Updated:

Supporting Characters in “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark” Essay

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

Introduction

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, normally shortened as Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare first performed between 1599 and 1601. Hamlet is Shakespeare’s longest play, with approximately 29,551 words (Shakespeare 33). The play’s setting is Denmark, reflecting Prince Hamlet’s retaliation against Claudius, his uncle. The latter had executed Hamlet’s father to take over his reign and marry Hamlet’s mother. The play culminates with a contest when the Queen, King, and Hamlet’s rivals are exterminated. Hamlet’s supporting characters have played vital roles because they have served as speakers of events outside the prompt piece.

The theme of religion is influential in the actions of the play’s characters. Hamlet’s choice to be or not to be “soliloquy” portrays his religious thinking on the topic of suicide. Hamlet rejects murdering Claudius while praying for the distress of sending him to heaven. Christianity is also present in the play when Hamlet brings sacrifices to attain healing (Shakespeare 36). Hamlet’s corruption is a subject of concern as it manifests in various images of poison, death, and decay. From the initial moments of the play, the images set and start the setting of corruption, which intensifies as Shakespeare studies this theme.

Shakespeare utilizes secondary characters to depict the theme of friendship and loyalty. Despite the characters in the play being secondary, their friendship and loyalty are influential on the main character. The author uses characters like Horatio, Guildenstern, Rosencrantz, and Queen to illustrate the different types and levels of friendship and allegiance (Blackmore 32). Shakespeare depicts that individuals’ friendship and loyalty can be gained, betrayed, or easily ended. The Queen deceives her son by getting married to Claudius; she stands nearby while Claudius orally abuses Hamlet and continuously chooses to support and defend Claudius over Hamlet.

How Supporting Characters Function in Hamlet

Hamlet’s supporting characters have played important roles, including serving as narrators of occasions that happened outside the instant piece: Dane’s flicker. Distinct differences are shaped through the utilization of the performance’s minor participants. The reader expands a new viewpoint on Hamlet’s appeal when associated with Laertes. Hamlet’s subsidiary characters’ availability directly impacts the play’s achievement (Shakespeare 40). The performers in the drama within the show are applied to expose Claudius’s guilt; Hamlet, at that time has resilient to the crimes performed by the king. Hamlet’s supporting characters either exclude purity and good or spread the vile dishonesty which infuses Elsinore, the main motives for Hamlet’s accomplishment as among the utmost plays ever printed.

More about Hamlet

How Shakespeare Uses Supporting Characters

Shakespeare exploits various characters to propel the film’s act, topics, and growth of other characters. For instance, Claudius owns himself of crown and Queen through brave accomplishment, but his integrity again nuisances him (Blackmore 32). Laertes tenacities that nobody will divert him from attaining his vengeance, nonetheless he is effortlessly influenced and deployed into helping Claudius’s trimmings, and his infected rapier is twisted upon himself. Shakespeare figures the whole play round data that Hamlet told through his ancestor’s ghost. Some of the ghost’s events reveal to Hamlet include Claudius’s assassination of the previous Dane and how Hamlet evades Guildenstern and Rosencrantz.

Conclusion

Hamlet by William Shakespeare is a play that uses various characters under different circumstances to illustrate different themes. Major themes in the play, including corruption, religion, love, trust, loyalty, friendship, and war, have been portrayed by Shakespeare to pass intended information. The author also uses different styles like a contrast to reflect the qualities of the characters in the play. An example of a contrast in the play is when Guildenstern and Rosencrantz, Hamlet’s fake friends, fall to Claudius’s corruptness, act as a discrete contrast to the faithful friendzone between Horatio and Hamlet.

Works Cited

Blackmore, Simon Augustine. The Riddles of Hamlet and the Newest Answers. Stratford Company, 1917.

Shakespeare, William. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Ktoczyta.Pl, 2019, pp. 30-68.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2022, January 11). Supporting Characters in "The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark". https://ivypanda.com/essays/supporting-characters-in-the-tragedy-of-hamlet-prince-of-denmark/

Work Cited

"Supporting Characters in "The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark"." IvyPanda, 11 Jan. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/supporting-characters-in-the-tragedy-of-hamlet-prince-of-denmark/.

References

IvyPanda. (2022) 'Supporting Characters in "The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark"'. 11 January.

References

IvyPanda. 2022. "Supporting Characters in "The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark"." January 11, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/supporting-characters-in-the-tragedy-of-hamlet-prince-of-denmark/.

1. IvyPanda. "Supporting Characters in "The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark"." January 11, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/supporting-characters-in-the-tragedy-of-hamlet-prince-of-denmark/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "Supporting Characters in "The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark"." January 11, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/supporting-characters-in-the-tragedy-of-hamlet-prince-of-denmark/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
1 / 1