Hamlet Final Project
In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Shakespeare enhances the reader’s attention towards an atmosphere of
tragedy, depression, and death. Shakespeare had a great talent in combining his knowledge of history and
politics and creating characters that demonstrate different cultural viewpoints. Madness is one of the most
crucial themes in Hamlet. The Great Chain of Being gives the readers insight into the difference of
madness on male and female characters, such as Hamlet and his love interest, Ophelia. This elucidates the
variety of gender statuses during that period. After the death of King Hamlet and Claudius’s usurpation,
Hamlet’s grief makes suffering seriously in resentment and betrayal. Furthermore, Ophelia’s madness
appears, particularly in her struggles. She greatly demonstrates the voice of a female character, and finally
expresses herself without any patriarchal manipulation. The two characters show opposite ways of
processing their emotions.
In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Shakespeare enhances the reader’s attention towards an
atmosphere of tragedy, depression, and death. Shakespeare had a brilliant talent for combining
his knowledge of history and politics and creating characters that show different cultural
viewpoints. Madness is one of the most crucial themes in Hamlet. The Great Chain of Being
gives the readers insight into the difference of madness on male and female characters, such as
Hamlet and his love interest, Ophelia. This explains the variety of gender statuses during that
period. After the death of King Hamlet and Claudius’s usurpation, Hamlet’s grief makes suffering
seriously in resentment and betrayal. Furthermore, Ophelia’s madness appears, particularly in
her struggles. She strongly shows the voice of a female character and finally expresses herself
with no patriarchal manipulation. The two characters show opposite ways of processing their
emotions.
Shakespeare draws the reader's attention to an atmosphere of sadness, depression, and death
in Hamlet. Shakespeare was a brilliant writer for combining his knowledge of history and politics
with his creations of characters that represented a variety of cultural viewpoints. A central theme
in Hamlet is madness. In The Great Chain of Being, Hamlet and Ophelia demonstrate the
differences between male and female characters in terms of madness. This explains the variety
of gender statuses at that time. Hamlet's grief following the death of King Hamlet and Claudius'
usurpation leads to resentment and betrayal. Furthermore, Ophelia's madness is evident,
particularly in her struggles. She shows the voice of a female character and expresses herself
without being manipulated by patriarchy. Both characters express their emotions in opposite
ways.
Mood
I am waking up in the darkness frowning,
clasping the hopelessness in my hand,
I stand there,
I stand there as the only flame light in the blowing cold wind.
I am waiting in the middle of nowhere,
alone,
seeing my father walking away from me,
the world seems “weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable” (1,2,135) to me,
I stand there,
I stand there as a useless compass without the needle and navigation.
I speak to the ghost,
my words are simple,
my hands grip the dagger uncontrollably,
I stand there,
I stand there while the wind blows southerly,
I know my power as a hawk from a handsaw.
I am walking along the endless dark corridors,
thinking about my father again,
I wish my “sullied flesh would melt” (1,2,32) swiftly,
I stand there,
I stand there willing to disappear somehow.
I am watching the girl I love walking towards me,
that longing look in her eyes,
so willingly,
I stand there,
I stand there as there is a wall between us,
Looking at her wiping her tears off.
I wake up again under the rising sun frowning,
have nothing in my blood-stained hands,
looking through the mirror,
seeing myself,
or not myself.
I stood there,
I stood there without saying anything.
Violet Lady
How can a girl like her singing in the rain?
the pouring rain washed the mud out of her pale face,
gently,
grasping the last bunch of daisies,
quietly.
She is spiffing her dresses,
walking towards the moonlight,
flourishing to the dead of wood and leaves,
gently,
her hollowed eyes tell she’s the only one left in this world,
she is seeking her last hope,
quietly.
How can a girl like her run in the dark?
depression pushed her deep into the muddy swamp,
she couldn’t breathe,
she grabs the hand of herself,
gently,
her pillar of support “dead and gone” (4,5,34) in the frosty winter,
quietly.
She is locking herself in the gloomy palace,
as the wind blows the locks shorn for sorrow,
gently,
tomorrow will be another day,
she would “give some violets” (4,5,203) to the world,
quietly.
How can a girl suffer the loss of love by herself?
she dreams of her father walking towards her,
gently,
and disappearing in the middle of nowhere,
quietly.
She sees Hamlet holding her hands,
words flowing with the tears like pearl-like clarity,
name written on the perfume floating with petals,
gently,
her songs press her cracked her love open,
quietly.
She lies there,
lies in the blossoming pure steam,
gently,
she closed her eyes,
quietly.
In conclusion, the madness expressed by different genders can be defined as one of the most
pervasive themes throughout the play. Notably, the madness displayed in both Hamlet and
Ophelia is driven and for numerous reasons. The reader sees the desire for Hamlet’s revenge
which drives him into the realm of overwhelming. And this causes him to display erratic
behavior while he is indicating his anger with his melancholia. On one hand, people notice
Hamlet is questioning his current situation and his life and on the other hand, Ophelia is
portrayed as a weak character throughout the play. The reader understands her lack of ability to
express herself, which causes her mental illness and emotional madness. The death of both
Hamlet and Ophelia’s father became the biggest turnaround of their lives. Men, and women
struggle with emotional control with reality and determination and diversity, which are the topics
people are still overcoming today. Therefore, the theme of male and female personalities and
madness expression in the play continues to resonate with modern readers.
In conclusion, the play shows how madness is expressed by different
genders throughout the play. Notably, both Hamlet and
Ophelia display madness for various reasons.
Readers see Hamlet's desire for revenge which drives him into the
realm of overwhelming. This causes him to demonstrate erratic
behavior as he expresses his anger through melancholy. On one hand,
people notice Hamlet is questioning his current situation and his life and on the other hand,
Ophelia is portrayed as a weak character throughout the play. The reader understands her lack of
ability to express herself, which causes her mental illness and emotional madness. The death of
both Hamlet and Ophelia’s father became the biggest turnaround of their lives. Men, and women
struggle with emotional control with reality and determination and diversity, which are the topics
people are still overcoming today. Therefore, the theme of male and female personalities and
madness expression in the play continues to resonate with modern readers.
