William Shakespeares Hamlet :: Shakespeare Hamlet Essays

William Shakespeares critical pointDisillusionment. Depression. Despair. These are the burning emotions churning in young small towns soul as he attempts to come to terms with his fathers death and his mothers incestuous, outlaw(a) marriage. While Hamlet tries to pick up the pieces of his shattered idealism, he consciously embarks on a quest to seek the truth hidden in Elsi zero(prenominal)e this, in stark contrast to Claudius fervent attempts to obscure the truth of murder. deception versus truth illusion versus reality. In the play, Prince Hamlet is constantly having to differentiate amongst them. However, there is always an exception to the rule, and in this case, the exception lies in Act 2, scene 2, where an honest conversation (sans the gilded trappings of deceit) takes place between Hamlet and Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern. Via the use of prose and figurative language, Shakespeare utilizes the passage to illustrate Hamlets view of the cosmos and creationkind. throughout t he play, the themes of illusion and mendaciousness have been carefully developed. The entire royal Danish homage is ensnared in a web of espionage, betrayal, and lies. Not a single man speaks his mind, nor addresses his purpose clearly. As Polonius puts it so perfectly And thus do we of acquaintance and of reach By indirections find directions out Act 2, Scene 2, Lines 71-3 The umteen falsehoods and deceptions uttered in Hamlet are expressed through eloquent, formal, poetical language (iambic pentameter), tantamount to an art form. If deceit is a painted, ornate guinea pig then, its foil of truth is simple and unvarnished. Accordingly, when the pretenses of illusion are discarded in Act 2, Scene 2, the language is written in direct prose. Addressing Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern, Hamlet pleads with them to deliver up honest speech about the intent of their reaching offer up Anything but to th purpose. Act 2, Scene 2, Line 300 In a gesture of extreme significance, in a quote com plementary to Polonius same one, Hamlet demands Be even and direct with me whether you were sent for or no. Act 2, Scene 2, Lines 310-11 Being the bumbling fools they are, Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern disclose their intentions and purposes to Hamlet, revealing the nance and Queens instructions. Thus does truth prevail in this passage. For this reason, the whole passage is spare of the artful poetic devices that are used in the better circle of the play. The recurring motif of corruption also appears in the passage.