I hold my duty as i hold my soul both to my God Essay Example for Free

I h centenarian my duty as i hold my soul both to my God EssayPolonius statement, open in Act Two, Scene Two, reflects the symmetry and order of the society he lives in. He inhabits a human of certainty and mediaeval convention. The dictation can be seen to repugn the statement, both in the action and in the characters, particularly in the character of crossroads him ego. It is critical point, the renaissance man of the play, whose controversial attitude is constantly seen to ch in allenge the medieval certainties that could still be seen in Jacobean society. Value was placed on duty to the milkweed thatterfly and to God the institution of marriage was sacred and scientific debate was absolute and definite. All these things atomic number 18 scrapd in Shakespeargons small town. The social and cultural climate of Jacobean society was such(prenominal) that certainties and conventions were held in high esteem- Shakespeares Hamlet is indite in the context of, for example, the social hierarchy of the time, the medieval courtroom, and religion. All of these are challenged in the play by both the characters and the plot. Even the real form of the statement challenges these certainties, for the couplet is a chiasmus- the symmetrical structure reflects the genuinely nature of the society in which Polonius lives.In Shakespeares time society was beginning to ask nearly of the questions which Shakespeare addresses through and through the character of Hamlet. Most people embraced a rational, scientific line of thinking Elizabethans were not al musical modes intemperately superstitious. For example, in Act one, Scene one, Horatio expresses doubt at the existence of the phantasma Before my God, I index not this confide Without the sensible and true avouch Of mine own eyes. They also began to question the old hierarchy and the natural order of things- such as God and gracious king upon the dawn of the Renaissance.The sentiment of society as a fixed stru cture and everything being ordained in the knowledge domain was thus a strong certainty. Hamlet has a clear vision of things as they are he is a realist, a Renaissance man, un analogous characters such as Claudius and Polonius who Shakespeare portrays to be lacking in vision. Shakespeare shows the court to be full of people who think that all these things are absolute simply because they give birth evermore been a certain way. Hamlet is also the main vehicle through which Shakespeare conveys his views.Hamlet has indeed been brought up with medieval and religious certainties too. Or that the everlasting had not fixd His canon gainst self-importance- slaughter. A modern sense of hearing may very well see Hamlet as being rather tame- a twenty-first century guerrilla would not acknowledge proprieties such as the divine ban on suicide- but Hamlet seeks to a greater extent than revenge. He is a melancholy individual, who searches for the answers to some of these questions through the title statement, Shakespeare challenges his contemporary audience and the modern audience to question these certainties too.Hamlets clear vision is in direct contrast to the other characters, in the sense that he is the only character who is prepared to question these certainties and to try and define, in a sense, what the true meaning of involvespan is, what it is all almost. Shakespeare challenges the statement of duty to God and king by implying, through the character of Hamlet that life is underpinned by something other than the monarch and the church. Hamlet is totally aware of the beauty of the world yet at the same time has a pessimistic outlook on the gifts of man as we are all destined to die anywayWhat piece of work is a man, How noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god and yet to me what is this quintessence of dust? The character of Polonius is underpinne d by set such as duty to God and king- this is illustrated not only in Act Two Scene Two but also in Act One Scene Three This above all to thine own self be true, As it must follow the night the day Thou canst not whence be false to any man. This quotation illustrates a simplistic outlook on life. The main way in which Shakespeare challenges this outlook is, ironically, in Polonius death. In Act Three, scene four, Polonius is casually and ignominiously killed by Hamlet O, I am slain. Polonius expresses surprise as much as anything, while Hamlet s words strengthen the irony of Polonius self- importance I took thee for thy better. Take thy fortune Thou findst to be too busy in some danger. Polonius is all the way at home in this ordered society and shows a passive word meaning of the status quo.He has a simple medieval outlook on life and clearly values his duty to his God and king however, he dies by ridiculous accident. Although throughout his life he has clearly endeavoure d to serve these two entities to the best of his ability, he still dies an unnatural, brutal death. Shakespeare is therefore illustrating the irrelevance that these values have to life, both in Shakespeares era and now. The statement which Polonius makes in Act Two Scene Two about duty to God and King allows the reader to infer a lot about the character of Polonius and the world in which he lives- he does not seek new experience.These medieval certainties are also challenged in the character of Claudius. He is obviously not on the side of God- indeed, he seems to contradict the very reasoning of the church by the brutal manner in which he murders the king. It is ironic therefore that he seems to foretell himself king by divine right as he actually dies with a guilty moral sense Theres such divinity doth hedge a king That treason can but peep to what it would, Acts bitty of his will. Here it appears that Claudius has conveniently forgotten exactly how he became king. Shakespeare is challenging the idea of kingship.He is showing the court to be full of people who think things are the way they are because they have always been make that way, such as Polonius, Gertrude, Claudius, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. The character of Claudius highlights the corruption of the medieval court. The intrigue and machiavellian machinations of the court are self justifying to all these people for example, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern deceive Hamlet and go behind his back simply because they are destiny their king. In Shakespeares time deception and violence were commonplace if they would benefit the king.Although Claudius seems to take the moral high-ground throughout the play he has no good intentions toward Hamlet at all. Shakespeares Hamlet also challenges the institution of marriage- it is shown in the conduct of Gertrude and Claudius not be a sacred union but a justification for excessive promiscuity. Hamlet is distraught by his mothers rapid re- marriage to his u ncle after his fathers death To post with such dexterity to incestuous sheets. Shakespeare invites us then to question the notion of a stable purple marriage, and the values that society had then and the values we have now.Hamlet is disgusted by their sexual excesses and, moreover feels he has been tainted by them O that this too too sullied flesh would melt, Thaw and resolve itself into a dew. Shakespeare is challenging the morality of the royal marriage- the fact that Gertrude marries the kings own brother shortly after his death seems to suggest the absence of love. In Hamlet, the tip of emotion and true respect in marriage is shown to be weak- it is easily overruled by lust, as the ghost of the previous king states Let not the royal bed of Denmark be.A couch for luxury and damn incest. Hamlet is an unconventional revenge tragedy- Shakespeare subverts the genre. Hamlet is reluctant to take revenge whereas Laertes is hot- headed, impulsive and ready to penalise the murder of Polonius It warms the very sickness in my heart That I shall live and tell him to his teeth, Thus diest thou. Shakespeare undermines the idea further by showing that Hamlet is not in fact a coward- his ideas are pretty more subtle. He is indeed hesitant about avenging his fathers murder- he passes up an opportunity to kill Claudius in ActThree, scene four, as he does not want to kill him in an act of redemption. This goes against the tralatitious idea of medieval and Jacobean revenge A villain kills my father, and for that To heaven. Why, this is hire and salary, not revenge. This is a challenge to the genre because Hamlet is prepared to bide his time in order to achieve the perfect murder- he wont be spontaneous and impulsive. This is shown by the fact that he passes up an opportunity to kill Claudius. Shakespeares Hamlet has a good degree of relevance to life in the twenty- first century.Although some of the major themes, such as the court and incest, are no longer applicable to modern life, we can relate to some of the underlying themes such as love, sorrow and resentment we can relate to the emotional distress. Reasoning in Medieval Denmark where the play is set nor indeed in Jacobean society is not so antithetic to our reasoning today- the majority of people today may not believe in ghosts but characters in the play, such as Horatio, and some people in Jacobean society do not believe in ghosts either. In Act one, scene five, Hamlet makes this very thought- provoking comment to HoratioThere are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy. We have our certainties today- in the form of scientific reasoning but our certainties are equally open and capable of being challenged. One of the main themes in Hamlet is death- we are still uncertain about what happens after we die. The character of Hamlet himself has a romantic, post modernist way of thinking everything is relative and there are no certainties- only thoughts No thing is good or bad. idea makes it so. In a sense here Hamlet can be compared to the Romantics.Keats wrote in the context of Shakespeare Twixt damnation and impassiond clay. (On Sitting Down To Read King Lear) This in a sense is what underpins Shakespeares Hamlet- the idea that whatever certainties are held in any given era will always be questionable, and open to discussion. Our certainties will always be challenged because nothing is definite, or absolute. This romantic concept is based on the idea that this is what life is about- challenging certainties in order to try and discover the ineffable truth about this world and the next.