Shakespeare’s time can be considered one of the golden eras of plays. Plays are regarded as an effective way of communication as it usually attacks directly to the emotions of its audience. Within the novel, Shakespeare is able to manifest his skills in formulating and expressing the intensifying tragedy of words through the character of Hamlet.
The character of Hamlet recognizes the power of words and sees an opportunity to use them for the purpose of revenge. Somehow, Hamlet, being the main character of the novel, has become the channel of Shakespearean form of wordings.Hence, the study dwells in the usage of Hamlet’s dialogue in order to determine the literary style of Shakespeare present in the novel Hamlet. According to Green (2006), the Shakespearean style present in Hamlet involves the aggressive, highly visual, often irreverent, and despite its obvious debts to European influences, idiosyncratically American (71).
However, it is also important to consider that Hamlet’s adeptness in words does not work all the time, since it backfires most of the time. There seems to be an overloading of words that are constantly circling the back of his head.This overloading of words makes it difficult for Hamlet to decide on an issue promptly. His method of contemplating is not of the average individual. One of the possible reasons for his grandiose use of words is also the cause of his greatest flaw; Hamlet is famous for contradicting himself.
Shakespeare’s most famous line expresses Hamlet’s habit of contradicting himself “to be or not to be? ” (Shakespeare 129, Act 3, Scene 1, Lines 67). The habit of contradicting one’s self is due to contemplating much about things.The words of contradiction employed by Shakespeare are some sort of intentional and not for ridiculing the personality of Hamlet. As supported by Bayley (1981), the contradictions of Shakespeare are for illustrating revenge in some ways of providing the portrayal of split-decisions, such as in “to be or not to be”, which give the event some means of highlight and dramatic form (177). In addition, the words of Hamlet illustrate a contemplating means that there is intrapersonal communication happening in his mind.As in the case of Hamlet, this personality cannot be consider as a form of simple intrapersonal communication, since the complexities of Hamlet’s utilization of words was due to his constant intrapersonal communication.
One of the scenes that express Hamlet’s fancy with words is when he had thought of hiring actors and staging a skit would work for his quest for revenge. Hamlet had thought of staging a simulation of his father’s murder that is supplemented with his commentaries, as a means of investigating whether Claudius is guilty or not of the murder of his father.There are several instances in the play that suggests that Hamlet has this fancy for words and recognizes their potential. That fancy for words had lead him to the action of staging a play/skit with a strong belief that words can aid him in his quest for revenge.
Shakespeare has indeed provided a complex personality in Hamlet’s identity through the distinct and cunning use of words that Hamlet manifested in the novel. According to Feingold’s (1987) analysis, the style present in Hamlet’s dialogue involves the persuasive form of rhetoric that entails dramatic form of intense emotions (33).Shakespeare way of conveying tragic thoughts are through Hamlet’s intensifying dialogues that provide complexities in the language use of the novel. The Intensity of Shakespeare’s Dialogue in Hamlet Shakespeare has used an evident intensity in every dialogue of Hamlet in order to create a dramatic issuance of wordings. To support the claim that Hamlet had trusted words as his initial weapon for revenge, there are other instances in the play where Hamlet used words to achieve what he aims for. Aside from using his words in the purpose of revenge, Hamlet is able to use to in alluring Ophelia.
Significantly, the beautiful words can evidently made the woman with a heart of stone softer that inclines in affection towards Hamlet: “to the celestial and my soul’s idol, the most / beautified Ophelia… / doubt thou the stars are fire / doubt that the sun doth move / doubt truth to be liar / but never doubt I love” (Shakespeare 107, Act 2, Scene 2, Lines 109-119). From these words of Hamlet, he is able to ensnare the love of Ophelia, and in some sense, there is this possibility that the conveyance of Hamlet’s words has contributed to the causes of Ophelia’s insanity.According to Druce and Betsky (1987), Shakespeare varies, animates and interrupts the narration, while drawing attention to the powers of language and performance (6). Hamlet’s adeptness in words may have endowed him with the ability to sense whether a person could be vulnerable to the power of words. Shakespeare has incorporated the components of argument that occurred between the subjects of his love of Ophelia and his respect to King Lear.
His capacity to discern the words of his proponents has provided him with the edge over these characters.Hamlet had confirmed that Ophelia was vulnerable to words when she had said, …words of so sweet breathe compos’d / as made the things more rich” (Shakespeare 129, Act 3, Scene 1, Lines 98-99) Hamlet may have applied the same kind of reasoning for his entrapment of Claudius. After Hamlet had delivered a speech, Polonius confirms Hamlet fancy of words and a certain adeptness in using them, “fore god my lord, well spoken, with good accent / and good discretion” (Shakespeare 107, Act 2, Scene 2, Lines 466-467). The skillful discernment of Hamlet in the sentences uttered by his proponents can be considered his major advantage, which can be very much identified in his scenes with Claudius.In the scene where Hamlet has obtained his first chance of killing Claudius, words has rung in his head like the static of a radio, and the words in the back of his head has spoken to him that if he kills Claudius in prayer he might go to heaven.
With the complexity of this scenario, the overload of words has left him unable to finish the task. Shakespeare’s style of creating the personality of Hamlet paves some ideas of personality arguments in the story, particularly in the personification of Hamlet as Shakespeare.Considering the thoughts and means of how Hamlet composes his dialogue, Shakespeare form of rhetoric is very much evident and presents itself in a form of rhetorical piece. However, the contradictions and the complex thoughts playing in Hamlet’s mind has also provided the sense of his word weakness. Apparently, it is only Shakespeare who possesses the idea for implementing such characteristic to Hamlet, although, despite of this conflicting figures, Shakespeare is still able to channel the intensifying use of words in the character of Hamlet.This idea becomes evident in one of the scenarios in the novel wherein Hamlet has expressed his excitement upon hearing the arrival of the acting troupe, “O Jephtah, judge of Israel what treasure hadst thou! ” (Shakespeare 107, Act 2, Scene 2, Lines 403-404).
Considering the simple event and emotion of excitement, and yet, a heavy statement even incorporating the figure and authority of a judge has been uttered by Hamlet. Significantly, his excitement for the acting troupe is probably due to the presence of play rights that use adept words as well.What the acting troupe can offer is play/skit, a form of communication that employs heightened language. Hamlet wanted to directly attack the emotions of Claudius and see if it can be shaken by an organized use of words. Hamlet chooses to utilize a word-based kind of revenge since it is the closest option to his mode of thinking.
In addition, Hamlet acknowledges the potency of words as imbued by Shakespeare’s sense of tragic intensities. The very evidence of that claim is that Hamlet had amplified play by supplying a running commentary. ConclusionIn answering the thesis of the study, the Shakespearean form of literary style in Hamlet has provided the intensity of words embedded in the dialogues of Hamlet. In the story, Hamlet uses the power and intensity of words to lure the heart of Ophelia and against Claudius.
Hamlet’s adeptness in manipulation of words has proved to be the edge and the source of intensity within the novel. Somehow, Shakespeare utilizes some sort of exaggeration in Hamlet’s use of words that gives significant intensity and impact in the style of wordings, which can be observed throughout the novel.
