Isabella Salcedo Ms. Katherine Persitz English 4A 4 December 2013 Polonius: Marxist Critical Theory Throughout one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays, Hamlet, many critical theories are evident. A critical theory is a philosophical approach to culture or literature, in this case literature, that seeks to confront the social, historical and ideological forces and structures that produce and constrain it. One critical theory to really focus on throughout the play is the Marxist Theory. The Marxist
The first example that shows that Hamlet was still firmly sane, and that he was only feigning madness, while he clumsily conspired against his uncle Claudius, is that Hamlet, after his “antic disposition” began to arouse Claudius’s suspicion rather than deflect it, decided to appear love-stricken in front of Ophelia in order to convince Claudius – and his entourage – that he was simply mad in love with Ophelia (even after – or perhaps because – she had rejected his advances) (Wilson 109-110). Such
presents the theme hypocrisy through the character: Polonius. During the play, although Polonius gives advice to those around him such as his son Laertes and daughter Ophelia, he goes against these values himself, therefore portraying him as a hypocrite, of which is evident in Act 1 Scene 3: “Give thy thoughts no tongue, Nor any unproportioned thought his act. Be thou familiar but by no means vulgar.” Which shows how Polonius states not to ‘let on to what you are thinking
uncle and the new King of Denmark, is directly compared to Cain, who is one of Adam and Eve’s two sons in the Bible. Shakespeare compares Claudius’ murder of his brother Hamlet, to Cain’s murder of his brother Abel. In the Bible, Cain kills Abel because of his jealousy towards his brother. Due to Claudius’ self-pity seen in act 3, scene 3, Shakespeare compares Claudius’ feelings to the curse which God had placed upon Cain after his sin. Cain’s curse causes him to seek endless forgiveness for his
themes in Hamlet by William Shakespeare. After Hamlet learns about the details of the death of his father, Hamlet uses madness as a mask for deception to distract others from his true intentions, to become bold in expressing his emotions and to gather more information that are useful in formulating a plan of avenging the death of his father. Hamlet acts mad because he know everyone is loyal to the King therefore he only acts normal to someone he could trust. In act 1 scene 5 when Hamlet saw the ghost
loves me not Hamlet is without a doubt, one of the most twisted and haunting plays William Shakespeare has ever written. The story is filled with many uncertainties and different issues that underlie within the plot. By the end of the story, the reader is left with many questions and is very confused about the honest feelings that Prince Hamlet may have had. One question in particular and also one of the most asked questions that one may be repeat throughout the play is does Prince Hamlet ever truly
Shakespeare's Hamlet has often been considered one of the most intriguing and problematic plays of the English language. Among the many questions that Hamlet raises, lies the subject of whether or not Hamlet actually becomes insane. Using extensive evidence from the text and scholarly criticism, it can be efficiently argued that Hamlet does indeed maintain his sanity throughout the entirety of the play. By analyzing the character of Hamlet, the major theme of appearance versus reality in the play
assumption of most men, and a woman’s body was subject to sexual objectification by men in open conversation at pubs and such. Hamlet is no different in objectifying women as seen in Act III Scene 2. During this time, Hamlet offers his interpretation of the phony play meant to expose the King Claudius’ guilty nature for having poisoned Hamlet’s father. Before the start of the play, Hamlet utilizes a sexual innuendo in his dialogue with Ophelia meant to shame her. He declares, “That's a fair thought to lie
The Thematic Purpose of Humor in William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” As the author of many plays, William Shakespeare is well known for his satirical jabs at the royal monarchy, human nature, and his use of sexual innuendos to keep the audience engaged. Hamlet is no exception to this with its witty and sarcastic undertones that are easily missed if not paid close attention to. In Hamlet, Shakespeare uses satire to temporarily distract the audience from the dark and incessant tragedy that ensues throughout
Kennedy 1 In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, many questions are raised in regards to Hamlet’s love for Ophelia. The play is filled with drama, revenge, and hatred. However, underneath that is a love story between the characters Hamlet and Ophelia. The love shared between both of these characters is complicated and sadly ends in tragedy. There are many situations that take place in this play where is it unclear to the reader whether Hamlet’s feelings are true or if they are fake. Although