Essay Introduction
Rather than being confined solely to novels, literature exists in many forms of text which add value to the reader’s lives and thinking processes. Therefore, a play could be part of literature as well, a well-known example being Hamlet. This becomes clear with the fact that many people nowadays meticulously study Hamlet despite it having been written centuries ago. How is it possible that Shakespeare’s Hamlet is still known and appreciated throughout the world? One could say that time, place, language, and target audience affect the text in some way and that, thus, Shakespeare must have chosen universal factors which make Hamlet continue to stand out. The question remains, however, if Hamlet would be the same nowadays if these features would have been different.
Research Paper on Hamlet
Hamlet was written by Shakespeare around 1600 in London. The script supports this as it can be seen that the play was written in a different syntax and grammar structure which today is known as contemporary English. For example, “We will ourselves provide” translates to “We will provide ourselves.” Religion is a defining factor as well, as it seems to carry a large role in the play. The appearance of the ghost of the old king Hamlet suggests people at that time still believed in spiritualism. Additionally, when Claudius tries to pray at an altar to be forgiven for killing the old Hamlet, Hamlet comes with a sword aiming to kill Claudius and send him to hell, but he refrains as he thinks Claudius would go straight to heaven if killed during prayer. These cumulative examples, combined with the fact that Shakespeare lived in London, prove that Hamlet was written around 1600.
Argumentative Essay Examples of Hamlet
The language used in Hamlet is, as shown in the above paragraph, contemporary English and is rich in metaphors, imagery, and other literary devices, especially Hamlet’s soliloquies, which almost entirely consist of metaphors. An example is the first line of the first soliloquy: “O that this too, too sullied flesh would melt,” meaning that Hamlet wishes for his skin to “melt” or, in other words, he wishes to commit suicide.
Thesis Statement for Hamlet
To say that Shakespeare wrote Hamlet for a reason around 1600 in London is difficult to support as Shakespeare could have written it at any point in his career, but it does add to the fact that Hamlet is one of the first plays of not only Shakespeare but around that time which possessed renaissance characteristics, characters with psychological complexity, and absolute rulers with human emotions who also made mistakes, and was based upon the classical tragedy drama from the Greeks and Romans which was before forbidden by the Catholic church.
Titles: Language, Metaphors, and Literary Devices in Hamlet
So, because Hamlet was written in the Renaissance period, the play could contain different themes and motives. Together with the almost poetic language which portrays different thinking processes and defined social groups, the syntax of the royal family contained far more literary devices than that of commoners, and above all was Hamlet, whose soliloquies consisted almost entirely of literary devices.
The purpose of the play was set to let people think about the moral discussion of either taking revenge or committing suicide and leaving a horrible world, and the target audience was established. Many were learning to think for themselves, but Shakespeare could, of course, only reach those who came to see his play. The combination of deep characterization for the first time in a play, the use of themes and motives that had not been used for a long time, and the poetic language made Hamlet a masterpiece and, therefore, unforgettable.
The Renaissance Influence on Hamlet
Hamlet would have been a completely different play had it been written in another time period, as the whole essence of the play is based upon the 1600s. The perspective of the Renaissance and moral debate may not have been as important as it is now. It would still be a tragedy, though the effectiveness of the play, which is created by the deep characterization of the Renaissance, would be gone. If it was written in a different location, the language could have been different and cultural differences could play a role. These could cause the religion in the play to differ, as well as the absolute ruler; instead of a monarch, it would be an emperor. Though monarchs and emperors are similar, a different religion could surely have changed the play. If the belief in ghosts were to diminish, the play would not have been about revenge, as Hamlet would not have known that his father was killed by his uncle.
Impact of Time, Place, Language, and Target Audience
The entire moral debate would vanish, leaving nothing left of the actual purpose. If the language of the play was different, which could be caused by either a different time or place, translation might be needed, which could change the meaning of the play as translations can often alter and muddle the significance behind words, especially literary devices, proverbs, and cultural sayings. A different target audience would have changed the play as different social groups of varying ages, gender, perspective, and acting would all enjoy different aspects of it. Overall, if any of these features would have been different, the impact would have changed substantially.
Conclusion
Holistically, Shakespeare was smart to use the combination of time, place, language, and target audience to obtain a play that was new for its time and set the tone for his upcoming work. If any of these features had varied, the play would have been different as the purpose may have changed and, as a result, may not be as strong as it is now. With a change in religion, the importance of the beginning of the play would have been lost, and with it, the play as ghost that talks to Hamlet in the play would not exist in making the morale debate of taking revenge or committing suicide.
