Shakespeare immediately started Macbeth with a supernatural scene. The three witches set the somber and evil tone of the plot. In Hamlet, Shakespeare also presented a supernatural occurrence close to the opening. The ghost of Hamlet's father presented itself to Hamlet with a chilling story. In both ...

"This above all , to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man," was said by Polonius(I,iii 82-84). This statement about self truth is a common theme in Shakespeare's Hamlet. One of the important themes in this play h...

Aristotle's Poetics is considered the guide to a well written tragedy; his methods have been used for centuries. In this guide, he sets out the six elements that compose a great tragedy. In Aristotle's opinion, plot is the most important aspect of the tragedy. All other parts such as chara...

Hamlet Critical Essay: Written by Paul Gottschalk from, The Meanings of Hamlet Paul Gottschalk explores and interprets the meaning in Shakespeare's play Hamlet as seen by many famous critics. In this interpretation, Gottschalk discusses that the meanings are indirect, and quite possibly, ...

A murder for a murder will make a pile of bodies."I am justly killed by my own treachery," says Laertes (V.ii.308). If the reader agrees with Laertes, then he must acknowledge the fact that Hamlet, too, is guilty of "treachery" as both are in the same situation of a dutiful son seeking to avenge a ...

English AssignmentWhat issues are introduced in the first act of Hamlet? The opening act of Hamlet is essential for the purposes of outlining the main issues or themes of the piece as well as revealing the plot, characters and mood of the play. Act I of Hamlet is successful in outlining all of t...

Christianity in HamletWhen Shakespeare wrote the tragic play Hamlet, he included quite a few Christian themes intertwined with in the play itself. Examples of the Christian belief or ideas can be found in almost every act in Hamlet.Shakespeare lays down the Christian system of belief very early on ...

Imagery is a very strong literary device that can be used to expose many different important aspects of the book, play or even a novel. It also helps the reader or the audience, in case of a play, to get an image of what is going on and to give them a better understanding and more insight. In Shakes...

Within 'Hamlet', Shakespeare makes a number of references to Denmark's degraded state due to the deceit that lies within. These references are made by Hamlet, Horatio as well as the apparition, thus enforcing the strong theme of death, decay and disease. As aforementioned Hamlets ma...

The abstract concept of evil has vastly transformed throughout human history, ranging for the supernatural and mystical to the very humans amongst whom we live. In modern times, evil has become an entirely ambiguous term. Who is evil? What is evil? Men like Adolph Hitler and Saddam Hussein have been...

The question of what is literature has been asked many different ways and has been answered inn many different ways. One of the multiple ways one can examine a work for its worth has been presented in Abram's "Ordeal of Fire and Water." This selection argues that a pie...

HAMLET: As Modern as Today Find me an involved Shakespearean student who does not find interest in Hamlet, and I will find you a member of Congress who does not like money. It is as simple as that. Just thinking about the Bard\'s tale of sadness and revenge makes the hairs on the nape of m...

During the play Hamlet, Shakespeare cleverly and carefully constructs imagerythat writhes in the reader's mind and keeps them second guessing everything and takingnothing at face value. Nearly every character goes through at least one significant changethroughout the story. At times, each characte...

Shakespeare uses symbols to describe the setting as well as give insight into what is going on behind the scenes. Upon first sighting, Horatio dismisses the ghost as "fantasy." The King's ghost symbolizes betrayal and injustice, which Hamlet must rectify in order to put his father at peace. The K...

In the works Othello and Hamlet there are many forms of evil and corruption insinuated by the characters. Shakespeare is the writer of both works and he uses these methods to create a different kind of evil by expressing it through creative and interesting ways. He enables the reader to view the a...

I approached this first rehearsal having written detailed notes on my directorial plans. The notes contained step-by-step stage directions as well as help with characters, and were given to the actors at the start of the rehearsal. My thoughts in doing this were that it would hopefully make it easi...

The Hard Truth Is T.S. Eliot's criticism too harsh, or is it along the correct lines of what many people believe? Shakespeare's masterpiece, Hamlet, was extremely dry and contained sickly humor that many people found hard to understand. It was proved to myself that this reading was n...

The Idea of Spirits and the Supernatural You will no doubt notice that ghosts and spirits play a rather large role in Hamlet. Not merely as an oft used character, but also as a main basis for the plotline, and one of the key indications of Hamlet's madness. His dead father's spirit stay...

In any play, the opening act is essential to the purpose of outlining the main themes and characters of the piece. It also reveals the plot and the mood of the play to the audience. Act I of Hamlet is very successful in outlining these aspects and yet is also successful in highlighting the atmospher...

Romeo and Juliet (R&J) is very characteristic of a Shakespearean play because of its recurring themes, language and diction, and story of a tragedy. Much like Hamlet and The Tempest, Shakespeare incorporates themes such as family rivalries, father and daughter relationships, revenge, and obedience ...

Romeo and Juliet (R&J) is very characteristic of a Shakespearean play because of its recurring themes, language and diction, and story of a tragedy. Much like Hamlet and The Tempest, Shakespeare incorporates themes such as family rivalries, father and daughter relationships, revenge, and obedience ...

A tragedy is a play, story, or other literary work, which arouses terror or pity by a series of misfortunes or sad events. The plot is usually about the downfall of a great man. Many take it a step farther and say that the main character or the person who experiences the downfall brings it upon hi...

In the first scene of the first act, Shakespeare creates an atmosphere of mystery via the setting, the suspenseful way he starts off the scene, and the questions he raises surrounding the ghost. The setting of the very first scene of the play exudes an air of suspense. It takes place ...

Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of DenmarkAct 3 Scene 1- To be, or not to beShould I kill my fathers murderer, or not? What should I do? Would it be better for me to deal with my misfortunes, or should I fight against my many troubles. By fighting I might die; I will sleep, I will be no...

English in literature No truly human society could exist without the use of a natural human language. The word "literature" is etimologically related to "letters". The earliest English poetry wich has survived is written in Old English poetry many linguistic devices which de...