The Keen Hamlet Essay Research Paper Of — страница 3

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passage, Polonius establishes the elusiveness of Hamlet?s dialogue in commenting, ?How/ Pregnant sometimes his replies are! A happiness/ That often madness hits on, which reason and sanity/ Could not so prosperously be delivered of? (II. ii. 210-14). We, the audience, sit stunned at Hamlet?s relevant ravings. Finally, a fiftieth reading of the quoted passage decodes the puzzling innuendoes that hide behind the seemingly schizophrenic sequence of images. The first five lines of the passage are a statement of the present situation that has brought Rosencrantz and Guildenstern into Hamlet?s company. Hamlet?s ?anticipation? is simply Hamlet?s awareness that the king and queen have taken notice of his black mood, and have taken measures to discover whether his prolonged mourning is

solely mourning. The next image of the earth differs from the first in that several issues are hinted at. In describing the earth as a ?goodly frame,? Hamlet is referring first to his good homeland, Denmark, which he cannot help but love as his native country. The following ?sterile promontory,? however, refers to his home as a stagnant cliff eagerly jutting out into the water, alluding to Hamlet?s rejected wish to school in Wittenberg (I. ii. 119-20). Perhaps reading a bit far into the image, the earth can also possibly refer to Hamlet?s dead father?s present place of underground rest, which is ?sterile? by disallowing Hamlet?s father to avenge himself. The following image is of the sky, which seems to refer to Hamlet?s uncle, the king, in being described as a ?majestical roof

fretted with golden fire.? This description appears respectful, but sarcastic undertones resonate an embellishment for the hated uncle. Inferring the king as a ?brave o?erhanging firmament? appears somewhat of a challenge by Hamlet, who has the intention of murdering his ?brave? uncle, his father?s murderer. These assertions gain weight with Hamlet?s line, ?foul and pestilent congregation of vapours,? if we take into account the hatred that Hamlet harbours towards his uncle-king. The following image of man seems an encompassing one that is linked to Hamlet?s mood that changes in accordance to Hamlet?s current company. However, Hamlet?s questioning, ?yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust?? touches upon the many introspective soliloquies where Hamlet ponders much about

himself, and the immoral actions of others. As well as being a questioning of man, Hamlet?s question also hints at Hamlet?s obsession with death, which pervades the whole play. Finally, Hamlet?s declaration of his displeasure with man and woman is an obvious declaration of the hatred he harbours for his uncle and his mother. Yet, the simplicity of Hamlet?s statement implies a duality of meaning. Though ?man? is an obvious reference to his uncle, the term can also refer to Hamlet?s constant self-criticism; and woman can also be a reference to Ophelia, who later rejects, betrays, and literally refuses him physical ?delight.? True to his complex nature, Hamlet?s images touch upon the several important factors of the plot of ?Hamlet.? I must now confess that though I have heard

countless mention of the famous ?Hamlet,? I have gone through the whole of my education without any tangible encounter with the play, until now. I must also confess that professor Stockholder?s accompanying lesson unveiled the character of Hamlet as one of my ?literary liberators? (Stockholder, 116). Oddly enough, I found Hamlet to be less of a character that ?allows for a kind of self-validation,? (116), and more of a character that reinforces my own confusing introspections. Nevertheless, I found every aspect of the play captivating, and found my eyes opening ever wider with every reading of the quoted passage. Luckily, I have found ?Hamlet? through my studies and will, in future, definitely be rereading Shakespeare?s ?words, words, words?(II. ii. 194). Shakespeare, William.

Hamlet. (New York: Penguin Books Ltd., 1987). Stockholder, Kay. English 365: Shakespeare. (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997).