Hamlet Versus King Claudius: Outer Versus Inner Personas

Introduction:

The ability to write a great novel or play generally comes down to whether or not the characters are believable. Great authors throughout literature have been able to skillfully create characters through various methods. William Shakespeare is renowned for his ability to produce characters that readers are able to understand and even relate to. This ability has lead to his numerous masterpieces. In his play, “Hamlet,” Shakespeare utilizes numerous techniques to capture the essence of the various characters. More specifically, Shakespeare cleverly contrasts the elements of Hamlet’s and King Claudius’s speech publically versus privately in order to shed light on their outer persona and inner persona, respectively.

Hamlet and King Claudius drastically differ in their public speech patterns. Hamlet is very intelligent and uses short brief replies when discussing the proper period of time and manner by which a son should mourn for his father. When his mother tells him that death is common, Hamlet says, “ Ay, madam, it is common.” Indirectly, it seems that Hamlet is agreeing with his mother that “all that lives must die,” but in reality, Hamlet’s words are ironically intended to show that death is painful and requires great attention. Furthermore, even though Hamlet is careful to not reveal too much through his public speech, he still discloses his intention to fully mourn for his father and his dislike of King Claudius as his father via complex puns. Claudius asks Hamlet why “the clouds still hang on you.” Hamlet replies, “Not so, my lord; I am too much in the sun.” This pun on the word “sun” is very crucial. On the surface, Hamlet is saying that he is not mourning enough and that he should be buried in further darkness and isolation to properly respect his father’s honor. However, on a more complex level, Hamlet is saying that he is too much a “son” to deceitful Claudius. Thereby, Hamlet uses rhetoric to hide his intense hatred for Claudius’s and his mother’s actions. He is weary about Claudius’s true motives and his mother’s decision to quickly marry his uncle. However, he does not want to reveal his true feelings and thus, tries to keep his speech short and to the point, which demonstrates to the reader Hamlet’s cleverness.

Second Paragraph- outer persona of Claudius

King page 726: though yet of Hamlet out dear brother’s death the memory be green, and that it us befitted to bear our hearts in grief and our whole kingdom to be contracted in one brow of woe,

King page 728: ‘Tis sweet and commendable in your nature, hamlet, to give theses mourning duties to your father.

King page 726: With mirth in funeral and with dirge in marriage, in equal scale weighing delight and dole,

King page 727: the head is not more native to the heart, the hand more instrumental to the mouth than is the throne of Denmark to my father.

King 729: you are the most immediate to our throne 

Third Paragraph- inner persona of Hamlet

Hamlet page 728: a little more than kin, and less than kind!  ((hanmlets relationship to cladius has become more than kingship warrents; it has become unnatural. ))

Hamlet page 730: --frailty, thy name is woman

Hamlet page 730: she married. O,most wicked speed, post with such dexterity to incestuous sheets

Hamlet page 730: but break, my heart; for I must hold my tongue

·      Hamlet’s Soliloquy

Hamlet page 730; O. that his too too solid flesh would melt…. His cannon ‘gainst self-slaughter! O God! God!

Hamlet page 733: My father’s spirit in arms! All is not well; I doubt some foul play: would the night were come!till then sit still, my soul: foul deeds will rise, though all the earth o’erwhelmm them to men’s eyes.

Fourth paragraph- inner persona Claudius

King page    729: The survivor bound in filial obligation for some term To do obsequious sorrow: but to persever in obstinate condolment is a course of impious stubbornness; ‘tis unmanly grief; it shows a will most incorrect to heaven

             

Figurative Language

       Figurative language is language that uses figures of speech such as simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, understatement, irony, and paradox. Figurative language is a useful technique that authors utilize to draw the attention of the reader to an event within a play or novel. In William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, figurative language is commonly used to convey dramatic effects. For instance, within Hamlet’s soliloquy, there are numerous instances in which he uses figurative language.  An indirect form of personification is used when he says, “Frailty, thy name is woman” because he is giving an adjective the characteristics of a person. By doing so, he is showing the degree of disgust he has for his mother, who married his uncle less than two months after his father’s death.  Another example of personification is when he refers to his uncle and mother’s bed as “incestuous sheets.” By giving the sheets, humanlike characteristics, Hamlet is able to further show the disgracefulness of his mother’s marriage to his uncle. A simile is used when he says,” My father’s brother, but no more like my father than I to Hercules.”  This simile is showing how his uncle, King Claudius, is far from being as kind and as excellent a king as his father. He shows the dissimilitude of King Claudius and his father by comparing himself to an intangible character such as Hercules. A metaphor is used when he says, “ ‘tis an unweeded garden, that grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature possess it merely.” The metaphor is used to draw attention to Hamlet’s vision of the world. Shakespeare uses such figurative language regularly throughout his plays, especially Hamlet.

Setting

         The setting of a novel or place describes the time and location in which the story takes place. The setting is a very vital aspect of the plot because it allows the reader background information for understanding the characters and their actions. In Jane Austen’s novel, Pride and Prejudice, is set in the turn of the 19^th century during the Napoleonic Wars. It takes place in Longbourn, England. Combining the fact that the story took place prior to the Feminist Movement and in a rural town, the setting allows readers to better understand the society that Austen creates. Austen has a comical town and ridicules the fact that in this period marriages were based on social acceptance rather than love. William Shakespeare’s play, “Hamlet”, is set in in the 1600’s during the late medieval period. It takes place in Denmark. The setting of the play correlates with the dark and melancholy tone of the play.

Hamlet Introduction Paragraph

Introduction:

            The ability to write a great novel or play generally comes down to whether or not the characters are believable. Great authors throughout literature have been able to skillfully create characters through various methods. William Shakespeare is renowned for his ability to produce characters that readers are able to understand and even relate to. This ability has lead to his numerous masterpieces. In his play, “Hamlet,” Shakespeare utilizes numerous techniques to capture the essence of the various characters. More specifically, Shakespeare cleverly depicts the true character of Hamlet and King Claudius by contrasting the elements of their speech in terms of diction, intent, and beliefs.

Diction:

Hamlet- short and logical answers towards Claudius, shows his intelligence

            Sad at beginning then uses words to emphasis his anger and need for revenge

Claudius- long speech’s to show him trying to prove and point and to persuade

            His diction shows that he is hiding something

Intent:

Hamlet- To revenge his father’s murder and to prove Claudius’s illegitimacy as king.

Claudius- To remain king and prevent others from knowing his true identity

Beliefs

Hamlet- To preserve truth and goodness.

Claudius- believes he is the rightful ruler of the land and thus, it is appropriate to go to any extent to reinstate that right.

The Speech Of Hamlet Vs. King Claudius

               Speech is an important tool that an author uses to develop characters. In Hamlet, William Shakespeare employs soliloquies an as important technique to reveal the character of Hamlet. A soliloquy is when a character has a monologue alone on stage, which reveals his or her thoughts or emotions out loud.  In Act I, Hamlet has one major soliloquy that describes his disapproval of his mother marrying his uncle so quickly after his father’s death. He is hysterical and suicidal, which shows the reader that Hamlet is a caring man, who not only loved his father, but also wishes to respect and defend his memory. Hamlet speaks with many metaphors and allusions, which allow the reader to better understand his character. He compares his father to the Hyperian, the sun God. In addition, Hamlet says, “Frailty thy, name is woman!” which shows that he is disgusted with his mother’s actions because she married his father’s brother in “most wicked speed.” He refers to their marriage to be in “incestuous sheets.” Even though his mother marrying his uncle is not technically a form of incest, Hamlet considers it so because it occurred within a month of his father’s death. Hamlet contemplates suicide when he says, “ his cannon ‘gainst self-slaughter!’ but instead he decides to hold his pain in even though it breaks his heart to watch his mother disrespect his father. Shakespeare elevates Hamlet in the eyes of the reader through his advanced speech. In contrast, King Claudius does not have soliloquies because Shakespeare does not want the reader to understand his inner thought processes and motives too quickly. Initially, King Claudius is illustrated to be a noble, caring man who wants to comfort Hamlet due to the loss of his father. He refers to Hamlet as his “son” and wishes that the memory of his dear brother’s death to be remembered. However, his speech is full of contradictions, which shows the reader that he is not trustworthy. He refers to Hamlet as his “cousin” and his “son.” He scolds Hamlet for mourning for too long. The speech of the King does not contain metaphors, allusions, or soliloquies. Thus, through speech, Hamlet is immediately seen to be the determined hero of the play while the King is seen to be the untrustworthy villain.