Hamlet Themes Essays (611 words) - Characters In Hamlet, Fiction

Hamlet Themes Hamlet is supposedly centered on one character; Hamlet himself, but the play is driven by plots and schemes that are derived from other characters in the play. In the play Hamlet, the character Polonius causes misconstrued emotions in other characters, and this is due in large part to his position as a confidant to many main characters. He is acting as a "middleman" and manipulates others characters' feelings to lead up to final conflict. Polonius is a man that confuses most, but intrigues all. For the beginning of the play he is the readers guide, and helps to inform the reader of all that is happening within the lives of the main characters. He was not meant to be a main character, but any character that is put in the position of an informant instantly becomes a main character. Polonius is a character in the play for just long enough to give the reader a good start with what is going on. Polonius is the one character who communicates and interacts with every other character in the play. He pieces the play and the characters together to make them more understandable to the reader. Communication is what Polonius does well, but it is also what he does for his living. He is dedicated to the King, but at the same time he is dedicated to his daughter, Ophelia, his son, Laertes, and the Queen, Gertrude. His connections with these powerful people is a great example of how they are all getting information from Polonius, and using it to wreak their own havoc. Polonius' position as the "middleman" gives him an indescribable amount of power, which he takes advantage of. He uses what others tell him to supply others with valuable information, all the way up until his sudden demise. Polonius changes very little throughout the several Acts for which he is present, but that doesn't take away from his importance as a character. He establishes himself as a liar and as someone that is not to be trusted, constantly going behind the backs of others. We see an example of this when Polonius was spying on his daughter and Hamlet, "You need not tell us what Lord Hamlet said; we heard it all"(Act 3, Sc. 1). He constantly gathers information on others, and uses it to boost his own standings with Claudius. Throughout Polonius' involvement, he is portrayed and depicted as someone that uses others, even his own daughter, but he can be viewed in a different light as well. Polonius was simply doing what every human being strives for; he wanted to know the whole truth about everything. He used his knowledge in a negative manner, but he maintained his composure and did what he needed to do. He had his limits, and it can certainly be fathomed that he could have done much more damage than he actually did. He was the confidant to many people, and knew a lot about everyone, but he only told the king what he really needed to know, he was just doing his duty as Claudius' partner. Polonius' sense of loyalty to Claudius was maintained up until the last minutes of his life; things are not adequately explained without him there. Claudius lost his informant, Ophelia and Laertes lost their father, and Gertrude lost her confidant. With the demise of Polonius came the demise of the play. Without that buffer between characters, conflicts began to arise directly. It can be gathered that Polonius was what kept everyone together, yet apart at the same time. He was what kept direct conflicts out of the picture, and now that he was dead, the pinnacle of conflict came into play. There was no one there to confuse the characters, so there was nothing left to do but confront each other, hence, the death of Polonius lead to the deaths and demise of the other characters.

Free Essays on Cask Of Amontillado - Revenge

Revenge and Pride can be very dangerous things In â€Å" The Cask of Amontillado† revenge and pride are played out in true Poe style. Here one man, Montresor plots a horrible revenge on another, Fortunato. This event is even more horrible by the fact that vengeance is being taken when no real offense had been given. All that is told is that Fortunato has done a grievous wrong to Montresor and his family. Fortunato is totally self-absorbed with himself and his pride in his knowledge of fine wines. If one is a lover of horror stories this is one that they will need to read. Poe’s usage of his standard gothic style, with symbolism, irony and foreshadowing makes this a true horror story. Montresor has a strong hatred for Fortunato. His plan is to use his victims pride in his connoisseurship of fine wine, to lure him into the catacombs to taste some non-existent Amontillado. As they go into the catacombs it is very damp and cold. Fortunato questions Montresor about all the white hanging form the walls and ceilings, his response is that it is just niter with spider webs. As the two men progress deeper into the dark winding and very dreary tunnels, piles of bones begin to appear presumably Montresor’s ancestors. By leading fortunate into the catacombs the seen is set. No one will be able to hear his cries for help. This also shows that Montresors must be a little mad. The conflict is largely internal, because Montresor has a fierce hatred that Fortunato is unaware of when Montresor chains Fortunato to the wall and begins to layer the bricks. It is at this point that the reader may ask themselves if this is really about to happen. The conclusion lets us know that Montresor was never punished for this crime. Fifty years has passed and he is an old man telling the story on his deathbed. The true horror is that Fortunato died a terrible death, utterly alone, and his killer was never brought to justice in the legal se... Free Essays on Cask Of Amontillado - Revenge Free Essays on Cask Of Amontillado - Revenge Revenge and Pride can be very dangerous things In â€Å" The Cask of Amontillado† revenge and pride are played out in true Poe style. Here one man, Montresor plots a horrible revenge on another, Fortunato. This event is even more horrible by the fact that vengeance is being taken when no real offense had been given. All that is told is that Fortunato has done a grievous wrong to Montresor and his family. Fortunato is totally self-absorbed with himself and his pride in his knowledge of fine wines. If one is a lover of horror stories this is one that they will need to read. Poe’s usage of his standard gothic style, with symbolism, irony and foreshadowing makes this a true horror story. Montresor has a strong hatred for Fortunato. His plan is to use his victims pride in his connoisseurship of fine wine, to lure him into the catacombs to taste some non-existent Amontillado. As they go into the catacombs it is very damp and cold. Fortunato questions Montresor about all the white hanging form the walls and ceilings, his response is that it is just niter with spider webs. As the two men progress deeper into the dark winding and very dreary tunnels, piles of bones begin to appear presumably Montresor’s ancestors. By leading fortunate into the catacombs the seen is set. No one will be able to hear his cries for help. This also shows that Montresors must be a little mad. The conflict is largely internal, because Montresor has a fierce hatred that Fortunato is unaware of when Montresor chains Fortunato to the wall and begins to layer the bricks. It is at this point that the reader may ask themselves if this is really about to happen. The conclusion lets us know that Montresor was never punished for this crime. Fifty years has passed and he is an old man telling the story on his deathbed. The true horror is that Fortunato died a terrible death, utterly alone, and his killer was never brought to justice in the legal se...

Comparative paper between Socrates and Thomas More trials; Essay

Comparative paper between Socrates and Thomas More trials; - Essay Example This goes against the conscience of many, but the law permits it hence it takes a lot of courage to follow conscience and go against the requirement. Looking at such circumstances one quickly reflects to Saint Thomas More and Socrates. It compels one to dig deep to the cause of their deaths. However, there are several similarities and differences as to what they stood for and how the society perceived them. It is important to note that the comparison between Socrates and Thomas More trials should begin with a brief introduction of the two individuals and a brief background of what transpired during the two trials. Similarly, the similarities and differences will be clear after a thorough analysis of the two scenarios. However, this will be in line with consciousness, belief and religion. Additionally, how these elements are brought out in each case, the similarities and differences or how they were manifested in each trial. Socrates has always been perceived as a wise individual; in fact, he has been considered the face of humanity. However, he created a major impact in the society as a virtuous man due to his high level of education at the time (Arendt and Baehr 397). He was a pagan and sought deeper and true religion beyond the Greek religion; he did not believe much in religion and the worship of gods. The fact that Socrates was a philosopher made him question everything including religion. At that time, most people worshipped gods but he did not believe in them. Nevertheless people treated him with a lot of respect even the learned also acknowledged him. In the ancient days religion played a very critical role in the society. Those who did not follow religion were strongly condemned hence due to this pressure most people worshiped gods. In 406B.C, at the age of sixty-three, he became a member of the by then well-known sub-council called