William Shakespeares Hamlet :: Shakespeare Hamlet Essays

William Shakespeares villageDis colorment. Depression. Despair. These are the burning emotions churning in young settlements soul as he attempts to come to terms with his fathers death and his mothers incestuous, illicit marriage. While Hamlet tries to pick up the pieces of his shattered idealism, he consciously embarks on a quest to seek the virtue hidden in Elsinore this, in relentless contrast to Claudius fervent attempts to obscure the loyalty of murder. Deception versus truth illusion versus reality. In the play, Prince Hamlet is constantly having to differentiate amongst them. However, there is always an exclusion to the rule, and in this case, the exception lies in move 2, expectation 2, where an honest discourse (sans the gilded trappings of deceit) takes place between Hamlet and Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern. Via the use of prose and nonliteral language, Shakespeare utilizes the passage to illustrate Hamlets view of the cosmos and mankind. Throughout the play, the th emes of illusion and mendaciousness cod been carefully developed. The entire royal Danish court is ensnared in a web of espionage, betrayal, and lies. Not a single man speaks his mind, nor addresses his purpose clearly. As Polonius puts it so perfectly And thus do we of wisdom and of reach By indirections find directions out Act 2, position 2, Lines 71-3 The many falsehoods and deceptions uttered in Hamlet are expressed through eloquent, formal, poetical language (iambic pentameter), equal to an art form. If deceit is a painted, ornate subject then, its foil of truth is simple and unvarnished. Accordingly, when the pretenses of illusion are discarded in Act 2, Scene 2, the language is written in direct prose. Addressing Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern, Hamlet pleads with them to deliver up honest speech about the intent of their arrival offer up Anything but to th purpose. Act 2, Scene 2, Line 300 In a gesture of uttermost(a) significance, in a quote complementary to Polonius afor ementioned one, Hamlet demands Be even and direct with me whether you were sent for or no. Act 2, Scene 2, Lines 310-11 Being the bumbling fools they are, Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern disclose their intentions and purposes to Hamlet, revealing the King and Queens instructions. Thus does truth prevail in this passage. For this reason, the whole passage is devoid of the artful poetic devices that are used in the better portion of the play. The recurring paper of corruption also appears in the passage.