Hamlet: An AP Literature and Composition Literary Analysis Essay

Works of literature often depict acts of betrayal. Friends and even family may betray a protagonist; main characters may likewise be guilty of treachery or may betray their own values.

Betrayal often changes individuals to become new people in the means of corruption, though it may not be initially desired. In William Shakespeare’s, “Hamlet,” main character and prince of Denmark, Hamlet, is struck by the death of his father orchestrated by now king-father-uncle Claudius. In “Hamlet,” the betrayal of those around him Hamlet develops ideals of frustration, ruin and redemption in order to assert that betrayal can change an individual to become someone they never initially desired to be.

At the beginning of, “Hamlet,” the death of Hamlet’s father increases his initial frustration with the situation. The initial betrayal Hamlet is faced with is the death of his father and the marriage of his mother (Gertrude) to Claudius. Frustration represents itself to be rising, as exemplified in Hamlet’s attitude during the wedding. For example, when Claudius remarks Hamlet to be a, “sweet, commendable man,” Hamlet is characterized as someone who is innately just and kind, though he may not like the situation he is in. Despite his attitude of negligence, and annoyance, Hamlet is still someone the people of Denmark love and respect, representing his initial nobility as an individual. However, with time, frustration begins to get the best out of Hamlet, specifically after he talks to the ghost of his father and learns of the betrayal of Claudius killing Hamlet’s late father. Frustration can evidently be seen in this part, with Hamlet’s new course of action being to orchestrate an “antic disposition.” The usage of these strong words of diction by Hamlet in achieving “justice” for his father’s death represents the extent to which Hamlet plans to go, even if it means dividing from his initial simply annoyed and grieiving self. Hamlet could have easily said he would “put on an act,” however, the usage of “antic” and “disposition” convey a stronger sense of self and being, representing the depth of impact the betrayal of Claudius killing his father had on him. The death of Hamlet’s father (betrayal by Claudius onto Hamlet’s father) in this section of the work goes to emphasize Hamlet’s frustration and his plan to achieve a form of “justice” for his late father.

In the middle of, “Hamlet,” the disregard of those around him ignite the state of ruin Hamlet begins to fall into. Though Hamlet and Ophelia were somewhat lovers in a sense, and Hamlet provided her with love and care to some extent, Ophelia goes on to go against him in the sense in which she sides with her father Polonious, in ghosting his presence and affection. For example, when Ophelia’s father remarks of how Hamlet is a man who often, “relays sweet tenders,” it provides a tone of distrust from Polonious’s part and makes it sound as if Hamlet is not truly who he says he is. It makes him sound as if he is merely using Ophelia. However, such is not necessarily the case as Hamlet later seems visibly angry with Ophelia and remarks that “Get thee to a nunnery!” while visibly diverging from his initial “antic disposition” he planned to orchestrate. “Get thee to a nunnery” provides a characterization of Hamlet as someone who goes to extent of lashing out at Ophelia, someone who he supposedly loved not too long ago. The fact that he goes away from his “antic disposition” and lashes out represents his change in becoming someone who is not so calm and collected as seen initially at the beginning of the work. Furthermore, Hamlet seems visibly stricken and disappointed with his mother, after Hamlet kills Polonious and Gertrude seems to mourn the death of Polonius rather than being fixated on her late husband’s death. In Hamlet’s relayment, “Your new husband is like a mildewed ear,” Claudius, the new husband is being compared to a rotten ear, through a metaphorical sense, representing the extent to which Claudius is corrupted in some way and how Hamlet is truly trying to get his mother to understand his case. Furthermore, this also goes to represent Hamlet as an individual who has changed for initially he was calm and collected, and somewhat questions taking the life of an individual, Claudius, for fear of religion, however, Hamlet here does not seem to particularly care for Polonious’s death, which truly showcases his ruin as an individual. Overall, the disregard of those around him in their betrayals to Hamlet represent how he turns from an individual who has some form of morality for life to someone who does not regard it as much later on.

Near the end of the work, “Hamlet,” the acceptance of his situational betrayals helps to envision a new course of redemption within Hamlet as a character. Near the end of the work, around the time Ophelia is being buried, Hamlet is hiding near the grave, and decides to come out when Laertes is acting rapant to mention, “I have loved her more than 40 thousand brothers.” This represents a hyperbole in which Hamlet shows the extent of love for Ophelia, and how despite his grief, he does respects her death in which he lets her rest from his point of view. Moresoever, he accepts how she went against him due to Polonious’s orders and understands that it was moresoever situational and controlled by Polonious rather than Ophelia’s personal feelings. This acceptance goes to develop into Hamlet even understanding Laertes’s frustration during the sword scene and asking for him to accept his apology. In, “I apologize, for I have wronged you so,” represents a tone of genuine kindness as Hamlet sounds sincere and truly apologetic for what he has done to Laertes in the past. Moresoever, he does this publicly as well, which represents Hamlet’s change in character throughout the work as initially in public he was calm and collected, and despite throwing slight jarbs, he moresoever never accepted the idea of apologizing. Hamlet also goes on to even accept death itself, and redeems himself through that manner when he finally diverges from his initial persona of a moresoever selfish individual to someone who cares for his country when he mentions that “Fortinbras has my dying voice.” Horatio, Hamlet’s friend, goes to mention that a “noble heart has cracked,” representing onomateopoeia as it gives Hamlet’s heart organ an auditory sense of breaking, which can be understood in the structure of the word, “cracked.” The fact that Hamlet redeems himself despite his initial frustration and then ruin represents his change as a character overall into someone he never expected to be. He still goes to die a noble death due to his acceptance of those who betrayed him, and no longer holding it too far against them.