Hamlet 9

After Act 5 Scene 2, we, the audience, are forced to question Hamlet's motives and his thoughts about death and the afterlife.  Throughout the whole play, Hamlet gives contradictory sentiments regarding both aspects, but here, he not only kills Claudius, but he witnesses two other deaths before he himself dies.  Throughout the whole play, that is much longer than Shakespeare's others, Hamlet contemplates killing Claudius after his father's alleged ghost tries to convince him of this necessary act of revenge.  Several times, Hamlet claims he will go through with the act, especially to avenge his beloved father's death.  However, it took until the last scene of the play and his mother's death for him to kill Claudius.  As he forces his uncle to drink the poison, he asks, "Is thy union here?"  (V.ii.357).  By referring to Claudius's poison as a "union," Hamlet is also referencing Claudius's marriage to Gertrude.  Hamlet believes that their marriage was poisonous, harming those around it, including his mother.  The fact that Hamlet does not go through with the act of killing Claudius until his mother's death makes the audience question both Hamlet's love for his father and his thoughts on the ghost.  Hamlet claims to have loved his father dearly, so it is inferred that he truly did not believe his father's ghost was actually his father, which is why he did not follow the ghost's instructions until the death of his mother pushed him to do so.  From there, the audience wonders what Hamlet's beliefs regarding the afterlife are, since he did not trust the ghost of his father.  As Hamlet heads toward the great unknown, the audience is still unsure as to Hamlet's opinions about where he is headed.

Hamlet 8

In this scene of the play, Hamlet allows his emotional side to outweigh his rational side.  This unevenness of his personality is seen in his encounter with the grave digger.  In a logical, though arguably unethical, way the gravedigger digs Ophelia's grave by removing remains of previously buried individuals.   The gravedigger is representative of a person whose logical rationality dominates their personality because his job is to dig graves, so he is willing to dig up remains to make room for new ones.  Some would argue that this act is unethical and disrespectful, but it is ultimately a logical act.  Hamlet, on the complete opposite end of the spectrum, allows his emotional part to get the better of him.  He sees the skeletons that have been dug up and contemplates the lives that those people must have had, even though he does not know whose remains they are: "That skull had a tongue in it and could sing / once" (V.i.77-78).  Although, in this statement, one could argue that Hamlet does show a sense of rationality.  He uses the past tense as opposed to the present tense, possibly conveying a belief, or more specifically a lack thereof, in the afterlife, and that the person who died no longer exists.  His statement could possibly be portraying his true feelings towards the ghost and that its existence is irrational.

Hamlet 4

Hamlet claims that the world, Denmark in particular, is a jail: "there are many con- / fines, wards, and dungeons, Denmark being one o' / the' worst" (II.ii.264-266).  In his current position, he feels trapped, like he has no freedom, similar to how a prisoner has no rights and decisions in his life.  He says that he would not feel trapped if it were not for his "bad dreams" (II.ii.275).  His use of the word dreams implies a distorted reality.  Had he used a different word such as "life" or "events," he would have implied that his life was bad, and that would have been the cause for his feeling trapped.  Instead, he uses the word "dream."  Dreams are not reality, and dreams do not truly happen.  They are either ideas to strive for or ideas to fear.  In this case, Hamlet fears his dreams.  They distort his reality and are causing him unhappiness.  The audience is forced to wonder what these dreams are that are causing his life to be miserable.  Maybe the dream is his father's ghost, whom Hamlet is unsure as to whether the ghost is real or imaginary, his father or the devil.  Maybe the dream is the claim that the ghost told him.  Hamlet does not know for certain that his uncle killed his father or that he had an affair with his mother.  That whole idea is a dream implanted by the ghost that Hamlet cannot even trust.  Aside from the few facts in his life that Hamlet is certain about, such as his father's death and his mother's marrying his uncle, Hamlet's life is almost one, big, uncertain dream that is trapping him in a miserable life.

Hamlet 3

In Act 1 Scene 5 of Shakespeare's Hamlet, the audience learns that King Hamlet was murdered by his brother, Claudius.  After reading Othello and realizing that all of Hamlet's characters do not speak in the same way that they act, the audience is forced to wonder if the ghost is being honest.  The ghost first reveals that his death was a "foul and most unnatural murder" (I.v.31).  This concept of naturalness corresponds with past scenes in the play.  For example, Claudius earlier tells Hamlet how grieving is natural, but so is moving on, and in turn, his marriage to Gertrude.  The ghost then gives Hamlet more information, saying that "The serpent that did sting thy father's life / Now wears his crown" (I.v.46-47).  In the Bible, snakes are a representative of deceit, like in the story of Adam and Eve.  Unlike a man who would want revenge or be deceitful, such as Iago, the ghost then tells Hamlet not to blame his mother for marrying the King's evil brother: "Leave her to heaven" (I.v.93).  Although the ghost seems genuine, after reading Othello which contained Shakespeare's most evil villain, one must wonder whether the ghost truly was murdered and if he is telling the truth, especially after Hamlet's words and actions do not align.

Othello Essay Outline

Thesis: Although Shakespeare generally shows some sympathy to his characters that are outsiders, the stereotypes portrayed and the harshness that they evoke outweigh attempts at sincere sensitivity towards minorities, as seen through both Shylock and Othello.

Shylock:
Instance of sympathy:
"Hath not a Jew eyes... The villainy you teach me I will execute--and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction" (III.i.48-61)

• the only sympathy that is evoked towards Shylock from the audience
• at the same time, we resent him for it
• he becomes vengeful, stating that the reason is the treatment that has been placed upon him, which seems unreasonable

Instances of stereotypes and alienation:

"The Hebrew will turn Christian.  He grows kind" (I.iii.175)

• Jews are evil and ruthless

"Certainly the Jew is the very devil incarnation" (II.ii.24)

• Jews are compared to the devil

"My daughter! O my ducats! O my daughter, Fled with a Christian! O my Christian ducats!" (II.iix.15-16)

"I would my daughter were dead at my foot and the jewels in her ear" (III.i.75-76)

• The Jew cares more for his money and possessions than his daughter

Ultimately forced into Christianity and loses all of his possessions.

Othello:

Instance of sympathy:

"Most potent, grave, and reverend signiors... I won his daughter" (I.iii.91-111)

• calm, collected, humble, patient, and articulate

Instances of stereotypes and alienation:

"An old black ram Is tupping your white ewe.  Arise, arise! Or else the devil will make a grandsire of you" (I.i.97-100)

• not only is Iago specifying that Othello is black, but he is being vulgar and implying that he is the devil

"your daughter and the Moor are {now} making the beast with two backs" (I.i.129-131)

• Iago refers to Othello in an animalistic sort of way

"And yet, how nature erring from itself" (III.iii.267)

• Othello and Desdemona's relationship is unnatural given his skin color
• He starts to lose confidence as a result and becomes aware of how he isn't good enough for someone like Desdemona

"Her name, that was as fresh As Dian's visage, is now begrimed and black As mine own face" (III.iii.441-444)

• even Othello understands and agrees with the negative connotation put upon people of color

Henry IV's AP Prose Passage

Although Prince Harry cares for the crown more than his father given by the fact that Harry took the crown from what he thought was his father's dead body, Harry attempts to seem like an innocent, and caring son towards his dying father and as if the crown itself is killing the king.
Towards his father, Prince Harry acts innocent and as if the crown has deceived him.  He claims that the crown "Hath fed upon the body of [his] father," and so he was forced to treat the crown as an enemy.  He did so by wearing the crown.  After explaining his motives for wearing the crown, Harry continues by saying, "Let God for ever keep it from my head."  At first glance, Harry seems like he genuinely cares about his dying father and that he does not care about the power and wealth given to the wearer of the crown, though this is not the case.
Through his excessively polite speech and hyperbolic claims, Harry conveys how much he cares about the crown and how little he cares about his father.  Harry acts excessively polite by constantly calling his father "my liege."  When used so often and after such a degrading act as to remove his father's crown off of his father's corpse, such calls of respect are ironic, and Harry truly does not mean what his words would otherwise convey.  As a result, his lusting after the crown becomes evident.  He also makes hyperbolic and unrealistic claims regarding the crown.  For examples, he claims that the crown attempted to murder his father and that the only way he could face the crown like the enemy that it was would be to wear the crown on his own head.  The complete absurdity of the claim reveals Harry's true intentions when wearing the crown, and none of them were selfless or in the name of his father.

Changes in Othello

At the beginning of the novel, Othello shows patience and self control.  Regardless of the fact that he is much larger in size than the whole rest of the cast, he does not hurt anyone physically.  Even when he is trying to get ahead, and could easily do so by physically harming those around him, he chooses not to.  He remains calm and avoids physical conflict.  This part of Othello changes in Act 4 Scene 1.  The audience first sees this change when he develops elaborate and violent ways to kill Desdemona after Iago convinces him that she has been disloyal: "I will chop her into messes" (IV.i.219).  He soon after hits her.  Lodovico is very surprised about his change in character.  The audience begins to wonder whether this side of Othello is genuine to his person.  If that were the case, he would be similar to Iago in the sense that he has multiple personas, hiding his true self.  If that were not the case, this change in character would be as a result of Iago's manipulation.  Maybe Othello truly is not violent, and Iago has driven him into becoming someone he is not.  The answer might be explained in the following scenes, but maybe it will just be a mystery, like who Iago truly is.