Rhetoric Analysis

[Name of the institute]Rhetoric Analysis - Hamlet by Shakespeare

Introduction

The reading that has been selected for this rhetoric analysis is Hamlet by Shakespeare. In reading Shakespeare's Hamlet, the reader is exposed to several different sides of the personality of the protagonist. There is a poetic, intellectual side to Hamlet, as well as a cruel, barbaric side when one considers his reactions and treatment of certain characters. There is a side to him that is full of doubt and uncertainty, a side that is certain of other's failures to the point of paranoia, but there is also a side to him that is inherently sad and sorrowful in the face of his situation. According Bucknell-Susquehanna Colloquium et al. (1975), there is also a side to him that shows no empathy at all in the face of adversity, and slays Polonuis. In studying the themes of Hamlet, there are several that are already expounded upon, and there have been many explanations to explain the protagonist's behavior throughout the play, as well as discussions and close interpretations of his actions. It is also observed that the aim of the author through this work is to demonstrate the different ways in which protagonist variates his decisions according to the situation. The core focus of this paper is to attempt to discern how often the theme of sadness and despair is touched upon, and how Hamlet's feelings of despair towards the unfurling events of his life lead him to make the decisions that he makes.

Discussion

The following discussion is focused on identifying the rhetoric themes of this work presented by Shakespeare. It is established earlier on in the play that Hamlet has somewhat of a profoundly doubtful, sorrow-filled expression when it comes to describing his life. The play starts off with Hamlet mourning his father's recent demise, feeling quite isolated and alone in his grief as he watches his mother and friends remain active in life while he feels desolate. According to Pseud (2010), his troubled character is developed well throughout the play, with a classic sequence to the thought that play out in ones head if they are driven to the depths of despair and sorrow. Thoughts of suicide are expressed in his first soliloquy, as he reveals that his depressive nature has led him to have suicidal thoughts and only the Holy Scripture is what prevents him from taking action. “How weary… His law 'gainst self slaughter”. This labels him quite early on as a character that will consider his surroundings and events that will take place in his life as full of despair and unhappy. Suicide carries on as being an important theme in Hamlet in later soliloquies too, with passages such as the famous “ To be or not to be, that is the question”.

Hamlet is a Christian and it is obvious that attempting suicide would go against his religious teachings, but the author does reflect on his willingness and ease of access, if he chooses to go down that ...