This play revolves around the idea of mortality and how it intertwines with fate. Hamlet becomes obsessed with the idea of death and throughout the play ponders on the subject constantly. In the beginning some of his first lines "Too solid flesh melt" are him thinking of suicide. This thought of suicide continues to fill his mind with the "To be or not to be" speech, but soon transitions into death in general. In the grave digging scene Hamlet sees the skulls and tells how death is a certain and everyone even the great Alexander will become nothing but dirt and dust in the ground.
I would also like to talk about how despair, betrayal, and madness play into this idea of mortality. The entire play works up to the final bloodbath where almost everyone ends up dead. This goes to show how mortality really is one of the larger themes of this play.
well jon, it sounds like you have ur mind set! i dont really have any suggestions really, but i guess you can talk about Ophelia and how her death had something to do with fate.
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of morality, and the role it plays in Hamlet. I also really want you to talk about fate a lot! Because of the major role it plays in the play. I really like the quotes but I definitely think you should use more than just two. I also think you should mention Ophelia and her death. I'm excited to read it :)
ReplyDeleteJon,
ReplyDeleteThis is a good topic, but one which you have yet to shape into a thesis. I'm wondering how much mortality (or, more plainly, Death) has to do with "despair, betrayal and madness"--unless you're suggesting that it causes these things (in your brief post, you seem to suggest an opposite causality). With a nod toward Kira's comments above, keep in mind that death is clearly presented as a great 'equalizer' (it is the common 'fate' that awaits us all). The graveyard speech is key, but don't overlook Hamlet's disquisition on the worm in his speech to Claudius.
This is such a different outlook on a Hamlet analysis. You could also talk about possibly the theme that comes up in the play often of "death is the great equalizer." It shows that we all end in the same way and a beggar could thus eat a king. Keep it up
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