Hamlet By William Shakespeare - Book Report/Review Example

Erin Maceiko September 2005 Summer '05 Final Paper # 2 Hamlet By William Shakespeare Great works of literature are capable of creating worlds where the characters and their environments come alive as we read. Hamlet, one of the masterworks of William Shakespeare, is one of the best examples of a complex characterization and a splendid use of setting rarely achieved with such genius by writers. Characterization and setting become critical for literature in the sense that, it is through them, that the experience of literature can be truly fulfilled; it is the reason why sometimes we feel that we travel to the places described and we get to know the characters created. According to Lee Jacobus, "Setting refers to the environment, the physical place and time, in which the story takes place". (Jacobus, 68). This means that it refers not only to the physical world and time where the play is set, but also the social environment of the characters. This can include: customs, manners, moral values that rule the society. In Hamlet, the setting is much more than simply Elsinore, Denmark. Shakespeare establishes Elsinore as a dark, morally backward environment where corruption and deception, rather than truth and honor, thrive. This powerful setting consumes nearly all the characters that come in contact with it within the play. According to P.J. Clarkson, setting is an indispensable factor that molds the personalities and actions of the characters. All aspects of society and culture in Denmark are penetrated by the deep stain of corruption and deception. Not surprisingly, an underlying theme throughout this work is one of hypocrisy and false appearances. For example, Hamlet characterizes his fellow Danes when he muses that "one may smile and smile and be a villain./ At least I am sure is may be so in Denmark" (1.5.115-116). For in Denmark, things are not always how they outwardly seem. Hamlet also justifiably refers to Denmark as "an unweeded garden" (1.2.139). This poignant imagery suggests that the gardener, or king is responsible for allowing his garden, or kingdom, to become infested with evil. An air of distrust is also a constant looming presence in Hamlet. Characters frequently spy on each other, going to great lengths to discover the hidden secrets of their deceptive foes. The Danish world as a whole is afflicted by a foul virus that has spread to all areas of its existence, causing Elsinore and its inhabitants to rot and decay. Gertrude, the queen, sets a prime example of how setting can impact a character particularly because she undergoes a quite drastic transformation, which is also related to characterization, since it makes her a dynamic character. Before Denmark sunk to its worst, Gertrude had been a role model for women; she was faithfully married to the king and was true and loyal to his every wish. However, just as Eve succumbed to evil in the Garden of Eden, Gertrude was swift to turn against her husband, thereby succumbing to the hypocrisy that was becoming common to Elsinore. The ghost of King Hamlet characterizes Gertrude as "my most seeming-virtuous queen"(1.5.53), recognizing that his former wife only pretends to be virtuous. She became an adulteress, and out on only a brief display of mourning after her husband's death before rushing to "incestuous sheets" (1.2.162). In this act, Gertrude allowed herself to become completely corrupted by the serpent, Claudius. The queen upholds her impurity when she knowingly allows Polonius to spy on Hamlet during her personal conversation with him, degrading her respect for her own son, and turning to the path of deception. In nearly all instances, Gertrude allows her actions to be controlled by the king of corruption, Claudius. Her willingness to conform to his demands is unnatural, as is most of the world of Denmark, and demonstrates her overall moral weakness. Two characters undoubtedly affected by the corruption and deception of Denmark are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. These men were two of Hamlet's fondest childhood friends, yet they turn against him with little hesitation. Apparently, in Denmark, loyalty and brotherhood are immaterial characteristics. In response to being summoned by the king and queen, the Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were more star-struck and power-hungry than concerned for the well-being of their friend. Perhaps this was due to Claudius' promise of "thanks/as fits a king's remembrance" (2.2.25-26) another indication that personal appearance and status trumped honor and honesty. Giving in to the backward ideals of Elsinore, the two men agree to underhandedly spy on their friend. However, when Hamlet later discovers that his two friends will escort him to his planned death, their partnership with deception backfires as Hamlet ironically turns the tables and arranges for their own death. This demonstrates how the corruption of Denmark eventually engulfs all those who reside there, even those who initially seek to use it to their own advantage. In Hamlet, the dark and decaying setting of Denmark strongly influences the characters within the play. Most choose to conform to their surroundings, allowing themselves to be sucked into a corrupt ideology. The resulting behavior of these characters proves true the clich that a person is a product of his or her environment. In any literary work, setting gives a new depth to the full understanding of a character and the origins of his or her motives. Setting is therefore and important element of a literary work because it defines and highlights the quintessence of a character. Characterization is the process by which a writer makes that character seem real to the reader. "In some works characters possess a psychological complexity resembling our own. Hamlet, for instance, is one of literature's most psychologically complex characters" (Jacobus, 69). The method of characterization includes (1) showing the character's appearance, (2) displaying the character's actions, (3) revealing the character's thoughts, (4) letting the character speak, and (5) getting the reactions of others. (Nellen Literary Terms). Shakepeare brilliantly managed to create well-round, human characters, while giving them a universalistic quality. They are not static, one-dimensional characters. Hamlet, for example, changes through the course of the play. In Act II, Hamlet is angry with himself because he has done nothing with his plan to kill Claudius. It also bothers him that he is not as emotional as the actor on the stage, which is portraying him. "O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!/Is it not monstrous that this player here,/But in fiction, in a dream of passion,/Could force his soul so to his own conceit/That from her working all his visage wann'd,/Tears in his eyes, distraction in's aspect,/A broken voice, and his whole function suiting. One of the most unique elements of the Hamlet character is that he is so human. Many types of readers can identify with him. Hamlet is imperfect, and he is fretful. Hamlet has human, identifiable properties, and dilemmas to face, just like modern men do. Ophelia's character is portrayed as a beautiful but simple-minded woman, easily dominated by the more powerful opinions and desires of others, specially her father's and brother's. The love letters from Hamlet also swayed her opinions and confused her mind. Ophelia wasn't able to realize herself because of all the pressures exerted on her to be something she's not. That weakness of mind and will, which permitted her obedience to her father and thus destroyed her hope for Hamlet's love, finally resulted in her insanity and death. When her father had challenged the honor of Hamlet's intentions, Ophelia could only reply "I do not know, my lord, what I should think" (III). Shakespeare presents the characters in a three-dimensional mold. It's easy for us to think of someone we know who has faced dilemmas like Hamlet, or a pretty but fragile woman like Ophelia. "Hamlet has over 20 characters with speaking roles; and in occupations from king to grave-digger; and in 20 different scenes; and with a differentiation in speech, actions, etc. between every single individual character" (Heilman). This variety in characterization is hard to find, and that is one of the reasons it is so important in the masterworks of literature. It is through a genial characterization and a thoughtful use of the setting, that Shakespeare delivered one of the most influential works in the history of literature. Bibliography Shakespeare, W. The Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark. 1992. The Folger Shakespeare Library: New York. Bain, C., Beaty, J, & Hurter, P. The Norton Introduction to Literature. 1973. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. Wright, Louis B. and LaMar, Virginia A. "Hamlet: A Man Who Thinks Before He Acts" 1999 Greenhaven Press, Inc. San Diego Heilman, Robert B.. "The Role We Give Shakespeare" Princeton. Princeton University Press, 1965 Jacobus, Lee A. Literature An Introduction to Critical Reading. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1996. Nellen, Theodore D. "Literary Terms." October 26th, 2005. Elements of Literature. October 26th, 2005 http://web.cocc.edu/lisal/literaryterms/elements_of_literature.htm" Read More