Words

Throughout the play Hamlet, William Shakespeare employs certain diction to help emphasis and exemplify certain themes.  For instance, in the graveyard scene (811-815), Hamlet effectively portrays the theme of the mystery of death. The two clowns attitudes towards the dead conflict with the more revering attitude Hamlet. Furthermore, when Hamlet holds up the skull, it undeniably foreshadows his death and the death of practically everyone in his family. In Hamlets “to be or not to be” (766-769) soliloquy, he constantly asks himself rhetorical questions. Theses unanswerable questions parallel Hamlet to King Claudius. Although they both appear to be different, they are extremely similar. Both characters has the ability to manipulate and use others to their advantage. Ironically, this leads to theirs deaths at the end of the play. In King Claudius’ soliloquy, he asks himself rhetorical questions about confession and going to heaven. His tone is one of anger towards his actions and desperation. He is desperate to not be set to the underworld. Ironically, instead of seeking console, he devises plans to murder Hamlet. In the scene, “Do it, England” (792-795), the reader can see how worried King Claudius is of Hamlet. The emphasis on the words “Do IT” helps emphasis the panic and desperation King Claudius is in. He believes that the only way to survive is to ship Hamlet to his death. In the last scene of the play, (826-830), hamlet and his relative kill each other. Horatio is the only survivor of the pandemonium.  The ending serves as a lesson to all. Vengeance is nothing but trouble and leads to more chaos and suffering; in the most tragic fashion. As they say,  “eye for an eye, [would] make the whole world blind.” 

Figurative Language in Hamlet

       Figurative language is language that uses figures of speech such as metaphor, smile, personification, understatement, paradox, irony and hyperbole. It is a useful tool that enables authors to draw the attention of the reader to an event within a play or novel. In the play Hamlet, William Shakespeare commonly uses figurative language to point out dramatic events. For instance, in King Claudius’ soliloquy, there are many different instances in which he uses figurative language. His use of figurative language enables him to easily manipulate all the characters around him in particular Laertes. One example of figurative language is when king Claudius states,      “ With mirth in funeral and with dirge in marriage.” Not only is it an ironic statement, but it is also metaphoric for how King Claudius feels about the whole situation he has created. The statement at first glance appears to be good: however, when you look at the literal meaning of the words mirth and dirge you see that in reality it is an extremely negative sentence. It also serves as incriminating evidence of King Claudius’ actions. Shakespeare uses such figurative language regularly throughout his plays, especially Hamlet.

How King Claudius Manipulates Laertes

         In William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, King Claudius’ most profound trait is his ability to manipulate others. Throughout the play, Claudius manipulates a number of characters. In particular, he manipulates Laertes into killing Hamlet. One factor that enables him to manipulate others so well is overarching attitude and tone. King Claudius has the ability to stay calm and poised, which enables him to manipulate others. Another factor that enables Claudius to manipulate Laertes so well is his continues usage of words to encourage Laertes. He states, “Good Laertes” and “like a good child and true gentleman” to encourage Laertes and prove to him that Claudius is on his side. King Claudius seals the deal by saying, “let the great axe fall.” This resembles the justice that should fall on Hamlet. It also allows Claudius to make Laertes feel that he is on his side. King Claudius’ ability to manipulate is a trait necessary of all villains and thus, proves how truly evil King Claudius is. 

Hamlet's Attitude Towards His Mother

       In the beginning of the play, Hamlet seems to be an obedient character towards his mother. For instance, when his mother asks him to stay in in Denmark, as appose to going back to school, Hamlet responds, “I shall in all my best obey you, madam.” Hamlets obedience towards his mother is a sign of respect that was expected from a son during the era. However, as the play continues and Hamlet’s “mental” state begins to change, we notice a shift in tone towards his mother. Instead of a respectful tone towards his mother, Hamlet begins to disdain his mother. He feels that “to marry only two months [after]” King Hamlet’s death, especially to Claudius, is extremely disrespectfully and disloyal. For example, when Hamlet first meets the ghost, instead of fusing over the traitorous Claudius, the two accuse Gertrude of being incestuous. Furthermore, Hamlet verbally abuses his mother by calling her acts “incestuous.” In the scene when Hamlet kills Polonius, he forcefully sits his mother down and tries to reason with her. Although he believes he has won his mothers trust and enabled her to understand the errors of her ways, in reality, his verbal and physical abuse of her in that scene further proves to his mother that Hamlet is “mentally” unstable. As Hamlet’s “mental” state throughout the play changes, so does his attitude with his mother. This enables William Shakespeare’s to draw the reader into the play and create for a more interesting story with changing personas. Thus, this technique has enabled William Shakespeare to create a work of art that has transcended time. 

Sound

      Music is created in poetry through sound. Techniques such as rhyme, cadence, enjambment, and caesura can be used to create sound. In addition, alliteration, assonance, and onomatopoeia can also add to the musical quality of poetry. The analysis of sound adds to the meaning of a poetry or play. In Robert Frost’s poem, “Out-Out-,“ there are various sounds. Onomatopoeia is used in the words “buzz” and “rattled.” Alliteration is used when he says, “ and the saw snarled and rattles, snarled and rattled.” Cleverly, the use of sound in the poem personifies the inanimate saw. In William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, sound is employed as a mechanism to draw the reader’s attention to certain situations or emotions. When the ghost first arrives, Horatio uses alliteration when he says, speak of it: stay and speak! Stop it, Marcellus.” In this quote, alliteration is used to portray the sense of fear the characters have to the reader. The usage of sound is important in both “Out-Out-“ and Hamlet because it accentuates important events and ideas. 

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In contrast, Claudius’s public speech style is to use long speeches, much of which is stained with contradictions, which demonstrates his guilt. Claudius states, “though yet of Hamlet our dear brother’s death the memory be green, and that it us befitted to bare our hearts in grief and our whole kingdom to be contracted in one brow of woe.” (726) Here Claudius is promoting mourning of the entire kingdom for the recent death of his brother. However, shortly after, he contradicts himself. He scolds Hamlet for mourning his father, even though he told the entire kingdom that they should be mourning. Claudius thinks it is inappropriate for Hamlet to continue to mourn for his father, as death is a common part of life. Claudius says, “To do obsequious sorrow: but to persever in obstinate condolement is a course of impious stubbornness; ‘tis unmanly grief.” (728) Another contradiction in Claudius’s speech is when he says, “ With mirth in funeral and with dirge in marriage, in equal scale weighing delight and dole.” (726) Claudius is clearly implicating himself because he is saying that there is amusement in death and sadness in marriage, which foreshadows that he was responsible for his brother’s death and his marriage is not sincere. Furthermore, admist his long speeches, his ignorance causes him to show his guilt. Claudius tells Hamlet, " you are the most immediate to our throne” (729). This again shows that Claudius is responsible for his brother’s death because he is saying that Hamlet should be the King of Denmark. Thereby, Claudius implicates himself due to his long contradictory speeches and ignorance.

Symbols and Themes

Symbols such as objects, places, events, are used in poetry and novels in order to draw the attention of the reader or add to the complexity of the work. Symbols can be used to develop a characters view. However, symbols are unique and do not always mean the same thing in different pieces. The theme of a work of literature is revealed through the plot, characters, setting, point of view and symbols. The theme is what the work says about the subject. A literary work usually has more than one theme. Different individuals can interpret a piece of work differently, due to their own ideas and experiences and thus, develop different themes. At times, a theme can even be a question, such as an intellectual or moral dilemma.

 In the poem,” The Second Coming,” William Butler Yeats relates his apocalyptic vision of humanity in the years after World War I.  He uses the ‘Falcon’s gyre” to symbolize the cycles of history and how the present world is coming to an end. The “falcon” symbolizes the prey while the “falconer” symbolizes the predator. He says, “ the falcon can not hear the falconer,” which shows that after World War I the state of society was in complete chaos. He uses imagery of the “blood-dimmed tide” to symbolize how death and destruction is inevitable and can not be stopped. He says the  “Spiritus Mundi” which symbolizes the soul of the world, is “troubling his sight.” This shows that he has lost hope in human nature and predicts that doom is imminent.  He uses the image of a “shape with lion body and the head of a man” to show that even though the people may appear to be human, in reality they are lions that have no conscience that will kill ruthlessly like they did in World War I.

In William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, the theme of death is repeated throughout. Hamlet not only wants to revenge his father’s death, but also contemplates his own suicide constantly. Hamlet is plagued with these continuous thoughts of death and whether life exists after death and whether it is moral to commit suicide.  The theme of revenge is closely tied to the them of death, as Hamlet can not conclude his mission to revenge his father’s death until Claudius is dead.