Mind Map Gallery Literary Devices in Hamlet

Literary Devices in Hamlet

The protagonist of Hamlet is Prince Hamlet of Denmark, son of the recently deceased King Hamlet, and nephew of King Claudius, his father's brother and successor. Claudius hastily married King Hamlet's widow, Gertrude, Hamlet's mother, and took the throne for himself.

Edited at 2020-10-08 02:52:38

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Literary Devices in Hamlet

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Outline

Literary-Devices-in-Hamlet

Plot

Scene 1

Polonius sends servants to spy on his son(Laertes).

Reynaldo has to find out what the “Danesare in Paris”.

Ophelia talks to her dad (Polonius) abouthow Hamlet is acting.

Scene 2

The King and Queen (Claudius and Gertrude) welcome Hamlet’s friends they invited to cheerhim up.

The ambassadors sent to Norway return. Where Fortinbras tried to start a war onDenmark. The king (Claudius) disapproved and encouraged them to attack Poland.

Polonius presents a plan to spy on Hamlet and Ophelia to see if Hamlet is lovesick.

Hamlet announces that he will write the short speech to go with the play The Murder ofGonzago.

Hamlet decides that he will make the king (Claudius) watch the play to see if he has any signsof guilt.

Literary Devices

Oxymoron

“Your bait of falsehood takes this carp of truth” Polonius (II i 68)

Hyperbole/Simile

“And with a look so piteous in purport/ As if he had been loosed out of hell” Ophelia (II i 90 91)

Situational Irony

“[Pointing to his head and shoulder.] Take this from this, if this be otherwise.” Polonius (II ii 167168)

Metaphor

“Denmark’s a prison” Hamlet (II ii 285)

Personification

“Wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the King." Hamlet (II ii 567)

Fun Facts

In Elizabethan times, the marriage of awidow to her brotherinlaw was consideredincestuous.

The castle in which the play is set reallyexists. It is called Kronborg castle and wasbuilt in the Danish port of Helsingør in 1420sby the Danish king, Eric of Pomerania.

Where now we say ‘I’m going to see a play’in Elizabethan times, people talked about‘going to hear a play’.

Characters

Scene 1

Polonius

Claudius

Ophelia

Reynaldo

Scene 2

Claudius

Polonius

Rosencrantz

Guildenstern

Breaking The Fourth Wall

The fourth wall is aconceptual barrierbetween thosepresenting some kindof a communication andthose receiving it.

Breaking the fourth wall meansdoing or saying something thateither explicitly or implicitlyacknowledges the artificiality ofthe environment and the fact thatboth the presenters and audience are aware of thatartificiality.

Theme

Deception

Scene 1

We find Hamlet playing his"madness" ruse on the unsuspectingOphelia.

Scene 2

The "king" sends Rosencratz and Guildenstern,two former friends of the prince, to spy onhim to see if his madness is real.

Hamlet sets up the play in a thinly veiledattempt to deceive Claudius into confession,for the play reflects the usurper&#39;scrimes.