Introduction
In literary works, many elements strengthen the position chosen by an author, improve storytelling, and provoke critical thinking among readers. According to Mays, “the language of poetry is often visual and pictorial,” which makes poems dependent on specific words and their creative meanings (834). Metaphors, allusions, flashbacks, similes, and personification are the literary elements that are perfectly combined in William Shakespeare’s Tragedy of Hamlet. However, the list of the applied figures of speech is far from being full because this English poet is known as a master of any literary genre (Mays 1147). In this paper, the analysis of the interplay of several literary devices will be developed to promote a better understanding of Shakespeare’s thought. The legacy of this author is complex and fascinating, and although Hamlet was created several centuries ago, many of its themes remain valid for today’s society. Being equipped with a number of analytical tools and knowledge, a modern student can easily name a variety of professional techniques. The goal of this essay is to identify and promote a philosophical interpretation of Hamlet through the prism of metaphors, similes, allusions, and other literary elements.
Legacy of William Shakespeare
Talking about English literature, the name of William Shakespeare is one of the most common examples a person remembers immediately. This author is known for his classic plays Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Othello, and Hamlet. “To be, or not to be: that is the question” is the phrase that has been pronounced by millions of people around the globe (Shakespeare 98). His Hamlet is not only a story about a young man who faces serious family problems and challenges. It is a source of multiple themes for analysis in modern human life. Despite the fact The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, was written in the 17th century, its attention to such issues as revenge, deceptive human relationships, and madness makes the play dignified even today. Ali explains Hamlet as one of the most significant tragedies in English Literature, where the main character’s madness is introduced as feigned means to his end (38). In addition, every individual shares specific personal stories through the conflict (Lunghu 111). These relationships are complex, and an understanding of Shakespeare’s message becomes a difficult task that is facilitated by the use of different literary techniques.
Metaphor
Among a variety of existing literary devices, a metaphor is one of the most frequently applied tools to compare things and share facts. In Shakespeare’s work, metaphors help to picture a story by means of the ideas that have already been known to the reader in daily life (Mays 837). It seems that the author recognizes them easily and adds to the text with the only purpose, which is to facilitate an understanding of his ideas among readers. However, sometimes, readers are confused by the presence of this element in a play because it means that one subject substitutes another in terms of comparison and sharing the required traits. Therefore, it is correct to consider a metaphor as one of the most familiar devices in Hamlet. Culea and Suciu state that it is a rhetoric figure that is linguistically built to present X as Y and stay clear and informative in this intention (14). Metaphors turn out to be an essential human thought, and their analysis in Hamlet is a unique opportunity to discover Shakespeare’s world through today’s perspective.
To get a better understanding of the world where Hamlet lives, Shakespeare adds a number of metaphors in different forms and contexts. For example, the character treats this “weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable” world as “an unweeded garden” (Shakespeare 21). The reader could learn that there are many problems that are hard to solve. Even if a solution to one problem is found, it is necessary to be ready for another challenge because it grows like a weed on the field. Not to frighten the reader with death and its outcomes, Shakespeare introduces it as “the undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveler returns” (100). In this context, a modern reader is able to comprehend death through the eyes of the main character not as a negative outcome but as something that excites and intrigues. Following these metaphoric examples, Hamlet is not a pessimistic story with a predictable end but a path with multiple decisions and impulsive decisions.
Simile
A simile is another figure of speech that enriches the play under analysis by comparison. However, it is necessary to distinguish the comparison offered through metaphors and similes. In the latter, the author has to use the words “like” or “as” to underline the importance of explicit comparison (Mays 840). According to Culea and Suciu, similes may reflect cultural representations and associated stereotypes (10). In poetry, this element helps to emphasize dramatization or the power of a supernatural impact on human lives. After reading poems with similes, a person believes in the reason for the offered words and the positions chosen by the characters. Comparisons and contrasts are regular human activities, and in the case of Shakespeare, they serve as a connection between the moment of decision and available resources (Cain 44). At the same time, similes demonstrate the level of education, their possibilities to evaluate the current state of affairs with the already obtained knowledge, and the attitudes toward the offered idea. The examples are “like Niobe” or “like my father than I to Hercules” (Shakespeare 22). The author provokes the reader to remember history and develop appropriate associations.
In Hamlet, many characters address similes to complete their thoughts and help the reader to accept their positions. For example, when Hamlet has to deal with emotions related to the death of his father, Gertrude asks for “thine eye look like a friend on Denmark” (Shakespeare 18). Her recommendations show how to behave and understand business (ruling) relationships from the point of view of ordinary acts like friendship, betrayal, or trust. The dialogues between the Queen and Hamlet are full of similes, the purpose of which is to smooth complex situations and keep a balance in their relationships. For example, when Gertrude does not want to believe Hamlet about his guesses about his father’s death, she wants him to stop because “these words like daggers” (Shakespeare 142). Today, it is easy to say that a person is frustrated about something, or an outcome does not meet an expectation. The worth of poetry is to use ordinary words in a new connotative meaning and develop imagination. Words as daggers are a common comparison for a modern reader, but people forget about it, giving way to simple and even harmful word combinations.
Allusion
A peculiar feature of Shakespeare’s work is the possibility to use the same words in different literary forms. For example, in Hamlet, the author wants to compare characters or their actions by means of “like” or as” in the already mentioned similes like Niobe” (Shakespeare 22). However, the analysis of this play also shows that this can be an example of another element, known as an allusion. Allusions are the figures of speech that are defined as brief references to fictitious or real people, places, or things to highlight the worth of literary or cultural knowledge (Mays 841). An allusion is a simple way to connect the chosen subject with something that has already been discussed. Such comparisons or descriptions deepen the author’s desire to combine different aspects of literature, history, culture, or society. Niobe was a well-known mythological character, a bereaved mother who lost her children. Shakespeare mentions this name to specify the volume of characters’ sorrow about the death of the king.
Another example of the allusion in the text is mentioning Hercules, a Greek hero who possessed true heroic characteristics, like those of Hamlet’s father, who was betrayed but remained to be a true man of his word. When Ghost tells the story of his death, he discovers “a serpent strung me” (Shakespeare 44). The Serpent was the one who seduced Eve in Heaven. The same way Claudius made use of Gertrude, which resulted in the king’s death. Gapparova agrees that the death of a hero is never ordinary but a “tragic waste” in Shakespeare’s tragedy (204). Therefore, the use of the allusion, in this case, is an expected symbol to prove frustration, disappointment, and betrayal. Other allusions in the play come from different mythologies and cultures, including Nero, the Roman emperor, Vulcan, the Roman god of fire, and worms as a part of the Roman diet in the Ancient Times. All these examples prove Shakespeare’s erudition and the desire to involve the reader in history and its lessons.
Importance of Figures of Speech
In addition to metaphors, similes, and allusions, Shakespeare’s Hamlet is full of other literary elements, which proves the authors’ level of professionalism and the desire to enrich the reader’s worldview. Repetitions emphasize the meaning of a particular word, anaphoras build correlations, and alliterations provoke the necessary reactions. Sometimes, it is easy to detect an element and interpret its meaning correctly. In some situations, the same elements confuse the reader, making it necessary to investigate and compare unfamiliar elements. However, in the majority of cases, all the analyzed figures of speech show how attentive to the details Shakespeare was. He did not think about the eras when his plays could be read; therefore, he did not focus on current problems only but tried to mention the historical events that were clear to different populations.
Conclusion
In general, this essay explains the strengths of the interplay of several literary elements in one play create centuries ago. Shakespeare gained a number of ranks and titles, and the possibility to combine words in powerful figures of speech is one of them. The analysis of several critiques and the interpretation of vivid examples taken from Hamlet shows that the author thought about his legacy, relying on the lessons from the past and the experiences from the present. His play is not only a tragedy of one person, but an achievement of the whole nation to deal with betrayal, madness, and complex family relationships under various conditions, not bounded by time.
Works Cited
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Cain, William E. “Rethinking Shakespeare.” Philosophy and Literature, vol. 41, no. 1A, 2017, pp. 40-59.
Culea, Mihaela, and Andreia-Irina SUCIU. “Understanding Shakespeare’s Language and Thought Through the Use of Similes and Metaphors.” Trade Union, vol. 8, no. 1, 2019, pp. 8-25.
Gapparova, Dilafruz. “The Peculiarities of Shakespearean Tragedies.” Scientific Bulletin of Namangan State of University, vol. 1, no. 2, 2019, pp. 199-203.
Lunghu, Maryam Margareta. “The Conflict of the Main Character in Shakespeare Novel Hamlet.” Jurnal Akrab Juara, vol. 4, no. 4, 109, pp. 110-117.
Mays, Kelly J. The Norton introduction to literature. 12th ed., W.W. Norton & Company, 2017.
Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet. Edited by Edward Dowden, Methuen and Co, 1899.