Preview

Hamlet Personal Response

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
578 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Hamlet Personal Response
English 30-1 Hamlet Personal Response
March 21 2013 Final Draft
Interior Monologue

My uncle is dead. Along with everyone else I love and the people they care about. My mother Gertrude, Ophelia, Laertes, and their father Polonius. Dead and gone to heaven forever. I finally killed Claudius! He has died the same way he killed the queen. With the poisoned drink and sword that was meant for me. I’ve been cut by Laertes poisoned covered sword, and will probably follow them to heaven any minute now. All these questions arise in my head. Did I make the right decision to kill the king, or did I wait too long to revenge my father? Was the ghost telling the truth about being murdered by Claudius? I feel so dizzy trying to make sense of it all. It appears clear of what Claudius really wanted. Kill your bother, marry his wife, become king and rule Denmark, but is that what really happened? To kill your own family, how cruel! Maybe I could have saved my own life and the lives of the people I care about. I believe the ghost and spirit of my father had good intentions telling me what he did. He did not prove himself to be the devil. I should have listened to the ghost and took action immediately. Claudius killed my father, his own brother! He did not deserve to live as long as I let him live. As soon as I had the chance I should have ended the new king’s life. The day I saw him praying should have been the day he took his last breath. It was my duty to kill the man who killed my father, turned my mother into a whore, took the throne that I hoped for, and plotted to kill me. It would have been completely moral to murder him right then and there. But no, I had to let that monster live and do more harm. Even though he did not deserve to go to heaven, it would have been better than him living here as king and causing the entire royal family to die off. Oh why did I wait! I should have known that was my perfect opportunity and missing it only caused this tragic ending. If that

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Hamlet Essay

    • 948 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, through his protagonist, he explores ideas relating to conflict. Using detailed textual evidence, how has your personal response to Hamlet been shaped through the composers use of dramatic techniques?…

    • 948 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a famous tragedy that follows the title character Hamlet’s wavering path of revenge. Early in the play, Hamlet encounters his father’s ghost, who tells Hamlet that his brother Claudius murdered him. Throughout the play, Hamlet is torn between his obligation to avenge his father and his uncertainty about this formidable task. Hamlet also experiences this indecisiveness when he contemplates suicide during several points in the play. Though he expresses disgust over Claudius’s inferiority to his father and his hasty marriage with Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude, Hamlet more strongly detests his own procrastination in avenging his father. In order to conceal his insecurities, Hamlet decides to assume an “antic disposition”, which caused much confusion among other characters and led to a cascade of chaos. Hamlet’s indecisiveness, contrary to Laertes’ adamant desire for revenge, and his philosophy on suicide relate death and its uncertain nature to man’s irrationality.…

    • 1107 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dramatic Irony in Hamlet

    • 1184 Words
    • 5 Pages

    • King Claudius feels guilty for murdering his brother in order to marry Gertrude and become king of Denmark.…

    • 1184 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Although Hamlet is characterized as relatively rational in his acts, he nonetheless still possess a strong desire to enact just vengeance on those who have wronged him. While Hamlet arrives at a propitious opportunity to kill Claudius in Act III, while the unknowing murderer sits in prayer while Hamlet, dagger in hand, watches, he ultimately chooses not to, postponing the act until his uncle “is drunk asleep, or in his rage / Or in th' incestuous pleasure of his bed / At game a-swearing, or about some act / That has no relish of salvation in ’t” (III.iii.90-94). Hamlet wishes not only for his uncle to pay the ultimate price for his sins – his life – he wants Claudius to suffer in eternal damnation, reflecting the intensity of Hamlet’s feeling (Bloom 20). Only now do audiences realize the full extent to which Hamlet wishes for vengeance. Even among Hamlet’s wit and the guise of his “antic disposition”, passion and hatred…

    • 1081 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hamlet Questions

    • 5164 Words
    • 21 Pages

    1. What happens when Francisco and Bernardo meet at the beginning of 1.1? Where are we, and when? Why is there confusion over which one is supposed to challenge the other by asking "Who's there"? Why is Horatio with Bernardo and Marcellus? Who is he?…

    • 5164 Words
    • 21 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    act 4 hamlet

    • 474 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Essentially, Hamlet has reached a turning point in which he diverges from a stagnant state to that of implementation of action. Hamlet becomes growingly apprehensive of the matter at hand (in exacting revenge against his uncle, the King) and decisively opts to take action. Hamlet’s new state of mind is reflected within his dialogue: “What is a man/If his chief good and market of his time/Be but to sleep and feed? Now, whether it be Bestial oblivion or some craven scruple Of Thinking too precisely on th-event--- a thought which, quartered, hath but one part wisdom and three parts coward – I do not know Why yet I live to say ‘This thing’s to do,’ Sith I have cause, and will, and strength, and means to do’t.” Hamlet’s view of himself is characterized by that of self-deprecation; he feels that he has been too wary and ineffective in dealing with his plot of vengeance and refuses to further linger in idleness. The opening part of the soliloquy blatantly defines Hamlet’s incentive for revenge: “How all occasions do inform against me/ And spur my dull revenge!” Hamlet notes the manner in which Fortinbras swiftly and hastily undertakes action, which subsequently exhorts him to act in this very manner; Hamlet elucibrates, “Led by this army of such mass and charge/ Led by a delicate and tender Prince… to all that fortune, death and danger dare/ Even for an eggshell”. Essentially, Fortinbras serves as a reflective mirror to his Danish counterpart. In the closing lines of the soliloquy, Hamlet thus revolves to avenge his father’s untimely death at last, as demonstrated through his statement "O from this time forth/My thoughts be bloody or be nothing worth." The justification behind his keen blood thirst and malevolent intent toward his uncle is that the preservation of honor (his father’s and his own) is largely at stake. Hamlet is driven by the notion that revenge is exigent and eminent,…

    • 474 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Hamlet Critical Lens

    • 391 Words
    • 1 Page

    In the William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet the Prince of Denmark is plotting to kill his uncle, who is the king because he poisoned his father, the previous king. The theme of the play is revenge and the protagonist, Hamlet is characterized as being fully devoted to avenging his father, no matter the cost. After two months of mourning for his dead father, Hamlet encounters his father’s ghost, who tells him that it was his brother, King Claudius who killed him. Hamlet then promises his father that he will get revenge on Claudius however, his inability to act prolongs Claudius’s death. Hamlet must first find out if it was actually his father’s ghost and not Satan trying to trick him so he modifies a play that shows a similarity to the murder of Hamlet’s father at the hand of Claudius. Claudius leaves before the play before it ends and berates himself for the murder, “Oh, my offence is rank, it smells to heaven. It has the eldest primal curse on it, a brother’s murder.” Therefore, Claudius will pay the price for killing Hamlet’s father by losing his throne, his wife, and even his own life. Hamlet will also pay greatly for avenging his father. He will lose Ophelia, the woman he loves who drownes herself after her father, Polonius is killed by Hamlet who thought it was Claudius. He will lose his mother, Gertrude who drinks wine that was poisoned by Claudius and intended for Hamlet. Hamlet will also lose his own life after being stabbed with a poisoned sword by Larates in a fencing duel, who was seeking…

    • 391 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    1. In the play “Hamlet” written by William Shakespeare in Act III scene i, Claudius admits that he is suffering from his guilty conscious. “How smart a lash that speech doth give my conscience! The harlot’s cheek, beautied with plastering art, Is not more ugly to the thing that helps it Than is my deed to my most painted word. O heavy burden!” (III, i, (50-55). This confession doesn’t change my opinion of Claudius because he killed his own brother on purpose and took everything away from him and Hamlet by Claudius killing his father. Claudia killed his brother out of jealousy his brother did nothing to him; jealousy isn’t a reason to kill someone. Claudius was jealous because his brother had everything he wanted; a wife, to be king, money and more. Even though Claudius shows guilt he did what he did and can’t change anything now.…

    • 570 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Writing is largely the product of an author’s desire to say something, to tell a story, or to simply entertain an audience; but it is also a product of the time in history in which it was written, and thus shaped by the standards, expectations, attitudes, limitations, and events of the day. One could read Hamlet merely as a revenge tragedy: Hamlet’s father, the king of Denmark, is killed by his brother, Claudius, who, as a result, arrogates not only the crown, but also his departed brother’s wife, Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude. The ghost of the deceased king reveals the circumstances of his death to his son, leaving Hamlet with a sense of obligation to avenge the murder, the usurpation, and the adultery. In the end, Hamlet does exact revenge by killing Claudius. This leads many to view Hamlet primarily as a revenge tragedy, but it is actually more enlightening as a topical history; in fact, J. Dover Wilson, a scholar of Renaissance drama, particularly on the work of William Shakespeare, regards Hamlet as “the most topical play in the whole corpus” (Rowse 188).…

    • 991 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Quotes for Hamlet

    • 338 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Other than Sophocles there were 2 other notable writers that lived during the same years as Sophocles. They are contemporaries to Sophocles. The older contemporary was Aeschylus and the younger contemporary of Sophocles was Euripides. They wrote the same genre but incorporated there own styles and unique ideas with in their brilliant plays. They have all impacted to days theatre in their own ways creating diverse genres that today’s authors may choose to use.…

    • 338 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Betrayal in Hamlet

    • 796 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Hamlets mother Gertrude betrays her first husband, the first king of Denmark. This betrayal comes in the form of a hasty marriage to the king’s brother Claudius, who we find out later murdered his brother in an attempt to acquire the crown. This is an act of betrayal on Gertrude’s part, because she should be in mourning of the her first husband’s death, but she immediately enters another marriage, with the kings brother. This is a betrayal to Hamlet because his father was killed, and his mother soon marries the man who we find out is responsible for it. We find out that Claudius killed his brother and Hamlets father with poison, we find this out when Hamlet is visited by a ghost in which Horatio cannot identify but shows itself to Hamlet as his father, it is at this time that the ghost tells Hamlet how he really died and who was responsible . When Hamlet learns of this news, he is enraged with the news and he begins looking to get revenge on the murderer Claudius. Hamlet throughout the play begins to doubt his sanity and if he should kill his uncle Claudius or himself “To be or not to be…….” (Hamlet), this is an act of betrayal on Hamlets part.…

    • 796 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    proclaims that Claudius killed him in lust for power. Hamlet is asked, "If thou didst ever thy dear father love - oh God - Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder." (27) Here begins Hamlet's quest to avenge his father by laying ruin to King Claudius. To be certain of the King's guilt, Hamlet puts on a play bearing a resemblance to how the ghost described the murder. When King Claudius views it, he feels a sudden pang of conscience and abruptly leaves. This flinch provides a first glance by the reader, and…

    • 629 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Claudius is inserted into Hamlet as a malevolent character, as demonstrated by his murder of Old Hamlet, his attempt to murder Hamlet, and other plots to protect himself from the “slings and arrows” of his sinful life (3.1.57). Upon meeting with Hamlet privately, Old Hamlet’s ghost angrily states, “Ay, that incestuous, that adulterate beast, with witchcraft of his wits, with traitorous gifts” (1.5.42-3). Old Hamlet’s ghost sums up the prevalent characteristics that describe Claudius to be an immoral person, such as being an “incestuous beast.” Revealed here is the fact that Claudius won Gertrude’s affection through his clever words and fancy gifts. While speaking to his father’s ghost, Hamlet also discovers that “the serpent that did sting thy father’s life now wears his crown” (1.5.38-9). From the very beginning of Hamlet, Claudius is already perceived to be a bad person due to the fact that he murdered his own brother to take over the crown of Denmark, but that is not the only reason. In Claudius’ eloquent speech to his subjects, he states that “our sometime sister, now our Queen [has] taken to wife” in “your better wisdoms” (1.2.8-15). Claudius does not only murder his brother, but he also marries his sister-in-law, which defines an incestuous relationship. However, to avoid the judgmental glares of the council, he speaks meticulously, mourning the loss of Old Hamlet before discussing the matters at hand, such as his marriage to Gertrude. Claudius illustrates his affection for the deceased Hamlet, then expresses his political concern for…

    • 1967 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hamlet Essay

    • 1408 Words
    • 5 Pages

    During the second scene, the information that Horatio foreshadowed proves to be correct. King Claudius received a message from Fortinbras demanding Denmark to give up their lands. Claudius sends…

    • 1408 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hamlet Response Paper

    • 1079 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The main grievance Hamlet has with his uncle is the murder of his father, the king. Already grieving over death of his father, Hamlet discovers, by confession of his father, that Claudius murder him in order to become king. Called to action by his friend Horatio and the guards who have witness appearances of a ghost during their night watch, Hamlet goes to confront the ghost that looks like the late King Hamlet. A ghost doomed to walk the earth for an unspecified number of years to atone for the sins that he was not able to confess, King Hamlet Sr., tells the prince that he was murdered by Claudius through foul means. He states, “Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder. Murder most foul, as in the best it is; But this most foul, strange and unnatural” (249), demanding that Hamlet, his son, avenge his ill-conceived death. Overcome with grief and anger at the injustice done to him (as Claudius has managed to steal the crown from him) and his father, Hamlet begins to plot his vengeance. However, being the only one who has talked to ghost, Hamlet, wanting to ensure that…

    • 1079 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays