Hamlet is always at the very centre of the play.

Even when he is not on stage, he is the subject of others

speeches and conversations.
What is your understanding of the character of Hamlet from his soliloquies, interactions with others as well
as others perceptions of him.

Andre Breton, the French surrealist of the 20th century, begins his novel Nadja with the question "Who am I?" One can
imagine Prince Hamlet pacing the corridors of the corrupt court, repeating this exact same question.

So who is Hamlet? How can we understand him?

I don't know if we can ever fully understand this force of profound intellect but we can come the closest if we accept
him as a Christian humanist in a struggle to take on the burdens of the "unweeded garden, that is the corruption of the
"rotten" state of Denmark in which the play is set; as a character who (according to Hegel) is "hemmed within such
an environment of horror and is a lost man who refuses to be contented by finite condition."

From the very beginning of the first Act many of the themes of the play are introduced. Corruption is evident from the
very start, the play beginning with many short sentences and the first line spoken Whos there? instantly setting an
atmosphere of anxiety. We are immediately positioned to sense the strange eruption to the state, alerting the viewer
that something is about to happen in Denmark and asserting the notion of appearance versus reality that recurs in the
play. Revenge, another aspect of Hamlets dilemma to come, is also illuminated by Horatio in the first scene when he
speaks of young Fortinbras who is Of unimprovd mettle hot and full already setting up a character who will exist as
a juxtaposition to Hamlets reasonable and thoughtful nature. From the start of the play, we see that Hamlet is either
being discussed or being contrasted, showing that the actions of the other characters and the themes being introduced
is all in relation to Hamlet which conveys that he is the centre of the play.

In Hamlets first soliloquy he voices this idea that something is rotten in the state of Denmark, but this
soliloquy also broadens to highlight that general sense of his opinion on the world. In the first eight lines we
are already certain of the weariness he feels towards the world and its stale, flat and unprofitable uses,
while he uses the extended metaphor of the unweeded garden that carries throughout the play. We feel his
exasperation at the corruption of those around him, his repetition of the words within a month as an
indication of its overwhelming nature. He contrasts his father and Claudius, as his father hyperion meaning a
sun god to Claudius as Satyr suggesting he is degenerate. This acts as a direct contrast between the old and
new worlds, and Hamlet makes it abundantly clear through a mythographic ordering of human differences
that Claudius is No more like my father/ Than I to Hercules, showing the contempt he holds for his uncle and
the passion he has for his father. Similarly, in Act 3 he holds up to Gertrude a portrait of his father next to one
of Claudius to act as a juxtaposition of the honour of the old world to the corrupted new king and his court.

The function of the Ghost in Hamlet is important as Hamlets reaction to it develops some of the significant
themes in the play. Its speech is laced with imagery of rotting, and repetition of the acts of treachery that have
occurred. The ghost gives him three main directives in carrying out his revenge: Bear it not, Taint not thy
mind and Leave her to heaven. The first is to evoke his passionate nature he is not to acquiesce in and
accept what has been done to his father; revenge is imminent. The second refers to Hamlets reasonable
nature revenge is an act of passion not reason, his task is a matter of honour, determination, and courage,
and the Ghost is anxious that Hamlet should not become too disturbed by it. The final demand implies that
Gertrudes earthly punishment is to be her conscience, those thorns that in her bosom lodge/ To prick and
sting her. It indicates the existence of a divinity that shapes our ends that is responsible for justice in the
human world.



Hamlet fears suicide as he doesnt want to be condemned to eternal suffering due to religious prohibition of suicide at
this time. This is explored in the To be, or not to be soliloquy, where Hamlets philosophical persona becomes evident
as he doesnt respond with hmmm, thats a really good question but that is THE question, the only question, and until it
is dealt with, little else matters. Here Hamlet juxtaposes thought with action And thus the native hue of resolution/ Is
sicklied oer with the pale cast of thought. Here Hamlet is calm, thoughtful and rational never to contemplate suicide
again. Hamlets soliloquies give insight into the mental composition of Hamlet and give depth to his emotions, but also
make the audience aware of his internal conflicts. They follow Hamlets internal path from tortured impotence to
acceptance. The characters in Hamlet obviously think much less about their actions than Hamlet and are therefore less
troubled about the possibility of acting effectively. They act as they feel appropriate, meaning a lot of their actions
misfire creating more drama that Hamlet is faced with, increasing his role in the play as he has to deal with their
mishaps despite being so immersed in his own mind and actions. Needs fixing up!!!!!

Hamlet and Claudius have an antagonistic relationship and from the very beginning of the play due to Claudius marrying
Hamlets mother and when Hamlet finds out later on that he also poisoned his father. . Hamlet is infuriated with Claudius
and his mother as he feels that they are in an incestuous relationship. Claudius sees Hamlet as a hidden disease which
is evident in the imagery of disease in like the hectic in my blood that must be cured by having him killed. The
repetition and build up of imagery of disease and warfare is associated with the disorder and corruption in Denmark
caused by Claudius. When Claudius is seemingly praying to Hamlet, he does not take the opportunity to kill Claudius
since he thinks that he is praying. Some critics say that if Hamlet was to kill Claudius at that time, he would have been
just another murdered and would not win the audiences sympathy. Claudius pretends to love Hamlet to satisfy Gertrude
but behind her back, he plots his murder. Hamlet and Claudius share one of the most complex relationships with hatred
at its core. Its intensity grows once it is established that Claudius did in fact kill Hamlets father and this leads to great
drama throughout the play including the reason for Hamlets so called madness. Hamlets first line of the play A little
more than kin, and less than kind is a sarcastic aside used to reveal Hamlets sharp wit and illustrates immediately his
attitude to Claudius who is overreaching by presuming he may refer to Hamlet as My cousin Hamlet, and my son.
Hamlet speaks to people of a lowly station in prose and it is his intention to speak down to Claudius by speaking in
prose. Their relationship eventually consists of passionate hatred, born from desire, vengeance and politics.


I have read this out loud and this is already 8 minutes
Things I still need to mention: his interaction with
other characters
The bel Shakespeare play at least once