The full name of the play, The Tragedy of Hamlet: Prince of Denmark, gives a pretty good idea of what the play is intended to be like, and the storyline agrees with it. The tale is one of revenge, …show more content…
The image that is given is a terrifying one, as befits the Ghost’s memories of Hell. In addition to frightful imagery, beautiful words are used as well, such as Hamlet’s description of the sky as “this brave o’erhanging firmament,/ this majestical roof fretted with golden fire” (Brooks 253, [II, ii, 300-301]). The use of imagery is not a trait specific to tragedy, many form of prose use it, but it is one that commonly appears in the genre.
Another way language is embellished in tragedy is in the use of rhyme and rhythm of words. Shakespeare especially makes use of this in the form of rhyming couplets with distinct rhythms to make a point or give a sense of finality. A famous example of this occurs in Act I when Hamlet is confronted about his black clothing and he replies “But I have that within which passeth show,/These but the trappings and the suits of woe” (Brooks 184, [I, ii, 85-86]). Each line has ten syllables and ends with a rhyme, creating a feeling of completion to Hamlet’s statement. I find that it also attracts the ear to what has been said, since the mind automatically looks for patterns and considers them significant when it finds one. Another example of a rhyming couplet occurs when Claudius has finished attempting to pray in Act III, remarking “My words fly up, my thoughts remain below./Words without thoughts never to heaven go” …show more content…
In Hamlet, there are allusions to the Bible, classical myth, and traditional medieval beliefs. Considering the nature of the play, it is fitting that Hamlet should include among its biblical references mention of Cain and Abel. Claudius declares “O, my offense is rank, it smells to heaven;/It hath the primal eldest curse upon’t –/ A brother’s murder.” (Brooks 314 [III, iii, 36-38]). Hamlet also makes numerous allusions, especially to classical myth in regards to his father. He compares him to Hyperion (a sun-god), Jove, Mars, and Mercury all within one speech to his mother in Act III. He also compares his resolve to that of the Nimean lion, a mythological beast impervious to mortal weapons, and his mother’s weeping at his father’s funeral to Niobe, a woman whose children were killed by the gods as punishment for her boasting and who turned into a weeping rock in grief. Once Ophelia has gone mad, she references certain traditional beliefs of the time, including the tale of the “baker’s daughter” and the symbolism associated with certain flowers (Brooks 350, [IV, v, 42-43]). These allusions make comparisons between the things or thoughts actually being discussed and the subject matter which they reference, giving a better idea of how the audience is supposed to think of what is being