Please post a considered response to the following prompt about Hamlet in the comments section before 12:00 AM tonight:
What do you suppose Shakespeare is trying to tell his audience (and future audiences) about the complex relationship humans have with power, authority, and individuality.
Remember, Begin with a thesis and then support your answer with referential evidence from the text and commentary that explores the idea.
By Sunday Night please respond to two comments from your class (click reply under their comment). You may agree, disagree, or pose a synthesized answer that explores new ground.
Shakespeare reveals to his audiences that when humans gain a great amount of power they tend to abuse their authorities which can sometimes damage their individuality and have them identify with other greedful creatures. Any amount of power can corrupt a human. In 1.4, the ghost appointed hamlet to hold the power of murder. This task given to him caused him to loose his individuality that he once has because he was focused souly on revenge and murder. Furthermore the power and authority that the men had not only in the book but also in the time period was what Shakespeare was trying to convey. The men were superior while the women were inferior. This resembled how the women lacked individuality due to the fact that they could not express or self-disclose their true selves. Instead they were given a preordained role despite their social class. Humans will either take advantage or do nothing about those three qualities they can or aleady possess.
ReplyDeleteI agree we as humans do tend to abuse our authority which Claudius did a lot in the play since he was given the power to be King.He continuously ordered others around because he knew they couldn't disobey him; including Gertrude , she had no choice but to do as told because of the type of character she was and simply because of the status women held during that time.
DeleteI completely agree with everything you said which is: power, if not handled properly, can truly destroy a person. In this particular play, most of the characters have some sort of responsibility. Rather than simply handling the issue, they allow it to change them as a whole, leading them to corruption and eventually death. As for the roles of women, they did not hold much power unfortunately and were simply a tool for men.
DeleteI agree with your point that power damages individuality. Especially as far when women are seemed more as instruments rather than human. Like Gertrude she is seen as the most subjected character in the entire play due to her obedience to Claudius and her betrayal to her own son.
DeleteThroughout the play of Hamlet by William Shakespeare, many implied views of the complex relationships between humans and power, authority, and individuality align with the views of Thomas Hobbes. Hobbes believed that our state of nature was chaotic and inherently evil because we essentially look out for ourselves; furthermore, we were civilized due to a "social contract", where in we give up our liberties for our own preservation. In order to maintain this and have peace Hobbes was in favor of an absolute monarchy, for we do not have the power to govern and behave ourselves. However, the monarch had to be suited for the job, he could not be any random Joe that the people will follow; such a monarch would cause dissonance in society, primary example being the English Civil War (when Cromwell was in charge of England). This government would dictate our rights and our liberties would lie in the issues undefined by the laws, should there a breech then the offender should be punished. As for the individual, everyone is not cut from the same cloth. In Hamlet, Hamlet saw the state of Denmark as corrupt due to those who have corrupted it and are corrupt. Claudius came into to rule due to his self motives, he would off his own brother for the throne. Those who went along with it, did not question it, or stayed on Claudius side did so because it was beneficial to them. The only one who opposed Claudius was Hamlet because it did not benefit him, his throne was stolen from him. Hamlet believes that state of Denmark depends on the monarch as he is Denmark; therefore, a sinner should not rule as he would spoil everything under his rule. Furthermore, Claudius breeches the civil contract by murdering Senior Hamlet, so Hamlet feels that he must be brought to justice as dictated by the law. Although Hamlet wrongly brought Claudius to justice, it served to once again highlight our innate savagery due to our selfish motives. Additionally, the tragic ending proves there is need for absolute authority, for when when we act on our own impulses there is disastrous consequences. Lastly, there is no real equality as some are better than others. The concept of superiority and minority can be seen when Hamlet tells Claudius that he is "less than kind" meaning he is not of the same status. It can also been seen employed in the "lessers" (compared to the king, queen, and Hamlet) as Laertes and Claudius tell Ophelia that she and Hamlet could never be an item as he is a prince and she is not close in noble status. They are constrained by the laws and social conventions set in place and therefore do not have a "self" or not permitted to speak and act freely, meaning they cannot be true to themselves.
ReplyDeleteIn Hamlet, Shakespeare is trying to tell the audience that the more power someone has they tend to lose their individuality. For example when Hamlets father, the king came through as a ghost to demand his son to take revenge upon Claudius and kill him. He was taking advantage of his power to get what he wanted. This is what caused hamlet to go insane after he found out that Claudius killing his father was true. All hamlet had on his mind was to get back at the ones who hurt him so that made his individuality fade. In the end hamlet died and ended up not getting his revenge. Shakespeare's meaning in this play is that when having a lot of power in your hands it may even over power oneself and can eventually change what was expected in the future.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Hamlet went insane. All he wanted to do was get revenge and kill the king that killed his father. But he did somewhat get his revenge. All he wanted was for the king to die preferably at his hand. At the end of the play he forced Claudius to drink the poison killing himself. However he didn't get the revenge he was hoping for because he ended up dying as well.
DeleteI disagree that Hamlet was insane. Finding out that his Father was actually murdered broke Hamlet emotionally. He tried to do what at that time would have been the right thing to do. Should hw have killed him, perhaps no but he went through stages that shielded him as week and struggling. He struggled to get what was right for his father, eventually loosing who truly Hamlet was. Just as a manner. His death had shown us what truly was left of the conscious and subjective Hamlet.
DeleteIn the play Hamlet, Shakespeare includes many themes such as power, authority, and loyalty. Starting off with his father’s ghost and corruption, Hamlet is forced to learn how to overcome the many obstacles in his way, while performing a very difficult yet deadly task. Through suspense, Shakespeare makes it clear to the audience that everyone is not to be trusted and that revenge is not the best way to cope with a situation.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the play, the character Hamlet can be seen battling others as well as himself. As he is told by his father’s ghost to kill Claudius, he is not sure whether or not this is a good idea for he knows the punishment is death. Along with this, Hamlet is also betrayed by those who were once very close to him such as his mother who immediately remarries after the death of her husband. Disgusted, Hamlet is very upset with his mother’s choices. For example, in 3.4.10-19, he tells Gertrude, “Mother, you have my father much offended …You are the queen, your husband’s brother’s wife …". Hamlet is also betrayed by her when she lies about keeping Polonius’s death a secret. This creates many problems for Hamlet as well as the other characters, which soon leads to the death of everyone in the play.
Shakespeare concludes the play with such a tragic ending to give the reader a lesson. He shows that not only can revenge be very dangerous, but that it can be unnecessary in many situations. Though betrayed by his mother, Gertrude, Claudius, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and Polonius, Hamlet was not truly hopeless. As stated in 5.1.194, “To what base uses we may return…,” rather than trying to take actions in his own hands, he could have allowed nature to do the job for him.
I agree with the analysis you made regarding the various betrayals inside of Hamlet. As you stated, the characters' wavering loyalties is what ultimately gets them killed. So instead of some of the characters, such as Claudius, trying to manipulate Hamlet and others to get what they wanted, perhaps them being honest with each other and communicating could've prevented everyone's deaths.
DeleteI agree with your statement about hamlet being betrayed by everyone around him, mostly his mother,however i don't believe the secret about polonius death to be betrayal. Even though i don't really like Gertrude, i believe she told Claudius that hamlet killed polonius, because she was genuinely worried as a mother. I like the fact that you mentioned that he still had hope, which i believe would of been ophelia, if he hadn't pushed her away. Everything would of been okay, if they would of just given time time to work.
DeleteIn "Hamlet", Shakespeare not only tells his audience about how individuals are overtaken by power and authority but also how the abuse damages their individuality. Power and authority can sometimes overwhelm an individual and cause them to take drastic actions. For example, in Act 3 Scene 4 Hamlet is so overwhelmed with getting revenge for his father's murder that when he suspects Claudius is in his presence saying, "How now! a rat?" he takes his sword and stabs the unlucky Polonius. Hamlet again rushing with adrenaline doesn't even seem to care that he has just killed an innocent man. Hamlet's individuality seems to be completely gone at this point. No respect for morals or even to make the right choices thereafter. He escalates with that action that Hamlet seems to gain more power and authority and really loose who truly is Hamlet. Later, in Act 5 Scene 2 Hamlet is seen yet again to let his power get to his mind and suspect of the unfaithfulness of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. He calls Rosencrantz a “sponge... that soaks up the king’s countenance, his rewards, his authorities,”. With these words from Hamlet one can tell that Hamlet has completely lost who he truly was at the beginning of the play. In other words, our Hamlet is no longer a person but a character full of despair and immorality. Through these various examples Shakespeare is able to convey to the reader how certain abuses can take away who we truly are and that in the end that so called power is nothing but a simple description.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your analysis of Shakespeare's use of Hamlet to illustrate how power can alter someone's character. It is apparent that Hamlet's thirst for revenge that Hamlet feels entitled to after having spoken with his father's ghost has changed him in such a way that he has lost his sense of morality.
DeleteI do agree with your statement regarding Hamlet's thirst for power and control. However, I am not sure whether or not referring to Rosencrantz as a "sponge" was Hanlet's way of displaying dominance or him just telling the truth. Rosencrantz did often do what the king said to do and Hamlet called him out for it. Other than that, I do agree with everything else mentioned in your response.
DeleteHamelt's truths that you quoted reveals what Shakespreare wanted his audiences to know about power, authority and individuality. Hamlet's is ultimate example because of the way his character is portrayed and how he changes throughout the acts of the book.
DeleteI agree with your statement about power and authority overwhelming an individual to take drastic measures. They are confined and therefore must find a way to express or set themselves free.
DeleteShakespeare speaks to his audience about how we as people tend to become corrupt due to our will to achieve our own personal desires by any means necessary no matter who it affects. In which he reveals throughout the play that you can lose your individuality trying to seek the desire to have power and authority. The "throne" is the power that Hamlet felt was rightfully his as stated in Act 1 Scene 2 and even Claudius knows that ,"You are the most immediate to our throne". However Hamlet desire for the throne (power) begins to affect him as an individual. He begins to lose his individuality because of his obsession to become King and avenge his fathers death. Hamlet wasn't the only character to have issues with power and authority.In the play the King abuses his authority to receive information on Hamlet by having Polonius and others spy on him"And we beseech you,bend you to remain here in the cheer and comfort of our eye"; to keep his power which he had already taken. In the end it resulted in the death of all the characters, who minds were corrupted due to the selfish acts of Hamlet and Claudius to obtain/keep power which led them to their own demise.
ReplyDeleteHamelt and Claudius were the most corrupt in the book. The direct quotes you used put emphasis on the characters actions and how Shakespeare developed their complex relationship with power, authority and indivuality.
DeleteI agree, Hamlet really didn't care who he hurt because even when he accidently killed Polonius he showed no remorse. Claudius made sure to kill Hamlet so that he could keep his power. Everyone did die due to their desire for power. I agree with your statement completely.
DeleteHamlet, by William Shakespeare touches many topics about individuality and the effects of power on people. He intertwines them to the point where the amount of power one person has affects their individuality. People with power will do whatever they can in order to maintain that power, meanwhile people without it will do whatever they can to obtain it. In Hamlet, individuality come to play, when characters are trying to find themselves, and stay true to themselves, in a kingdom run solemnly on manipulation. Two prime examples are King Claudius and Ophelia. It is determined by the ghost, that king Claudius murdered his brother, the late King Hamlet. Claudius longing for power was so out of control that he even went to the extent of killing his own kin in order to take it. Once he got the power, being king, which he had always wanted he wasn’t letting go easily, and that’s where manipulation came into play. His biggest enemy was Hamlet, because he believed the throne was rightfully his, also because he was the only person that knew the treason that he had committed. Claudius in order to make hamlet go away, decided to make his life a living hell, through the use of manipulation. Even though we didn’t know it at the beginning, the easiest way to hamlet was through hamlet, which we discovered in Act 5 Scene 1, when hamlet confesses his love for her. Ophelia was manipulated throughout the entire play, even though in her heart she truly believed she was helping. Hamlet, Claudius, Polonius, and Gertrude manipulated her. Claudius and Polonius got to spy on hamlet through Ophelia, they made her talk to him, in order to figure out if he was really mad or if it was just a trick. Ophelia was actually worried about him, but did it because she thought that they could actually help hamlet. Shakespeare did a wonderful job of combining these two topics in order to show how a person can ignore all kinds of morals, in order to get what they want, no matter who they hurt on the way.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that Polonius was trying to manipulate Ophelia intentionally because in the end he wasn't going to gain any power. I do believe that Gertrude and Ophelia wanted the same thing and that was to figure out what was wrong with Hamlet. I agree that the characters in this play ignored their morals to get what they wanted.
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ReplyDeleteI do agree with your statement regarding Hamlet's thirst for power and control. However, I am not sure whether or not referring to Rosencrantz as a "sponge" was Hanlet's way of displaying dominance or him just telling the truth. Rosencrantz did often do what the king said to do and Hamlet called him out for it. Other than that, I do agree with everything else mentioned in your response.
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ReplyDeleteShakespeare is stating to the reader that the thirst for power and vengeance leads you down a path towards your own demise. This play is first and foremost about Hamlet's desire for power, and seizing it by taking revenge on Claudius. However, in most literature revenge is a bloody path and never works out the way it is originally planned. We see this often throughout Hamlet, as Hamlet's friends, family, and loved ones are affected by his desire to take the crown from Claudius. While Hamlet certainly had no intentions of bringing his family and loved ones into his own schemes, his actions were the cause of his mother's death as well as Ophelia's. Even though Claudius is presented as the main antagonist of the play, Hamlet's actions are equally as selfish and power-hungry. One of the most ironic characteristics of Hamlet's personality is his patience in taking revenge. However, if he had utilized that same patience and opted not to take revenge he would've had the last laugh. Hamlet was next in line to take the throne, and had he waited for Claudius to die then he would've been king as simple as that. This would've prevented his death, as well as everyone else's in the play. Hamlet's desire for power goes hand-in-hand with his thirst for revenge. As with most characters in the play, Hamlet's power-hungry actions lead him to his own death. Shakespeare emphasizes the negative effect that power has, and the corruptible nature of it through the many deaths throughout the five acts. The only characters that end up surviving Hamlet are those who opted not to pursue power or vengeance.
ReplyDeleteShakespeare is stating to the reader that the thirst for power and revenge leads you down a path to your own demise. Hamlet is first and fore-mostly about Hamlet's desire to be King, and taking revenge on Claudius to do so. At the beginning of Hamlet, Claudius is presented to the reader as the main antagonist. However, Hamlet's actions throughout the novel are equally as selfish and power-hungry. Throughout popular Literature, revenge is presented as a double-edged sword in which the act of taking vengeance leads to the demise of yourself and many of your loved ones. This is especially true in Hamlet, as Hamlet's scheming plans to murder Claudius and take back the crown endangers himself, his family, and his loved ones. Furthermore, Hamlet's actions are the direct cause of Ophelia's death and arguably his mother's as well. One of Hamlet's biggest character traits is his tendency for being patient. However, I find this to be the most ironic aspect to him. Instead of being cautious and patient while plotting to kill Claudius, he could've utilized that same patience instead by simply opting not to kill Claudius. Claudius is an old man, and Hamlet is next in line to take the throne. Had Hamlet waited for Claudius to die, then he would've became king as simple as that, preventing the deaths of everyone else. However, his desire for immediate power and vengeance becomes his own undoing. Shakespeare only emphasizes the corruptible nature of power throughout the many deaths in the five acts. The only characters that end up surviving Hamlet are those who opted not to pursue power, or take vengeance upon anyone.
ReplyDelete- Zach Ridings, 7th Period
Shakespeare is telling his audience that revenge is a dangerous thing, when someone goes out to get revenge they will end up making their lives and lives of the people around them even worse. After Hamlet meets the ghost in scene 5 act 1 and the ghost tells him he was poisoned by the king and he must kill Claudius the only thing on his mind was how he was going to kill the king. Because he was so paranoid and demented he killed Polonius, thinking he was the king. His actions later caused Ophelia to lose her mind and drown herself over her fathers death in act 4 scene 7. Hamlet has completely lost his mind because when he killed Polonius he acted as if it didn't even bother him even though it was a mistake and he killed the wrong person. In the end Hamlet didn't even get the revenge the way he wanted to. He ended up dying the same way his father did, by being poisoned. By the end of act 5 Fortinbras is the one who becomes king. Throughout the book he is the one that did not become evil or get sucked into the deceit and tragedies like everyone else did. I think Shakespere is telling his audience that sometimes revenge is not the best option to take. Sometimes it's better to let life or karma take its course. If Hamlet would have did that he wouldn't have ended up dead. He would have been king. Shakepeare is also saying that the unconditional thirst for power leads to a person losing who they really are inside. I'm sure Claudius wasn't always a manipulative, conniving, and lying type of person. But he wanted power so much that he killed his own brother then married his sister in law to become king. He was also so determined to stay king and maintain his power he took precautions to make sure Hamlet died no matter what. He ended up causing the death of Hamlet, Gertrude, Laertes, and himself. Too much power can lead to destruction, the determination that Claudius had to get and keep his power led to his own demise.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you in the fact that Shakespeare is trying to tell us, that sometimes we just need to wait for time to takes it course. If hamlet would've just waited for his uncle to cause his own destruction, he might of had a chance of getting everything that he once wanted. Claudius being corrupted by the idea of having power, of having a whole kingdom behind him, signed the death certificates of everyone within the play. I believe that Claudius didn't know what to do with so much power, because he got it so easily,so he believed he could get more and more, basically creating his own downfall.
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DeleteI agree with you becuase there always comes a point where it is better to just allow time to take its course. Time for us to sit back and let life predetermined plan take action.
DeleteI agree with your thought on revenge in the play Hamlet. Shakespeare does make a point to emphasize the tragedy that revenge brings. It is possible that this story would have had an ideal ending if only Hamlet had let things take their course.
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