play by Shakespeare are closely parallel and touch on with the intricacies of human conditions. Shakespeare’s Hamlet is complex play where numeral themes are intertwined. These themes reinforce the development of a revenge tragedy. Without any doubt, the most essential theme present in Hamlet is revenge. Revenge is a frightening bloodthirsty emotion which forces individuals to act blindly. This aspect of revenge is explored through the play by Shakespeare creating the idea in which Hamlet seeks to avenge the murder of his father, King Hamlet, by Claudius. In a typical revenge tragedy, a revenger craves and takes his revenge, leaving himself in a vicious cycle of ongoing revenge. However Hamlet is quite different, â€Å"prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell, / must like a whore unpack my heart with words† As instead of taking revenge he talks about it.William Shakespeare very effectively uses soliloquies to accentuate character traits and to reinforce specific themes in his play. A soliloquy spoken by hamlet in act 3 clearly portrays his character flaws and reinforces the theme of revenge. This soliloquy presents the audience a glimpse into Hamlet’s psyche. He is so depressed and grieved by his father’s death, that he too wishes to be dead and even considers attempting suicide. However as the catholic church states, one cannot take his own life which was a necessity from the Jacobean audience’s eyes.The aforementioned notion of revenge leads to the idea of action vs. inaction. Hamlet who seeks revenge, delays in taking action for some reasons after reason, some being unclear to the audience. This constant delay leads to some critics classifying hamlet as an â€Å"indecisive† person, who thinks too much and acts too little. However, hamlets character is far more complex and interesting then this simple analysis. This delay could be due to hamlets fear of what will occur afterwards, since for every action, there’s an upcoming inaction.However at end this debate resolves by the deeply cynical suggestion that there is only one result of both action and inaction—death. The notion of Fate is greatly apparent in the fact that Hamlet is always discussing† To be or not to be†, and trying to question wether he can change his fate. The issue of death, disease and violence is very prevalent through the play. Shakespeare’s use of this theme was essential as the audience of the time were well adapted to such violent scenes and â€Å"loss† was part of their life. Various types of language techniques are also present in Hamlet such as simile and imagery. Fie on‘t, ah fie! ‘Tis an unweeded garden that grows to seed. Things rank and gross in nature possess it merely† is an example of simile used by Shakespeare. In this quote Hamlet refers to his â€Å"pointless life† as being like a garden that no one takes care of and that’s growing wild. Following this, Hamlet delves into the causes of his melancholy about how futile the world seems to him. As he says â€Å"How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable. † The listing of such intense words more deepens the atmosphere, revealing Hamlets true feelings.These feelings are also relevant to modern audiences as depression and anger tends to make people feel the same way. Hamlet then uses the metaphor of an â€Å"unweeded garden† about the world, further reinforcing the fact that he dislikes everything around him. It is sensible to believe that some of Hamlet’s audience, possibly even a majority, would have believed in the existence of ghosts to a degree. Their fear of God and the believing of supernatural events widened Shakespeare’s hand to use numeral themes such as â€Å"Fate and Destiny†, â€Å"Action vs.Inaction† and â€Å"Death†. The notion of Fate is greatly apparent in the fact that Hamlet is always discussing† To be or not to be†, and trying to question wether he can change his fate. The concept of Death is also a major theme greatly appreciated by the Elizabethan audience. Shakespeare has created the scene where the ghost is approaching Hamlet not only to encourage and add interest to the play, but to also to adopt the accepted view of death from Jacobean audience. The ghost is unable to proceed until his earthy business has been done.One of the main elements in the play which rises argument between old and modern audiences is the outdated theme of â€Å"revenge† throughout the play. Hamlet is often seen as a â€Å"revenger†. However, Hamlet’s personality and attitude allow for different interpretations of his actions and intentions. For example beside numerous views on Hamlets character, German poet Goethe though Hamlet a sensitive soul who could not commit such an abominable act. It is easy to derive from Hamlet’s words in Act I Scene II (â€Å"A little more than kin, and less than kind†) that he is resentful and, therefore, vengeful towards his uncle, the King.This bitterness is more intensified through the soliloquy in which Hamlet compares his father to his uncle, â€Å"My father’s brother: but no more like my father, Than I to Hercules†. On the other hand, Hamlet remains a shocking and graphic play. Of great historical importance (Hamlet is often cited as the most famous English play ever written) and with themes still considered controversial in the 21st century, there is no doubting that Hamlet is still of huge educational and cultural interest in this modern era. This is reflected in the successful transfers of the play onto modern stages, and into films and television.The fact that people still want to watch Shakespeare’s most famous play in the modern media is testament to the longevity of the play and its principle themes, and also to its lasting popularity. As such, different interpretation can be derived from the same play of Hamlet. The characters of the play are so strongly individualized that their actions can be interpreted many different ways, like the actions of real people, whose motives we can never fully understand. As a result, there is no one interpretation, no permanently fixed point of vi ew to a play like Hamlet; its beauty is bound up with the fact that it can mean so many ifferent things to people and be understood in so many different ways. ‘Hamlet’ is a play, which adheres to the modern society motivated by a desire to learn more about others and ourselves. A famous philosopher once said ‘To know ones self is to see oneself in others’. The key interests in ‘Hamlet’ for a modern audience is the various characterisation and development of individuals. The change of Hamlet from deeply grieved to being revengeful as he finds out about his father’s ‘murder most foul’ is fascinating to follow.The contemporary audience is engrossed in being able to understand the change in Hamlet’s character. The change is also reflected in Gertrude as she also finds out how her new husband murdered her previous ‘As kill a king?. This intimacy and desire in knowing character’s motivation is also found in the relationship between mother and son. A modern audience can feel more emotionally involved and understand their lack of closeness as a result of the father’s death. This was not understood and reflected in the period audience as a result of the male casting as Gertrude.This strong intensity between mother and son is resonated in the relationship between Paul and his Mother in ‘Sons and Lovers’. Shakespeare also adheres to the modern audience’s interest in the development of characters through their language. Individual character’s personas are created through their different types of language, for example, Polonius. Polonius’s language is distinctive by its lumbering wordy nature ‘Beware of entrance to a quarrel, but being in bear’t that th’opposed may beware of thee’. This is in much contrast to Horatio’s short speeches that are neutral and close to the point, ‘Half a share’.