Hamlet Revision

                Is Shakespeare's play Hamlet, Self-preservation is a strong factor. Things such as jealousy, pain, fear, death, etc.  are main points in the play. The characters act on selfishness, and they corrupt everyone and everything. Examples being, Claudius killing his brother in the jealousy of his life, and fear that his would never be as good. He also fears Hamlet overthrowing him. Another example would be Hamlet. He wants to kill his Uncle in revenge of his father's death, and there is controversy of him becoming crazy. There is also Laertes, who wants revenge over his father's death. As well as Fortinbras who wants to over throw the kingdom of Denmark for the murder of his father. The last example would be Ophelia going crazy over the death of her father, and winds up killing herself. All of these examples, you can tell that self-preservation has a strong presence in Hamlet. Along with competing demands such as, Claudius competes for King with Hamlet, and Fortinbras competes for the Kingdom against everyone as well.

                In one's eye it would seem that Claudius has the most need for self-preservation. Reasoning for that would his jealousy controlling his life. Example being, the murder of his brother to take over his life. He wants to make sure that he can have the best life, which is what the king gets. After he gets it he shows fear of Hamlet overthrowing him, so he tries to keep a watchful eye on him just in case. "It is most retrograde to our desire: And, we beseech you, bend you to remain Here, in the cheer and comfort of our eye," (Act i, Scene i, Line 114) The moment the king knew that he couldn't stop Hamlet from trying to kill him, he sends him to England where he would get murdered upon arrival. "The death of Hamlet. Do it, England; For like the hectic in my blood rages, And thou must cure me: till I 'tis done, Howe'er my haps, my joys ne'ver begun." (Act v, Scene iii, Line 65) He also competes for the kingdom, and to have all his demands filled. To which he has to fight Hamlet.

                When Laertes figures out that Hamlet has killed his father, he wants revenge. He wants to murder Hamlet for all the pain he has caused him and his sister.  He decides to kill him by challenging him to a duel, and he poisons the end of his sword. He takes all the pain of his father's death and turns it to hate towards Hamlet. If he would have won his battle, he would have won over the King and became a more important member of the Kingdom; thus making his life style a lot better.

                When Fortinbras forms an army, he does it in hopes to overthrow the Denmark kingdom. He does it as an act of revenge and pain. Fortinbras father was killed by former King Hamlet Sr.  and now he wants his revenge. The army he gathers in Norway marches towards Denmark on a mission; to take over the land. When seceding, he would also gain more power. Also an act of self-preservation by making sure that his way of like is stronger by eliminating any possible threat. In any case, no one would build an army of two thousand people if you weren't planning on overthrowing Denmark and taking revenge for what the former King has done. "Two thousand souls and twenty thousand ducats will not debate the question of this straw:" (Act iv, Scene iv, Line 24) The self-preservation clearly shows here because Hamlet- who wants revenge for his father's death does it discreetly, whereas Fortinbras makes an army to take over Denmark. When Fortinbras goes to take over Denmark he would have been competing against the king and Hamlet for it, instead they have been killed.

                For Ophelia, self-preservation doesn't seem so important to her. She acts as a lady and does as her father says as she loves him more than anyone, but in any case she also loves Hamlet and wishes that her father and brother had not disapproved. " Perhaps he loves you now, And now no soil nor cautel doth besmirch The virtue of his will, but you must fear. His greatness weighed, his will is not his own, For he himself is subject to his birth. He may not, as unvalued persons do, Carve for himself, for on his choice depends The safety and health of this whole state." (Act i, Scene i, Line 14) When Ophelia's father gets murdered, she goes insane. She talks of her father a lot. "She speaks of her father, says she hears there's tricks i' the worlds, and hems and beats her heart." (Act iv, Scene v, Line 3) She also sings as such a crazy person, and speaks about Hamlet and the things he said to her. "To-morrow is Saint Valentine's day, All in the morning bedtime, and I a maid at your window, To be your valentine. Then up he rose, and donn'd his clothes, and dupp'd the chamber-door; Let in the maid, that out a maid never departed more." Act iv, Scene v, Line 47) She ended up killing herself by drowning. A total opposite act of self-preservation, she had not cared for it at all. In the beginning maybe, when her father was still alive, and there was hope for her and Hamlet. But after all she loved was taken from her, she started to doubt that living was worth it. In the end he decided it wasn't .

                When it comes to self-preservation some people may care for it more than others. It's a part of life and in any cases humanity will have to deal with it. If you want to make sure you survive in this world, you have to do what you need to- or what you think you need to. Claudius believed he needed to take over his brother's life, Fortinbras believed he needed to take drastic measures for revenge and Ophelia believed she needed to kill herself because all her loved ones we taken from her. Every action was due to the emotions people felt. An act of simple emotions we can't control. But we can control how we act on them. The characters in Hamlet acted poorly and selfishly. They didn't handle their lives in the right way and they took bad actions. Also their response to the competing demands was very hard, and they hurt others by their bad actions. 

Hamlet Essay

Self-Preservation in Hamlet

By: Randi Reader

            In Shakespeare's Hamlet self-preservation plays a strong roll. The roles of Jealousy, pain, fear, love, hate and death have strong roles in this play. People act on what they feel selfishly. Claudius kills his brother out of jealousy of his life, Claudius wants to keep a watchful eye over Hamlet is fear that he may try to overthrow him. Hamlet  wants to kill his Uncle because he hates him for killing his father. Laertes wants revenge for the murder of his father and wants to kill hamlet as well. Fortinbras wants to overthrow the kingdom as a revengeful act for the death of his father. Ophelia goes crazy over the death over her father who she loved more than anything, and winds up killing herself. In all of these motives they are still trying to ensure their own self-preservation also.

            Claudius shows the most need for self-preservation by letting his jealousy overcome him and murder his brother so that he can lead his life. "The serpent that did sting thy father's life now wears his crown." Act 1, Scene 5, Line 39. He wants to make sure that he can have the best of the best, which is what the king would get. He shows great fear that Hamlet could overthrow him, by wanting to keep him close so he can keep a watchful eye on him. "It is most retrograde to our desire: And, we beseech you, bend you to remain Here, in the cheer and comfort of our eye," Act 1, Scene 1, Line 114. The moment the king knew that he couldn't stop Hamlet from attempting to kill him he sent him off to England to be murdered upon arrival. "The present death of Hamlet. Do it, England; For like the hectic in my blood rages, And thou must cure me: till I know 'tis done, Howe'er my haps, my joys were ne'er begun." Act 4, Scene 3, Line 65

            Fortinbras forming an army to bring to Denmark to overthrow the kingdom is an act of revenge and pain. Fortinbras father was killed by former king Hamlet Sr. and he wants revenge. He gathers a large army in Norway and travels to Denmark as to take it over. In taking over Denmark, he would also gain more power, which is also an act of self-preservation by making sure that his way of life is stronger by eliminating any possible threat. In any case, no one would build an army of  two thousand people if you were not planning on overthrowing them and taking revenge for what they have done. "Two thousand souls and twenty thousand ducats will not debate the question of this straw: This is the imposthume of much wealth and peace, that inward breaks, and shows no cause without why the man dies." Act 4, scene 4, Line 24. The self-preservation clearly shows here because Hamlet who wants revenge for his father's death does it discreetly, whereas Fortinbras makes an army to take over Denmark.

            For Ophelia, self-preservation doesn't see so important to her. She acts as a lady and does as her father says as she loves him more than anyone, but in any case she also loves Hamlet and wishes that her father and brother had not disapproved. When Ophelia's father dies, she simply goes mad. She talks of her father. "She speaks much of her father, says she hears there's tricks i' the worlds, and hems and beats her heart." Act 4, Scene 5, Line 3. She also sings as such a crazy person, and speaks about Hamlet and the things he had said to her. "To-morrow is Saint Valentine's day, All in the morning bedtime, And I a maid at your window, To be your valentine. Then up he rose, and donn'd his clothes, and dupp'd the chamber-door; Let in the maid, that out a maid never departed more." Act 4, Scene 5, Line 47. She ended up killing herself by drowning. A total opposite act of self-preservation, she had not cared for it at all. In the beginning maybe, but after all she loved was taken from her she started to doubt that living was even worth it and in the end decided it wasn't.

            When it comes to self-preservation some people may have more than others. It's a part of life in any case and we have to deal with. If you want to make sure you survive in this world, you have to do what you need to- or what you think you need to. Claudius believed he needed to take over his brother's life, Fortinbras believed he needed to take drastic measures for revenge and Ophelia believed she needed to kill herself because this wasn't a life worth living. Every reaction was due to jealousy, hurt, love or hate. An act of simple emotions we can't control. But we can control how we act on them. the characters in Hamlet acted poorly and selfishly. They didn't handle their lives in the right way and they took bad actions. Whether or not they felt bad shouldn't matter. Whether it be  taking a life out of jealousy, gathering an army out of revengeful rage, or taking your own life due to sadness; they all have something to do with self-preservation. Shakespeare has presented the consequences and emotion very well in Hamlet. 

 Living Glossary

• Antecedent Action: Events relating to a work of literature but which occurred before the action begins.

 Ex. Antecedent strengthening seems to fail.

• Aside: A short speech in a play that is heard only by the audience, not other characters.

Ex. After all the other characters leave he speaks Aside himself.

• Black Humour: Humour derived from topics normally considered decidedly unfunny - usually death.

Ex. He liked to use Black Humour to hide his fear of death.

• Blank Verse: Unrhymed iambic pentameter. 

Ex. He used Blank Verse to write his poem. 

• Catastrophe: The point in a tragedy where disaster strikes and the protagonist dies. 

Ex. It was a Catastrophe when Jack died that day. 

• Catharsis: The purification of the emotions by the way of release and renewal.

Ex. She used Catharsis to get rid of stress. 

• Closet dramas: Plays meant to be read rather than preformed. 

Ex. He meant it as a Closet Drama so no one could preform it.

• Comic Relief: A humorous scene designed to ease the tension in an otherwise serious play. 

Ex. It was getting serious until someone used comic relief. 

• Complication: The part of the plot in a work of literature in which the conflict gets going and begins to develop.  

• Conclusion: In a tragedy, the short scene at the end that foreshadows what will happen now that the protagonist is dead. 
• Crisis: The climax or, more precisely, the situation that brings about the climax, in work of literature.
• Dramatic Purpose: The precise purpose served by each scene in a play - for instance, to develop plot, to reveal theme, or to develop character.
• Eulogy: A speech that praises a person.
• Falling Action: That part of a tragedy in which the fortunes of the protagonist are in decline. 
• Groundlings: Lower-class Elizabethan theatre-goers who stood on the ground around the stage to watch a play. 
• Initial Incident: The event that gets the plot of a work of literature going. 
• Melodrama: An exaggerated, formula-written drama. Usually full of blood and gore, intended only for its emotional impact. 
• Motif: A recurring idea, image, or phrase that acts as a unifying device in a work of literature. 
• Pathos: The quality that arouses in observers a sense of pity and compassion. 
• Rising Action: The series of events leading to the climax of a work of literature. 
• Soliloquy: A speech in a play given by a character alone on stage in order to reveal his or her thoughts and feelings. 
• Tragedy: A dramatic work in which a noble protagonist suffers personal destruction, usually because of a fatal flaw in his or her character. 
• Tragic Flaw: The shortcoming in the character of a tragic hero that leads to his or her destruction.
• Tragic Hero: The protagonist of a tragedy. 
• Serendipitous: Things happen for a reason. 
• Verisimilitude: When a piece of art creates a false sense of reality.
• Metonomy: A close association represents the whole. 
• Milieu: In the middle -Social context.
• Malapropism: Is the use of an incorrect word in place of a word with a similar sound, resulting in non-nonsensical, often humorous utterance. 
• Ubiquitous: Being or seeming to be everywhere at the same time.