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How Does Hamlet Respond To Horatio's Character

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How Does Hamlet Respond To Horatio's Character
Sometimes the way the world perceives somebody’s character is not always accurate. In Shakespeare’s infamous play Hamlet, Hamlet is thought to be a mentally unstable character. When he isn’t feigning madness, Hamlet is a well educated individual, who is capable of manipulation as well as a capacity for sarcastic wit. Shakespeare effectively portrays Hamlet’s true character through his interactions with other characters as well as his instinctive emotional responses.
Shakespeare effectively uses Hamlet’s interactions with other characters in order to reveal the entirety of his true character. When speaking to Horatio, an educated scholar, Hamlet uses an iambic pentameter. When Hamlet is speaking to Horatio, he says, “...lord. How dost thou, sweet lord? This might be my/Lord Such-a-one, that praised my Lord Such-a-one’s…” (V. i. 78-79). Wary of social class and the meter …show more content…
By speaking to Horatio in iambic pentameter, Hamlet recognizes Horatio’s position, and adjusts his speech. Hamlet’s ability to use this meter demonstrates his sanity and educational ability. He is aware of who how to address others and is not too emotionally unstable to dismiss this, thereby making him able to adjust his tone of voice accordingly. Hamlet’s true character is revealed as his awareness proves his rational state of mind. When speaking to the gravedigger, who is uneducated and on the lower end of the Great Chain of Being, Hamlet swiftly switches from iambic pentameter to prose. When tossed another skull, Hamlet says, “[t]here’s another. Why, may not that be the skull of a/lawyer?” (V. i. 91-92). By switching to prose, Hamlet acknowledges that the gravedigger is uneducated and
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