Irony in Hamlet Essay - 3148 Words

Many literary critics point to the considerable irony that exists in Shakespeares Hamlet. This paper examines the play for instances of irony and surveys their interpretation by critics. Howard Felperin comments on Hamlet’s â€Å"ironic consciousness† of the fact that he is unable to quickly execute the command of the ghost: Eliot’s unhappy judgments are worth considering here, if only because they are based on an intuition of Shakespeare’s creative process that is so near to and yet so far from the one presupposed in the present essay. He imagines Shakespeare grappling with his archaic sources in the attempt to naturalize, rationalize, and psychologize – generally speaking, to streamline and neoclassisize them – and†¦show more content†¦(1) The play begins with the changing of the sentinels on a guard platform of the castle of Elsinore in Denmark. Recently the spectral likeness of dead King Hamlet has appeared to the sentinels. Tonight the ghost appears again to Barnardo, Marcellus and Horatio, a very close friend of Hamlet. Horatio and Marcellus exit the ramparts of Elsinore intending to enlist the aid of Hamlet, who is home from school, dejected by the â€Å"o’erhasty marriage† of his mother to his uncle less than two months after the funeral of Hamlet’s father (Gordon 128). There is a post-coronation social gathering of the court, where Claudius pays tribute to the memory of his deceased brother, the former king, and then, along with Queen Gertrude, conducts some items of business, for example dispatching Cornelius and Voltemand to Norway to settle the Fortinbras affair, addressing Polonius and Laertes on the subject of the latter’s return to school abroad. Right at the outset of the drama , there is irony exhibited in the manner in which Shakespeare characterizes King Claudius – he is simply stupendous – and yet, shortly hereafter, he is revealed as a truly evil, thoroughly diabolical sort. George Lyman Kittredge, in his book, Five Plays of Shakespeare, describes the Bard’s excellent characterization of Claudius: KingShow MoreRelatedIrony in Hamlet970 Words   |  4 PagesIn Act 3, Scene 4, Hamlet is asked by his mother, Gertrude, to reveal what was making him act like he was crazy. Hamlet believes that Gertrude is truly having a heart to heart with him and really desires to put Hamlet’s troubles to ease. However, what Hamlet does not know is that Gertrude allows Polonius to hide being the arras to overhear their conversation for King Claudius. As the audience, we are aware that Polonius is in the room with Gertrude and Hamlet, but Hamlet is unaware of his presenceRead MoreEssay on Irony in Hamlet1749 Words   |  7 PagesIrony in Hamlet  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This essay will discuss the issue of irony in Hamlet by dealing with the problems that arise as a result of Hamlets attempt to avenge his fathers death. 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The reader or audience has a greater knowledge of many of the characters themselves. -Shakespeare employs dramatic irony in many of his tragedies, so that the audience is engaged, and so they are able to witness characters errors in their action, predict the fateRead MoreEssay about The Irony in Hamlet by William Shakespeare659 Words   |  3 Pages The Irony in Hamlet In the book Hamlet by Shakespeare, irony is used numerous times in order to give the reader insight on what is going on. As stated in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, irony is an action that is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play. If this strategy were not included in this drama, it would take away the whole purpose. This play would consist of no suspense and would be extremely boring to the reader because the characters would know as much as theRead MoreEssay about The Profound Irony of Shakespeares Hamlet 2407 Words   |  10 PagesProfound Irony of Hamlet      Ã‚  Ã‚   Irony, or the â€Å"hiding what is actually the case† in order to â€Å"achieve special rhetorical or artistic effects† (Abrams 135), is amply demonstrated in Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet.    In his essay, â€Å"Reforming the Role,† Mark Rose discusses the irony involved with the ghost’s appearance:    The ghost binds Hamlet to vengeance, but there is another and more subtle way in which the spirit of his father haunts the prince. It is one of the radical ironiesRead More Use of Irony in A Streetcar Named Desire and Hamlet Essay706 Words   |  3 Pages In both A Streetcar Named Desire and Hamlet, Tennessee Williams and William Shakespeare, respectively, demonstrate their abilities to create engaging plays which work on several levels in order to produce the desired effect. One of the most important characteristics of these plays is the playwrights success in using their words to create the worlds surrounding their works. Both Shakespeare and Williams effectively use irony in the aforementioned plays, both in the plot Read MoreWilliam Shakespeares Hamlet1172 Words   |  5 PagesHamlet is a complex story that uses many literary devices to help develop the characters in Hamlet. One dominant device is irony. The main plot of the story revolves around irony. Hamlet is a witty character and loves to use irony. Hamlet’s use of irony displays how he insults people, discovers useful information, and reveals his true character. The use of irony in this story helps to add depth to each character, which is why Hamlet is one of Shakespeare’s most complex stories. There are three types