Summary Hamlet - characterisation

Characterisation

Hamlet

- Introspective deep thinker
- Never reveals his true thoughts about the task he has been given
- Language full of riddles and double meanings
- Not a man of action
- Obsessed with questions that can’t be answered – constantly doubts and challenges the world around
him
 Thoughtful nature plays a role in delaying his revenge
- He’s a very moral character – has clear sense of right and wrong
 Believes other people share his moral view – Claudius and Gertrude’s actions shatter his moral
faith
- He doesn’t care about materialistic things – more concerned with issues of morality
- Ghost’s revelations – make him question the morality of the world
 Righteousness and justice removed
- Spends play trying to overcome his doubts and regain faith is goodness
- Reluctant to seek out revenge – moral and spiritual issues
- Can only justify murdering Claudius by deciding that mankind has no control over their destiny
- Hamlet delays in his revenge on Claudius
Possible reasons:
- Introspective nature means he must think everything through before acting
- Christian morals clash with duty as revenger
 Christian view is that only god has the right to take revenge
- Uncertainty over the ghost’s revelations and whether or not they can be trusted
- Argued that hamlet’s task is a patriotic duty – must save his country from Fortinbras’ invasion and
internal corruption
 Avoids anything that might make Denmark look vulnerable
- Written at a time of political, social and religious uncertainty – hamlet could be echoing those
widespread feelings of insecurity
 Play is full of contradictions, inconsistencies and uncertainties
- Freud argues that hamlet has an Oedipus complex – Claudius has done what hamlet wanted to do
 Kill his father and slept with Gertrude – can’t kill Claudius as it would be killing himself
o Revenge would be like suicide – explains hamlet’s confusion about the two issues
- Questions over hamlet’s madness – critics believe that hamlet was only pretending to be mad
 Feings madness to convince Claudius that he's not a threat
 Only appears insane in front of people he suspects will report back to Claudius
- Shakespeare tends to use genuine madness for dramatic value
- Some critics believe that he was genuinely insane/goes insane because of the strain of feigning
madness
 Original sources – clearly state that hamlet’s character only feigns madness
o Doubt deliberately used – hamlet’s reasoned thought is undermined by acts of
impulsiveness
- Hamlet shows symptoms of a disturbed mind
 Constantly loses train of thought and doesn’t reach any conclusions
 Has sleepness nights filled with nightmares
 Obsessed with secrecy
 Believes a ghost has driven him to murder
 Distances himself from the people he loves
- Hamlet’s mental state made ambiguous
- Hamlet’s use of humour suggests he's sane – stays sane by finding dark humour in his situation
 Never misses an opportunity to mock the other character

,  Humour is always appropriate to the situation
- Has a complicated relationship with women
 Believes his mother’s marriage to ahis uncle is a sign of her immorality
 Despairs with his mother’s actions – transfers his feelings towards Gertrude to all women
o Calls them frail and morally weak because of what he sees as their promiscuity
- Love for Ophelia seems genuine but he acts strangely in front of her – suggests he's using her to
maintain his mask of madness

Claudius

- Main antagonist of the play
- Killed his brother
- One of main causes for hamlet’s anger, confusion and apparent madness
- Morally weak and will do anything to seize and hang onto power
- Not unfeeling
 Genuinely sorry for the death of Polonius
 Seems to love Gertrude
 Treats Ophelia with kindness – uses her as part of his plans to deceive hamlet
- Selfishness defines him – only interested in maintaining power
- Increasing paranoia makes him even more concerned with his own position
- Ambition always comes before those he cares about
 Unconcerned that Gertrude might have been in danger when hamlet killed Polonius
 Could stop Gertrude from drinking the poison – doesn’t because it will implicate him in the plot
- An immoral character – seizes Danish throne when natural heir is absent
 Plot would have seemed Machiavellian to an English audience used to a hereditary audience
o Machiavelli – developed a new way of political thinking and argued that rulers were
justified in using immoral/unjust behaviour to keep control
- Holds traditional religious beliefs but ignores them in order to secure his position
 By killing old hamlet he goes against the will of god – divine right
o King’s powers were given by god – kings were only answerable to god
 Biblical comparisons highlight their seriousness of Claudius’ crime – compares himself to cain
- Love for Gertrude is sincere but his marriage to her is also selfish
 Helps him claim the throne
 Shows his disregard for religious law – would have been seen as immoral
- He's a clever and talented leader
- Inspires court and country and deals with potential conflict with Norway
- Afraid of rebellion
- Takes on role of chief mourner – Danish people unite behind him in their suffering
- Takes decisive action to resolve the situation in Norway – send two of his ambassadors
- Manipulates people with language – sly, cunning and underhand
 Juxtaposition to old hamlet – great and brave warrior
 Rise to power was devious and cowardly – killed his brother
- Poison he pours in old hamlet’s ear – symbolises his ability to wound using poisonous words and lies
- Frequently varies his use of language to enhance his power
 Addresses court in second person
 Switches between using royal pronoun and addressing the crowd personally to get them on side
 Uses his language to suppress people
 When he talks to hamlet he uses complimentary language
o Makes hamlet’s objections of him seem petty – public only sees Claudius’ apparent love
for his nephew
- His cunning and deviousness are his own downfall – ultimately too clever for his own good
 Poisoned goblet which kills him
- Claudius’ plot backfires horribly – becomes a victim of his own cunning and cowardice