When Shakespeare's work is studied, the play about the Danish Prince is always awarded close attention. This is one of the most famous works brilliant British, but also one of the most difficult. Hamlet's characterization is a reflection of his great soul, his complex nature, which faced difficult trials. It is the reflections of this character that reveal the full depth of human existence and raise philosophical questions about the meaning of life. Fate young man is a tragedy that can fall on anyone when their world collapses.
How did it all start?
The characterization of Hamlet presented below will not be clear to the reader if he does not know the content of the work. Therefore, we will digress for a moment and tell you about what happened in Elsinore. The play begins with the guards seeing a ghost who reminded them of the king, Hamlet's father, who died suddenly. The prince's friend considers this a harbinger of changes that await Denmark, since the neighboring ruler is going to go to war with them. Believing that the ghost will speak to his son, he hurries to inform Hamlet about the vision.
The first characterization of Hamlet is given to us by Shakespeare at the moment when he learns that the Queen Mother Gertrude, after not having been a widow for long, is marrying her uncle. The prince considers such an act of his mother to be wrong and treacherous. Hearing the news about the visions, he decides to spend the night near the site. The king's ghost informs him that Claudius killed him to take the throne and demands revenge. At the same time, Ophelia, obeying the will of her father and brother, breaks up with Hamlet. The prince pretends to be crazy in order to better understand what is happening.
The play continues
Hamlet's characterization will be presented a little later, but for now we will tell you what happened to the prince next. Based on the arranged meeting with Ophelia, the king understands that the prince is not mad with love, but his thoughts are occupied with something else. And he, having hired an acting troupe, invites the king and queen to the performance. The actors portrayed the scene of the murder of the former king. Based on Claudius's reaction, Hamlet understands that the ghost told him the pure truth, so he decides to take revenge.
Main character The play tells his mother the truth, but she, considering him sick, does not believe him. But he convinces him that he will always support him. During the conversation, the prince kills Ophelia's father, who hid behind the carpet to eavesdrop. The king sends Hamlet to England, giving his servants secret orders to kill him. But he miraculously escapes and returns to Elsinore. But here another trap awaits him: the brother of Ophelia, who already wants to avenge the death of her father and sister. In collusion with Claudius, he challenges the prince to a duel. Hamlet has no chance of salvation: Laertes’ rapier is sharp, smeared with poison, the poison is mixed into the goblet of wine.
Denouement
A brief description of Hamlet cannot convey the complexity of this character's soul. The sudden death of Ophelia forced the prince to look at life and death differently, he recites the famous monologue “To be or not to be.” At this time, he is called to a duel, informed that he cannot refuse: the spectators make a bet. During the duel, the queen, celebrating her son's successful attacks, drinks poisoned wine. Laertes wounds the prince with a poisoned sword, and then Hamlet wounds him too, exchanging rapier with him. Dying, Gertrude warns her son that the drink is poisonous. The main character kills the king, then Laertes dies. Hamlet is the last to die, asking Horatio to tell people about what happened.
Hamlet: characterization of the hero
So, fate Danish prince, masterfully invented and described by Shakespeare, is known to us. What was his inner portrait like? Hamlet is a young but educated prince. To faith in the Creator, he added faith in the human mind, which marked the emergence of a new generation of people, a new round of development of civilization. Shakespeare, describing the eternal truths and eternal values. This is the secret of the popularity of both the play and central character in the modern world.
How else does Hamlet appear to us? The characterization of the hero cannot fit into a few words. The character at first seems to be a kind of thinker, then he tries to act, and at the end of the work he becomes a philosopher. His will was tempered by difficult trials: betrayal of his family and beloved girl, lies. He comes to the conclusion that the whole world has plunged into darkness and evil, so he contemplates suicide. But here he is stopped by thoughts about whether this is worthy of a Christian, and whether anything will change and what will happen after death?
The tragic fate of Ophelia
The characterization of Hamlet (Shakespeare) would not be complete without a portrait of the beloved hero. A girl of noble blood sincerely loves the prince and believes in his reciprocity. But her father and brother advise her to end her relationship with Hamlet, since she cannot marry him. The girl submits to their will, giving up her happiness. When her father dies and the prince says he never loved her, her mind cannot cope with grief.
The characterization of Ophelia from Hamlet will allow us to better understand the depth of the tragedy of the central character. Shortly before the tragic ending, the prince learns of the death of his beloved. Whether the girl threw herself into the river, or whether it was an accident, the author does not indicate. The young man is greatly saddened by the death of Ophelia, he is tormented by remorse, but he cannot change anything.
Conclusion
We have completed the characterization of Hamlet (Shakespeare). The hero of the play appears before us who managed to overestimate values and cope with a storm of emotions. Nevertheless, he did not find an answer to his question: “To be or not to be?” And therefore it remains open, the author invites the viewer or reader to figure it out on their own and make their own decision.
The image of Hamlet appears in its entirety, in relationships with all the characters. After all, each such character has his own task, his own truth and illuminates some facet of the character of the main character. About the role and significance minor characters of this tragedy for a full perception of its main character and work of art in general Traditionally, in the process of gradual analysis, the main attention is given to the main characters, since, according to the laws of literature, the author’s thought is artistically reflected in the fates of the main characters and the main conflict of the work is reproduced. However, any literary hero, secondary or main, in a literary work is a character and bearer of a certain type of historical consciousness.
In literature recent years works have appeared in which secondary characters behind the classic plot take first places and begin to play leading roles. Thus, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are the main characters of T. Stoppard’s play “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Already Dead,” Gertrude and Claudius are the heroes of J. Updike’s story, and Horatio became the main character of B. Akunin’s paraphrase “Hamlet.” In an effort to fully understand the nature of the relationships between artistic elements literary work, it is necessary to analyze not only the main storylines and the positions of the main characters. Additional plots that share the actions of secondary characters become interesting for the researcher. This approach makes it possible to discover new, no less important aspects in the process of perception, analysis and understanding of the work.
Let's try to consider the tragedy through the relationships, the attitude of the minor characters towards Hamlet. The space of tragedy is a multi-vector structure, almost every vector of which makes visible the existing confrontation between the main character and certain characters in the play. All the characters in Hamlet appear as direct participants in the dramatic action and can be combined into unique pairs based on signs of both similarity and antagonisticity. Nevertheless, the unity or confrontation of the heroes of the tragedy is mobile, situational and occurs on the basis of family ties, common interests or positions.
Conventionally, the first vector on the field dramatic conflict will be represented by Claudius and Gertrude. The mother and uncle of the protagonist of the tragedy are rulers who usurp power although, behind the traditional interpretation, Gertrude is most often perceived as an unwitting victim, and both Gertrude and Claudius can act as antipodes.
The second is Polonius and Osric. The Chancellor of the Danish Kingdom, who is at the top of feudal society, is a poor copy of a talented intriguer, united in their readiness to carry out any order from the authorities, without forgetting their own benefit.
The third is Ophelia and Laertes - the daughter and son of Polonius, whose fate is directly connected with the actions of Hamlet. According to the traditional version, Ophelia and Laertes are victims, puppets or unwitting servants of power.
The fourth is Horatio. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Hamlet's study buddies at the University of Wittenberg. On the list characters Horatio is listed as a friend of the prince. He is always with him, except for those moments when Rosencrantz and Guildenstern appear. The prince also considers these heroes to be his friends, however, according to the audience (readers), they take the side of the authorities and become executors of its orders. The almost complete absence of personification of characteristics makes it possible to perceive them as one character.
The fifth is Prince Fortinbras. Hamlet will not meet him on stage, but the feeling that Fortinbras is a kind of double of the protagonist does not disappear. Some events in the life of the Norwegian prince coincide with the story of Prince Hamlet (as, by the way, with the story of Laertes), nevertheless life priorities everyone defines it differently. In the real space of the tragedy, Fortinbras can be a mate to his father, killed by King Hamlet, to Hamlet himself and Laertes.
Outside the system is real acting heroes remains the character who inspires the plot of the main storyline. This is the Ghost, the Shadow of Hamlet's father. The sphere of realization of this character is limited to communication with Hamlet; the Ghost pushes Prince Hamlet to take active action. The events that took place at the beginning of the performance are translated into the plane of moral choice and encourage the hero to determine the priorities of existence, to search and affirm, even at the cost of life, new system values
Nevertheless, researchers are considering another option for possible schematization figurative system tragedies: Hamlet - two kings (Hamlet, Claudius); Hamlet - two women (Gertrude, Ophelia); Hamlet - young vassals whom the prince considers friends (Horatio, Rosencrantz-Guildenstern); Hamlet - avenging sons (Fortinbras, Laertes).
For any option to consider the tragedy, the role minor characters in understanding the events, thoughts and actions of the main character is significant, and revealing the versatility of the artistic plane of the work would be impossible without taking into account the peculiar crossings of thoughts and positions of the main and secondary characters. “Between the characters,” we read in literary commentary V. A. Aniksta, - threads of communication are visible. Nothing in the tragedy is isolated, everything is interconnected, human destinies intersect, and Hamlet is not only what he is in himself, but also what he is in his relationships with others.”
The Danish feudal lord Gorvendil became famous for his strength and courage. His fame aroused the envy of the Norwegian king Koller, who challenged him to a duel. They agreed that all the wealth of the vanquished would go to the winner. The duel ended in victory for Gorvendil, who killed Koller and received all his property. Then the Danish king Rorik gave his daughter Geruta as a wife to Gorvendil. From this marriage Amlet was born.Gorvendil had a brother, Fengon, who was jealous of his success and had a secret enmity towards him. They both jointly ruled Jutland. Fengon began to fear that Gorvendil would take advantage of King Rorik’s favor and seize power over all of Jutland. Despite the fact that there were insufficient grounds for such suspicion, Fengon decided to get rid of a possible rival. During one feast, he openly attacked Gorvendil and killed him in the presence of all the courtiers. To justify the murder, he stated that he was allegedly defending the honor of Geruta, who had been insulted by her husband. Although this was a lie, no one began to refute his explanation. Dominion over Jutland passed to Fengon, who married Geruta. Before this, there was no closeness between Fengon and Geruta.
Amlet was still very young at that moment. However, Fengon feared that, as an adult, Amleth would take revenge on him for the death of his father. The young prince was smart and cunning. He guessed his uncle Fengon's fears. And in order to avert any suspicion of secret intentions against Fengon, Amleth decided to pretend to be crazy. He soiled himself with mud and ran through the streets screaming wildly. Some of the courtiers began to guess that Amleth was only pretending to be mad. They advised that Amlet should meet with the woman sent to him. beautiful girl, which was entrusted with seducing him with her caresses and discovering that he was by no means crazy. But one of the courtiers warned Amleth. In addition, it turned out that the girl who was chosen for this purpose was in love with Amleth. She also made it clear to him that they wanted to verify the authenticity of his madness. Thus, the first attempt to trap Amleth failed.
Then one of the courtiers suggested testing Amleth in this way: Fengon would report that he was leaving, Amleth would be brought together with his mother, and perhaps he would reveal his secret plans to her, and Fengon’s adviser would overhear their conversation. However, Amlet guessed that all this was not without reason: when he came to his mother, he behaved like a madman, crowed a rooster and jumped on the blanket, waving his arms. But then he felt that someone was hidden under the blanket. Drawing his sword, he immediately killed the king’s adviser, who was under the blanket, then cut his corpse into pieces and threw it into a sewer. Having accomplished all this, Amleth returned to his mother and began to reproach her for betraying Gorvendil and marrying her husband’s murderer. Gerutha repented of her guilt, and then Amleth revealed to her that he wanted to take revenge on Fengon. Geruta blessed his intention.
The spy was killed, and Fengon did not find out anything this time either. But Amleth's rampage frightened him, and he decided to get rid of him once and for all. To this end, he sent him, accompanied by two courtiers, to England. Amleth's companions were given tablets with a letter, which they were supposed to secretly deliver to the English king. In the letter, Fengon asked that Amleth be executed as soon as he landed in England. While sailing on the ship, while his companions were sleeping, Amleth found the tablets and, having read what was written there, erased his name and substituted the names of the courtiers in its place. Moreover, he added that Fengon was asking to marry the daughter of the English king to Amleth. Upon arrival in England, the courtiers were executed, and Amleth was betrothed to the daughter of the English king.
A year passed, and Amleth returned to Jutland, where he was considered dead. He ended up at a funeral feast, which was celebrated for him. Not at all embarrassed, Amleth took part in the feast and gave drink to everyone present. When they, drunk, fell to the floor and fell asleep, he covered everyone with a large carpet and nailed it to the floor so that no one could get out from under it. After that, he set fire to the palace, and Fengon and his entourage burned in the fire.
Amleth becomes king and rules with his wife, who was a worthy and faithful wife. After her death, Amleth married the Scottish queen Germtrude, who was unfaithful to him and left her husband in trouble. When Viglet became king of Denmark after Rorik, he did not want to put up with the independent behavior of Amlet, who was his vassal, and killed him in battle.
Shakespeare is a writer who wrote a lot beautiful works that are known all over the world. One of these works is the play “Hamlet”, where intertwined different destinies and touches on social and political issues of the 16th-17th centuries. Here the tragedy shows both betrayal and the desire to restore justice. While reading the work, the characters and I experience and feel their pain and loss.
Shakespeare Hamlet the main characters of the work
In his work “Hamlet,” Shakespeare created different heroes whose images are ambiguous. Each hero of Shakespeare's tragedy "Hamlet" is a separate world, where there are their own shortcomings and positive aspects. Shakespeare in the tragedy “Hamlet” created a variety of heroes in the work, where there are both positive and negative images.
Images of heroes and their characteristics
So, in the work we meet Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother, who was smart, but weak-willed. Immediately after the death of her husband, she marries his killer. She doesn't know the feeling mother's love, so she easily agrees to become Claudius’ accomplice. And only after she drank the poison that was intended for her son, she realized her mistake, realized how wise and fair her son was.
Ophelia, the girl who loved Hamlet until her last breath. She lived surrounded by lies and espionage, and was a toy in the hands of her father. In the end, she goes crazy because she couldn’t bear the trials that befell her.
Claudius commits fratricide in order to achieve his goals. A sneaky, cunning, hypocrite who was also smart. This character has a conscience and it also torments him, not allowing him to fully enjoy his dirty achievements.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern - shining example what real friends should not be like, because friends do not betray, but here, while characterizing the heroes of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, we see that these heroes easily betray the prince by becoming Claudius’s spies. They easily agree to deliver the message, which talks about the murder of Hamlet. But in the end, fate does not play into their hands, because in the end it is not Hamlet who dies, but they themselves.
Horatio, on the contrary, true friend until the last. He, together with Hamlet, experiences all his anxieties and doubts and asks Hamlet, after he felt the inevitable tragic end, to breathe in this world and tell everything about it.
In general, all the characters are bright, unforgettable, unique in their own way, and among them, of course, it is impossible not to recall in Shakespeare’s work “Hamlet” the image of the main character himself, that same Hamlet - the Danish prince. This hero is multifaceted and has an extensive image that is filled with life content. Here we see Hamlet’s hatred for Claudius, while he treats the actors wonderfully. He can be rude, as in the case of Ophelia, and he can be courteous, as in the case of Horatio. Hamlet is witty, wields a sword well, he is afraid of God's punishment, but at the same time, he blasphemes. He loves his mother, despite her attitude. Hamlet is indifferent to the throne, always remembers his father with pride, thinks and reflects a lot. He is smart, not arrogant, lives by his thoughts, is guided by his judgment. In a word, in the image of Hamlet we see versatility human personality, who thought about the meaning of human existence, that’s why he pronounces the well-known monologue: “To be or not to be, that is the question.”
Characteristics of characters based on Shakespeare's work "HAMLET"
4 (80%) 3 votes
Characteristics of heroes based on Shakespeare's work "King Lear" - Lear
The characterization of Hamlet in William Shakespeare's play of the same name delves into the character's personality and aspirations. This gloomy man, burdened with many internal and external factors, is not a clearly good or evil hero. The author managed to create interesting personality, tormented by doubts and her own ambitions.
Description of the image
The characterization of Hamlet should begin with exactly how the character appears at first. This learned man is the heir to the throne of Denmark, not without military training. The training he completed in the best European institutions, where Giordano Bruno himself taught the ideas of the Renaissance, left an obvious mark on him. From an ordinary avenger who, in a fit of emotion and feeling, rushes to execute traitors, Hamlet is tormented by unusual doubts that should be considered under the prism of his human motives. The hero loves to think, and even more than to act, which is typical of Shakespeare's images, but here the problem is different. He can quickly put an end to problems, but he is looking for the surest way to do this.
Plot twists and turns
The characterization of Hamlet should be carried out from the point of view of a mature person who has already formed his views on the world. Training in best universities Europe was not in vain and gave the character a good desire - to change the world in better side. Only over time, he is faced with how deeply vicious people have become. Evil is rooted in each of them to one degree or another, and this is where his torment begins. In addition to everything, his uncle Claudius, for the sake of profit and the desired power, kills Hamlet’s father, than in once again proves the correctness of the main character's views.
Internal torment about why the world had become so vicious was reinforced by external factors. The pressure of the need for revenge, the loss of loved ones, family betrayal - all this only drove the man further into the abyss of dark thoughts. It is in them that the hero Hamlet got lost throughout the author’s narrative. The characterization at this moment may be incorrect from the position of his weakness, but this is not at all the case.
Issues, part 1
Ophelia described the Danish prince as a strong and intelligent warrior, capable of fighting all problems. And this is a truly accurate statement. It would seem that he then should not be tormented by doubts, but simply carry out revenge. This is where the characterization of Hamlet reveals him from the side of an extraordinary personality for his time. Killing for the sake of revenge is not an option for him at all, because it will only create even more evil in the world. He does not want to follow the same path and become part of all the intrigues and conspiracies at court. From local problems about betrayal and murder, his thoughts flow into a more global direction - changing the world. The active mind of a sane person tries to find a solution to this problem, but it fails to do so.
Hamlet argues that good and evil do not exist, and such concepts arise only from human judgments. The inconsistency only puts even more pressure on him, which the reader feels throughout the reading of William Shakespeare's play.
Issues, part 2
All of Hamlet's reasoning comes to the legendary controversial phrase that has passed through the centuries. She simply and clearly describes his torment. Be and do what he must as his father's son in order to overthrow his deceitful uncle or even kill him. At the same time, not to be, because revenge will not bring anything good, but will only disrupt his inner desire to make the world at least a little better. It is in the context of this statement that main problem- inability to realize one’s own ambitions.
In characterizing the hero Hamlet, it is worth mentioning that he is a man of modern times with reasoning characteristic of great philosophers. The man is ahead of his era and sincerely wants to improve the world of people, but he simply cannot do this. His reflections often show how weak one man is in front of a huge amount vices. They can be observed every day, because even family ties do not become an obstacle to betrayal and murder. This topic is so global that against its background, other character traits of the character are lost, except the ability to think.
The Other Side of the Hero
Among all the main characters in Shakespeare's work, Hamlet's characterization is the most multifaceted. On the one hand, he seems to be a thinker with a philosophical bias towards theory rather than practice. At the same time, his speech is not devoid of aspirations; he wants to act, but does not know exactly how and where to direct this desire. His desire to fight evil intentions even at the cost of his life, despite the fact that the character is aware of the lack of results, extols him on the other side.
If we put the characteristics of Hamlet and Shakespeare’s characters from the same play of the same name in a row, the difference is immediately visible. He has a well-formed worldview, pure thoughts and a willingness to defend them to the bitter end. Understanding that in the current conditions he cannot do anything, but still continues to look for ways to solve it, only inspires more respect. It is the versatility of the hero that attracts readers to this day. Shakespeare managed to create a person ready to solve problems, but showed his small role against the general background of people's actions.
Conclusions
Conclusions about Shakespeare from Hamlet’s characterization must be drawn based on comparison. The hero clearly stepped ahead of all the people around him, as can be seen from his communication with them. Even the philosopher Horatio with his detachment looks pale in comparison with the furious desire of the Danish prince. The character is capable of thinking, but his reasoning runs counter to his actions. He cannot find the most correct option, and at the same time he does not try any other, because he doubts his decisions. He does not have support and understanding; the pressure of external factors also greatly affects the man. As a result, he wins and loses at the same time. Along with the death of the character, all traitors to the family also die.
In their last words Hamlet calls on humanity to change and take the side of good. He calls on Horatio to tell the world how vicious the Danish royal court is. The last phrases demonstrate that even in death he did not give up his aspirations, but in last time urged people to strive to eradicate evil.