Jalen Smith

Analysis Of A Hamlet Quote

Laertes and Ophelia’s Confrontation 

Important Information From Scene: Act 1 Scene 3 page 39-40

Quote:

Think it no more.                                                 

For nature, crescent, does not grow alone 

In thews and (bulk) but, as this temple waxes,

The inward service of the mind and soul

Grows wide withal. Perhaps he loves you now,

And now no soil nor cautel doth demirch

The virtue of his will; but you must fear, 

His greatness weighed, his will is not his own,

(For he himself is subject to his birth.)

He may not, as unvalued persons do,

Carve for himself, for on his choice depends

The safety and the health of this whole state.

And therefore must his choice be circumscribed

Unto the voice and yielding of that body

Whereof he is the head. Then, if he says he loves you,

It fits your wisdom so far to believe it

As he in his particular act and place

May give his saying deed, which is no further

Than the main voice of Denmark goes withal.

Then weigh what loss your honor may sustain

If with too credent ear you list his songs

Or lose your heart or your chaste treasure open

To his unmastered importunity.

Fear it, Ophelia; fear it, my dear sister,

And keep you in the rear of your affection,

Out of the shot and danger of desire.

Analysis:

William Shakespeare, the legendary dramatist, has been recognized for his ability to create such dramatic characters that can lie within every reader. There are many examples listed throughout Shakespeare's most well told stories, one entitled Hamlet. One remarkable example is the deep conversation between both Ophelia and Laertes. The two both discuss the relationship between Ophelia and Hamlet. In the beginning of this scene Laertes is preparing to go away for quite some time. While Laertes is preparing himself, his sister Ophelia enters and they both begin to review everything that has to be done while he is gone. While reviewing Laertes offers additional advice to Ophelia.

The advice that he provided was about Hamlet. Laertes mentions to Ophelia that she should just consider thinking that Hamlet thinks of her as a hot blooded youth and that their relationship won’t last. Laertes thinks that everything is sweet and also believes that Hamlets affections towards her will all fade away very soon. As the reader of this passage it actually seems as though even though Ophelia and Hamlet are both deeply in love and they would like to be together Laertes is trying to do everything in his power to try and stop their thriving relationship. When the reader analyzes the tensions between what Laertes is thinking about Hamlet and what Ophelia is thinking about Hamlet it turns out to be completely different.  It seems as though Laertes kind of shows some type of hatred towards Hamlet. 

As Laertes starts talking to Ophelia he mentions some very important things which help reveal his actual concern for Ophelia. He say’s “For nature, crescent, does not grow alone In thews and (bulk) but, as the temple waxes, The inward service of the mind and soul Grows wide withal.” Through this quote Laertes is suggesting that Hamlet not only gets bigger in his body but his responsibilities have to grow also. This quote seemed to be very challenging but I had to really dig deep and take my time to try and understand exactly what he was talking about. In the next sentence Laertes says, “Perhaps he loves you now, And now no soil nor cautel doth demirch The virtue of his will; but you must fear, His greatness weighed, his will is not his own, (For he himself is subject to his birth.)” Laertes is trying to encourage the situation in someway by stating Hamlets love for Ophelia however he believes that she has to become cautious of his actions towards her. He then says that she must remember that he belongs to a family of high authority and his intentions don’t really matter that much at all. 

After making that clear Laertes then mentions, “He may not, as unvalued persons do, Carve himself, for on his choice depends The safety and the health of this whole state. And Therefore must his choice be circumscribed Uno the voice and yielding of that body Whereof he is the head.” This quote stood out to me because Laertes is saying to Ophelia that Hamlet can’t really make personal choices for himself because the country depends on what he does as a person. The choices that he makes for himself have to agree with the whole nation of Denmark. This situation is thoroughly indicated in some cases. He goes on and says, “It fits your wisdom so far to believe it As he in his particular act and place May give his saying deed, which is no further Than the main voice of Denmark goes withal.” Laertes is basically saying that if Hamlet loves Ophelia, she should be wise enough to see that his words only mean as much as the state of Denmark allows them to mean. This quote was very interesting.

Then he says, “Then weigh what loss your honor may sustain If with loss your honor may sustain If with too credent ear you list his songs, Or lose your heart, or your chaste treasure open To his unmastered importunity.” Ophelia in this case should think about how shameful it would be for her to fall for his flirtatious conversations and should surrender her treasure to his importunity. One of the last important quotes that Laertes said to Ophelia was, “Fear it, Ophelia; fear it, my dear sister, And keep you in the rear of your affection, Out of the shot and danger of desire.” From this quote Laertes is warning Ophelia about Hamlet’s ways and that she should keep her love under control for him. Laertes says that she shouldn’t become apart of his own desire. 

To conclude everything this work of Shakespeare goes to show that he is very creative with showing the audience how dramatic character can really lie within every reader.

Hamlet Analysis Act 1 Scene 5

Ananda Knight

I am thy father's spirit,

Doom'd for a certain term to walk the night,

And for the day confined to fast in fires,

Till the foul crimes done in my days of nature

Are burnt and purged away. But that I am forbid

To tell the secrets of my prison-house,

I could a tale unfold whose lightest word

Would harrow up thy soul, freeze thy young blood,

Make thy two eyes, like stars, start from their spheres,

Hamlet is written in old english and has its ways of presenting words and lines in which people today may have a hard time understanding. Even though the text may be a little hard to read the way in which Shakespeare is written makes it both interesting, and a learning experience. 

The Hamlet scene that I found really interesting was Act 1 Scene 5. In this scene/ act Hamlet is introduced to the ghost of his father. His father’s ghost comes to him one night. When he first opens up to Hamlet he tells him how he has sinned and his should has yet to enter the gates of heaven because of his many untold sins. Even though the ghost of Hamlets father comes to him and presents himself and tells him that he cant go to heaven until he is punished for his sins he still refuses to tell his son what the sins are exactly for his is forbid to tell them. 

When reading this at first I expected Hamlet and his fathers first words to be different. I thought that Hamlet and his father may have exchanged words like I miss you, how are you ect. 

I also expected Hamlet to seem a little scared or hesitant as to how his father is appearing to him and why he can see a ghost. One question I had was did Hamlet notice that the ghost was his father even before he came out and said I am thy fathers spirit. Another question I had was what were all of the sins that the ghost had been talking about.

When I think of a king I think of a good person someone who people come to for help, guidance, and leadership. As I read this scene I wonder what kind of sins could a king have against him keeping him from his entrance into heaven. This scene is powerful because not only does it show a relationship between Hamlet and his father but It leaves readers wondering and mind boggled. Readers will be left wondering because the ghost constantly reminds the readers about how his are to horrible to be told and that he is forbid to tell them. But why? What are they? what did he do? Why can he talk to his own son about it? These are all questions that went through my mind while reading the scene. This scene includes an excerpt that makes me to continue to read the book and hope that soon my questions are answered.

This scene has a good way of telling us about the ghost’s past. was Hamlets father really a bad person or a criminal. Is there a reason why the author held back the sins in which he committed and why did he describe them as being so traitorous. I feel like this scene covered a lot with a few lines.

 

There are many ways this could be analyzed. In the beginning It is being stated as if he is waiting on a decision. There is a lot to be waiting for by allowing time to go past means that time is being wasted. The more he focuses on what the Objective which means that he is able to conquer more than he would have. He knows for a fact that he is not going crazy he is being sure that all is for the right and the more he does wrong the longer it will take for such a job to be done. He believes that he may not being making sense in his own mind. In order to test that theory he must talk to him self which may seem worst but it seems that by doing it that way he gets what he has to say out and un noticed so it won’t draw to much attention to himself. That is the last thing he wants to do at the moment

Further on in the scene he explains that it is reserved for a quantity of choice, this means that it is up to him either he will follow through with the plan and succeed or he will not. When that much pressure is put on someone it makes them feel a totally different way so that they will ensure that all the fear is shook out of them. Attempting not to have time so that he can continue his long talk to his self before the big finally. The reason why I am calling it a finally is because there are more to the situation then we may think. In order for it to be a finally it means that this could actually be the end, so when you count your footsteps and wait for the perfect you know that the chance of you actually messing up are little to none.

He mentions that the devil is what may be holding him back or what could possibly be interfering with all he has to do. He does not want to believe what has been done to his father but time has quickly caught up and he know the time is near that there must not be anymore things that stand in his way but it seems that he is going numb from all this dram he says “Eyes without feeling, feeling without sight”. To me he is stating that he has no sense of direction he has no where to go with this all he knows is what he has to do to avenge. As we all still know he has to wait for the perfect time.

He is now trying to make sure that he toughens and realize that this is reality everything that he does from now on matters, and counts. There will be no sadness only justice to prove something. He still cannot believe what he has seen but he know after the lies and the wrongfulness that this may be the only wait out the situation that he is in. No one want to be stuck with a conscious in your head nagging you to do something definitely not if a ghost told you. When someone asks why you did what do you say do you say a ghost did it or do you hold it to your own state of mind and say you had a feeling. You were sure 100% by a feeling that he has killed your father and if thou may be wrong it may not end well. Who know if this is true but of course there is only one way to find out.

Henry Poeng

William Shakespeare, master of his craft, often has many hidden meanings in his plays. This is exhibited in one of his more famous works, Hamlet. To portray these meanings, he uses tones and various other literary devices to get the messages across.  A remarkable example is Hamlet’s little ‘State of the Union Address’ just before his encounter with the ghost. Hamlet expounds on the state of Denmark, and his portrayal screams with emotion. The anger hidden within starts to trickle out, building ever so slowly. 

“As in their birth (wherein they are not guilty since nature cannot choose his origin),(1.4 / 28-29). A fitting ending to a monologue that touches on everything that Hamlet stands for. He realizes that people, himself in particular, are born with things they can’t control. This can be a disease, a quirk or a position of power. At this point in the monologue, Hamlet isn’t too happy. “As in their birth”- is a reference to a social stature. This includes being poor, rich, part of the royal family or some other class. In this case, Hamlet is the Prince of Denmark and part of the royal family. The royal family is the face of Denmark. Each action they do or do not do affects their reputation. “Wherein they are not guilty since nature cannot choose his own origin”- otherwise read as not their fault, compares Hamlet’s position to those of his peers. He doesn’t want to be in this position nor does he have the choice. Life is like a gamble in this regard.

“And to the manner born, it is a custom.” (1.4 / 17). As the Prince of Denmark, Hamlet has to act as befits a prince. “it is a custom” or commonly practiced, meaning he must partake in these actions regardless of personal interest. It can be deduced that Hamlet is a troubled man with a lot on his plate. To make matters worse, he has to deal with King Claudius and his tomfoolery. Prior to this monologue beginning, it was stated that King Claudius was heavily drinking. To drink and have fun is a privilege that only a country in a position of power can have simply because they can afford it. This isn’t the case with Denmark. “They clepe us drunkards and with swinish phrase soil our addition.” (1.4 / 21).” They clepe us drunkards” quite literally means, they call us drunks. “With swinish phrase soil our addition.” - Hamlet then proceeds to call those other countries cowards and pigs. The actions of the King are not held in high regard with Hamlet, although he can do nothing about it, furthering his anger. 

“And indeed it takes our achievements, though performed at height.” (1.4 / 22-25). - These acts are putting shame to all our accomplishments, even though we worked so hard to acquire them, it continues to lessen our reputation. “And indeed it takes our achievements” - this is in reference to King Claudius’ acts of carelessness. “Though performed at height” -  a hint at the past, this bit of line shows the struggle and the pain that it took for the royal family to get to where it is. It’s quite possible that they were of a lower social stature and climbed the ladder of hierarchy. Maybe they made rose Denmark to glory. The possibilities are endless, however, Denmark was better when King Hamlet was on the throne. 

Family and Honor are one of the many key themes in William Shakespeare’s  Hamlet. Emotional turmoil follows each theme and comes crashing down on Hamlet all at once. These emotions, when discovered takes the themes to another level of entertainment. Emotions weave hidden meanings in and out of the lines creating a more dynamic play. When used correctly, emotions can pluck strings in the reader’s/viewer’s heart, causing for a better experience. William Shakespeare, ace of language, is a true puppeteer of emotions. 

As Laertes is preparing to return to school in Paris Polonius offers some wise counsel to his son. These words of advice that is offered are a very significant part of the play. The language of the speech and the way it is delivered has great impact on the perspective you receive when its read. Before I read the speech i looked over the things before it and predicted some of the things that could happen after it. This helped me with analyzing the deeper meaning behind the words and not just viewing it as plain text.

I had two different approaches when reading this particle piece. The first time i read it i played the role of Laertes with receiving the speech. The second time i read it i took the role of Polonius with delivering it. Each time i practiced this the words would have different meanings. Just like Shakespeare takes on different roles as the Shakespeare the poet and the dramatist. I took on two roles as the father and the son. As a father i was giving my son instruction on how to conduct himself in the world, to give a good representation of his name and the name of the family. As a son i was receiving these words and tucking them into my memory for future reference. 

“There; my blessing with thee!” With genuity and authority this invitation and command is given. The father is allowing his son to go and venture out and take the blessing with him with in his journey. Everything that precedes from this point has much more meaning. “Give thy thoughts no tongue, Nor any unproportioned thought his act.Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar.” The language of the words encourages you to think beyond what you see. You would interpret to give no words to your thoughts but it means much more. Giving your thoughts no tongue, to think before you speak or perform an action. This is a life lesson that could be carried on. Choosing who you associate with too is important and is also emphasized by polonius. The advice that he gives his son is sincere and everything that he says he has the best intentions with.

As polonius continues with his speech he addresses common matters that will appear. I think he make these connections with his experiences that he probably had in his life. Some of the advice given looks familiar because it is heard often. “Beware Of entrance to a quarrel, but being in,Bear't that the opposed may beware of thee.Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice;” We have all been warned to avoid fights and disagreements but if we have to, make them to the best account. Listen more than we talk, and to observe more than we react. 

From this speech i got that your character is something that should be valued in all your endeavors no matter what you do. Value your name, your family, and consider the blessings of someone wiser who has more experience. Examine yourself and make sure all your intentions are good and beware of those who might be against you. Receive a blessing and live the best possible life, all of this relates completely to the advice Polonius gave his son before he embarked on his journey.

This great line from Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, will forever influence society; To be or not to be? – that is the question,[Scene 3.1, Line 57] began the most famous Hamlet monologue. 

I believe Lord Hamlet, here, is contemplating the value of life and weighing its positives and negatives. To be; live, not to be; die. He processes the option of suicide, which is quite such an extreme option in his circumstances of turmoil. At this point in the play, Hamlet is emotionally spent and he seems a dagger to the heart may be the right answer. The status of this monologue correlates with the beginning of the play. Both start with an intriguing question. In the beginning, Banardo asks, Who's there? This question gives suspense and grabs the audience to wonder what's happening next.

He goes on to say, Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer / The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, / Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, / And, by opposing, end them? [Scene 3.1, Line 58-61]

Interestingly enough, Hamlet still has a logical mindset about suicide. He talks about whether it is better to go through life and have bad fortune and try to form a smile during the hard times or don't tarry in life's conflict, when there's an easy way out; suicide. Unlike Hamlet, Greek mythology figure Ajax killed himself over the general consensus that he wasn't worthy enough to get prized amor against Odysseus. Ajax couldn't handle bad fortune against him and he decided to take the easy way out. But, Hamlet is thinking, Why suffer if we are born into bad luck, we can void this by death. Ironically, it seems that Hamlet hints toward Catholicism or Christianity. His belief in soul's returning as ghosts and murderers destined for Hell shows his insinuated religion. If he were to practice any type of Christianity, suicide is something out of his beliefs. Why would he think of such a catastrophic end.

Hamlet continues, To die, to sleep / – No more. [Scene 3.1, Line 60-61]

His thinks all death is is sleep – terminal sleep. It is interesting to see although his has a Christian-esk moral compass, Heaven or Hell does not seem to be his afterlife; dreaming does. It is as if Heaven or Hell does not play into his circumstances. 

Hamlet then said,—and by a sleep to say we end / The heartache and the thousand natural shocks. [Scene 3.1, Line 62-63]

After he's proclaimed that dying is a state of limbo, he says limbo is a closure of the misfortune that happens in life. And, assuming that he vaguely practices Christian beliefs Heaven is not limbo. It does not exist. But, in a state of absence, it seems that that is Hamlet's way of release and he talks about it as if it may be chance at happiness.

After he said,That flesh is heir to – 'tis a consummation / Devoutly to be wished! [Scene 3.1, Line 64-65]

He talks about limbo as if that's where he ultimately wants to be – and soon. And, suicide would get him there on his own time. In lines 60-65, he elaborates on how living is basically worthless because of the bad things that happen. He thinks, instead of dealing with life, and it's trials and tribulation, he'd rather die. 

Hamlet went on; To die, to sleep. / To sleep, perchance to dream. [Scene 3.1, Line 66]

He says that since dying is sleeping, one can also have dreams. It's as if this terminal sleep brings dreams that would become the dead person's new reality. 

He then recoils his argument; ay, there's the rub, / For in that sleep of death what dreams may come / When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, / Must give us pause. [Scene 3.1, Line 66-69]

Even though death means sleep, and sleeping yields dreams, Hamlet said that there's always a catch, those dreams may not peachy or the ideal. There's no guarantee that dreams will be good and there's always the possibility of them being horrific. So, one needs to be conscience of that in the attempt of suicide, in Hamlet's terms.

The question; is suicide the answer? In this excerpt of Hamlet's monologue, and in this context, he talks about the possibility, the positive and the negatives in his mind. Based on one's interruption, it's up to the reader or audience to decide, but as the monologue progresses, Hamlet contradicts himself.  

Shakespeare is known for his ability to create characters that resonate with every reader. Hamlet is one of his most famous creations, particularly well known for his “To be, or not to be” monologue. The fame of this piece arises from its resonance as a separate work, taking the monologue out of context does not in any way subtract from it’s meaning. The reason for this is that in the passage, Hamlet addresses a subject that almost everyone throughout human history has had to wonder about at one point in his or her life. Themes in this passage include life after death, the meaning of existence on earth, and whether or not your actions during life matter in the long run. The genius of this passage is that it doesn’t lay these themes out in front of the reader, but guides them down a path of thought that eventually leads to these subjects. What starts as an analysis of Hamlet’s life suddenly becomes much deeper contemplation about the reader’s own existence.

Taken with the rest of the play, Hamlet begins to think these thoughts after a visitation by his father’s ghost. It is revealed to him that his uncle murdered his father, and that his father expects him to take revenge. In the moment, Hamlet agrees but as time goes on he grasps the magnitude of the task. What he needs to do is treason, and he needs to do it alone. As time goes on his responsibility weighs on him. He delays his task for as longs as possible, and becomes secluded and short tempered with other characters at court.

            “To be, or not to be: that is the question” A fitting start to the monologue, as it sets the scene with a summary of what is to come. It comes from a dark place, where Hamlet contemplates suicide. “The question” –whether or not he will end his life there or live on to commit murder– has him torn between his duty to the memory of his father and his own fear of being caught, his hesitance to act. “Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles.” Will his struggle be worth it, how will his actions be remembered? He wonders if he will look back with satisfaction in the end. He wants to know if his perseverance will be worth the trouble. At the same time he wonders if the better thing to do is nothing at all. ‘‘Tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” in the end would he be more at piece if he suffered through the rest of his life, or if he fought –possibly died– avenging his father. He continues in the same vein, “And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep; no more; and by a sleep to say we end the heartache and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to” What would happen should he choose to carry out his father’s revenge? Should he die, what would happen? He finds a bright side in the thought of death, because at the very least he would hope that his troubles would end. In saying, “Sleep” he implies that it will bring him a peaceful death. Settling the souls of himself and his father. 'Tis a consummation devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep; to sleep: perchance to dream.” He hopes that upon entrance to the after life he will dream a better dream. Shakespeare has Hamlet end this portion of the monologue with a profound thought, “Ay, there's the rub; for in that sleep of death what dreams may come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil.” The problem, he says, is that we don’t know what comes after death. This is the train of thought at the root of his hesitation to kill his uncle. He believes that any of the choices he makes going forward could easily result in his death. He doesn’t know what will come, and that ignorance turns into a fear of the unknown. Hamlet reflects in a very real way how any person might react in his situation.