

Hyperion to a satyr, so loving to my mother, Hamlet's being, and he tortures himself with memories of his late father's Whom Hamlet obviously loved greatly at one time, rips the very fabric of The cold-hearted actions of his mother, who married her brother-in-law Hamlet's tremendous grief is intensified by this lack of feeling by those around him, and more significantly, by Up the rather unhelpful "Thou know'st tis common, all that lives must die/Passing through nature to eternity" (I.ii.71-2), and Claudius adds, amongst other things, "We pray you to throw to earth/This unprevailing woe, and think of us/As of a father" (I.ii.106-8). The queen, considering she has lost a husband, offers Resumed their merry lives, content to offer the occasional conciliatory Hamlet cannot forget his father, even when all those around him have These but the trappings and the suits of woe. His mother cannot help but notice Hamlet's outward appearance of mourning, but Hamlet makes it clear that the overt signs of grief do not come close to conveying how much sorrow he feels inside:įor they are the actions that a man might play,īut I have that within which passes show, Dressed totally in black, Hamlet displays all the forms, moods and shapes of grief. Without Shakespeare providing an elaborate description of Hamlet's features, we can envision his pale face, tousled hair, and intense, brooding eyes. Our first impression of Hamlet sets the tone for the whole play. But how is it that even seemingly negative qualities such as indecisiveness, hastiness, hate, brutality, and obsession can enhance Hamlet's position as a tragic hero a prince among men? To answer these questions we must journey with Hamlet from beginning to end, and examine the many facets of his character.

He uses the fragile and innocent Ophelia as an outlet for his disgust towards the queen, and cannot comprehend that his own vicious words have caused her insanity. He meets his father's death with consuming outrage and righteous indignation, yet shows no compunction when he himself is responsible for the deaths of the meddling Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and the pontificating lord chamberlain, Polonius. Shrouded in his inky cloak, Hamlet is a man of radical contradictions - he is reckless yet cautious, courteous yet uncivil, tender yet ferocious.

From the moment we meet the crestfallen prince we are enraptured by his elegant intensity.

Hamlet is arguably the greatest dramatic character ever created. An analysis of Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark
