Hamlet Allusions - 1079 Words

Jake Nevins 3/15/13 English foundations honors 2 Mrs. Muratori Research paper hamlet INTRO Hamlet is a tragedy by William Shakespeare where the main character, Hamlet, Thesis: In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet mythological and biblical allusions informs us of Hamlet’s inevitable fall. Throughout the play, Hamlet uses many mythological allusions to show his feelings towards other characters such as Claudius, Gertrude and the old king as well as inform us of his â€Å"fall†. After Queen Gertrude is re-married to Claudius, Hamlet shows his feelings when he compares the late King Hamlet to Claudius. Hamlet tells his mother, So excellent a king, that was to this / Hyperion to a satyr. (Ham. I ii 139-40). This†¦show more content†¦Hamlet uses Hecuba to exaggerate the difference between the queen in the play who is full of grief and sorrow, and Queen Gertrude who has remarried quickly and shows little to no emotion for the death of her first husband. Another example occurs during Hamlets soliloquy when he imagines his mother, Like Niobe, all tears (Ham. I. ii. 151). Hamlet not only wishes his mother would mourn and take revenge, but he also implies responsibility for his fathers death. In Greek mythology, Niobe boasted she had many children and as a resul t, the gods came down and murdered her children. Painters and sculptures have portrayed Niobe as a crying woman because of her guilt she felt knowing she caused her children to die. The fact that Hamlet uses these comparisons suggests his mother is undoubtedly responsible for his fathers death. Finish and relate to thesis Hamlet also compares himself to the demi god Hercules in Act 1 scene 2: My fathers brother- but no more like my father/ Than I to Hercules (I, ii, 152-153). This mythological allusion is important because Hamlet is comparing himself to Hercules who is known as a strong warrior and earned a place on Mount Olympus with the gods. Hamlet is saying that his uncle is very much different than his father, like Hamlet is very much different than Hercules. Hercules is seen as a superhero of Greek mythology, which is a great difference of Hamlet because Hamlet is in no way seen as a superhero or someone to look up to. HamletShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Summer People 1278 Words   |  6 Pagessomeone that you trusted? â€Å"The Summer People†, a fairy tale short story written by the author Kelly Link, portrayed the characters in a way that be can be greatly related. Throughout the story, she used several literary elements, such as symbols, allusions, and dictions to help the readers to understand the moral of the story. The main character, Fran, was bonded with the faith to be the caretaker of the summer people, and there is no possible way that she can escape from them. 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