HAMLET ESSAY

Actions speak louder than words. Many people say that they are going to do things, but do those things ever really get done? No, rarely people follow through with their words. In today’s society, it is difficult to trust someone with only words, actions are the only thing that can truly speak. Yet, words and language have a big impact on what a person actually does. What the person is constantly telling themselves or others changes how they will act or if they will act at all. In Hamlet’s case his words drowned him, his words took over him. He became what his words were saying. Insanity was instilled in him because his words were meant to evoke that stereotype; his stereotype seemed to come true during his conversation with his mother and the action preceding Polonius’s murder. In my life, words take on a whole new meaning. When I say that I am going to do something, it will get done no matter what. My words become my expectations and I refuse to not accomplish something that was expected of me. Where Hamlet uses the power of language to trick people, I use language as a to-do list, never leaving one thing unchecked. Language impacts people, whether by trickery, motivation, or lack of motivation; words define a person’s personality, but the actions following define the person’s character.

Hamlet changes immensely throughout the course of the play, which seems to be the repercussion of such powerful language he uses. When Hamlet made Ophelia believe that he was insane, knowing that Ophelia would run to tell her father and her father would run to tell the king, insanity wasn’t a thought. Intelligence and maturity were the first characteristics that Hamlet contained. He knew how to trick the community in order to fulfill what his father requested from him, King Claudius’s death. His plan was working and considerably well. The play that resembled Hamlet’s story was another example of his powerful language, which truly impacted the king to a level that he needed to “get rid” of Hamlet. Yet, Hamlet was a character of all words and no actions, why was the king so frightened by someone who only used words? But Hamlet soon changed from a character of words to a character of actions. Hamlet soon embraces insanity after going completely crazy on his mother; his feelings that he had been holding in for so long had finally exploded. His actions went along with his words. In Hamlet’s case the power of his words seemed to take over his life and turned him into someone he didn’t want to be.

Words mean promises. When I agree to do something, I either get the job done or make sure that someone else will if I absolutely cannot do it. An example of this is when I told my softball team that I was going to start a club my senior year giving athletes many different opportunities to volunteer allowing them to have at least one thing to go to that wouldn’t conflict with their schedules. As senior year came around, I had applications, scholarships, classes, Special Olympics (which I was president of), and so many other things going on in my life. The team kept asking me, are you still making that club, I really want to join and I couldn’t let them down. Although I was overbooked and didn’t have a lot of extra time for this club, I started it anyway and spend hours looking for volunteer opportunities for them. Not only did my words of committing to something impact my actions, but the words of my friends also impacted my actions. The fact that my friends confided in me and knew that I would follow through with what I had said shows that my dedication to my words is very strong. I live by the motto of sticking to my words, while also ensuring that they don’t over power me.

Words are powerful in so many ways, but never ensure that the action will be done. Every person uses words, the difference is whether the words impact the person in a negative or positive way. For Hamlet, he was extremely intelligent and excellent with his power of language, but eventually it took over his life. For me, language works as an ignition to my actions and inspire me to do more. Self-overhearing seems to be the main issue for Hamlet. He vacillates whether he wants to be the person in his words or the person in his mind. Self-overhearing in my mind is the constant reminder of what I have to do on my to-do list. Although words are extremely powerful and make an impact on how a person will act, actions still seem to be the determining factor. Language can define a person’s intelligence, but actions show who the person really is after the mental fight that happens within.

Act III Notes

Act 3 Scene 1 

Indirect characterization crafty madness

Hamlet was giving them weird answers. 

He's forcing the way he's acting. He is doing it on purpose.

Polonius says devotions visage 

The outward of being devoted 

By looking like we are doing the right thing we can convince the people that we are not malicious 

Claudius is beginning to feel guilty 

R and g are on Claudius's side.

Hamlet is talking to Ophelia but also commenting on that he doesn't trust her feelings and beauty corrupts honesty- his mother queen Gertrude. 

He doesn't love you now. 

Everyone that comes to talk to him is sent there for a reason that is why he doesn't trust Ophelia 

He's upset at everyone. Everyone is acting a fool including himself. He is a sinner as well. He is a skinny kid at fat camp. 

He is saying that women corrupt men 

He is talking about two faced or face paint and makeup.

Madness double entendres. Madness in temper. Beyond the pale of good taste and therefore at the presumption of insane.

Hamlet is going back to England. Polonius and Claudius were listening. They set this up so they could hear his own words. Claudius suspects danger. He doesn't know if it's anger at his fathers death or his mothers marriage. So now he will send him off

Polonius will never disagree with the king but he still believes the madness is over the love for my daughter. Polonius says let Gertrude have a moment with him to get it out. He's not really mad but if he is send him away. Polonius wants his daughter to marry hamlet because she has potential to become queen but then he also tells her to stay away from him.

Scene 2 

Hamlet has turned director. Telling the players how he wants the players to speak and it is naturally 

Don't underplay it but also let your own judgement be your guide. Make this be real. He's very calculated. Not a madmen. Gearing it to the audience. In a sense post modernism a play within a play. Don't go off the script. The lines I've given you are exactly what I want you to say no more no less. 

The king and queen are ready to watch the play so Hamlet sends rosencrantz and guildenstern to get the players ready. He then begins to talk to Horatio. He gives him praise. Is this because Horatio has kept hamlets secret or Horatio is the only one that Hamlet trusts? 

Hamlet begins to give this big speech about why he likes Horatio. Horatio is important to Hamlet because he doesn't have an agenda, he comes simply to talk to Hamlet. Horatio is poor which means that Hamlet does not need to impress him, so why does Hamlet give him all these complements? I believe that it is because Horatio is the only person that Hamlet trusts and is the only person that Hamlet has left. 

Horatio has a trait that Hamlet lacks. I'm confused as to what that trait is or what he is implying in this situation. Horatio is a steady man, but what is that implying?

Hamlet then realizes he has embarrassed himself and said too much, so he asks Horatio to watch the king and make sure he does not escape in its course. 

All those that see hamlet as mad enter for the play. Hamlet makes an interesting remark that has two puns. One pun being air/ heir. ( the king promised to be heir to the throne but that promise isn't even chicken feed) what does this mean? The king promised to be faithful but he has done nothing of the such? 

Another pun is seen when hamlet calls polonius a calf and then turns his attention to Ophelia. Does this mean he is protecting Ophelia or how is this a pun and what is its importance? 

Hamlet makes sexual puns towards Ophelia and she reacts without anger. Rather casual as if he is joking, but hamlet is serious and referring to his mother and the king.

The play starts identically like how hamlet's father died. The exact seen is shown, but one thing is clarified or suggested: that the queen never participated in the murder and did not have affairs with Claudius before the death of King hamlet. 

The next scene of the play is the queen promising that she will never remarry even though the king feels his death nearby. The king then explains that one should recognize their lies and forgive and forget it which contradicts hamlet's belief that he is a coward for not fulfilling the revenge. 

The act of the king being poisoned is played again and more in real life. Hamlet is getting impatient and asks his mother what she thinks of the play. Then the king asks if there was offense in this play and hamlet replies yes. Now hamlet begins yelling out extra details that were not in the play. The king calls off the play and everyone leaves except for hamlet and Horatio. 

Hamlet is celebrating and very excited for his success. But was he successful? Did everyone else catch on? 

Guildenstern and rosencrantz come to tell hamlet that the king is distempered, but hamlet does not care and takes it as drunk rather than angry. The two friends expect an apology or guilt within hamlet but hamlet rather gives them a hard time and does not feel bad at all.

The friends tell hamlet that his mother wishes to speak to him, but he is not apologetic but will talk to her and tell her that he is simply doing her a favor.

Guildenstern attempts to stop hamlet when he goes to play the recorder. The hunting metaphor is then made. He is trying to guide hamlet into a net. Guildenstern tells hamlet he is only doing it out of love and then hamlet retaliates and explains how his friends have betrayed him in so many ways. 

Polonius now enters and relays the same message that hamlets mother wishes to speak to him. But hamlet treats the three men with disrespect and shows that he is sick of them treating him like a fool and a madman. 

Hamlet now thinks about what he will say to his mother. He has so much anger that he contemplates killing his mother but remembers what the ghost told him. 

Scene 3 

The king, guildenstern and rosencrantz enter because hamlet does not obey the messengers. The king says I like him not which means he doesn't like where it is going. 

The king tells the two men that they will be taking hamlet to England. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer? Not in this case. The Kings reason is that he deserves respect as the king and hamlet is of complete disrespect so he must leave.

Guildenstern and Rosencrantz accept the Kings request and kiss up to him as the king has much more power than any government official in today's world does. The people strongly believe that the king is trying to keep the country safe so many would agree with making hamlet leave the country.

The king does not care what the queen has to say because the king has already decided hamlet will be sent to England for his protection. Polonius hides behind the curtain hoping to hear that hamlet is mad because he can't have Ophelia's love. Polonius then expects the queen to scold hamlet and make him be a good boy. The king doesn't care what is being said so polonius exits.

The king now gives his soliloquy. He is scared by the play but still will not admit anything to anyone. The king does not know for sure whether hamlet has figured him out or not, but he knows that God knows and this guilt rises up inside of him. He try's to pray but cannot. He has been exposed to God. He knows that sins can be forgiven but only if they are repented and cannot repent this sin.

He asks the Angels for help and bends his knees. He is going to pray now. 

Now hamlet enters just as the king kneels down to pray. He is about to kill the king but then realizes that if he killed him now the king would go to heaven and that is not revenge. Hamlet decides he will catch the king when he is in a state of sin. Hamlet leaves to go to his mom. Just as he leaves the king reveals that he had failed to pray and if hamlet would of killed him he would not have gone to heaven. Hamlets thinking about his thinking saved his enemies life. 

Scene 4 

The scene takes place in the queens closet where there is a huge bed. ( this is also where hamlet had paid Ophelia a silent visit. )

Before polonius hides behind the curtain he tells the queen that she must scold her son. 

The queen begins to scold her son and calls the king his father and he responds with you have offended my real father. She then tells him that she will get someone who will make him listen talk to him rather than herself. She seems frightened now as if hamlet is doing something that scares her. He may have put his hand on his sword or thrown his mother into the chair it is not said, but he does something to frighten her. 

The queen begins to yell asking what hamlet will do to her because she is guilty and it is coming out of her. Polonius yells for help and hamlet stabs through the curtain killing polonius. His last words were o I am slain.

The next part is up for interpretation. I believe hamlet meant to kill the king and did not know that it was polonius. Hamlet makes the accusation to his mother that she helped the king kill her husband, which is new and was not said by the ghost. When hamlet calls the king a murderer the queen doesn't deny it or isn't surprised. Whether the queen was apart of the murder or not was never determined.

Hamlet pulls back to curtain and says he thought it was the king and that polonius will finally understand why it is dangerous to be so noisy. 

The queen tries to justify herself but hamlet is very rough in denying her and goes on to tell her how she has gone against her vows and so forth. He shows a picture of both the men she married. She sees king hamlet as a god and king Claudius as a mildewed ear. She then realizes she doesn't understand why she did what she did, she didn't control herself ? 

Hamlet continues to shout at his mother because he is still so angry. 

The ghost enters: as hamlet continues to shout and show his anger towards his mom the only thing that stops him is the ghost.

His mother sees nothing and finds him mad but hamlet explains to his father that he would rather reem his mother than revenge his father. He is nervous because he had a chance to kill the king and he did not. 

The ghost tells hamlet he must make sure that his mother does not go mad. Shakespeare paints the picture within the eyes of the queen that hamlets hair is standing on end and has a life of its own which clarifies why his mother thinks he's mad. 

She begins to explain his presence.

Hamlet tries to show the ghost to his mother but she cannot see the ghost. He seems to be reporting an emotional encounter with himself. He believes the image of the ghost will make him weep rather than kill. 

The queen explains that he is only insane and that is why he describes this ghost. Hamlet is offended and begins to verbally attack again. Hamlet asks for forgiveness but the queen has a hard time with this. Hamlet then tells his mother to not sleep with his uncle tonight because it will bring virtue to her easier. He knows he has sinned but worries only of his mother sexual relationship with his uncle, not of what happened with the murder or if his mother was apart of it. 

He softens his tone and wants sympathy from his mother which is expressed through his repetitive good night. He repents his killing of polonius and knows that he will have to pay for it. He asks for one more word from the queen but she only says what shall I do.

Hamlet then gets angry again with this response and spills that he is only pretending to be mad and he doesn't want his mother to sleep with the uncle because she may reveal his secret. If she does this she is only getting herself into more trouble. 

The queen promises not to tell her secret and hamlet asks if she knows that he must go to England. She says that she knows and she's sorry that he has to go. Hamlet then paints a cartoon painting regarding his feelings towards guildenstern and rosencrantz. What significance does this have? 

Hamlet is now done with his mother and he will begin to pack his bags. He continues to make puns at polonius even though he is dead and he makes one on drawing. Drawing towards the end with polonius and drawing him out of the room. Hamlet says goodnight to his mother again and she doesn't respond again. 

The Performative Utterance in Hamlet Notes

Notes on the performative utterance in hamlet 

Hamlet is often seen as indecisive, but is rather stuck between what is happening in his mind and what is going to or needs to happen in reality.

He is very powerful in many aspects of the play but struggles throughout the play in whether he will act on what he is supposed to- revenge. 

He is not a confused character but rather a complex character that contemplates between right and wrong. 

Performative language acts. It influences real change in the world.

People say things and often do what they say but this also leads to a chance of a person saying something but not acting on it.

There are three types of forces in performative language: locutionary force, which is the ability of language to deliver a message; illocutionary force, which is what is done in being said; and per locutionary force, which is achieved by being said ( an order being followed or refused, which applies in Hamlet).

Going to show relationship between the business of language (saying something) and the business of the real (following through).

Writers use performative utterances to show that language encourages or influences a person to do something, yet this can be proven wrong in so many cases by the millions of people who say something and never do it. This could be different when referring to the authors tho. 

Characters that come from Shakespeare's plays develop through self-hearing, they over hear themselves thinking and in doing so gain self-knowledge. How so? 

Self-hearing is either revelation or creation, which is it for Hamlet?

He demonstrates performative utterances. Is it because inside he hesitates whether to kill the king and in real life he sees hesitation as well. Or is it because he says that he must complete revenge and is planning to do so? 

Because Shakespeare's characters had to give speeches to reveal their thoughts, they had a chance to overhear themselves and develop from that.

Locutionary to illocutionary to per locutionary = thought to language to action. 

Locutionary is that Hamlet wants revenge because he is angry and misses his father. Illocutionary is that he promises his fathers ghost he will kill the king. Pre locutionary is whether he does it or not and what results from that.

Hamlet does not swear to revenge, but rather sweats only to remember his father. Horatio and Marcellus swear to secrecy. Hamlet over hears himself and has trouble following through with the revenge because he did not swear to kill klaudius.

Common motifs are drama and play acting which brings the reader to the conflict of finding what is sincere and what is not.

Performatives that fail are called infelicities or unhappy.

Hamlet has false performatives because they were meant to be pretended in a context of play acting, they were not failed. 

Illocutionary can be mis understood in many ways and pre locutionary can be a variety of the illocutionary has been left open to interpretation. 

Hamlet is in hollow performative act and has powerful emotional forces and can spur action that had great consequence (killing king klaudius)

When Hamlet hears the first player he realizes that revenge is not what he wants to do. He falls into language and does not follow through with action. 

Hamlet is strongly influenced by the words of the first player and uses the first players emotions to decide what he shall do. Hamlet feels guilt for wanting revenge and is influenced by the first player who says he would only mourn. Will Hamlet follow his footsteps and do the same? 

This example shows the power of language and how it influences people. But what if it influences them to break a promise now they are going against language again? 

The legitimate of the emotional context of utterances to the power of those utterances is important in Hamlet's world. 

Hamlet's intentions are misrepresented due to his play acting that requires more attention. 

The central mimetic act is a play at madness designed to hide Hamlet's murderous intent, to cover his investigation of his uncles crime and to inoculate him from punishment for his various small sins, in short he acts as if he is crazy in order to distract the others from what he plans to do. 

How the players act is very important because he has to be careful not to reveal himself as intelligent and only playing the madman. His advice to the players is very detailed because Hamlet cannot perform his performative utterances if the players do not follow his advice. 

It is difficult to tell what one is really doing because one can be physically doing something but really covering up or setting something up for something else. Hamlet does this when he talks to Ophelia, knowing that she will go back and tell polonius.

Hamlet has made successful utterances because polonius believes his madness. He used language to create his sense of madness. 

Hamlet does not say he is mad but uses language to pretend that he is mad through illocutionary forces.

Polonius is incapable of seeing the true side of Hamlet because he sees repetition. Something similar happened to him so it will happen to Hamlet. He discovers this by analyzing why Hamlet may be crazy in great detail. 

Hamlet uses his act of madness to find his true identity and who he wants to be. Whether he wants to act on right or wrong, kill or not kill. 

Hamlet is realizing that royalty and power is fraudulent and he must break those barriers because he cannot trust those of royalty. He shows this by the example of his father being king to now his fathers murderer being king.

Hamlet looks at how other people see him just as how he sees other people and debates within himself whether that is real or unreal. 

We must infer our actions and emotions through our behavior, just as we would do so with other people.

Everyday, everyone creates an identity of themselves. This identity changes day to day, hour to hour.

Claudius has unhappy performative utterances when praying because he feels guilty yet still has power and does nothing but pray. Hamlet chooses not to kill Claudius while he is praying because he doesn't want him to go to heaven. Because Claudius acknowledges the false nature of his prayer, this can be strictly analyzed by linguistics rather than religion. 

The steps of performative utterances are revealed through Claudius's actions or rather shown how he has not performed happy utterances. He thinks about praying and does so, but fails at doing so because he cannot line up his interior world. He cannot face his guilt and horrific actions which means he fails at his prayer.

Claudius's story is used to show an opposite of Hamlet. Hamlet has changed and now cares about others and decides that revenge is not the answer and he must stay within his Devine plan. This contradiction shows how Hamlet has changed. 

Hamlet uses performative utterances not to follow through with action, but to self realize. He realizes who he wants to be and does this. 

He was once unable to do something but now grasps himself and does it in the worst way possible. Hamlet has changed entirely over the course of the play. 

Hamlet Soliloquy

Act I and II Notes

Act 1

Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.

Metaphor of the snake to the uncle of killing King hamlet 

Queen knew that the uncle killed her wife. Klaudius seduced he queen 

Hamlet didn't have his last rights and was able to come back according to the religious customs of that time. He was in a state of sin when he died.

Hamlet was poisoned and died. Only knows what he knows because he is a ghost.

Hamlet says don't punish the queen. He says leave her to her own guilt and to heaven. But punish King klaudius. King hamlet tells hamlet to get revenge. 

I have sworn 't. He is resolved. He has a heroic roll. He has the obligation to get revenge for his father. He needs to be a man and strong and heroic, but this puts a lot of pressure on him and weighs him down dramatically. This is the conflict for the rest of play. 

He's at peace. He has validation and knows now. 

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, then are dreamt of in your philosophy. 

The time is out of joint: o cursed spite, that ever I was born to set it right. He lives now to avenge his fathers death.

Revenge is a difficult motif.

The play is now taking place in a more formal setting. They seem to be at a sit down dinner with the king and queen and hamlet. 

The king talks about how everyone is sad about the death of the king but it is time to move on now and continue on with the line of royalty. 

After king hamlet died the uncle became king and married Hamlet's wife.

King sends Cornelius to give a message to fortinbras. 

King talks about laertes who is the child of a good family friend and how he encourages him to go to England to study more.

Hamlet "A little more than kin, and less than kind" situational irony from the aside audience knows something to be true while the character does not 

Not letting him in just taking it in not being rude back. Denying his assumption 

Hamlet is saying the things happening are just ritual not what is happening inside of him

Visage- facial expressions 

Hamlet is acknowledging that you can do all those things but it doesn't mean you are unhappy. You don't know a persons inside. He is beginning to call out those who are or may be faking the ceremonies but don't feel the same inside. He feels horrible inside and is hiding them.

King (uncle) find something he can honor them stabbing his ideas. Grow up and snap out of it you are acting unmanly. And by the way you aren't going back to school. Your next to the thrown but we are going to treat you like a baby. Making hamlet seem crazy or mentally unstable. The idea of keep your friends close and your enemies closer. King is keeping Hamlet close. 

He says he will try to obey his mother.

See directly into the mind of the character through Hamlets monologue 

Hamlet is pissed. Characterizes his dad as such a great king then his uncle to satyr which is a goat and horrible acts. Hamlet implies that he wishes he didn't have to sit here and see all of this happen. Hamlet is now thinking about suicide because he doesn't have to see this not because he is sad or crazy. He's not giving up he's pissed. Also bashing on his mom. Implying that she did not love his father, that she was a slut, and recognizing incest. Ashamed of her and feels betrayed. Should have mourned a lot longer. Allusion to bible about suicide and being a sin. Against biblical references. 

His tone of the questions was now investigative detective, asking very detailed questions. Fact based questions. Dispassionate more interested in details. Contrast between passionate and dispassionate. Very intelligent teenager who is in his wits. Very appropriate and mature conversation with Horatio and Marcellus.

Laertes is the brother of Ophelia. 

Hamlet likes Ophelia. Feels good but not a good idea. 

Laertes is being protective of his sister. 

Keep your self distant. 

She says she's going to take advice. She said don't tell me how to live my life if your going to do what your telling me not to do.

Family of advice givers. 

Cautel means caution 

Wants him to be independent, think before you speak, if you have good friends be loyal, don't go and have a million friends, quality over quantity. 

Polonius says what teenager wants to hear that she doesn't have her life in order.

Act 2 scene 1 

Lord polonius wants Reynaldo to investigate his son.

Reynaldo objects to saying that he does things such as drinking and things that may not be true.

Characterization polonius loses his train of thought. Talks more than he thinks. 

When people know you enough they will fill in the blanks. So get to know him. Throw out the bait and you catch the fish that will tell you what is happening in laertes life

By i directions find directions out. Foreshadows how he will get information out of Ophelia to get info about laertes. 

Ophelia is telling her dad that hamlet had approached her. He had grabbed her. He was the dark side she was the light side. He was confused. 

Lord polonius thinks he came to get some. 

He wasn't trying to he was just possessed by some emotional state and couldn't understand where she was coming from. He was there for misery not for her. 

Ophelia loves him even though her dad says not to see him. 

She hasn't been seeing him.

Possibilities: 

Hamlet was grieving his dad and thinking about how he has to kill the king. 

Hamlet could be faking it so that she will go back and tell the story to her dad.

Hamlet could be sad that he doesn't have Ophelia's love.

Act 2 scene 2 

King is doing the same thing as lord polonius. To get information about hamlet. He is sending hamlets friends to get more information about him.

King has been notified of hamlets eradicate actions.

The queen is paying the friends for their service.

Polonius:

False humility. Aren't I a clever guy is what he is saying

Fortinbras thought that his nephews taxes were against the polish but when he found out that it was toward King he became angry. So the uncle sends out for his arrest and says he won't go against King klaudius anymore. But now they want to go through Denmark to attack the polish. 

Brevity is the soul of wit. Makes a long story longer. The news is good which confirms klaudius power. But he uses that compliment to talk badly about hamlet.

Gertrude is right. Polonius is wrong 

Fishmonger- someone who sells fish in a market acting like a crazy person 

Though this be madness, yet there is madness. 

Each of hamlets answers have a double meaning is being hinted by polonius 

Hamlet was faking he knows exactly who they are.

For there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. 

What a piece of work is a man! 

Hamlet read them like a book knew that they were sent for him. We can assume he is in a state of grief.

He is a very passionate character. He confesses he is not himself but he he knows they are evil in his life. 

Actors that are coming to the castle to give a play.

-" what a piece if work is a man". Cliche line. Theme of play and how we are contradictory and are able to creat beauty and destroy it with at the sane time. Powerful 

- hamlet is saying that he is kinda mad and testing g and r

- hamlet tells player 1 to tell story if king who was in scandal and then dies because not righteous

- hamlet is changing play and writing in lines and starting to hatch a plan

-make play resemble fathers murder and watch how Claudius reacts 

-" the plays the thing wherein I will catch the conscience of the king". Starting to beat himself up. Like when you take a test and know you did bad. Compare himself to actor and how actor can cry and feel emotion fir fictional but hamlet can't feel anything. Feels about coward because keeping everything to himself. Alone with no one to give him tough love and has to motivate himself. Compare himself to whore and how words have no meaning like a whores because they always lie. He judges on action. Mentions "the play within the play". Trying to make himself look weak so no one will see him coming

Remix ACT I and II

Hamlet Soliloquy: Remix of a Remix