Discussing conflict in Hamlet.

Extracts from this document...


Hamlet Throughout Hamlet, there are a number of conflicts that take place that could still take place today. Although Hamlet takes place in the 1400's doesn't change anything, they happened back then, they could happen now. Three main conflicts from Hamlet include relationships, betrayal and selfishness. These three issues not only play an important role in Hamlet, but the story in one way or another revolves around these three issues. When it comes to friends or enemies, selfishness and betrayal tie into these people's lives in the play Hamlet. Relationships are very important today and were very important in the past. Although each relationship is different, some are good and some are bad. But good relationships can last a long time and sometimes forever but bad relationships can end, very quickly. In some cases, relationships determine the direction life will take and they can change everything. Although love and relationships can sometimes be wonderful and happy, they can sometimes lead to things such as madness, suicide and depression. As is the case in Hamlet. ...read more.


Because Hamlet suspects that someone is listening to his conversation with Ophelia, he acts like a mad man and says cruel things to Ophelia. "Virtue cannot so inoculate our old stock but we shall relish of it. I loved you not."(III, i, 118-120) All the promises he had made to her before that day are now broken; he has betrayed her trust. Hamlet and Claudius betrayed someone that they where supposed to love. Because of this betrayal, the relationships they had ended in a sad tragedy. From Hamlet days to nowadays, betrayal is a big part of life and it goes on all around us. Betrayal is constantly breaking up relationships, between friends and lovers. Whether it is cheating, lying or even talking behind their back, these things will never change. It happened in the 1400's and hasn't changed a bit since then. Betrayal is like a sin and is a big part of human civilization, although betrayal hurts people in many ways, we continue to betray the people that we are closest to. If it's been happening for this long, who's to stay betrayal is ever going to come to an end. ...read more.


Selfishness hasn't changed a bit. There are many people like Hamlet and Claudius among us, who put themselves in front of everybody else in the world, thinking that they are the top priority. When it comes to good friends or even relationships, some people will always be selfish and put themselves on top. If their not getting what they need out of the relationship, then they will turn and go somewhere else to fit their needs. Although they might ask too much of someone like in Hamlets case. They won't realize what they have lost until it's too late and they've got nothing. Although relationships, betrayal and selfishness aren't the only themes in Hamlet, they play important roles. These are three big issues that surround Hamlet and the rest of human civilization. As the saying goes, some things never change. Just because it happened in the 1400's, doesn't mean that they can't still happen and human civilization have proven that theory by being as corrupt as they are and not taking people's feelings into consideration. As long as humans dominate the world, these corrupt qualities will still go on and as much as we hate to admit it, many of us are guilty of these negative traits. ...read more.

The above preview is unformatted text


Found what you're looking for?

  • Start learning 29% faster today
  • 150,000+ documents available
  • Just £6.99 a month

Not the one? Search for your essay title...
  • Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

See related essaysSee related essays

Related University Degree Hamlet essays

  1. The Portrayal of Shakespeare's Hamlet in Cinema

    entertainment was an attempt by film makers to address the criticisms made by contemporaries and perhaps suggest the reasons for a large number of Shakespearean film adaptations in the earliest years of moving pictures, there were seventeen Hamlet films produced before 1930 and numerous other examples of his other works.

  2. Portrayal of women in 'Hamlet'

    stew'd in corruption...". Again, this reference uses imagery. The adjectives used to describe the bed have associations with rot, decay, depravity and putrefaction. The word 'rank' carries with it these connotations, and 'enseamed' means, literally, steeped in animal fat. In the context of the play, these words suggest the grossness of sexual behaviour, though physical metaphors of disgust.

  1. Can we write about the tragedy of Hamlet in any meaningful fashion

    Pushing 'tragedy' and the concept of a 'tragic hero' aside, he is the play's hero (although this in itself is questionable) yet he differs greatly from the conventional image of a protagonist in that he appears to spend the majority of the play watching, dwelling on others and distancing himself

  2. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock&quot; Summary This poem, the earliest ...

    rather than just leading nowhere. Eliot also introduces an image that will recur in his later poetry, that of the scavenger. Prufrock thinks that he "should have been a pair of ragged claws / Scuttling across the floors of silent seas."

  1. Examine the presentation of fathers in &quot;Hamlet&quot; with close reference to three key scenes.

    In death, Old Hamlet seeks retribution to be carried out on his murderer by his son, showing him to be a father quick to anger against his enemies. This is a superior quality in a war-like king, such as he was, but if his ultimate goal is to achieve a


    Like Gertrude it does not take her long to transform and forget her love and the promise she made. She greets the Greek generals who each kiss her in turn. It seem as though she 'is excited by the attention and has a light, quick answer for each.'24It is Ulysses' idea that everyone should kiss her.

  1. Consider the significance of the Hamlet's ghost to the play in relation to the ...

    Dist perceive?" Nevertheless, after having had the opportunity to do so and avenge his father, Hamlet deliberately decides to restrain himself from murdering Claudius, as he encounters him defenceless, kneeled and praying. Seeing this, Hamlet resolves not to kill him, as it would mean sending him to heaven, while he

  2. Contrast an Elizabethan and a modern audience's understanding of Hamlet's views&quot;.


  • Over 180,000 pieces
    of student written work
  • Annotated by
    experienced teachers
  • Ideas and feedback to
    improve your own work

Marked by a teacher


Peer reviewed


Peer reviewed
