Act 1 Scene 2 Of Hamlet

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Those reading Hamlet quickly find that nothing in the day of the life of Hamlet is normal, and truths are not readily available. In Act I, Scene II of Hamlet, William Shakespeare repeatedly illuminates the complications of the young Hamlet’s life through the character’s thoughts. The soliloquy “O, that this too too-solid flesh would melt”, depicts his morbid frame of mind that encompasses the frustrations of living in a deceit-filled home. Shakespeare uses dark, disease ridden imagery as a scaffolding for conflict and themes to appear surrounding Hamlet in the play. The theme of life versus death is pertinent throughout the entire play. Hamlet is regularly debating the positive aspects to staying alive, even though he would rather his "flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew" (I, II,…show more content…
Shakespeare repeatedly uses classical allusion to create bonds between the characters and their personalities. Hamlet readily compares his father and Claudius as "Hyperion to a satyr" (I, II, 140), showing how highly he thinks of his late father, and how much he despises Claudius for being underhanded and crude. As much as he dislikes Claudius, he resents his mother even more for her "unrighteous tears" (I, II, 154). Her immense amount of crying over his father, just before proceeding to marry his uncle, makes Hamlet suspect that she was never truly in mourning, similar to the tale of "Niobe, [who was] all tears" (I, II, 149) after the death of her children. Gertrude appears to have been putting on a facade for attention and sympathy. Hamlet believes she "hang[s] on" (I, II, 143) to whichever man she is married to, until he no longer is around. Then she moves to the next after faking a mourning period. He perceives her as weak and "frail[...]" (I, II, 146). This attitude of believing one person is completely double sided will create a paranoia that continues to drive Hamlet

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