Hamlet
The play Hamlet is written by William Shakespeare, the greatest drama as well as the greatest poet in the world literature in The English Renaissance. Hamlet is a publication of the Pennsylvania State University and Jim Manic, the faculty editor. Hamlet, the most famous masterpiece of Shakespeare, one of the four tragedies among his lifetime works. The play is written in old English. Whole story can be divided into five acts, and each act contains several scenes in which the author introduces the main character and background information including some asides. The theme of the book is the record of the process that Hamlet, prince of Denmark, plans to average his father’s murder.
The gist of the story is as follow. The story is set on the eve of Elsionre. Denmark court in the Middle Ages. Hamlet, the prince of the Denmark, is the leading role. The king of Denmark dies, his brother Claudius becomes the new king. Claudius marries Gertrude, queen of Denmark, Hamlet’s mother within two months. Having known his father is murdered, Hamlet is determined to revenge for his father’s deaths.
At the beginning of the play, the ghost of the dead king appears to two officers at a plantform before the castle. The tell the appearance of the ghost to Horatio, Hamlet’s loyal, best friend. At this moment, Hamlet is extremely upset about his mother’s over-hasty remarriage with Claudius, his uncle within that short time. Hamlet has fall in love with a pure, pretty beautiful girl, Ophelia. Ophelia is the daughter of Polonius, the lord chamberlain of the new king. Ophelia tells Laertes her brother and polonus that of late Hamlet has expressed his affection to her. They give advice and attempt to convince Ophelia to stop seeing and give up Hamlet. Having been told the existence of the ghost, Hamlet goes to the ghost on his own. The ghost informs Hamlet of the course of his father’s killing, and does wish that Hamlet must figure out a way to average his father’s death by Claudius.
In the following, Hamlet begins his proposed for revenge. He pretends to be crazy and full of madness. Ophelia tells Hamlet’s piteous look to her father. Polonius goes to the court, and intended to have the king know Hamlet’s state. Queen Gerttrude believes that her son is mad for his father’s death and her over-hasty marriage. Polonius presents the paper from Hamlet to Ophelia to Claudius and Gertrude. They wonder it and decide to examine whether Hamlet is really crazy. Polonius is scheduled to send Rosencrantz and Guildensten, Hamlet’s classfellows for killing Hamlet. Now, there come several good players. Hamlet comes up with an idea to
have these players play something like the murder of his father before Claudius. He hopes to catch the conscience of the king through observing Claudius’s looks.
Hamlet’s speech is interrupted when he sees Ophelia. He attacks Ophelia and claims that he does not love her any more. Polonius assumes that the origin of Hamlet’s grief springs from neglected love for Ophelia. While Claudius thinks Hamlet’s affections do not that way tend and doubts his strange behavior will be some danger. Hamlet meets the players to direct a play, and invites Claudius and Gertrude to do
observation. The play The Mousetrap which is the image of a murder done as Hamlet’s father’s killing is performed. In the play, the poisoner takes off the king’s crown, pouring poison in the king’s ears when the king is asleep in the garden as usual. Then the murderer marries the queen. That’s the way that Claudius kills his brother. Before the play is over, the king leaves. Hamlet does very well note Claudius, and is convinced that Claudius is responsible for the murder of his father. The king is eager to send Hamlet away. Gertrude has Hamlet sought for a talk. Polonius hides behind the arras to in the ear of all their conference .During their talk, Hamlet hears something sounds and consider it is Claudius. Without doubt, Hamlet makes a pass through the arras and kills Polonius by mistake. Thus bad begins and worse remains behind.
Gertrude informs Claudius of Polonius’s king by Hamlet because of his lawless fit. Claudius says he will ship Hamlet out hence. The king is calculated to send Hamlet to England and have him murdered. Hamlet sees the army of Fortinbars during the journey. Meanwhile, Ophelia is driven crazy by Polonius death and the away of Hamlet. Laertes in secret comes from France to avenge his father. Claudius declares clearly that his is guiltless of Polonius’s murder, and succeeds in persuading Laertes to blame the death on Hamlet. When it comes to Hamlet, the king has detailed two Hamlet’s schoolfellows with Hamlet, purposing to send out a letter with Hamlet’s name on and have Hamlet killed. Nevertheless, Hamlet is likely to get the letter and do a turn for his partners’ name .As a consequence, the two die and Hamlet is security. Therefore Hamlet goes back to Denmark. On the other hand, Claudius feels terrified by Hamlet’s sudden back and makes
a sea of attempts to fight Hamlet with Laertes. Unfortunately, poor young Ophelia is drowned herself as she is driven into desperate terms.
Worse still, Hamlet and Laertes come across at Ophelia’s funeral ceremony. Hamlet views herself as the wonder-wounded hearer, and fights with Laertes in Ophelia’s grave, parted by attendants. Hamlet is allowed to struggle a sea-fight with Laertes. The king, queen and all are coming down to watch the fight. Both of them starts with foils .After a while, Claudius drinks to Hamlet’s heath. However, in order to play this about first, Hamlet sets it by awhile. Without knowing the whole scheme , Queen drinks, using the poisonous cup meant to prepare for Hamlet by Claudius. It’s too late for Claudias to stop Gertrude. The two competitors continue their battle. Several bouts later, Laertes wounds Hamlet then in scuffing, they change rapiers, and Hamlet wounds Latertes in turn. Gertrude swounds, laying on the ground. Hamlet and Laertes deal with treacherous behavior by Claudius. As everyone imagines, the total conspirary is arranged by Claudius, pouring poison on both Laerte’s sword and Hamlet’s cup. Obviously, Hamlet manages to stab Claudius, and Claudius dies before Hamlet falls. In addition, Hamlet has his close friend Horatio draw his breath in pain and tell his story. Eventually, the army marchsafar off, shotting within Denmark, the prince Fortinbras becomes the king of Demark.
After I have finished reading the book, I find it benefits me a lot. Although I can’t totally understand the old English particularly an ocean of excellent monologues of
Characters like Hamlet, I am still able to catch the essential points of Hamlet for the first time to read original literature works. Sorts of brief but classical dialogues make an impressive impression on me ,part of which have become famous proverbs being widely used till nowadays. For instance, Hamlet’s remarks” to be or not to be, is the question” is constantly been quoted when modern individuals are trying to make a hard decision whether to give up or not.
Having accomplished the work, a couple of leading of characters impress me deeply. Hamlet once is an optimistic, happy prince, while becomes heavyhearted after his father’s death and his mother’s over-hasty marriage. It rightly turns out a usual saying that a person’s characteristic change up to the circumstance to be right. I have great sympathy for Ophelia, a fairy kindhearted girl. She has to deny Hamlet’s affection for her in her situation and bear huge pain alone within heart. She loses her lover as well as his father. Therefore, she is driven into desperate states. She dies at last. As to Laertes, he is completely taken advantage of by foxy Claudius for his urgent mentality to average his father a bad ending.
Claudius, a murderer and a poisoner, should be blamed for the tragedy. I’ll analyze his characteristic in detail. First of all, Claudius is cruel person. He uses such a cruel method that pours poison in the king’s ears to murder his brother when the king is in the sleeping. He also takes up his brother’s wife regardless of feeling of brothers. At the end of the story, Claudius does further think double ways to kill Hamlet. That is, to pour poison on both Hamlet’s cup and Laertess’s sword. Above all, he is rather cold-blooded and self despite that Claudius has done sorts of wrongdoings, he is still in upset. He comforts himself that his fault is past, and compares his doing to ambition, which is ridiculous. Claudius prays that god forgives his foul murder. Moreover,Claudius is doubtful and foxy. When Polonius concludes that Hamlet is mad for his love, Ophelia. Claudius doubts Hamlet’s madness and thinks out kinds of ways to test of him. When he knows Hamlet is not really crazy, he assumes that Hamlet is full of threats and some danger to him. So he is meant to send Hamlet out of the country and have Hamlet murder. In addition, Claudius takes advantage of others as his tool to reach his purpose. He lets Gratrude to talk with Hamlet and sends Polonius to hear their conference.
Both Laertes and his father are used by Claudius, with ending of dying. Let’s see how Claudius persuades Laertes to fight with Hamlet. Firstly, Claudius announces that he is guiltless of Polonius’s death and most sensible in grief for it. He shows that he has nothing to do with Laertes’s father’s killing to get close to Laertes. What’s more, he wants to purchase Laertes with money, power. Claudius even promises to give his kingdom, crown and life to Laertes in his satisfaction. Of course, he definitely knows laertes will not accept. Claudius takes further measures to win Laertes’s father. These fake words come from Claudius. Finally, Claudius’s comspriracy is realized, he asks Laertes “ will you be ruled by me”, Laertes agrees.Claudius urges Laertes to undertake the action with the words “to show yourself your father’s son in deed more than in words”. That’s how Claudius makes use of Laertes step by step. Claudius dies and gets punishment what he deserves at last.
Reading hamlet is quiet a valuable experience in which I understand a lot. The ending is miserable, all the main characters die, while it deserves thinking deeply.
Self Assessment
I choose the appreciation of British and American classical as the elective course this semester. I think it is a good opportunity for me to learn specialized knowledge about the classical British and American literature. Under the guidance of teacher, I can enjoy the good movies both classical and modern more in depth. Moreover, I develop a habit to read some article written in English, and often scan magazines, such as TIMES.
Thank you.
I will give my thesis 9 points.