Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Hamlet and figurative language

The passage i have chosen to look at is when King Claudius is the room in the castle talking about Hamlet and his mourning that is too exaggerated.  Figurative language is permeated throughout this passage.  The imagery that Hamlet uses like green, effectively illustrate the exaggeration that is expressed in his prose.  Green as an imagine makes it seem that Claudius really is caring, but through further examination, we see that this his true feelings come.  Through the figurative oxymoron of wisest sorrow, we see that although Shakespeare incorporates oxymoron, its for the benefit and for the understanding of the scene.  We also this when he says defeated joy.  This oxymoron as well demonstrates his double sided persona.  Even though his brother died, we see that he doesn't really care. This figurative language illustrates king Claudius true feelings through Shakespeare's use of figurative language.  Also, Claudius compares his state to war.  This image and simile effectively are ironic because it wasn't a war that killed Hamlet sr., yet it was Claudius internal war with himself that killed Hamlet sr.  We see that with this type of figurative language, we can see what is truly going on in Claudius head, and either knowingly or unknowingly expresses it.  Again we see the oxymoronical language of Claudius as he this figurative oxymoron of defeated joy, effectively illustrates his jumbled and confusing prose that illustrates his true nature, sly and cunning.  "Our state to be disjointed and out of frame" this figurative line is filled with imagery that demonstrates that the king feels one way on the exterior to the his wife and his son and the rest of his subjects, but of course internally he does not feel this as he was the one that Hamlet sr.  So Shakespeare's figurative language effectively reveals the true inner persona of Claudius.

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