Ophelia

Kenneth Branagh’s production of Hamlet and The Royal Shakespeare’s Company production of Hamlet are hard to compare with each other. In terms of Hamlet’s famous soliloquy in the portrait scene, his meeting with Ophelia, the queen’s ability to stand up for herself and Hamlet’s reaction and response to his father’s ghost, the Branagh Hamlet exceeds my expectations on how these parts are performed. The branagh version of Hamlet’s soliloquy in the portrait scene really depicts what I imagined it would sound like.

For his soliloquy, his quietness of voice seems proper for this moment with himself. His words, “To die; to sleep; To sleep; perchance to dream; ay, there’s the rub,” are all solemnly said, Branagh creates this serious mood using his tone of voice. No boisterous movements, his slow steady walk to the mirror to look upon himself creates a serious atmosphere. I didn’t expect this soliloquy to be sad or gloomy, and Branagh did an excellent job making this serious. He was amazing acting out this part and taking on Hamlet’s emotion and character seriously.

Unlike the Branagh version, The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) doesn’t depict this certain soliloquy well. Although I am delighted that they did create a serious mood, they did skip part of his soliloquy relative to the original book. Although there is still the serious atmosphere in place, the omitting of several lines takes away some sympathy for Hamlet. As well, Hamlet’s facial expressions go from serious to sad, and over again repeatedly. It doesn’t seem right that Hamlet is depressed; this serious atmosphere doesn’t coincide with his sadness very well.

I do get the impression he is serious and thinking deeply at the moment, but his gloomy nature makes me feel and think otherwise of him. I also like the Branagh Hamlet for his meeting with Ophelia. I feel sympathy for Hamlet as he has a right to be upset. His weeping, even Ophelia’s weeping made my sympathy for him grow. But Ophelia seems to actually be sad rather than acting on behalf of her father and the king which is something I like about this play. Hamlet’s physical nature towards her, a lot of it was unnecessary.

This meeting was important as to see what impact Ophelia had on Hamlet, and what gave him the push to put on his mad act. Unlike the Branagh Hamlet, the David Tennant Hamlet was nothing like I thought he would be in his meeting with Ophelia. Although she is acting sad, her genuine concern is overlooked since she is acting only for the benefit of Polonius and Claudius. As well, when she says, “Heavenly powers restore him! ” and, “O help him, you sweet heavens! ” she overdoes these parts by the throwing of her hand up and lying on the floor. As well, Hamlet’s runs to her after she says these things are too much.

If I were angry I would not run back to my lover and cry and physically touch her, I would keep away from her so she wouldn’t hurt me anymore. This scene with Ophelia disappointed my thought on how Hamlet would act. It was as disappointing as Christmas with no gifts, it was that bad. Another scene in these movies which is important is the arras scene. In Branagh’s Hamlet, the Queen acts strongly for herself. Despite the unfortunate ending of Polonius, Gertrude acts strong against Hamlet and his physical force. By doing this she is showing what power she has as a woman.

This can be a positive influence to woman as they can see that they have power and independence on their own and don’t have to be man-handled. The only thing I didn’t like about her was her tenacious attitude towards Hamlet; he didn’t deserve any of that from her. But her fighting spirit and independence displays to the viewer that they should stand up and fight against their problems, whatever they may be. However, the queen in RSC is just a failure to conceive. She is too easily pushed around by Hamlet and the men in this play (Claudius and Polonius) have too much power over her.

She doesn’t seem to be independent; she seems to have no problem being held in a vice-grip by her husband. Furthermore, she is physically apprehended by Hamlet and doesn’t try to escape or struggle against him. Her independence in this scene is downright disappointing, and it’s creating the image for woman that they don’t have any power for themselves. Her drinking and smoking before her meeting with Hamlet indicates how she copes with the stress of the situation, and the viewer is influenced by her actions to possibly do the same when they are stressed.

As well, another element I delight in Branagh’s Hamlet is the reaction and actions of Hamlet when he listens and talks to his dead father. His quick, immediate response to his father is as I thought it should be. He shows immediate respect for his father, obeying every word with a swift response to his mother. Despite his strong feelings of anger towards her, when he’s told that she wasn’t involved in his death, he shows immediate signs of compassion to her. His honour-like character in the moment shines through to his mother and she becomes happy with him.

The great Hamlet as described by Ophelia, “The expectancy and rose of the fair state,” (Act III, scene 1 line 154) shines through is the Hamlet everybody has been waiting for. But his trance-like state is something that doesn’t disappoint me, but I’m not happy with that state he turned into. If I were Hamlet, I would be scared more than just frozen in place. David Tennant in this scene does make Hamlet scared, but makes him seem out-of-his-mind scared. His mother is concerned for his well-being of course, but thinks he is absolutely nuts!

His care and affection for his father I cannot see because he is too scared to show anything. His prostrate position to the widening of his horrified face just doesn’t impress me, it’s like he’s overreacting or trying too hard to act scared. In doing this, it makes me lose sympathy for Hamlet. Overall, I enjoy much more the Kenneth Branagh Hamlet rather than the RSC’s Hamlet. The play was performed much better and all the elements within the play just flowed more smoothly. I strongly recommend this version of Hamlet over any other version. Word Count: 1,074 words

Throughout the play, Hamlet shows many examples of being an indecisive person and being unable to do anything he wants to, as if something stops him. An example would be in act five, when he decides to confess his love for Ophelia on her grave. He took too long to tell Ophelia or anyone for the matter about his love for her. Another example would be his mother remarrying, and Hamlet not being able to confess his true feelings about King Claudius being his new father. In the first four acts, Hamlet goes on about his life being miserable and in some kind of melancholy mood.

He can’t find a way to deal with it, so he keeps all of his negative feelings to himself. This “depressed” funk he is in interferes with his will to act upon things that go on around him. However, he does manage the courage to finally step up and confront his feelings about King Claudius, which puts him in fear of Hamlet. Besides his mood affecting his will to act, how Hamlet over thinks his actions ruins his ability to do anything. For him, there is always something else that can go wrong, so he decides not to go with his original plan.

While we all go around looking for an excuse whether or not to do something, Hamlet seems to have no problem just saying never mind to everything and chickening out. He thinks about a plan to make, then decides against it. “Why” is what I have to ask? Why didn’t Hamlet do everything he wanted to? Maybe his life would have changes completely and he would be in such a rough state. Maybe his life wouldn’t have changed at all. In Act Five Scene 1, Hamlet finally confesses his true love for Ophelia, who has already committed suicide. As if saying this is going to bring her back to life, he fights with her brother Laertes about who loves her more. Forty thousand brothers/ Could not, with all their quantity of love,/ make up my sum. ” (V. i. ) The two literally jump into her grave and fight over her. Hamlet waits until Ophelia is dead to confess his love for her, while before, he had the chance to do so. (Claudius and Polonius set up a trap for Hamlet to see if he’s gone “mad” because of his love for Ophelia, or because he may actually be insane. )In this scene, Hamlet chooses to completely dis Ophelia and basically tell her he doesn’t love her at all. She was in on it the whole time, and was discouraged by his reaction.

This may be the reason she actually killed herself. It is ironic to see how scared he seems of confronting anyone about how he feels. “Frailty, thy name is woman! ” (I. ii. ) Hamlet is completely in awe and disbelief that his mother would marry her own brother. Especially since it’s her own flesh and blood she’s married to. Hamlet feels that it hasn’t been nearly long enough to remarry or get over their loss which they suffered. Yet, Hamlet still shows no sign of courage to confront the new king, even though he feels so strongly that this is so wrong.

Before he says that to his mother, he also said, “That it should come to this,” meaning that she could have married anyone or anything else, and it still wouldn’t have been as bad as her own brother. That it would have to come to this, thinking that you can’t trust anyone again besides your own family members. Hamlet also believes that because of this awkward marriage, there is just a series of streaks of bad luck to come to him and his family. Sharing this with his mother would be the best idea, but like many other times, hamlet doesn’t say a word and keeps to himself.

He hates his uncle being king, and wants so bad for it to change. This scares him though, thinking that saying something will just bring even more bad luck to him. Later on in the story, he does go and find his mother to tell him his trouble about this and what will happen if he doesn’t share this with her. Hamlet goes to his mother and finally shares what’s on his mind. He tells her things like, “don’t believe your husband that I/m crazy, because I’m really not,” or, “I’m only telling you this so Claudius doesn’t persuade you to think differently of me. He warns his mother to not go and “spread the compost on the weeds/ To make them ranker ” By saying this, he doesn’t want the compost to be like a catalyst, and spread corruption throughout her own mind because of Claudius telling her so. Although Hamlet shows himself as indecisive and insecure, towards the end of the story he does show some act of courage; enough to finally go and kill King Claudius. At first, he finds himself procrastinating at the matter, because he comes up behind King Claudius while he’s praying. He originally planned on killing him right then and there, but wait!

Hamlet stops and lets his inner coward win over yet again. After a series of deep thoughts, he does decide to kill his uncle, and realizes that he must go through with his plan quickly, before Hamlet himself is killed. ”Thus conscience does not make cowards of us all;/ And thus the native hue of resolution/ Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought;/ And enterprises of great pith and moment,/ With this regard, their currents turn away,/ And lose the name of action. ” Hamlet here combines some themes of this play: death and life, the connection between thought and ction. In act five scene five, he goes into Claudius’ room to kill him. Like the last time he went to kill him, he was on his knees praying. Why send him to Heaven when he should go to Hell? His father wasn’t given a chance to repent his sins before he was murdered, so why should King Claudius? Hamlet thinks about this for a minute, and decides to wait for a more reasonable time to go through with this murder. Maybe he will get lucky and catch the king drinking, angry, or being a lustful man. Then he feels it would be right to kill him.

When we do bad deeds, we feel bad about them sooner or later, or do we immediately regret doing them? This is something Hamlet does a lot throughout the entire play. One moment he is ready to confess his love for someone, and the minute they turn to look at him, he changes his mind. His indecisiveness seems to play a big part on his actions. If he wasn’t so afraid of the possible outcome, do you think he would go through with everything he says he will? Over the series of acts, Hamlet shows another emotion. Whether he’s happy, sad, angry, or in love, one mood will never seem to stay put.

When I first read this, I kept losing my train of thought because of the consistent change of emotion. Hamlet seems to be insecure with everything he thinks about, which leads him to a world of hurt in the future. Look at what happened with Ophelia: he waited too long to tell her he loved her, said all of the wrong things to her, and she killed herself over it all. When his mother married his uncle, he was confused and angry, but didn’t say anything because he was afraid of hurting his mother and bring bad luck to him. Hamlet also doesn’t tend to give any one thought of his a chance before completely shooting it down with disbelief.

I mean, leaving things to fall on their own makes sense to do, but not with every single problem or situation that comes around. For example, when we’re cold, do we go and get a blanket, turn the heat on, or even snuggle up on the couch? Or do we just wait until were so cold that were just numb? Of course we aren’t going to let ourselves freeze, so we go and do something about it without thinking about all of the negative repercussions. (Like being even more uncomfortable once we get up, or worse case scenario, tripping over something and breaking a limb. Hamlet needs to be more lenient on himself while making decisions, because he seems to be killing himself by doing this. He loses every chance he gets by not bothering with them in the first place. Shakespeare’s plays all have a theme based on the same basic thing: life and personal experience. Like a normal human being, he’s probably been through heartbreak, a loss of a loved one, and the experience of having to make a serious decision. Maybe he was the kind of author that makes his characters do everything he didn’t, and that’s what makes it so relatable to us as his audience.

Jeffrey Kotch Mrs. Ingram Literary Analysis English 12 The main theme in Hamlet is revenge. Although Hamlet and Laertes are both seeking revenge, they go about it differently. Because they are in the same situation, they can be compared to one another. Shakespeare probably created the retaliatory Laertes in order to make the reader or audience side with Hamlet, the protagonist. By comparing him to the rash Laertes, the author forces the reader to appreciate the careful thought that goes into Hamlet’s every move (until towards the end when he too becomes rash).

They are both high-class males placed in strenuous positions. Without Laertes, the audience would have no one else to compare Hamlet to, other than Fortinbras, who rarely appears. Laertes is almost the standard to which Shakespeare wants his audience to compare the Prince to. Comparing the two almost intensifies their different characteristics. The differences between Laertes and Hamlet affect a main theme of the play revenge. Both men have fathers killed, and both are seeking revenge. Hamlet, though he knows who murdered his father, hesitates to take direct action against the villain.

In stark contrast is Laertes, who doesn’t know who killed his father but will kill anyone on a whim. Laertes’ rashness throughout provides the play with an unlikely stereotypical hero– brave, unwavering, ready to kill– and is rather ironic because Laertes is not the play’s “hero” role. The hero instead is Hamlet, and Hamlet is not a typical hero, in that he shies away from violence, and is portrayed as insane for half of the play (though that is by his own doing). Hamlet is not even able to kill his uncle until Act 5, by which time he can be argued to be mentally and emotionally instable, if not insane.

In order to avenge his father’s death, Hamlet must lose himself in insanity; he must become, essentially, an entirely different character. Another considerable difference between Hamlet and Laertes are their relationships with Ophelia. Hamlet is obviously taken by Ophelia in the first two acts of the play, as he writes her letters and even tries to grab her in his lustful advances. This is clearly not the case with Laertes, as he is Ophelia’s brother; although Shakespeare is not beyond writing about incest, it is not being portrayed here.

Instead, Laertes takes on a protective role of “big brother” (although we do not know which sibling is the elder), warning Ophelia of Hamlet’s advances as being juvenile and false. Hamlet later begins to treat Ophelia badly, scorning her affections and seemingly driving her insane and to her inevitable death. Laertes seems to dislike Hamlet from the beginning of the play, and emotions collide in Act V: the two men scuffle in the open grave of Ophelia, each believing that they loved her the most, and jealous of the other’s affections for her.

Hamlet’s clashes with Claudius also build the plot of the play; knowing that his uncle killed his father in cold blood, Hamlet’s scorn of the new king grows throughout the play. Hamlet continually struggles with his emotions as he fights the desire to avenge his father’s death by killing the king. He uses circuitous means to take metaphorical stabs at his uncle: a play about a man killing his uncle by pouring poison in his ear (the same method of murder used to kill Hamlet’s father). Claudius eventually gets the feeling that Hamlet knows more than he is letting on, and begins to feel threatened.

Claudius begins looking for ways to get rid of Hamlet, and eventually decides to send him off to England, where he has sent orders to have his nephew killed. His plan, however, is thwarted when Hamlet discovers the orders for his death. Claudius now needs Laertes, a rash and violent person, to kill Hamlet for him. He tells Laertes that Hamlet killed Polonius, and Laertes allies with Claudius against Hamlet. Thus, another dissimilarity is disclosed, as Hamlet would never consider allying with Claudius for anything, and Laertes, hungry for blood, is willing to ally with anybody who will give him an easy kill.

How the characters feel about their fathers is also very dissimilar. Hamlet loves his father and is devastated when King Hamlet is killed; Hamlet is suicidal at the beginning of the play due to his father’s death. Hamlet feels that, for the love of his father, he must take revenge, yet is unable to do so for lack of courage and ambition. Laertes (while the level of his relationship with his father is unclear in the play) shows very little emotion over the actual death of his father, but is over-eager to avenge it.

It is therefore apparent that while Hamlet truly loves his father, Laertes is more concerned with the saving the pride of the family by avenging his father’s death than with realizing that his father is dead. Therefore, Hamlet seems to be more exocentric, while Laertes, continuing his father’s quest for personal gain, appears to be more egocentric. Hamlet seems to fancy himself an actor; several times during the play, he either gives “pointers” to other players or excessively dramatizes a scene.

The famous line, “Alas, poor Yorick! (V. i. 179-188)” finds Hamlet dramatically talking to a skull. In order to enhance emotion and to add a mood to a monologue, Elizabethan actors often talked to inanimate objects. In this scene Hamlet is utilizing the skull and the overall dark aura of the graveyard to speak of Ophelia’s death. In addition to these instances, Hamlet is acting insane for the majority of the play, in order to put his devious schemes into action without being suspected by his uncle.

He uses his surroundings to enhance his words, thus acting out a philosophical monologue in a regular conversation. Laertes seems to be more rough and unrefined than Hamlet– like his actions, his words are bold and to the point. Unlike Hamlet, Laertes’ lines at the end of the play tend to be short and to the point– he speaks no more than eight lines at a time in all but one occasion beginning in Act 4, Scene 5. Hamlet frequently goes into long monologues that can exceed fifty lines.

The distinctions between Hamlet and Laertes are significant because they provide some insight into the personalities of both characters, particularly Hamlet. By introducing Laertes into the play as a fiery, compulsive person; any resemblance of ambition or courage displayed by Hamlet pales in comparison to Laertes’. This enhances the emotion in Hamlet’s monologue at the end of Act II, when Hamlet examines himself and finds him lacking in courage. The inner turmoil in Hamlet is strong, as he calls himself a “coward” and thinks himself as weak as a woman.

He wants to avenge his father’s death at Claudius’ hands, yet, like his uncle, he does not approach conflict directly– he takes covert action. Conversely, Hamlet’s lack of action allows him to think through his plans before he puts them into effect, allowing for much deviousness in planning on his part; Laertes does not tend to think before he puts his throat to a person’s throat. Laertes provides a counterpart to Hamlet– they are in relatively the same situation, but they deal with their problems in entirely different ways.

DRAFT- NOT MLA-LACKS FORMATTING/REFERENCES Hamlet-Melancholy, Madness and Sanity Hamlet, a play by William Shakespeare, is as much a mystery as a tale about depression, madness and sanity. Shakespeare reveals how the scourge of corruption and decay rapidly spread; and the emotional consequences that follow. Insanity, madness and depression are as intolerable as corruption and deceit; and just as intertwined. The play makes one ponder if it is possible to be sane in an insane world full of treachery, revenge, incest, and moral corruption?

By examining the themes of melancholy, madness and sanity in Hamlet, Shakespeare details his character’s descent from depression to madness. Additionally, Hamlet’s psychological state can be analyzed by utilizing modern psychological diagnoses, in order to understand his mental state. Throughout the story, Hamlet exists in a melancholy state, “essentially not in madness, / But mad in craft” (3. 4. 204-205). Hamlet states to Horatio “as I perchance hereafter shall think meet/ To put an antic disposition on” in order to deceive the king that he is insane (Act I, Scene V, Line 190).

However, was Hamlet acting or was he already mentally disturbed? Did Hamlet go mad in the end, or was Hamlet insane from the start of the play, and his mental condition only worsened as the play unfolded? The world in which Hamlet existed appears hostile. The king is a murderer; his mother the queen lusts after her deceased husband’s brother; friends spy and deceive one another; and Hamlet’s lover Ophelia literally loses touch with reality. Hamlet believes that only suicide can free him from his misery. Hamlet is not the only person struggling with depression.

From the beginning, Francisco says, “’Tis bitter cold, / And I am sick at heart”. Marcellus states that “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark” (). Fear is spread by the ghost of King Claudius wandering the city streets. Reoccurring themes of corruption result in Hamlet stating “The dram of evil / Doth all the noble substance of a doubt / To his own scandal” (Shakespeare 51). One evil person can contaminate an entire kingdom. As the kingdom decays, emotional trauma increases. Hamlet concludes that the world “’Tis an unweeded garden / that grows to seed.

Things rank and gross in nature / Possess it merely ( ). The weeds represent decay in a world of evil and sin. The “things” are symbolic of man and his temporary dominance over himself, his fellow man and nature. Pessimism permeates the screenplay and the reader is led to connect the dysfunction with the resulting mental states of depression that infect Hamlet. Hamlet’s psychological status can also be analyzed from a modern perspective. Today we have the diagnostic tools to identify and treat the disorders that afflicted Hamlet.

Though Hamlet presents as melancholy throughout the play, there are three additional disorders that afflict Hamlet including post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, and bipolar depression. Three traumatic events contribute to Hamlet’s descent into madness: the death of his father, the incestuous marriage between his uncle and mother, and the discovery of his father’s murder by Claudius. These emotional traumas contributed to Hamlet suffering from what we would now diagnose as Post-traumatic stress disorder.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized by the inability to properly construct emotional appropriate responses to situations and an emotional blunting. Throughout the play, Hamlet had issues with people in his social circle. Hamlet becomes enraged with Laertes because of his dramatic sorrow over the death of Ophelia (Act V, Scene I). Soon thereafter, Hamlet realizes his reaction to Laertes was inappropriate and later apologizes to Laertes. Hamlet demonstrates impulsive behavior and lashes out at people without considering the ramifications.

In addition to Laertes, Ophelia, Hamlet’s beloved, is also not immune to his rage. Hamlet is susceptible to highly reactive emotional responses, and suicidal ideation is mentioned throughout the play. Symptoms of PTSD often include changes in self-perception, relationship stressors, and frequently revenge fantasies. Hamlet’s emotional state deteriorates over the duration of the play. These changes include increased helplessness and the inability to make decisions as he becomes more ill. Hamlet exhibits other PTSD symptoms. Hamlet feels inferior to Fortinbras and Horatio, and in his attempts to kill Claudius.

Hamlet also isolates himself and becomes more paranoid as the play progresses. Not that being paranoid would be an inappropriate emotional response to the environment he is in, but his paranoia takes over. Eventually Hamlet becomes obsessed with revenge after he is compelled by his father’s ghost to avenge his death. Symptoms of schizophrenia also present in Hamlet. The symptoms of schizophrenia can include hallucinations, isolation from others, a loss of reality and paranoia. While berating his mother about her rapid remarriage, suddenly Hamlet begins addressing an invisible specter. “What would your gracious figure? [QUEEN] Alas, he’s mad! ” (Act III, Scene IV, Line 116-117). Hamlet has visions, or hallucinations, of his dead father’s ghost. The ghost was seen once by Horatio and some guards at the start of the play, but not by anyone else. The appearance of the ghost may have been reality or a hallucination. However, the second ghost to appear, that only Hamlet could see and hear, was confirmation of Hamlet’s insanity. Schizophrenia is often symptomatic with visual, but more commonly auditory hallucinations. After the death of Hamlet’s father, Hamlet began to withdraw and became reclusive in nature.

He didn’t combat be forced to leave to boarding school, he spent less time with Ophelia, and he became very isolated. Hamlet appears to have been in the initial stages of schizophrenia where the real and unreal become blurred, but he is not yet incapacitated by his disorder prior to his murder. Perhaps if he didn’t die young the disease would have progressed. Even Polonius questioned Hamlet’s state-of-mind when he said, “How pregnant sometimes his replies are – a happiness that often madness hits on” (Act II, Scene II, Lines 213-215). Throughout the play, evidence of bipolar disorder (also known as manic depression) is identified.

It is hard to distinguish if Hamlet is bipolar or having a schizophrenic break since both diseases have common behavioral features. Bipolar disorder is known for manic or escalated behaviors coupled with severe depression when the mania recedes. Manic behaviors include pressured (or rapid) speech, grandiose beliefs, insomnia, and hyper or frantic behavior, followed by periods of extreme anergic depression that is emotionally and physically debilitating. Hamlet escalates between periods of excitement and kinetic activity to states of absolute misery and unproductivity.

Hamlet procrastinates, but it may be due to the depressive period he cycles in and out of. Hamlet’s soliloquies all contain themes of suicide and hopelessness (depression), but his manic states are more difficult to define. Hamlet creates a plan to prove Claudius’s guilt while justifying his own rage and revenge. When Hamlet discovers that the players are coming to the castle, he rapidly goes from melancholy to a state of over-excitement. He becomes highly focused and implements a detailed plan to kill Claudius. Hamlet quickly abandons his plan and slips back into his depression (sparing Claudius).

If Hamlet was able to execute all of the schemes and plans he devises, the play would be chaotic. Another incident suggests another bipolar episode when Hamlet, on the boat to England, facilitates the execution of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern; and also plans an attack on a pirate ship for revenge. Grandiose thoughts are a common feature while in a manic phase. Hamlet quickly forgets or fails to follow through with his plan and falls back into a depressive state. Hamlet’s manic depression is referred to as rapid cycling because the mania and depressive states change quickly.

Ultimately, Hamlet may not be procrastinating at all like is assumed throughout the play. Hamlet may be incapable of fulfilling his grandiose plans while in a depressive state. In Hamlet’s time people had no concept of mental illness or mood disorders. People believed that behavior was deliberate and labeled unacceptable behaviors as character defects. Hamlet was a deeply disturbed individual. Author Gertrude Morin suggests that a cognitive approach be used to understand Hamlet. Hamlet, Morin says, is “a portrayal of a tortured, depressed young man who loses his way in the labyrinth of his negative thoughts. He not only suffered from negativity, mania and depression; the environment in which he lived was highly dysfunctional for anyone’s mental health, let alone an ill man. At the beginning of the play, Hamlet is depressed but the events that develop during the play exacerbate his descent into madness. Not many people in the Kingdom of Denmark escape the toxicity of the world in which they lived. Ophelia may have suffered the most, and was also tormented by Hamlet’s illness, and eventually by saw no other option but to end her life. Depression and despair seemingly became as contagious as the small pox- and just as untreatable.

Hamlet’s mental state and the events in his life may have finally drove him to madness. The reader may first believe that Hamlet is faking his dementia, when in fact, his mental dysfunctions were both organic (of biological origin)and very real. Among the mentally ill it is common to see a mentally vulnerable individual succumb to the pressures of his environment. That person may have been able to keep their illness in check in a stable environment, but when external stressors mount- they may not have the coping behaviors to cope and they escalate out of control.

Suicide, in our modern world, is often a result of life stressors the vulnerable person could no longer manage. Had Hamlet not been murdered, his suicidal impulses may have caused him to self destruct. Psychiatry was just emerging as a science during the time Shakespeare wrote Hamlet. Robert Burton, the most famous author on melancholy from the Renaissance, first published his Anatomy of Melancholy in 1621. Burton, who was afflicted with melancholy himself suggested treatments “from taking hellebore to boring a hole in the skull to let out the ‘fuliginous vapours,’” while adding his consolations (Burton ).

Had Hamlet received the services of Burton, it is probable that if the hellebore didn’t work, the hole in the skull would have left Hamlet disabled or dead. In conclusion, the question persists: Is it possible to be sane in an insane world full of treachery, revenge, incest, and moral corruption? It appears that the majority of people is somewhat resilient and can cope with adversity to a certain degree. However, there are people like Ophelia and Hamlet who are vulnerable to chaotic conditions. These people tend to internalize the trauma and don’t have the coping mechanisms to deal with intense emotional situations.

It is fascinating that Shakespeare had the insight to connect intolerable conditions with states of mental vulnerability. ‘Madness’ was a catch-all term for all mental disorders in Shakespeare’s time, but through his dialogue and scenery, he was able to identify numerous mental states of dysfunction- centuries before we had terminology to describe these illnesses in diagnostic terms. Shakespeare’s acuity in describing a mentally-ill prince is why Hamlet has endured over time. The issues, diseases, desires, fears and dreams remain constant over time among humanity. To be, or not to be’ will always be relevant in more ways than life and death. Our views on mental illness and physical ailments that relate to Melancholia are endless, and therefore so is our application of each possibility to Shakespeare’s work of Hamlet. Sources: Diagnostic Manual DMV-IV Burton, Robert. The Anatomy of Melancholy. Ed. Floyd Dell and Paul JordanSmith, NewYork: Tudor Publishing Co. , 1941. Morin, Gertrude. “Depression and Negative Thinking: A Cognitive Approach to Hamlet. ” Mosaic: A Journal for the Interdisciplinary Study of Literature 25. 1 (1992): 112.

William Shakespeare’s plays have long been regarded as works of literary merit due to their complexity and thematic depth, as well as their universal appeal and ability to stand the test of time. One of Shakespeare’s most renowned plays, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, subsequently referred to as Hamlet, is an ideal example as it satisfies the requirements of literary works of merit. Complexity is a characteristic of literary merit found in Shakespeare’s works, and most evidently, in his characters. Hamlet, for example, is considered to be the epitome of complex characters, as he displays many layers throughout the play.

It’s obvious that this tragic character is indecisive and unsure at times, including when he contemplates suicide, in his relationship with women, and when to kill his uncle, King Claudius. For example, in Act Two, Scene Two, Polonius, advisor to Claudius, reads aloud a love letter written by Hamlet to Ophelia, his supposed love interest. In this letter, Hamlet declares his love for Ophelia, and tells her never to doubt his love. However, when talking personally to Ophelia in the next act, Hamlet tells her that he never loved her.

Yet, at Ophelia’s funeral in the final act of the play, Hamlet tells the attendees that he had more love for Ophelia than does forty thousand brothers for each other. This happens to be one of many examples of Hamlet’s complexity, mostly due to his “feigning” of madness throughout the vast majority of the play. This characteristic of complex characters is one reason why Shakespeare’s works are considered to be of literary merit. Another characteristic of literary merit that Shakespeare’s works display is thematic depth, especially in Hamlet. A major theme in this tragedy is that of revenge, which can be seen frequently throughout the play.

There is the obvious plot of revenge in the play as Hamlet tries to avenge Claudius of King Hamlet’s death. There exist two other plots as Laertes attempts to avenge Polonius’ and Ophelia’s deaths, as well as Prince Fortinbras avenging his father’s death. A thematic depth is composed as these three separate scenarios are woven together, calling the value and necessity of revenge into question. Another prominent theme in Hamlet is death. From the appearance of the dead King Hamlet’s ghost in the opening scene to the carnage of the final scene, the knowledge of life and the mystery of death are examined.

Hamlet’s “to be or not to be” soliloquy is a perfect illustration as he ponders over the idea of suicide. Because Shakespeare is able to bring up discussion and call certain ideas into question with such themes, his works are thematically deeper, making them of literary merit. Despite having been composed over four hundred years ago, William Shakespeare’s plays have stood the test of time and have proven valuable in many academic fields, other than English. The cause of this is Shakespeare’s ability to provide insight into the human condition, as well as his ability to include universal themes in his plays, so as to gain more appeal.

Shakespeare’s plays explore ideas that are prevalent in the human condition, such as vengeance, romance, and jealousy, which creates universal appeal and paves the way for the analysis of the human condition in the sub-fields of humanities: psychology, sociology, anthropology, etc. In the case of Sigmund Freud, the founding father of psychoanalysis, his The Interpretation of Dreams, explores the foundation of Hamlet on the Oedipus Tyrannus (Oedipus Rex). Freud explains that Hamlet’s hesitation at avenging his uncle is due to the repression of his subconscious desires.

Another example of this cross-curricular analysis of Shakespeare’s works can be seen in Laura Bohannan’s essay, “Shakespeare in the Bush,” in which Bohannan attempts to tell the story of Hamlet to a group of Nigerian villagers. This essay, along with Hamlet is used by students of both anthropology and linguistics as a way of understanding the effects of perspective on one’s perception and expectations. Therefore, because Shakespeare’s works have stood the test of time, and continue to be valued in many academic fields, his works are of literary merit.

Ultimately, William Shakespeare’s works, specifically Hamlet, have all demonstrated their literary merit because of their complexity and thematic depth, along with their value and ability to stand the test of time. Works Cited Bohannan, Laura. Shakespeare in the Bush. Print. Freud, Sigmund, A. A. Brill, Daniel T. O’Hara, and Gina Masucci MacKenzie. The Interpretation of Dreams. New York: Barnes ; Noble Classics, 2005. Print. Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince Of Denmark. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York, NY, USA: Washington Square, 1992. Print.