Hamlet, By William Shakespeare - 844 Words

In the play Hamlet, there are a few main characters that have a huge impact on the overall theme of Hamlet. In this case, Polonius and Laertes are the two that will be focused on. Polonius is the chief councilor for King Hamlet. He has a son named Laertes and a daughter named Ophelia. He is extremely egotistic and he always goes off on a tangent. Laertes and Ophelia have naturally learned to tune him out when he rambles. Laertes is a college student in Paris, France. He came home because of King Hamlet’s death. He is very attached to his family and very emotional. As a college student, he is in a transitional phase and is figuring out who he wants to be without his family telling him otherwise. Polonius’s speech is at the beginning of the play. This placement of Polonius’s speech helps set the tone and theme of Hamlet well. The advice Polonius gives Laertes is long, contradictory, and hypocritical, but there is an underlining message under the ramble that Shakesp eare included to teach his readers about the special relationship between a father and a son and how difficult it can be to decipher. As Laertes is about to depart for Paris, France, Polonius gives him an incredibly long speech about what he should and should not do. As a father to Laertes, Polonius understandably wants to bestow his wisdom upon his son. To much surprise, every line Polonius says is a clichà ©. Polonius says to his son, â€Å"Take each man’s censure but reserve thy judgment†, in other words to hearShow MoreRelatedHamlet, By William Shakespeare880 Words   |  4 PagesWilliam Shakespeare is praised as the pioneering English poet and playwright whose collection of theatrical works is regarded as the greatest artistic value throughout the history of English literature. Shakespeare delved into the spiritual and mental component of humanity and the consequences that arise from this human spirit when it is disputed. The most famous revenge tragedy play, Hamlet, is an excellent illustration of Shakespeare’s philosophical study of human nature. In Hamlet, the arguableRead MoreHamlet, By William Shakespeare899 Words   |  4 PagesWilliam Shakespeare, author of Hamlet, was a well-known author in the 1500s and is still popular today. He was born on April 24, 1564 in London, England. Although there were no birth records at that time, it shows he was baptized one year prior to that, which leads us to believe his birthday was in 1564 because children were normally baptized a year after their birth. Shakespeare’s writing style was very different than others at that time. He used many metaphors and rhetorical phrases, and most ofRead MoreHamlet, By William Shakespeare996 Words   |  4 PagesHamlet, written by William Shakespeare, with out a doubt holds the most famous soliloquy in English history spoken by Hamlet in Act III, scene i, lines 57-90. This soliloquy holds much importance to the play as a whole because it ties together the reoccurring themes of suicide and Hamlet’s inaction portrayed by Shakespeare. Hamlet poses a problem, which is the driv ing force of the play: â€Å"To be or not to be?†(III.i.57). Shakespeare uses this logical question asked by Hamlet to drive out his underlyingRead MoreHamlet, By William Shakespeare1178 Words   |  5 Pages In William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, the protagonist suffers from struggles with major characters, especially with the women in his life. While reading the play Hamlet, Hamlet appears to be a disillusioned man. Throughout the play, Shakespeare has only casted two females: Gertrude and Ophelia. Gertrude is defined to be incestuous, naà ¯ve and cold-hearted. On the other side, Ophelia is characterized to be ignorant, innocent and fearful. After the quick marriage of his mother and evil uncle, Hamlet’sRead MoreHamlet, By William Shakespeare1308 Words   |  6 PagesHamlet is arguably one of the greatest tragedies in all of literature and when most people think of tragic plays, they think of none other than the one who wrote it, William Shakespeare. This classic story of revenge excites it’s readers with its main character, Prince Hamlet, who goes through the unique human-like process of revenge that is often overlooked. Many other stories rely heavily on the logi c of good people doing good things and bad people doing bad things just for the sake of their natureRead MoreHamlet, By William Shakespeare Essay1453 Words   |  6 PagesHamlet by William Shakespeare explores many aspects of mankind--death, betrayal, love, and mourning. Out of these, the most prominent theme in this play is death in the form of suicide. The main character, Hamlet, finds himself questioning the quality of life and the uncertainty of the afterlife once he discovers news of his father s death and the corruption in the kingdom that follows. Ophelia, Hamlet’s lover, is found dead later in the plot and is presumed to have committed suicide. In Hamlet’sRead MoreHamlet, By William Shakespeare1146 Words   |  5 PagesA character so complex, enticing and fascinating, his name is Hamlet. We are all Hamlet, and that, is the argument. Hamlet is an enigmatic character with many flaws. These flaws are the ones that prove similarities between us and him. A play so popular and significant is due to its huge relevance to us as a society. In the play Hamlet, William Shakespeare uses Hamlet’s character and metaphor to demonstrate that when one is left alone to their thoughts, these thoughts overtake reason. ConsequentlyRead MoreHamlet by William Shakespeare1456 Words   |  6 PagesThe play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, takes place in a time where the impossible was a part of the lives of everyday people. Occurrences that people in the modern time would believe unbelievable. Yet, with just a quill and parchment Shakespeare’s is able to connect the past and present by weaving a plot with skill that is still unparalleled to this day. The play Hamlet this exceeds this expectation by revealing depth of Hamlets, the protagonists, character personality through the useRead MoreHamlet, By William Shakespeare1920 Words   |  8 PagesIn the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the character Hamlet must deal with both external and internal conflict. Hamlet encounters many struggles and has trouble finding a way to deal with them. With so many corrupt people in his life, Hamlet feels as if there is no one that he can trust and begins to isolate himself from others. A result from this isolation leads Hamlet to become melancholy. Hamlet struggles with suicidal thoughts, wants to kill King Claudius, and is distraught over his mother’sRead MoreHamlet, By William Shakespeare846 Words   |  4 Pagesalways been a contemplative topic. In Hamlet, the main character Hamlet thinks to himself about suicide. Hamlet was written by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare wrote Hamlet between 1599 and 1602. William Shakespeare is one of the greatest playwrights in history. Hamlet is about Prince Hamlet of Denmark who is trying to find out about the death of his father after his father s ‘ghost’ comes to him telling him it was his uncle who had killed him. While Hamlet contemplates suicide he gives his famous

Clinical Psychology Severe Depression - 1062 Words

Clinical Psychology: Severe Depression I have chosen Clinical Psychology severe depression; the reason for that is because it is very common, over nine million Americans are diagnosed with clinical depression at some point in their lives. Many more people suffer from clinical depression because they do not seek treatment. They may feel that depression is a personal weakness, or try to cope with their symptoms alone. On the other hand, some people are comfortable with admitting their symptoms and seeking help. According to The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH, April 15, 1949) even the most severe cases, depression can be effectively treated. The earlier that treatment can begin, the more effective it is.The first step†¦show more content†¦The biologic basis of Clinical Depression originates in the brain. Your brain is made up of a complex network of nerve cells, called neurons and of brain chemicals, called neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters transmit messages from one neuron to another. Two of these neurotransmitters are not produced in sufficient quantities in a depressed person’s brain. Because of this lack, too few messages get transmitted between neurons and the symptoms of depression occur (Nestler 1). In Clinical depression the chemicals in the brain are out-of-balance. New technology allows researchers to take pictures of the brain that show activity levels in the brain. Some studies with these kinds of techniques have suggested that the patterns of activation in the brains of depressed people are different than those who are not. These tests can help doctors and researchers learn more about depression and other mental illnesses (Nestler 2) . Since this research is fairly new, it is not yet used to diagnose clinical depression. Strong evidence suggests that clinical depression runs in families. Still, just because a person has family members with clinical depression does not guarantee that he or she will develop it. You may get it even if no one else in your family has had it. People with high levels of stress are much more likely to develop depression that those who do not. Though most people

Racism and Jealousy in Othello Essay Example For Students

Racism and Jealousy in Othello Essay Racism and Jealousy in Othello The theme of racism is strongly depicted in William Shakespeares Othello. It depicts the attitude of European society towards those that were different in colour, race and language. In Europe, people of white complexion were the majority and all other races were considered to be less important and inferior.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are several characters in this play that portray this mentality. These characters include Brabantio, Roderigo and Emilia. But by far, the face of racism in this play is that of Iago, who makes his intentions crystal clear in his soliloquy where he states I hate the Moor, (I, iii, 379). Throughout the play, Iago lays forward a number of reasons for his hatred, which leads to the ruin of most of the characters.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is most likely that the main reason behind Iagos hatred of Othello is the colour of his skin. Similar to many other people of his time, Iago would have had little or no racial tolerance for others, and thereby saw Othello as an outcast that had risen to success which is a factor contributing to another of his reasons for hatred, jealousy. From the very first act of this play, and indeed the very first scene, Iago hurls racial insults at Othello, an example of which is .very now, an old black ram is tupping your white ewe (I, i, 89-90) A statement that has both racist and vulgar connotations, as well as referring to Othello as a Barbary horse (I, i, 112) Which is degrading him to the level of a filth.

Slaughter House Five Essays (907 words) - Slaughterhouse-Five

Slaughter House Five Explore the use of "So it goes." Is it to be viewed as resignation to the horrors of death? Is it Billy's response? Vonnegut's? Yours? ?So it goes? is Billy Pilgrim's theory regarding death. He is simply saying that death is no big deal. Since he saw so much death in World War II, and witnessed a bombing two times as worse as Hiroshima, he deals with death much differently than others. Because of everything he has gone through, Billy has become numb to death. It has become a regular situation in his life. Billy first uses this saying on page 2, when he is talking about the death of Gerhard Muller's mother. Because Billy often travels to and from Tralfamadore, he has become accustomed to using their theories about life. ?When a Tralfamadorian sees a corpse, all he thinks is that the dead person is in a bad condition in that particular moment, but that the same person is just fine in plenty of other moments. Now, when I myself hear that somebody is dead, I simply shrug and say what the Tralfamadorians say about dead people, which is ?So it Goes'? (27). Billy thinks that there is no complete death, and it has no finality. Humans are often outraged at his theory when they hear Billy talking about it. They cannot comprehend how someone can be so emotionless about death. ?The most important thing that I learned on Tralfamadore was that when a person dies he only appears to die. He is still very much alive in the past, so it is very silly for people to cry at his funeral. All moments, past, present, and future, always have existed, always will exist? (26-27). Billy uses this as a defense mechanism for life. This shows that Billy will always live in a dream world. Billy's response is Vonnegut's response in Slaughterhouse-Five. But, Vonnegut's memories were too painful for him, so he tells his life through Billy Pilgrim. It is viewed as a resignation to the horrors of death because Vonnegut had lived through many tough points in American history; the stock market crash of 1929, the Great Depression, and finally World War II. 7. Explain the significance of all the material on the title page of this novel. The title page leads off with the other name Kurt Vonnegut gave Slaughterhouse-Five - The Children's Crusade. This title came from both Mary O'Hare at the beginning of the book and Edgar Derby. Mary became very angry when her husband was talking to Vonnegut because she did not want her children, who were just babies at the time to give up their lives for the war. "You'll pretend you were men instead of babies, and you'll be played in the movies by Frank Sinatra and John Wayne or some of those other glamorous, war-loving, dirty old men. And war will look just wonderful, so we'll have a lot more of them. And they'll be fought by babies like the babies upstairs" (14). Derby used "The Children's Crusade" towards the middle of the book when he was telling the colonel how young every American was in the war. "A duty-dance with death" refers to the fact that it was the American soldiers task to fight for their country even if it meant that they were going to die. Vonnegut shows this by retelling his thoughts and experiences of World War II through Billy. Now Vonnegut lives in Cape Cod, and is "smoking too much.? Since the war is over and he is retired, Vonnegut can now relax and enjoy vacation. He does this often by smoking. "An American Infantry Scout Hors de Combat" refers to him being a foot soldier in combat during the war. He witnessed the fire-bombing of Dresden, Germany. The fire-bombing of Dresden, Germany was a secret ambush of the United States that had double the casualties of those in Hiroshima, Japan from the atomic bomb. Florence is a cultural city in Rome, and the Elbe is a river in Germany. So by Vonnegut saying, "The Florence of the Elbe," he is referring to Dresden as the cultural city of Germany before it got blown into smithereens by the Americans. Vonnegut ?survived to tell the tale.? He was able to survive even after being a prisoner of war (P.O.W.) for a good portion of the war. Slaughterhouse-Five is told ?somewhat in the telegraphic schizophrenic manner.? The Tralfamadorians communicated telepathically. They talked to each other through transference of thought. Vonnegut's main character Billy Pilgrim,