Analysis of Hamlet by Shakespeare - Essay Example

Hamlet Hamlet, a tragedy play by Shakespeare, presents many flaws in the structure of the drama. During the creation of the play, the author failed to follow several rules, such as the rule governing that action should dominate more in a play over a specific character. During the period of the creation of the play, play writers followed advice of Aristotle, which made a declaration that a drama should not make a lot of focus on a character but should concentrate on the action instead. The author focused more on Hamlet instead concentrating on the action itself. Instead, the scenes are soliloquies because the main character, Hamlet, makes a revelation of his motives and thoughts to the audience. The play lacks a strong type of subplot. All the forks of the plot are connected directly to the main characters’ struggle of gaining revenge. There are so many forms of discontinuities created and action irregularities. This is clear because at one moment, it brings out Hamlet as resolved and ready to kill his father’s murderer, Claudius. However, in the next scene, Belmont becomes tame about the revenge. This brings intentional to bring out the theme of confusion clearly or they are mistakes in the structure of the drama. Normally, many plays took two hours to deliver the intended information but for Hamlet, it took four hours to deliver. It is the longest play consisting of 4,042 lines with 29,551 words (Cantor 58). The language used in the play is witty, which is courtlier. This language outlines the rules governing a royal court. Royal servants are advised to amuse their masters or rulers using their own inventive type of language. Characters who follow and respect this suggestion of use of inventive language, is Osric and Polonius. The speech made by Claudius comprises of many figures of rhetoric. Other characters in the play who use this type of speech are Hamlet and the Ophelia. However, Horatio, guards and the diggers of graves used simpler methods in their speeches. Claudius is portrayed demonstrating a form of authority control over the language that a king should use. He refers himself in the first person plural. He uses anaphora combined with metaphor and this brings back the speeches made during Greek politics. There is mixing of prose and verses in the play (59). Amongst all the characters, it seems Hamlet is the most educated in terms of usage of rhetoric, anaphora just as the king. However, he seems to have more knowledge in asyndeton and use of most developed forms of metaphors. The character is more precise and in other cases un-flowery. This is clear when he explains his emotions towards his mother when he says that, “But I have that within which passes show, these but the trapping and the suits of the woe”. In this case, the character is portrayed precise and genuine. Occasionally, Hamlet seems to rely on puns when expressing sincere thoughts but he conceals confusion whether the problems arising from the play are simultaneous. When he made a remark to Ophelia about her going to “nunnery”, this is a cruel word, which has two meanings. Queen Elizabeth used this word instead of a brothel. When Claudius addressed, “My cousin Hamlet, and my son”, Hamlet speaks directly to the audience using an aside. Claudius and other characters could not hear. Hamlet said that Claudius is a little more kin and less than kind. This represents a thought, which has not yet been spoken (60). The style of language used is complicated. It is clear that the author made use of some unusual rhetoric called hendiadys. This appears in many parts of the play. For example, in the nunnery part of the play, Ophelia made a speech which had the use of the hendiadys when she said, 'expectancy and rose of the fair state"; "And I, of ladies most deject and wretched". It seems abnormal and odd for the author to use this form of rhetoric in the play throughout. In this play, the language of characters can talk about many things at the same time. This brings contradiction and confusion in the meaning of what the author has spoken about characters. This results to fragmentation in thoughts and disturbance of feelings. A good example is when Hamlet tells Ophelia to get a nunnery for herself. This can mean a chastity place and a term meaning brothel. This makes a reflection of confusion in Hamlet’s feelings about the sexuality of females. The play is generally complex for an average type of audience because the language used is contradicting and difficult to understand (62). These critics are clear because, comparing to other plays created by Shakespeare, this play lacks the quality in terms of plot, structure, and language. It leaves unclear character traits of Hamlet. There is confusion whether he was mad or he was just tricking the king in order to conduct his revenge. It seems he is a Catholic but the religion does not allow people to revenge but God should do the revenge himself. However, if Hamlet had the determination to do what the ghost ordered him to do, then he would not delay but would take a fast action. The character is confusing and he leads to many other deaths yet the only focus was to revenge against Claudius. Therefore, this brings doubt whether the ghost was true or just an evil spirit because at the end of all, the kingship is taken over by a Norwegian. During Hamlet’s father rule, Norwegians claimed that there was some of its land grabbed Denmark. Therefore, this does not solve anything (64). The language used in the play is confusing and unclear. In such a case, it is hard for one to understand the main meaning of a characters speech. About the nanny issue spoken by Hamlet, one cannot tell whether he had a positive or a negative meaning. This brings confusion whether he really loved Ophelia. These critics are not influenced by the era when the play was created. During those times, there were rules that governed writing. The author used a character in scenes instead of using actions in the scenes. There were so many characters ho lost their fathers in a wrong manner, but they did not take any revenge. This makes one wonder why Hamlet was the only person who felt the pain and had to revenge. Therefore, the ghost brings in confusion, it caused many deaths that occurred, and it used Hamlet to be the main actor in the deaths. It is clear that after the ghost appeared, that is when Hamlet decided to take revenge though during the play in a play in the courtroom gives some truth that Claudius might have been the murderer of Hamlet. The other subplots are just forming a delay of Hamlets action of revenge. These critics bring in the change in the play’s theme. Confusion theme is clear through the language style used, confused and unclear plot and Hamlet’s real character traits. Hamlet is mad but it is not clear to everyone. He is not a hero because he delayed to perform his task meaning that he was a coward. Therefore, he is an evil person because he caused deaths of other people who were not the main target of his revenge. He was a form of misery in the society because a time it was hard for people to understand his deeds. Christianity is well expressed in the book through the Catholic denomination. Hamlet was a Catholic but did not do according to what the religion requires of him. The religion does not allow people to revenge against those who do wrong but God is the only person who can undertake revenge (65). Hamlet is not a hero in the book. He does not have the courage to face Claudius and instead uses a long method of eliminating him. A hero is a person who has self-confidence, courage to fight for the right, strong to overcome any hard situation and intelligent. When Claudius invited Hamlet at the end of the play, Hamlet went unprepared yet he knew that Claudius was not a good person. He did not think critically when offered the wine. A hero is a person who identifies the enemy and prepares to face the enemy courageously. Though Hamlet killed Claudius, he caused other people die. He did not protect other people as heroes do. Work cited Cantor, A. Paul. Shakespeare: Hamlet. New York: Cambridge University Press. 2004. Print. Read More