Hamlet Essay

Hamlet is a legendary tragedy written by William Shakespeare. Though there are many renditions of the play, the importance of many quotes remains intact. Many of the dialogue presented by characters allows the audience to get a better understanding of the overall tone and theme. The words, "Though this be madness, yet there is method in't", affect the character's understanding as well as the audience's understanding of the play.

In Act II Scene II after having a conversation with Hamlet about him going mad from his strong love for Ophelia, Polonius says to the audience "Though this be madness, yet there is method in't." What Polonius was trying to tell the audience was even though Hamlet is acting crazy, it makes sense. There is a reason for why Hamlet is acting this way. Polonius could tell that Hamlet's speech was planned and in order. Polonius believed that he knew the reason behind Hamlet's madness.

What's ironic is that Polonius is right and wrong. It is true Hamlet is "acting" mad on purpose, but the reason why Polonius thinks he is is wrong. Polonius believes that Hamlet is acting out because his love for Ophelia is so strong; it drove him to it. Polonius ordered Ophelia to stay away from Hamlet which caused Hamlet to be depressed and mad. What Polonius really didn't know was that Hamlet was "acting" mad to disguise his plan to avenge his father's death. This shows that Polonius only sees what he wants to see. He is close minded and believes that what he knows is the truth.

The line, "Though this be madness, yet there is method in't" said by Polonius allows the audience to gather a better understanding of the tone as well as the overall theme of the play. It is one of the many lines that displays the dark, ironic tone of the play. It helps the audience feel the attitude of the play. This famous line also helps the audience discover the theme of the complexity of action. Throughout the play many characters address utterances, and once they act, or perform, on them they are called performative utterances. In Hamlet it's difficult for the characters to act in a controlled manner. The characters act in bold, uncontrolled actions proving that nothing is certain.

"Though this be madness, yet there is method in't" is one of the many lines in Hamlet that allow the audience as well as the characters to get a better understanding of the purpose of the actions as well as the tone and the theme. That line is a prime example of the irony that fills the play and the lengths that the characters go to to hide their actions and motives.

Hamlet- The Madman(?)

When faced with a traumatic situation, some may handle things differently. Many people may be paralyzed, in a sense, while others may go crazy and have a breakdown. It's almost as if they don't have control of their mad ways. It's easy to see Hamlet, from Shakespeare's Hamlet, as the crazy madman. I, however, see Hamlet as a self-critical young man who knows exactly what he is doing.

Shortly after Hamlet's father's death, his mother and his uncle got married. When this news came out, Hamlet was enraged. Not only was he suffering from the loss of his father, but he now had to deal with his uncle taking his father's place, in the kingdom as well as in his mother's bed. Young Hamlet now had the responsibility of avenging his father's death and saving the kingdom. With such big responsibilities, Hamlet developed a plan. Pretending to be nuts would divert suspicion away from him and his plan. If people think he is mentally off, the characters with bad intentions won't see him as a threat. These characters will let their guards down around Hamlet, allowing him to cleverly gain the upper hand. Hamlet speaks fake madness when around others. For example when Rosencrantz and Guildenstern visit Hamlet, he strategically talks mad, causing them to lose their guard and reveal information about Claudius.

Hamlet's strategy to pretend to be insane is quite clever. Everyone is worried about his state of mind, but in reality he is perfectly sane. It is all apart of his deceiving plan. This plan proves that Hamlet is wise and conniving, yet intelligent. He isn't a mad man. He is a man that is strategically getting revenge for his father. Hamlet sees right and wrong and wants Claudius, and Gertrude, to receive consequences for their actions. Having two personalities (so to speak) allows Hamlet to say what is on his mind and his "unstable mental health" is an excuse for it. He knows exactly what to say, but doesn't over think it. The scene about the play within the play is genius. Hamlet's whole plan is genius, and it proves that he is self critical and has control; he isn't a mad man like some may think.

Class Discussion on Performative Utterance

- Acting on something creates a sense of reality 
- Hamlet doesn't meet expectations (created by ghost) which makes him feel negative 
- what Hamlet hears is locutionary
- going along with Claudius and not saying or doing anything is illocutionary
- the way he talks is perlocutionary
- Hamlet is stuck in a cycle about his feelings 
- talking negatively will inhibit actions
- how do words affect ones personality 
- is there a real self or do you creat yourself through what you say and do 
- Polonius is a character of words (similar to Hamlet) and Claudius is a character of actions  
- Killing Claudius while he is on his knees isn't a heroic act 

The Performative Utterance in Hamlet

- Hamlet is often seen as indecisive; he knows his duty but struggles to make it reality

- He is very powerful but struggles to act

- Performative language acts

- Locutionary force: the ability of language to deliver a message; illocutionary force: what is done in being said; perlocutionary force: achieved by being said

- Writers use performative utterances to show that language influences a person to do something

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

- Hamlet demonstrates a disconnect between what he says and what he does 

- Shakespeare was a dramatist; his characters have to present themselves through speeches, soliloquies, etc.

- Locutionary is that Hamlet wants revenge; Illocutionary is that he promises his fathers ghost he will kill the king; Prelocutionary is whether he does it or not and what results from that

- 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

- Hamlet is in hollow performative act and has powerful emotional forces and can spur action that had great consequence

- Hamlet is strongly influenced by the words of the first player and uses the first players emotions to decide what he shall do 

- 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

- Hamlet has made successful utterances because Polonius believes his madness

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

- Hamlet realizes that royalty and power is fraudulent and he must break those barriers because he cannot trust those of royalty

- Hamlet looks at how others see him and question if that's who he really is

- Everyday, everyone creates an identity of themselves that is constantly evolving

- Claudius has unhappy performative utterances when praying because he feels guilty yet still has power and does nothing but pray (he hasn't performed happy utterances)

- Hamlet chooses not to kill Claudius while he is praying because he doesn't want him to go to heaven

- Hamlet uses performative utterances to self realize who he wants to be

- Hamlet has changed entirely over the course of the play

Hamlet Notes

Act I
Scene I
- Dark winter night outside Elsinore Castle in Denmark
- Bernardo relieves the watchman Francisco
- Marcellus and Horatio join Bernardo
- The ghost of King Hamlet appears (it must be a warning of impending misfortune)
- Horatio recounts the story of King Hamlet's conquest of lands once belonging to Norway, saying that Fortinbras wants to reconquer those forfeited lands
- They try to speak to the ghost but it disappears
Scene II
- King Claudius explains his marriage to his sister-in-law, Hamlet's mom, and mourns his brother.
- He recieved a letter from Fortinbras demanding the surrender of the lands King Hamlet had won
- Claudius and Polonius grant Laertes permission to move back to France for school
- Claudius asks Prince Hamlet why the clouds still hang upon him
- Hamlet's inner sorrow is so great; he isn't going to show that he is greatly upset
- Claudius says it's a son's duty to mourn but if he mourns for too long it's unmanly and inappropriate; and that he should look at him as a father (just because one grieves doesn't mean that they're unhappy)
- Hamlet calls people out for "fake" grieving for his father
- Claudius doesn't want Hamlet to return to school and his mother agrees; they think they know what's best for him
- Hamlet wishes he wasn't there to see this and that it wasn't happening
- He wishes suicide wasn't a sin (out of anger because of his father's death and his mom's haste marriage to his uncle)
- Horatio says he came to see King Hamlet's funeral and Prince Hamlet said that he came to see his mother's marriage: Horatio said he came for both
- He tells Hamlet that they saw his father's ghost
- Hamlet dispassionately questions them
Scene III

- Ophelia is Laertes sister
- Ophelia and hamlets love is passionate
- watch out for Hamlet and his sexual desires but mainly because he's a prince, he's a good guy but being pulled in many different directions
- what hamlet says in the voice of a politician, Ophelia will interpret it as a young girl in love, don't have sex
- takes the advice but isn't making any promises
- it's a double blessing to Polonius to have both his children there
- watch what you say, think before you speak, don't get in debts, be loyal and honorable, but quality over quantity
Scene IV
- they are drinking and having a party
- other countries think that's absurd
- "something is rotten in the state of Denmark" cliche 

- The ghost appears and Hamlet wants to talk to him alone
Scene V

- King Hamlet is the ghost; he's in purgatory
- Claudius killed King Hamlet; the mom knows because she had an affair with him
- he was taking a nap under the orchard an Claudius poured poison in his ear
- only knows what he knows because he's a ghost
- tells Prince Hamlet shouldn't punish Gertrude, leave her to her own guilt, but get revenge on Claudius
- "I have sworn 't" (Hamlet is resolved)
- "there are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy"
- "the time is out of joint: o cursed spite, that ever I was born to set it right!"
- Hamlet is going to revenge his fathers death
Act II Scene II
- "therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit"
- "though this be madness, yet there is method in't"
- "for there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so"
- "what a piece of work is a man!" (Cliche, theme of play, capabilities of people)
- actors haven't lost their art, their just not taking it seriously (brought to the castle for cheap entertainment)
- Hamlet is sort of mad and testing if he can trust them
- quotes a play that is parallel to what is happening
- compares himself to an actor (the actor can weep and what not yet Hamlet can't weep or talk about it. He feels like a coward)
- he should be cut up and fed to the birds, even if he could speak talk to cheap
- if Claudius and Gertrude witness this play that hits the core, they'll reveal themselves
- Hamlet enters lines into the play to change it and hatch a plan (play within a play)
- "the plays the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king"

Act III Scene I
- By looking like their doing the right thing they can convince people their not malicious
- first time we hear it from Claudius admit he is feeling guilty
- "to be or not to be" (all these questions about whether to live or die, etc)
- Rosencrantz & Gildenstern are on Claudius' side
- Hamlet comments that he doesn't trust Ophelia in the moment. It's easy to be seduced by beauty
- he doesn't love her anymore
- questions her motives
- he is upset at everybody
- he knows he is imperfect but everyone else is so much worse
- tells Polonius how he feels about him
- women corrupt men
- he is uncontrollably mad
- Claudius and Polonius set up a conversation with Ophelia and Hamlet to hear what he says
- Claudius wants to remove the threat (hamlet)
- Polonius tells Claudius to let hamlet and Gertrude talk alone while Polonius eavesdrops
- if he is a threat, send him to England
- Polonius only thinks about himself
Scene II
- Hamlet says act naturally don't over do it but don't under do it. Make it seem real; don't improvise
- commenting on the overall play and the play within the play
- Hamlet tells Horatio to look out for Claudius' reaction

- Hamlet acts/replies insanely

- The players act out the play

- Hamlet sexually teases Ophelia

- In the middle of the play Claudius tells them to turn the lights on and stop; everyone leaves

- Hamlet is excited and continues to act insane

- Gertrude asks to speak to Hamlet

Scene III

- Claudius is worried that Hamlet is dangerous and asks Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to escort Hamlet to England

- Alone, Claudius expresses his guilt

- Hamlet is about to kill Claudius but he doesn't want to do it while he is praying because he doesn't want him to go to heaven (he will kill him when he is sinning)

Scene IV

- Gertrude tells Hamlet that he offended Claudius and he says that she offended King Hamlet

- Gertrude cries out for help and Hamlet thinks Claudius is hiding behind the curtain but it is really Polonius and he kills him

- The ghost appears but Gertrude can't see it

- Hamlet tells Gertrude the truth and she says she will keep him promise
Class Notes
- Because of the play and Hamlet knowing, Claudius sees him as a threat and it isn't going to end
- Claudius isn't upset with his actions, he's upset that it is now an inconvenience to him
- Hamlet is feeling cocky
- Polonius and Hamlet are some what opposites (foils) yet the same. They're both people of words. Polonius does stuff with bad intentions while Hamlet does them with good intentions
- Hamlet wants Gertrude to see herself how he sees her
- Hamlet kills Polonius then goes crazy and says rude things towards his mother
- Hamlet doesn't feel guilty
- In this scene, Hamlet is transformed from a character of words to a character of actions
- Getting rid of Polonius takes more words out of the story
Act IV
Scene I
- Rosencrantz and Guildenstern come and go like props
- Gertrude describes Hamlet as nuts and how he killed Polonius; they want to send him away to England
- Gertrude and Claudius are going to spin Polonius's death and excuse it
- Claudius doesn't want to turn Hamlet in because he is afraid Hamlet will turn on him
- Claudius wants Hamlet out of the picture
Scene II
- Polonius is with Hamlet's dad but Claudius isn't in the same place
- A different side of Hamlet is shown; he is being cocky and saying he is a Prince
- Hamlet says Rosencrantz is a sponge and he has no say
Scene III
- It's not the actions that are judged, it's if people like the person (Claudius paints this picture about Hamlet)
- Hamlet says that they can't seem like they are reacting; they must pretend that it was the plan all along to go off to school
- Claudius isn't bigger than anyone else; he's a player in the game
- Claudius is arranging to have Hamlet killed in England
Scene IV
- The conversation between Hamlet and the soldiers was introduced because the soldiers represent honor and courage
- Hamlet sees that the land the captain is fighting for isn't worth it
- It triggers inner commitment in Hamlet; it makes him realize he isn't doing what he planned/needs to do
- It is hard for Hamlet to carry out the ghost's orders but it makes him want to even more
- We have a brain to think, plan, and carry out action
- Hamlet questions why he is procrastinating and is blaming himself
- The soldiers that do battle are so much better than Hamlet
- Hamlet resolves into tapping into his inner soldier and the deed
Scene V
- Ophelia has gone crazy
- She is talking about her dead father, love, and rejection
- Claudius stops the madness
- Ophelia is going to tell Laertes that Claudius and Gertrude are excusing her father's death
- She says Laertes should be king
- Laertes shows up
- Any part of Hamlet that isn't angry, isn't King Hamlet's son
- Who will hold Laertes back from getting revenge
- Ophelia's wits are dead
- Laertes is twice angry with Hamlet because of his father's death and for making Ophelia crazy
- Claudius is trying to calm Laertes down
Scene VI
- Claudius' plan isn't going as planned
- Hamlet isn't on his way to England; he has a secret of his own
- Laertes brings a letter; it's Hamlet's writing; he's coming
Scene VII
- Claudius covered up Polonius' death because everyone loves Hamlet and he didn't want to upset them
- Claudius agrees with Laertes that he should kill Hamlet
- They come up with a plan: Hamlet will challenge Laertes to a duel because he is fond of his sword and Laertes will kill him in the duel. He will cover his sword with poison as well. If Hamlet wins, Claudius will give him poison to drink
- Ophelia drowns