Preview

Family Conflicts In Shakespeare's Hamlet

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
897 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Family Conflicts In Shakespeare's Hamlet
No family is perfect. Some appear perfect on the outside, but behind closed doors, life is not as good as it seems. Some families struggle with sexual abuse, alcoholism, drug abuse, and pedophilia. Even trust issues and differences of opinion can drive family members apart. In Shakespeare's Hamlet the main character experiences many conflicts. Hamlet first struggles with his relationship with this mother. What enrages Hamlet is the fact that his mother married her own brother-in-law. Gertrude thinks that Hamlet seems to be depressed about his death even though she points out that it happens to all of us. Seems, madam? Nay, it is. I know not "seems."p 'Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother, Nor customary suits if solemn black, Nor windy suspiration of forced breath, No, nor the fruitful river in the eye, Nor the dejected havior of he visage, Together wi …show more content…
Hamlet's father tells him how he died because of poison poured into his ear my his own brother while he was asleep. Hamlet's father knows he'll want to get revenge on someone but tells him not to plot it a against his mother. "But howsomever thou pursues this act / Taint not thy mind, nor let thy soul contrive / Against thy mother aught." (1.5.84-86) when Hamlet found out how his father died, he immediately wants to seek revenge. Hamlet's father tells him not to go against his mother but Hamlet really wants to even though he knows he should listen to his dad. Hamlet's dad tells him to let heaven decide her fate. Have heaven punish her and let her punish herself for the guilt she feels. Hamlet wants to get revenge on whomever he feels is necessary, but his dad tells him not to. It's hard for Hamlet to find a solution to his problem. He wants to get revenge but he also wants to follow his father's advise. This internal conflict only adds to the frustration he feels not only with his mother, but also his

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Honor In Hamlet Essay

    • 738 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The aim of this revenge is primarily to relieve his father from purgatory through the completion of this murder as his father unfinished task on earth. Hamlet does not question the will of his father and accepts his task. Hamlet’s task of honor differs from the other 2 sons’ tasks because his task is brought on by the supernatural. Furthermore, Hamlet does not care if his task leads him to hell. His father’s soul is at risk of being left in purgatory for eternity if he does not complete his assignment tasked by his undead…

    • 738 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    in all words Hamlet is talking to his mother (gertrude) hinting his depression,the whole fact of his mother marrying his fathers uncle already sickens him, and the fact that his mother show no grief or sadness about king hamlet ( Hamlets father) hurts hamlet more and that whole crazy sitoution is whats making him act so depressed and gloomy. Yet his mother and claudius completely void out their incest marriage, they put all his gloom from just his fathers death.…

    • 80 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    "The appalling spectacle of Gertrude's "wicked speed, to post / With such dexterity to incestuous sheets" (1.2.156-157) overwhelms Hamlet with revulsion at carnal appetite and intensifies the emotional crisis any son would go through when forced to contemplate his father's death and his mother's remarriage" (Bevington xx).…

    • 1307 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Another reason why Hamlet’s criticisms of women are justified is due to the profound resentment he has for his own mother, which is reflected whenever he talks to any woman. Since he had a very close relationship with his father and thought very highly of him, Hamlet feels personally betrayed by his mother when she gets married to Claudius. He feels that Gertrude should be mourning his father’s death as deeply as he himself does, and thinks her decision to marry again was brash. Since he is expected to behave politely at all times due to his station, Hamlet does not feel as though he can express the hurt he feels to anyone, and instead keeps it bottled up inside. He is only able to release this anger when he is approached by another woman,…

    • 205 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The first time Hamlet is seen in the play he is angry at his mother for remarrying his uncle right after the death of her late husband, King Hamlet. Hamlet comments on his mother’s…

    • 751 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Father’s prepare their children for the outside world. They nurture them with the children's mother by their side. Father’s are protective, caring, dependable, etc. In Hamlet Act I, We encounter three fathers, who are Polonius, Claudius, and The Ghost. Each of these men are different from their garments to their personalities. Like all fathers they have a special bond to their children. Shakespeare uses different literary techniques to characterize these men and how the give advice to their children.…

    • 761 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hamlets portrayal of women in this play start with his mother gertrude. In the opening of the play hamlet's father is killed and his mother gertrude almost instantly marries another man. The man that she married turned out to be his uncle and hamlet felt that he was betrayed. Hamlet is then starts to become a misogynist from that, He starts to treat his mother bad and say that she shouldn't have remarried so fast.…

    • 537 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Gertrude, Queen of Denmark, is Hamlet’s mother. Her first appearance is in Act 1, Scene 2 and last seen in Act 5, Scene 2, when she was poisoned. Gertrude is a loving and strong-willed character and although Hamlet views her as weak and lust driven, her intentions are pure in that she only aspires for everyone to get along. As a mother she is only concerned for her son. However despite her good qualities, her lack of intelligence and misjudgement of people is a cause of the tragic events that occur. Gertrude is a foil to her son Hamlet because of their contrasting qualities. She does not reflect about herself in the play alone, thus meaning she is motivated emotionally. Gertrude’s actions is a major factor of…

    • 215 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In life there are various unpleasant and distressing situations that people have to go through, but do not like to face. One of them is death. Death is a fact of life. Regardless of how wonderful, kind-hearted, and modest or extremely horrible a person is, death is inevitable. Being a teenage girl, I know one of the things I do not like to think about is the death of my parents. It is unquestionably difficult to think about how someone can be taken away from this world in just a blink of an eye. In spite of how great one’s love is for another person, it does not stop a person from dying. That being said, one of the most painful facts of life that Hamlet went through was the death of his father. Although the play never truly introduced King Hamlet, it was so clear that the King and Prince had an exceptionally close relationship. Hamlet not only looked at King Hamlet as a fatherly figure, but as a role model and inspiration to those in Denmark. In addition, at the time, Hamlet did not even know how has father had died. There were many questions still waiting to be uncovered, but Prince Hamlet felt as if he had nothing. With his father not around, Hamlet feels as if he does not belong and is depressed for months. He wishes as if he could disappear and that the world is meaningless. “How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable seem to me all the uses of this world!” (1364). Thinking life is featureless; Hamlet would highly consider killing himself if it was not a sin.…

    • 981 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This brings him to his mother, Gertrude, who has just finished talking to Polonius in her room when her son comes barging in. While Hamlet is still frustrated and brimming with vengeful anger and Claudius is stricken with guilt, Gertrude is in fact quite calm and seems completely un-phased. I think Hamlet is upset that his mother seems to take the death of his father…

    • 646 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Characters in Hamlet

    • 2062 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Understandably, the intense relationship between Hamlet and his uncle is not a sturdy bond, even before Hamlet learnt of his father’s murder, and before Claudius began to fear for his safety. It is believed that Hamlet’s distrust and dislike towards Claudius sprung from his mothers “o’erhasty marriage” 2.2.57 and would certainly be the origins of Hamlet’s suspicions. The best scene in which to view the relationship of Hamlet and Claudius would be Scene 3 of Act 4, where Claudius confronts Hamlet about the murder of Polonius.…

    • 2062 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Since Hamlet is understandably disturbed by the sudden death of his father and his mother's hasty marriage to his uncle, King Claudius, the abnormality of his behavior to some extent also understandable. Hamlet is naturally withdrawn, dark, and morose in the wake of these traumatic events. And, by the same token, when he gives vent to his abject mood with lines like "How…

    • 795 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    How Is Hamlet Similar

    • 2235 Words
    • 9 Pages

    His relationships with these people allow the audience to visualize his mental and emotional state and understand his actions. Once Hamlet found out that his father was murdered by Claudius, the good relationships he has starts to fall apart. Hamlet tries to find peace for his father’s death and he thinks avenging his death will help him. The first relationship that fell apart was with his mother Gertrude and it is demonstrated when he says “I will speak daggers to her but use none, my tongue and soul in this be hypocrites.” (3.2.???). This demonstrates Hamlet’s hatred for Gertrude. Hamlet was willing to go and hurt his own mother’s feelings, and in the play, Gertrude is seen as very fragile and vulnerable so he knew that his mother would not be able to bear his insults. Hamlet is so obsessed about getting revenge for his father’s death, he does not even realize that he is hurting other people. Also he does not let anything or anyone get in his way. This is shown when he says, “Why, man, they did make love to this employment. They are not near my conscience. Their defeat doe by their own insinuation grow.” (5.2.???). Hamlet lets his anger get the best of him. He was willing to kill is two best friends, just because they were working with Claudius. Hamlet has broken other relationships in the play as well such as his relationship with Ophelia and Laertes. He was trying to find the truth…

    • 2235 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Hamlet over reacts to his mother’s remarriage, but I think that the fact that she married his uncle played a large role in it. When Hamlets father dies him mothers vows to never marry again. But, when she does she marries her first husband’s brother Hamlets it very upset by that especially when he finds out that the father was murdered by that man. Hamlet calls his mother’s new marriage “such love must needs be treason in my breast” I think it means that he is calling his mother a trader. I do not think that Hamlet wanted mother to be single the rest of her life I think he just wanted her to be honorable and not embarrass him. In Act I Scene 2 when he says that "a beast, that wants discouse of reason / Would have mourned longer." Meaning that…

    • 230 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hamlets Grief

    • 710 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Although many different positions could be taken on writing an essay for this Shakespearian play, the author took it upon himself to write about Hamlet's grief. His grief is obvious from the beginning of the play and he continues to grieve althroughout the play. Within his twenty-one-page essay, I chose this line to represent that I agree with his outlook on the play. "…his focus is on his grief and the profound impact in which the ghost has upon it. (Hamlet pg.18 paragraph 3)…

    • 710 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays