Unit Three Assignment Seven
HAMLET LITERARY ESSAY
The Elizabethan era is considered to be the golden age in English times, where music, literature, and poetry were important for the growth of the English nation 1. In the original Elizabethan version of Hamlet, Shakespeare uses many soliloquies to relate to the social life, cultures, and economic pressures of his contemporary Elizabethan audience. Shakespeare uses Hamlets soliloquy in act IV, scene 4, (31-65) to make the Elizabethan audience reflect about their culture, social life, and economic status because of Hamlets strong emotions towards his failure and his reflection about the illusion of war.
Hamlet expresses his failure to act after Claudiuss exposure at the performance of The Murder of Gonjago with many self degrading insults spur my dull revenge! (4.4.32), How I stand then, that have father killed, and mother stained (4.4.55-56) continuing to battle with his back and forth with his consciousness It not to stir without great argument, but greatly to find quarrel in a straw when honours at stake (4.4.65) causing the audience to reflect about their own stand point on social stereotypes and revenge. A large part of the ignorant and rude Elizabethan audience who are usually uneducated and part of the lower hierarchy group 2 would find a lot of amusement from Hamlets firm determination to act upon revenge to his enemies My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth! Moreover, the Elizabethan era treated women with low regard, limited to their education and were only thought of as child bearers and house makers 2. So when Hamlet questions his own honour when he fails to kill the man that defiled his own mother women in the audience would question Hamlets hesitation to act upon revenge and their own social stereo-type that women were only useful for sexual pleasure and child-bearing. Not only do the social values influence the interpretation of the themes and the text, but also the economic pressures in England and the different perspectives of people in the audience.
As Hamlet is filled with shame and lack of honour To my shame, I see the imminent death of twenty thousand men (4.4, 58-59), Fortrinbrass army march into Poland, blinded the illusion of fame by capturing a tiny piece of land not big enough to bury them all That for fantasy and trick of fame go to their grave like beds, fight for a plot whereon numbers cannot try the cause (4.4, 60-62), effects the Elizabethan audience to relate about the economic pressures of war and violence on a nation. In the Elizabethan era of England, it experienced three victorious wars; the English war with Spain, the wars in Ireland, and the Tyrone Rebellion 3. The Elizabethan audience, containing different types of soldiers, could relate to the feeling of Fortrinbrass army marching into Poland for territory control, with their own experiences with the war with Spain, Ireland, and the Tyrone Rebellion in hopes of bettering the English economy. On the other hand, the Elizabethan era was filled with many poor people, forcing them to use violence and theft as a means of living 4. Because of Hamlets newfound determination for violence towards his enemies, My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth! thieves and violent oriented people will again find a new sense of interest in the play, hoping to see a different violent side of Hamlet finally being taken over by his insanity. Economic pressures and the different perspectives of the social classes of the Elizabethan audience influence the interpretation of the text. However, Shakespeare uses the surrounding cultures in his plays in order for his Elizabethan audience to reflect upon the texts and themes with a different perspective.
Throughout the play, God plays a very important role to the moral issues of Hamlet. In one particular instance, Hamlet reflects on the image of the beast and the image of a man created by God A beast no more, sure he that made us with such large discourses, looking before and after, gave us not that capability and godlike reason to fust in unused (4.4.34-38) and relates his hesitance to kill Claudius to a bestial oblivion Now whether it be bestial oblivion, or some craven scruple. This affects the Elizabethan audience to think about religion as a culture, and their faults as human beings. Many people in the Elizabethan era were either Catholics or Protestants, taking a firm belief in God and executed those who were adherents to other religions 5. Everyone in the Elizabethan audience would find this a very religious aspect in Hamlets soliloquy, questioning differently about their own capabilities and thoughts as Gods creations. However, daily life in Elizabethan era was filled with hard work for the poor and varied according to status. With a life expectancy of 40 years, people were expected to live un-productive lives 6. The speech above would have immediately struck a sympathetic chord in the minds of the contemporary Elizabethan audience, who strive to be free of their cultural and hierarchal barriers. That capability and godlike reason to fused in us now this part of Hamlets speech states that God gave us the capacity for reason and power of thought and we should have the power to use them. The audience would think about their role in society culturally, and question the use of this capacity of reason and power of thought that influences their morals as a person.
During the Elizabethan era, Shakespeare understands and incorporates the use of cultures, different perspectives, different social hierarchies, and economic pressures of the Elizabethan audience in order for them to relate to his texts and themes differently. In the play, every speech from different characters poses as Shakespeares way of communicating to the audience in a personal level, no matter how they interpreted the texts and themes. In the end, it is up to our own social, economic, cultural values and perspectives as a person that influences how we look at Shakespeares inspiring work.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Shakespeare, William; Mowat, Barbara A.; Werstine, Paul.Hamlet. New York: Washington Square Press, 1992. Print.
1 Fletcher, Huntington The Elizabethan period, about.com, Visited: July 17th 2011
http://classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/rfletcher/bl-rfletcher-history-5-elizabethan.htm
2 Elizabethan life article, Elizabethan people, elizabethanenglandlife.com, Visited July 17th 2011
http://www.elizabethanenglandlife.com/elizabethan-people.html
3 Vogel, Michael The Elizabethan war with Spain, Iusb.org, Visited July 16th, 2011
http://www.iusb.edu/~journal/static/volumes/2002/vogel_1/vogel.html
4 The poor in England article, The poor in Elizabethan England, Historylearningsite.co.uk, Visited July 17th, 2011
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/poor_in_elizabethan_england.htm
5 Elizabethan religion article Religion in Elizabethan Era England, Elizabethan England, elizabethanenglandlife.com, Visited July 17th, 2011
http://www.elizabethanenglandlife.com/religion-in-elizabethan-england.html
6 Elizabethan era article Elizabethan life Elizabethan-era.org.uk, Visited July 17th, 2011
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