Hamlet

In Hamlet, several characters die. King Hamlet is killed by Claudius, who poisons him. Polonius is accidentally killed by Hamlet while spying. Ophelia drowns, driven to madness by her father's death....

Hamlet recalls the story of Priam and Pyrrhus and asks the player to present a speech about it because Hamlet believes that it closely resembles his visualization of future events in his own...

In Hamlet, Hamlet faces internal conflict as he grapples with avenging his father's murder while dealing with moral and existential doubts. Externally, he confronts Claudius, who has seized the...

The "play-within-a-play" in Hamlet is a pivotal device that Prince Hamlet uses to confirm King Claudius's guilt. By staging a reenactment of his father's murder, Hamlet observes Claudius's reaction,...

In Shakespeare's Hamlet, hamartia is Hamlet's tragic flaw, seen when his actions lead to unintended consequences, such as Ophelia's death. Peripeteia occurs when Claudius reacts to the "play within a...

In Hamlet, dramatic irony abounds, particularly in the early acts. The audience knows Hamlet feigns madness to investigate King Claudius's guilt, while characters like Polonius, Claudius, and...

Hamlet is considered a great tragedy because it features a tragic hero, Hamlet, who is plagued by indecision and impulsiveness, leading to his downfall and the deaths of many characters. The play...

"The Mousetrap" in Hamlet serves as a pivotal device to confirm Claudius's guilt, leading to a rupture in Hamlet's relationships. By staging the play, Hamlet alienates himself from Ophelia and...

Hamlet's phrase "A little more than kin, and less than kind" means that Claudius is more than just a relative (since he is now Hamlet's stepfather as well as his uncle) but is not kind in nature....

Ophelia's quote "What we are" and "What we may be" reflects the internal and external conflicts faced by Hamlet and other characters. It highlights the tension between their current states and...

Hamlet first says that he will begin to act like he has gone mad in act 1, scene 5, just after he has spoken with his father’s ghost on the castle ramparts. He claims that he will “put an antic...

In Hamlet's "O all you host of heaven" speech, the significance lies in his vow to remember and avenge his father's murder. The main idea revolves around Hamlet's internal struggle, his commitment to...

Hamlet does not sleep with his mother in the play. However, some scholars and performers do interpret the relationship between Hamlet and Gertrude as having incestuous undertones.

The "What a piece of work is man" speech in Hamlet reflects Hamlet's deep philosophical contemplation on the nature of humanity. He marvels at human capabilities and potential, yet expresses...

In Shakespeare's Hamlet, the Hecuba speech in Act 2, Scene 2 is pivotal for exploring themes of emotion and inaction. Hamlet is struck by the actor's ability to display intense emotion for Hecuba, a...

This passage from Hamlet is significant because it establishes two key comparisons. First, Hamlet deeply loved and respected his father, King Hamlet, and doesn't believe his uncle possesses any of...

The phrase "Suit the action to the word" from Shakespeare's Hamlet is a directive from Hamlet to the actors he's invited to the castle to reenact his father's death. Hamlet implores them to act...

If the characters of Hamlet were animals, Hamlet might be seen as a sparrow or a hybrid of various animals. The Ghost could be an owl, Claudius a snake, and Gertrude an elephant or mother hen....

Hamlet's line means he feels cursed to be born into a time where everything is chaotic and unnatural, and it's his burden to fix it. After learning from his father's ghost that his uncle Claudius...

In these lines, Hamlet asks Horatio to delay his own death ("absent thee from felicity") and endure the harsh world to tell Hamlet's story. Hamlet wishes for Horatio to explain the true events that...

The five most important characters in Hamlet are Prince Hamlet, the Ghost of King Hamlet, Queen Gertrude, King Claudius, and Laertes. These characters drive the main plot, with Claudius's murder of...

The quote "You would play upon me; you seem to know my stops" in Hamlet means that Hamlet feels manipulated by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. He compares himself to a musical instrument, suggesting...

Quotes in Hamlet that suggest an Oedipal relationship between Hamlet and Queen Gertrude include his lament in act 1, scene 2: "O, most wicked speed, to post / With such dexterity to incestuous...

In Shakespeare's Hamlet, the characters of Hamlet, Fortinbras, and Laertes serve as foils, each dealing with the loss of their fathers and the pursuit of revenge differently. Hamlet is characterized...

In Hamlet, the quote "Soft you now, The fair Ophelia!" means Hamlet is telling himself to stop speaking and be quiet. He does not want Ophelia to hear his disturbing thoughts about suicide and needs...

Hamlet's age is revealed by the gravedigger in Act 5, Scene 1. When Hamlet asks how long the gravedigger has been working, he replies "thirty years," indicating Hamlet is around 30. However, this...

The closing scene in Hamlet is significant as it resolves the central conflict and leads to the tragic conclusion. It functions to highlight themes of revenge, mortality, and the futility of human...

In "Hamlet", the quote "Foul deeds will rise though all the earth overwhelm them, to men's eyes" is spoken by Hamlet. He says this upon hearing about the ghost of his father, indicating his suspicion...

Hamlet's age in the play is somewhat ambiguous. In Act V, the gravedigger states that he has been digging graves since Hamlet was born, and he has been doing so for thirty years, suggesting Hamlet is...

In Hamlet, Horatio survives to tell the story. Hamlet kills Polonius, Claudius, and Laertes. Ophelia drowns, possibly by suicide. Gertrude drinks poisoned wine meant for Hamlet. Laertes and Hamlet...

In Hamlet, metonymy and synecdoche are used effectively to add depth to the language. For example, "Denmark" is often used to represent the entire Danish state, a metonymy that emphasizes the...

In Hamlet, morality is explored through the clash between the pagan revenge ethic and the Christian ethic of mercy and forgiveness. Hamlet's internal conflict between these moral systems is...

In "Hamlet," the phrase "one may smile, and smile, and be a villain" means that people can appear friendly and kind while hiding their true, malicious intentions. Hamlet uses this to describe King...

The concept of tragedy in Hamlet revolves around the protagonist's fatal flaws, including indecision and obsession with revenge, which lead to his downfall. Shakespeare explores themes of madness,...

In Acts 4 and 5 of Hamlet, dramatic irony plays a significant role as the audience is aware of Claudius's true intentions to kill Hamlet by sending him to England, although he pretends it is for...

In Hamlet, several characters display guilt. Hamlet feels guilty for delaying his revenge on Claudius and expresses this in Act V. Queen Gertrude feels guilt over her hasty marriage to Claudius and...

Shakespeare portrays incest in Hamlet to highlight familial dysfunction and control. The incestuous relationships underscore the twisted nature of the royal family and comment on the political elite....

Hamlet is saying that, since those present are blameless, they can't be troubled by the action of the play. The audience is aware of the irony of these lines, since they know that Claudius had...

"The Murder of Gonzago" is a play within Shakespeare's Hamlet used to confirm King Claudius's guilt. Hamlet arranges for actors to perform a play mirroring his father's murder to observe Claudius's...

Act 3 of Hamlet is pivotal, with key events shaping the play's dramatic tension. In Scene 1, Hamlet's "To be or not to be" soliloquy explores themes of life and death, while his harsh encounter with...

Hamlet does not have a last name in the play; he is simply known as Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. The absence of a surname emphasizes his identification with his father, King Hamlet. Although...

T.S. Eliot referred to Hamlet as "the Mona Lisa of literature" because of its enigmatic and complex nature. Eliot believed that the play's artistic intricacies and unresolved ambiguities make it a...

The First Player's speech in Act 2 of Hamlet is important because it mirrors Hamlet's situation and helps motivate his actions. The vivid description of Pyrrhus's revenge on Priam parallels Hamlet's...

The phrase "O my prophetic soul!" in Hamlet signifies Hamlet's realization that his suspicions about his uncle Claudius are correct. When the Ghost reveals that Claudius murdered Hamlet's father,...

The play within the play in Hamlet serves to confirm Claudius's guilt in the murder of King Hamlet. It is used by Hamlet to observe Claudius's reaction and verify the ghost's accusation. This...

Hamlet talks to Polonius about the sun breeding maggots in a dead dog to mock Polonius and indirectly reference Ophelia with a pun on "son" and "sun." The players are traveling because they no longer...

In Hamlet, several characters meet tragic ends. King Hamlet is poisoned by Claudius. Polonius is accidentally killed by Hamlet. Ophelia drowns, possibly by suicide. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are...

In Act III, Scene iii of Hamlet, Hamlet contemplates killing Claudius while he is praying but refrains because he believes this would send Claudius to heaven. Hamlet's reasoning is that Claudius...

In Hamlet, Shakespeare uses prose to depict everyday conversational speech, contrasting with the poetic verse typically spoken by upper-class characters. Prose is prominent in scenes involving...

When Hamlet says "heyday in the blood is tame," he means that Gertrude could not have married Claudius out of love, as her sexual desire ("heyday in the blood") should have diminished with age. He is...