Hamlet Group

Question:

xocrazyx5
xocrazyx5
Teacher
High School - 12th Grade

How does Hamlet escape from the ship?

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Posted by xocrazyx5 on Wednesday March 11, 2009 at 8:23 AM and tagged with escape, hamlet, pirate ship.

Answers:

  1. eabettencourt
    eabettencourt Teacher
    High School - 10th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    As Hamlet is on his voyage by ship to England, his ship is attacked by a pirate ship.  In the commotion of the ensuing impromptu battle, Hamlet ends up boarding the pirate ship.  Once the battle has culminated, the pirates decide they will drop Hamlet off back in Denmark.  Hamlet communicates all this to Horatio in a letter.

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    Posted by eabettencourt on Wednesday March 11, 2009 at 9:21 AM

  2. tolkiengeek87
    tolkiengeek87 Teacher
    High School - 12th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    Also, Hamlet describes the pirates on the ship as "merciful," and the reader gets the sense that the pirates have agreed to let Hamlet go free with the suggestion that Hamlet is going to do some favor for them (after all, he is the prince of Denmark, so he presumably has some political pull!)

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    Posted by tolkiengeek87 on Wednesday March 11, 2009 at 10:35 AM


  3. sparrow17 Teacher
    College - Freshman

    After a fierce fight, Hamlet manages to jump onto the pirates' ship who promise to take him back to Denmark in exchange of a favour Hamlet does not mention in the letter sent to Horatio. This is a time when the audience are to suspend their belief and ignore the fact that the jump is too much exaggerated and overlook the fact that Hamlet is actually helping pirates let alone calls them 'thieves of mercy'. 

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    Posted by sparrow17 on Wednesday March 11, 2009 at 11:13 AM