Essay on Hamlet †the Irony - 1973 Words

Hamlet – the Irony The existence of considerable irony within the Shakespearean tragedy Hamlet is a fact recognized by most literary critics. This paper will examine the play for instances of irony and their interpretation by critics. In his essay â€Å"O’erdoing Termagant† 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: Our own intuition of the creative or re-creative act that issued in the play also assumes a struggle with the literary past, but one of a more complex nature. It would seem to be Hamlet who is unable to impose successfully the model of an old play upon the intractable material of his present life, and†¦show more content†¦Hamlet is present at the court gathering -- dressed in black, the color of mourning, for his deceased father. He is not a man of the world, but rather demurring and thoughtful and by himself. His first words say that Claudius is A little more than kin and less than kind, indicating a dissimilarity in values between the new king and himself, thus, in a sense, relegating himself to the position of an outcast, one who counts for nothing. And, incredibly, he is the greatest of people, in terms of what really matters in life – one’s spiritual ideals or morals. This outcast is a prince; he is a genius. His soliloquies confront problems â€Å"which most easily besets men of genius† (Coleridge 345), and they manifest a rare â€Å"human wisdom† (Frye 37). The ghost reveals that King Hamlet was murdered by Claudius; Hamlet swears to avenge this deed. With the ghost’s exhortation, Hamlet ironically â€Å"is not to be allowed simply to endure a rotten world, he must also act in it† (Mack 258); the one who least wants to be part of the world must engross himself fully with the things of the world in order to validate the ghost’s accusation and then carry out his wish. 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 spiritShow 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 More Irony in Hamlet Essay3148 Words   |  13 Pages 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 toRead 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. One of the central problems is the clash between Hamlets overpowering need to believe in the ghost of his father, who is the authoritative figure in his life, and the awareness that he lacks empirical knowledge of the truth. In trying to achieve this knowledge, Hamlet sets out on a mixed mission of accusation,Read MoreTheme Of Irony In Hamlet732 Words   |  3 PagesIrony is a literary device that signifies the opposite of its intended meaning. It is used for humorous or emphatic effect. A rhetorical device that conveys a message that is clear to the audience but unknown to the character. There are three types of irony which include: 1). Dramatic irony : Occurs when the audience knows something that the characters do not. 2). Situational irony : Occurrence of unintended circumstances of events. 3). Verbal irony: Occurs when the speaker says the opposite ofRead MoreDramatic Irony in Hamlet Essay2946 Words   |  12 Pages     Ã‚  Ã‚   Dramatic irony in the Shakespearean tragedy Hamlet has long been the subject matter of literary critical reviews. This essay will exemplify and elaborate on the irony in the play. David Bevington in the Introduction to Twentieth Century Interpretations of Hamlet identifies one of the â€Å"richest sources of dramatic irony† in Hamlet: Well may the dying Hamlet urge his friend Horatio to â€Å"report me and my cause aright To the unsatisfied,† for no one save Horatio has caught more than a glimpseRead MoreEssay about Dramatic Irony in Hamlet1199 Words   |  5 PagesDramatic Irony is Hamlet What is Dramatic Irony? -Dramatic Irony is when the words and actions of the characters in a work of literature are known to the audience or reader, but they are not known to certain characters in the story. 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