Wednesday, January 29, 2020

The ghost in Hamlet Essay Example for Free

The ghost in Hamlet Essay The Ghost is an essential element to the plot of Hamlet, revealing the true cause of the Kings death and establishing the need for revenge as well as confronting Hamlet with a moral dilemma, and is used by Shakespeare to open up several ideas and questions in the play. Shakespeare employs an ambiguous theme throughout the play using an antithesis of ideas which cause suspense, confusion and elusiveness. The complexity of the Ghosts character allows Shakespeare to introduce many views into the play, which can be seen through both the actions of the Ghost as well as the effect it has on Hamlet himself. Hamlet is presented with several different ideas in the play, one of them being the true purpose for revenge. There is evidence in the Ghosts emergence in Act 1 Scene 5 to suggest that he is less outraged at his own murder then he is at Gertrudes lust, for example the majority of the Ghosts speech is about the incestuous relationship between Gertrude and Claudius. The relationship between Gertrude and Claudius is described by the Ghost as shameful and it is emotive word choices such as this which Shakespeare uses to convey to the audience the impact that their relationship has had on the Ghost. Another antithesis displayed by Shakespeare is of the characters Claudius and the Ghost. The Ghost contrasts his love of dignity for Gertrude with Claudiuss witchcraft and traitorous gifts, and this comparison between the two shows Hamlets rage at Gertrude who declined upon a wretch whos natural gifts were poor To those of mine. Shakespeare also uses the comparisons between the Ghost and Claudius to reveal jealousy in the Ghosts emotions. This jealousy supplies evidence for the fact that Gertrudes lust has outraged the Ghost more than his own murder, which is reinforced when the Ghost ends his speech in reference to Gertrude, who he asks Hamlet to leave to heaven And to those thorns that in her bosom lodge To prick and sting her, revealing that he wants Gertrude to suffer for her inconstancy. Conversely, the graphic description of the murder given by the Ghost could imply that he is in fact more outraged by his own murder than at Gertrudes lust. Shakespeare describes the murder, going into detail with the effects the poison had on him, causing him to break out most lazer-like, with vile and loathsome crust over his body. Similarly to the narrative of Gertrudes lust, emotive language such as rankly abused is used to describe the murder. This has a poignant effect on Hamlet and the audience, and with the technique of listing and half lines, Shakespeare successfully portrays the Ghosts antagonism of being murdered by his brother. The effect of this dramatic description, as well as the references to Claudius as serpent that stung him, brings out a negative view of Claudius, revealing Hamlets resentment. The serpent induces connotations of the story of Adam and Eve, corrupted by the snake in the Garden of Eden. Shakespeare uses the snake imagery to present Claudius as an evil doer who has infected the state of Denmark through the murder of King Hamlet. The fact that the Ghost orders Hamlet to kill Claudius but to leave Gertrude to heaven could mean that the Ghosts anger is predominantly directed at Claudius for murdering him. Furthermore, the vivid images of the Ghosts murder can be seen as a tool used by the Ghost to persuade Hamlet to take revenge, covering up his main motive to kill Claudius for marrying Gertrude, which is an act that Hamlet may be less willing to take revenge for. Hamlets immediate reaction to the Ghosts speech may clarify what has affected the Ghost more, as he describes his mother as a most pernicious woman! before referring to his uncle as a smiling damned villain, implying that he is appalled views his mothers lust as a more awful crime than his fathers murder. The Ghost orders Hamlet to revenge his foul and most unnatural murder, immediately placing Hamlet with an enormous responsibility which is reiterated again in Act 3 Scene 4 when the Ghost reminds Hamlet that this visitation Is but to whet thy almost blunted purpose. The sheer fact that the Ghost arrives in the play is evidence of Hamlet placed in a position where he must take action upon his given responsibility. This absolute compulsion upon Hamlet is highlighted when Hamlet accepts that it is his duty, vows to disregard everything but the commandment alone and promises to sweep to his revenge. The use of the word commandment introduces Hamlets moral dilemma, as he feels obliged to carry out his fathers desires for revenge. Shakespeare also uses this word to highlight what the Ghost is asking Hamlet to do, as revenge is a sin, referring to a commandment given by God. Shakespeare also uses this compulsion upon Hamlet to represent the code of manliness that Hamlet is expected to adhere to. Hamlets exemplar figure is his father, whose amour represents the strength and courage Hamlet must attain, and the act of revenge is a chance for Hamlet to prove his masculinity. By telling Hamlet to Let not the royal bed of Denmark be A couch for luxury and damned incest, Shakespeare, referring to Gertrudes lust, implies a male control over females needs to be re-established. The use of imperatives in the Ghosts speech highlights the duty on Hamlet for revenge. In addition to the above, the fact that the Ghost is Hamlets fathers spirit instantly places an obligation on Hamlet to defend his fathers honour by killing his uncle in revenge. Family honour was a great responsibility at that time of the play, and as the son of the late King, revenge has become Hamlets duty. Shakespeares ambiguity and subtlety in the play deliberately leaves open the answer to the question of the Ghosts true nature. Right at the start of the play, Shakespeare gives the audience reason to question the Ghosts credibility through the cynicism of Horatio and Marcellus who try to prevent Hamlet from following the Ghost as they fear it will draw him into madness. Shakespeare reveals an uncertainty about the Ghost through Hamlet by using multiple questions and repetition. Immediately after the first meeting with the Ghost, Hamlets questions what he has seen. The repetition of Remember thee? is ironic as it will be difficult for Hamlet to forget his interaction with the Ghost, but also portrays the conflict that the Ghosts demands have brought on Hamlet, leading to his troubled state of mind. Shakespeare manages to show a strong impression of confusion from Hamlet through the use of half lines, enjambment and exclamations in his speech after the first meeting with the Ghost; Remember thee? Yes, from the table of my memory Unmixed with baser matter: yes, by heaven! . Shakespeare also uses the external appearance of the Ghost to emphasise this uncertainty, as it is described by Hamlet as having a questionable shape. Again Shakespeare employs the theme of dualism when Hamlet questions the Ghost, asking if it brings with it the airs heaven or blasts from hell and whether its intentions are wicked or charitable. By starting with a prayer as soon as Hamlet sees the Ghost, Shakespeare portrays a fearful and apprehensive character. Hamlet acknowledges that the Ghost may be a devil who abuses to damn him. Shakespeare reinforces Hamlets moral dilemma in his decision to carry out the play, from which he hopes to catch the conscience of the king. Postponing the revenge until he has confirmed that Claudius is in fact the murderer of his father also proves that Hamlet has doubts about the Ghost and its intentions. When considering the Ghost in the play as a whole, it is reasonable to take the view of the Ghost as not being Old Hamlet, but in fact a goblin damned due to the disastrous effects it has brought on Hamlets life, as well as other characters in the play, including the conflict and deaths of several characters.

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Physiological Responses to distance treadmill running :: essays research papers

Exercise: Distance Treadmill Running When we are challenged with any physical task, the human body responds through a series of integrated changes in function that involve most, if not all, of its physiologic systems. Movement requires activation and control of the musculoskeletal system; the cardiovascular and respiratory systems provide the ability to sustain this movement over extended periods. Physiological Responses: From experience I know that while on the treadmill before long my chest is heaving, my lungs are bursting, my heart is pounding, I get hot, sweat profusely, and the previously coordinated movement of my limbs start to falter; my muscles ache and my brain tells me to stop. Within minutes of starting this strenuous exercise the body temperature can rise by several degrees Celsius, and activation of thermoregulatory heat loss mechanisms (principally sweating and opening up of skin blood vessels) becomes essential in order to keep the body as cool as possible. Certainly, exercise is a challenge to homeostasis. Heart rate increases to pump more blood to the muscles all over the body which are working harder. Therefore, your cardiac output increases. The heart rate and the cardiac output are proportional to each other. www.medicdirectsport.com detailed that  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The energy requirements of muscle during exercise are met not only by an alteration in intramuscular metabolism, but also by integrated activity of the cardiovascular, respiratory, endocrine and nervous systems.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The body produces lactic acid whenever it breaks down carbohydrates for energy. We use energy when we exercise therefore lactic acid is produced when we exercise. www.cytosport.com detailed that  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"When the body makes lactic acid, it splits into lactate ion (lactate) and hydrogen ion.

Monday, January 13, 2020

American Beauty †Analysis Essay

I had seen the movie American Beauty when it was first released, however it was a different experience for me this time. I was closely examining the interpersonal conflict in the movie. The movie is based around the Burnham family. Lester and Carolyn are husband and wife, and they have a teenage daugther, Janie. On the outside they appear to be a normal family. As the movie plays, it is obvious the characters are all a negative result of interpersonal conflict. â€Å"Conflict is a critical event in the course of a relationship. Conflict can cause resentment, hostility and perhaps the ending of the relatonship†(DonnaBellafiore). Carolyn is extremely self-centered and demanding. She controls the family with her underlying anger. Lester is a shell of a man. His self-concept is very low and he is depressed. This undoubtedly due to his lack of communication with his wife. â€Å"Self-concept is the idea you have of who you are and what makes you different from everyone else†( Sole,K). In part of the movie he realizes he has lost something, but he doesn’t know what. He has lost his self-esteem due his interpersonal conflict with his wife and daughter. In one scene Carolyn and Lester have arrived at a party Lester doesn’t want to attend. Carolyn tells him to act happy, but sadly she never wonders why he is not happy. In another scene the family is at the dinner table. Carolyn is talking about her day and Lester informs her that he has quit his job. She mocks him for doing so and tries to get Janie into the conversation. Lester becomes extremely angry, and they begin to blame each other for their lack of communication. Their behaviors not only affect their relationship negatively, but has weakened the relationship they have with Janie. Carolyn handles her conflict by having an affair rather than communicating her frustrations with her husband, Lester. Lester black-mails his boss, quits his job and demands a years pay and benefits. This is one way that Lester handles his anger. Janie and her relationship with her parents, especially her father, continues to deteriorate. Janie becomes emotionaly involved with the new neighbor a nd school-mate Ricky. When Janie’s friend Angela, comes over to visit, her father always gets excited and flirts with her. This upsets Janie, but Angela likes it. Angela tells Janie Lesters attraction to her makes her realize she has potential to be a model. Angela shows no empathy for Janie’s feelings of negativity towards her father. â€Å"Empathy is the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts and experience of another†(merrriam-websterdictionary). As a result of his attraction to Angela, Lester begins working out. He begins to feel better about himself as a result of getting in shape. There is a scene in the movie where Lester sits on the sofa next to his wife, Carolyn. He begins softly speaking to her and useing non-verbal cues reminding her of how much fun she was when they were younger. She begins to smile, and for a moment you believe they are going to be kind to each other. instead, Carolyn jumps up and freaks out because Lester almost spilled his beer on the sofa. Lester becomes angry as he tries to explain to her that her material things mean more to her than living. The moment of kindness between them is over-destroyed by Carolyns confusion with her priorities and her need to be in control. It is always about her. As Janie becomes more angry with her father, she befriends her neighbor, Ricky Fitz. Ricky is forth-coming and confident. However, he has been physicaly and verbaly abused by his father. Mr. Fitz is an ex-marine. When he introduces himself to people he always says â€Å"Frank Fitz Cornel in the Marine Corps†(SamMendes, producer,1999,AmericanBeauty). He has a need for people to see him as a strong man, having been a Marine. This is his great accomplishment in life. he has beaten Ricky and verbaly abused him, and sent him away for 2 years as a result of Ricky severely beating a boy, most likely a reaction to his anger towards his father. Franks wife, Ricky’s Mom, is emotionless. She has no self-concept due to Franks personality, anger and overpowerment. Their house is a cold environment. There is no normal communication between the three of them. There is a scene where Frank and Ricky meet the neighbors-JIm and JIm. They are a gay couple who have just moved into the neighborhood . Frank freaks out about the couple. His reaction shows that he is homophobic by his negative comments. Ricky agrees with his father in an effort to keep the situaton stable. Ricky is trying to avoid a beating. Ricky and Janie are building a relationship and becoming close. Ricky has also built a relationshio with Lester. He sells Lester Marijuana . Ricky goes to Lester’s house to sell him marijuana one particular night. Frank can see Ricky and lester through the window. Frank thinks what he is seeing is Ricky having oral sex with Lester. He beats Ricky when he comes home. Ricky runs to Janie and asks her to run away with him, s he agrees. At the end of the movie, Lester is in the garage. Frank approaches him, as he walks through the pouring rain. He has an expression of pain and fear on his face. Lester approaches Lester (thinking lester is gay) and wraps his arms around him in a hug. Lester tries to be comforting, but then Lester tries to kiss him. Lester pulls back expressing to Frank that there must be some kind of understanding. Lester is not a gay man. Frank walks away with tears in his eyes. Ricky and Janie are up in her room planning their departure, and Carolyn is on her way home. She has been taking shooting lessons and carrys a gun in her glove compartment. Suddenly a gun shot is heard. Carolyn has justed pulled into the driveway, we wonder was it her who killed Lester? Jamie and Ricky find Lester shot in the head. Frank Fitz has shot Lester. He would rather have him dead than risk sharing Franks secret with anyone. Frank was a gay man. He spent his entire life covering up this reality, and in the process destroyed his wife and abused his child. After shooting Lester, Frank goes home to his room filled with guns and military memorabilia, and shoots himself. The families in this movie had such poor interpersonal communication that they destroyed each other. It was a schock for me to see such a lack of communication cause such destruction.

Sunday, January 5, 2020

Hamlet’s Madness in Craft Essay - 887 Words

In Act I, Scene V, after hearing the ghost’s demand for revenge, Hamlet says in advance that he will consciously feign madness while seeking the opportune moment to kill Claudius. Therefore, it is hard to conclude that he coincidentally became insane after making such a vow. Hamlet’s supposed madness becomes his primary way of interacting with the other characters during most of the play, in addition to being a major device that Shakespeare uses to develop his character. Still, the question remains: Is Hamlet really crazy or just pretending? The major conflict which seems obscures the possibility of obtaining clarity on the answer to this question is Hamlet’s inability to find any certain moral truths as he works his way toward revenge.†¦show more content†¦During their conversation, Hamlet calls the old man a â€Å"fishmonger† and irrationally responds to his questions. Still, many of Hamlet’s seemingly lunatic statements disguise pointed observations about Polonius’s conceit and old age. In fact, Polonius himself comments that while Hamlet is not of right mind, his words are often â€Å"pregnant† with meaning (II.ii.206). Then, in Act III, Scene I, Claudius and Polonius eavesdrop on Hamlet’s conversation with Ophelia so as to establish whether Hamlet’s madness stems from his lovesickness over Ophelia. However, before we, the audience, see this encounter, we already think we know more than Claudius does in that we know that Hamlet is only acting crazy, and that he’s doing it to hide the fact that he is studying and plotting against his uncle. Therefore, we the audience suppose that it cannot be true that Hamlet is acting mad because of his love for Ophelia. Yet, Hamlet’s vindictive attitude toward her throws everything we think we know into question. Does Hamlet mean what he says to Ophelia? To be sure, it is another question for a later date. In Act III, Scene II, Hamlet app ears to be more self-controlled, given that he skillfully manipulates Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and his speaks freely with Horatio. The facility with which Hamlet alternates between passionate, erratic behavior and rational, focused behavior seems to prove that he is not insane after all. While he is excited yet articulate during his conversationShow MoreRelatedHamlet’s Madness in Craft Essay868 Words   |  4 PagesIn Act I, Scene V, after hearing the ghost’s demand for revenge, Hamlet says in advance that he will consciously feign madness while seeking the opportune moment to kill Claudius. Therefore, it is hard to conclude that he coincidentally became insane after making such a vow. Hamlet’s supposed madness not only becomes his way of relating to the other characters during the majority of the play, but also that which develops his character as throughout the play. Still, the question remains: Is HamletRead MoreEssay on Hamlets Antic Disposition1487 Wo rds   |  6 PagesHamlets Antic Disposition      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In William Shakespeares famous tragedy Hamlet, the main character of the story is one majestically elaborated, aside from being quite complex. There are infinite volumes written about this character because Shakespeare leaves no firm proof of many of his character traits. Yet on Hamlets antic disposition, meaning his obviously absurd temperament or madness, Shakespeare leaves plenty of reason to believe that it is feigned, meaning that it is simply a ployRead MoreHamlet, By William Shakespeare1640 Words   |  7 PagesHoratio and Marcellus, that he is going to assume an â€Å"antic disposition,† it is commonly debated as to whether or not Hamlet actually delves into madness (1.5.192). 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Hamlet has admitted to faking it, notRead MoreMadness In Hamlet Essay869 Words   |  4 Pagesguilty of the murder of his brother, King Hamlet. To avoid anyone discovering him, he maintains his crazy act in front of his own love interest, Ophelia, perplexing her to the point of lunacy. One of the main contributors to Ophelia’s authentic madness is Hamlet’s pretense of insanity, leading to both Hamlet and Ophelia’s ultimate defeat. From the â€Å"big-picture† point of view, it may seem that Hamlet has genuinely gone mad, but there are many instances where Hamlet alludes to his forgery. The first instanceRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Hamlet, The Most Famous Being Hamlet s Own Emotional State1661 Words   |  7 Pagesplay, the most famous being Hamlet’s own emotional state. His madness, triggered by his incestuous uncle, has led several scholars to explore the psychological causes of his madness. 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Madness is defined as the state of being mentally ill or having extremely foolish behavior. It is a condition in which is difficult to identify whether it is true or not. In William Shakespeares masterpiece, Hamlet, there is confusion as to whether or not his madness is real. The ghost of his father asks Hamlet to avenge his death. While he tries to accomplish this, he puts on an antic disposition. The antic disposition reoccurs throughout the play, but is merelyRead MoreGender Roles In Shakespeares Ophelia And Hamlet1258 Words   |  6 PagesShakespeare writes Ophelia has a character capable of reason, yet denies her the ability of reasoning. At the start of the play, there is little evidence that Ophelia will display the madness that will take her. However, one may deduce that her ideas of Hamlet’s vows to her are the first signs of Ophelia s madness. Laertes tries his best to convince Ophelia that â€Å"if [Hamlet] says he loves [her],/ it fits [her] wisdom [...] to belie ve it† (1.3.24). By this, it could be assumed that Laertes is predictingRead More The Mood Swings of Hamlet in Shakespeares Hamlet Essay768 Words   |  4 Pageswhen he hears of his fathers murder. No one knows if his madness is a show like he says or real like it seems. It seems as if there are two Hamlets in the play. One that is sensitive and an ideal prince and the insane uncivilized Hamlet, who from an outburst of passion and rage slays Polonius with no feeling of remorse and then talks about lugging his guts into another room. This is why I say Hamlets madness is less than madness and more than pretend. Hamlet says he is just acting mad when