Plath’s poetry is worldwide celebrated for their diversity
in meaning. Though apparently they deal with common day to day issues their
implications are different. It is the reader who can discover variations in
multiple meaning. The very common themes are death, love, motherhood/womanhood,
domestic issues etc. but through these common feminine themes Plath always
seeks to go beyond the common material world. She wishes to achieve something
impossible; she has the strong desire to achieve something. Now, let’s discover
what she wants to achieve through the common themes.
In the poem “CUT” Plath deals with domestic issue with a cut
in finger while cutting onion. Though the wound is very common and should give
her pain this common pain reminds her of the pain within her heart. She
remembers the disasters of World War and bloodshed. It is as if she is being
castrated through the cutting of the finger, it reminds her of her existential
crisis. From a simple cut in the finger she goes beyond the domestic world and
tries to feel the pain in her heart which identifies with the wound in her
dissatisfactory family life.
“Lady Lazarus” also deals with the death of a lady but the
allusions are Christian in nature. The power of woman is shown here. Plath
wishes to born again after her death only to eat men like air. It is magical
like to die and born with a new flesh and blood. She says-
“Dying is an art and I do it exceptionally well.”
Plath implies here the making of poetry as if it is an idea
which comes to her mind again it vanishes. But this can again comes to her mind
and she can write it. It is because through poetry only Plath can express her
distress against men. The reference to Medusa reminds us that. So, we can say
that through the bodily death Plath says about the death and birth of art. She
tries to achieve this impossible art.
“Metaphor” is another wonderful poem where Plath portrays a
pregnant woman. The comparisons are sour but under the comparison the poet
implies the process of making poetry within the mind of the poet. It is as if
there is no getting rid of the pain of poetry but the pain of pregnancy ended
with the birth of the baby after nine month. She says-
“I have eaten a bag of green apples
Boarded the train and there is no getting off”.
The poems “Colossus” and “Full Fathom Five” her love towards
her father reflects her love towards the God of poetry.
Therefore it can be concluded that through the general
issues Plath actually wants to go beyond. It is her strong desire to achieve
the poetic genius. It is because she has a lifelong dissatisfaction of her
poetic genius.
Hamlet's soliloquy overloads us with all kinds of literary
techniques. We see the use of similes and metaphors, all the way to allusions.
In Hamlet's distress over recent events he metaphorically says that the world
is "an unwedded garden" meaning that things are out of control and do
not make sense to him. He is upset over his father's death and quickly
contrasts the new King to his father stating: "Hyperion to a satyr."
He is not only comparing them as though they have nothing in common, but
alluding to ancient mythology. Later, Hamlet compares these two characters
again using a simile when recalling his mother marrying his uncle after his
father's death. Hamlet says disgustedly "my father's brother, but no more
like my father that I to Hercules." Hamlet is very effectively exclaiming
the great difference between his father and his uncle, the new King. His
disdain for the circumstances are shown thought each of these techniques. All
of these techniques from his soliloquy into an art where we can understand
Hamlet's true thoughts and feelings.
Several literary
techniques are used throughout Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. The
first literary technique Shakespeare uses is allusion, which is a reference to
another literary work. In Act I, Scene I, Horatio is attempting to speak to the
ghost of Hamlet’s father. He says, “If there be any good thing to be done, that
may to thee do ease and grace to me, Speak to me!” When Horatio says this, a
cock crows. This is alluding to the instance in the Bible when Jesus tells
Peter that he will deny him three times before the cock crows. “Jesus said unto
him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt
deny me thrice” (Matthew 26:34 KJV). Shakespeare also alludes to another one of
his works in Act III, Scene II. When talking to one of the actors who is to
perform in his “special” play for his parents, he asks “What did you enact?” He
replies by saying, “I did enact Julius Caesar. I was killed i’ the capitol;
Brutus killed me” Shakespeare also uses foreshadowing to hint as to what will
happen later on in the play. A good example of this is found in Act I, Scene I.
While talking to Ophelia, Hamlet says, “I say, we will have no more marriages.
Those that are married already, all but one, shall live. The rest shall keep as
they are.” This statement made by Hamlet implies that he is going to kill
someone who is married. From reading Hamlet we know that this person is his
uncle/step-father. We also know that Hamlet intends to spare his mother’s life,
but still hurt her with words.
In the play Hamlet, Prince of Demark you have to use the
formalist perspective so you can look deeper into the text to understand what
it actually means. You have to do this especially in the soliloquy of Hamlet.
For example in Hamlets "To be, or not to be" soliloquy you must look
closer at the text see what he is really saying. The soliloquy starts off with
the famous "To be, or not to be: that is the question: quote and continues
on by saying "whether it is nobler to suffer or take arms against a sea of
troubles". Through this text Hamlet is simply saying should I suffer or
fight my troubles. Hamlet goes on to says "To die, to sleep, no more; and
by a sleep to say we end the heart-ache". What he means by this is that if
he dies he won't have to deal with pain anymore and that he would welcome
death. Hamlet continues on this thought of death and says "To die, to
sleep, to sleep! perchance to dream, ay, there's the rub". Here he
realizes that if death is like sleeping then he could dream about horrible
things and would have to dream forever. This type of language is used
throughout the whole story and by reading the text a few times you can find the
true meaning.
Using the formalist
perspective we can further understand the true meaning behind the deep meaning
of Shakespeare work. In Act 1, scene iv Marcellus tells Horatio that “Something
is rotten in the state of Denmark.” He means to say that the ghost is symbolism
for a bad omen for Denmark and on a larger scale, the connection between the
moral authority of the king and the health of the state as a whole. Even
Marcellus, a simple officer, knows Denmark is corrupted. This vice is connected
to the sin created by no other than King Claudius. My dear friend David
Hasselhoff (Quinton) makes the point of the cock crowing when Horatio tells the
ghost of Hamlet’s father to talk to him. I would like to expound by saying that
Horatio gets an answer. When the cock crew then this means that he was
betrayed. Not only betrayed but betrayed by someone close to him and this is
referring to King Claudius. This symbolism makes the reader draw the conclusion
that the ghost was trying to tell them the truth about his death.
During the play, we see so many different types of literary
techniques. Hamlet and many other cast members use metaphor, allusion,
antagonist, asides, diction, and simile. In term of the antagonist, I feel that
in a way the ghost acts as Hamlet’s antagonist. If it were not for Hamlet’s
encounter with the ghost of his father, then Hamlet you not be doing the things
he is doing. He would not have planned the huge scheme of revenge. He wouldn’t
be acting crazy to confuse the people around him. He also would be upset with
his duncle. In the terms of diction the play Hamlet, Prince of Denmark,
Shakespeare uses wonderful yet crazy diction. No one fully understands
Shakespeare’s diction use, yet it is astonishing how much it complements the
play. You also see Shakespeare use many metaphors and similes. He compares many
things to things you would not imagine. Like Rachel said, “Hyperion to a
satyr.” Or as Horatio says, “it started like a guilty thing upon a fearful
summons.” Shakespeare used many metaphors and similes to make the diction even
more remarkable then most would do. Shakespeare also used a lot of asides or
soliloquy to emphases the words and mood of the play. Shakespeare also used
some allusions in Hamlet. He referred to Julius more than once. He also
referred to the Trojan War. Where the Greeks hide in the wooden horse and
attach the Trojans. Without looking at the formalist perspective you would not
see the deeper meaning found in Hamlet, Prince of Demark.
The formalist perspective is one of the best perspectives to
use in the play Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. It helps a person find the hidden
meanings through out the play in multiple ways, which allow a person to truly
understand the play completely. Such way is like when Ophelia goes crazy after
her father is murdered and Hamlet is sent away. She sings songs to the Queen
and King of Denmark that at first glance are just songs. When looked at between
the lines; however, the two songs she sings are of her father and Hamlet. The
song about Hamlet talks not only about Hamlet but of her secret pregnancy with
Hamlet’s child. This is also mentioned before Ophelia goes crazy and Polonius,
Ophelia’s father, is still alive, and Hamlet is just begging to act crazy.
Hamlet mentions something to Polonius about not letting his daughter out
because she might be or get pregnant. Such lines and places in the play like
this at first seem to be nothing at all. However, if looked at between the
lines then another completely different meaning is sent across. The formalist
perspective allows people to view the play in this way, getting hidden meanings
in it while figuring out the plot.
As we look at just the text we can analyze how Hamlet is
feeling, as we have said before that hamlet is only faking his craziness, but
can snap out of it when needed, when acting crazy he rambles and when talking
to his friends he speaks more in poetry, calm and laid back in his tone while
being aggressive and hasty when “mad”. His metaphors and similes give a simpler
saying, but with more meaning “here is your husband, like a mildewed ear” and
Rosencrantz “to be demanded of a sponge”. Soon after he speaks daggers, but
uses none while speaking to his mother saying “you are the queen, your
husband’s brother’s wife”. In Hamlets days he stole all his plots to make his
work stand apart from all others it is his literary techniques and ways of
arranging the words on paper.
In Hamlet there are many different types of formalist
perspectives but while reading think Shakespeare really focuses on tone in
Hamlet. Hamlet states “he is going to come at his mom with words like daggers”
and in doing that Hamlet is changing his tone from upset and disappointed to
harming and hurtful while talking to his mother. During this scene Hamlet uses
great word choice saying how disgusted his is with his mother and uncle for the
acts of wrong that they have done. Hamlet is easily able to slip in and out of
his role as being known as a crazy man which also adds to Shakespeare’s great
use of perspectives.
While reading Hamlet, the formalist perspective is an
important one. This is because of how much the text and literary techniques are
used. One of the obvious instances is when Hamlet and Horatio talk before the
play that Hamlet wrote is performed. For most of the entire story Hamlet speaks
regularly, however when he addresses Horatio, he turns back to iambic
pentameter, which shows us a few different things. One is that what he is
saying to Horatio is important, indicated by the change in speech. Another is
that the reader is shown the close relationship that Hamlet and Horatio share,
for he only talks in iambic pentameter to Horatio.
One of the more important literary techniques used is
foreshadowing. There are two major cases throughout the play that support this.
The first is when Hamlet meets the ghost of his father. The ghost tells Hamlet
that he should kill Claudius and also confront his mother. This foreshadows the
course of action that Hamlet may take in seek of revenge on his uncle, and also
how he will address his mother. The second instance is the play that Hamlet
writes. Here, the reader is shown that Hamlet is devising a plan to take his
revenge.
From the soliloquies of the play, we can see that there are
many types of speech used; like metaphors, similes, etc. One specific type of
writing I would like to focus on is the metaphors that Shakespeare uses. Just
like what rhowfly mentioned a couple of big metaphor on page 196. First I would
like to look at line 135 from Act 1 Scene 2 “’Tis an unweeded garden That grows
to seed.” From this metaphor we can tell that Hamlet is not very fond of the
situation at hand between his mother and his uncle, especially being married
right after his fathers’ death. Usually plants grow upward, not downward so this
also allows for us to think of what Hamlet is saying. We can understand it as
the kingdom, coming from a great place with Hamlet’s father being the king and
now going to dire conditions with Claudius being the king. With this another
great metaphor comes into play at line 140 “Hyperion to a satyr”. From this
Hamlet is comparing his father to a Hyperion or a Sun God, and Claudius to an
ugly creature. From Hamlets metaphors we are able to see how much Hamlet truly
dislikes his uncle, and how much he loved his father. Hamlet is truly a
mastermind with words and thoughts, and by looking at what/how he expresses his
feelings we can understand his true brilliance.
he Formalist perspective truly gives insight in the true
actions occurring in “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare. By Hamlet’s word choice
in the first conversation with the king in act 1 we can clearly see the distain
that is already beginning to brew because of his uncle taking power and even
more, taking Hamlet’s mother to be his wife. “A little more than kin, and less
than kind” (Act 1 Scene 2). In this statement you can see the words show the
deeper meaning of the saying. When Hamlet says this it is showing us as
readers/listeners that Hamlet really resents his uncle and he is not really
pleased that they are even Family. To him it was bad enough that Claudius was
his Uncle now when Claudius says, “But, now my cousin Hamlet, and my son” (Act
1 Scene 2). It is too much for Hamlet to take and through the Formalist we are
able to grasp that Hamlet distains this and wishes that he could remove himself
from the situation that he has been placed in. Through the Formalist
perspective you can see deeper meaning in ordinary lines, such as this
seemingly normal replay in act two: scene two, when he says, “Not so, my lord;
I am too much in the sun” (Act 2 Scene 2). At first glance all we see is a
slanted comment back at the king almost in self defense but if you read the
words closer in a formalist perspective, you are able to see the message
Shakespeare was trying to convey. This is, that Hamlet understands at least
portions of what has happened while the rest of the castle is in the clouds on
what has really happened and what Claudius is doing. As you can see the
formalist perspective can really help your understanding grow and give you the
tools to unlock the mysteries of Shakespeare.
Shakespeare’s arrangement of Old English, writing techniques,
references to native characteristics of England, and the poetics of his writing
support and promote the essentials of “Hamlet,” the heart and art of it.
Throughout “Hamlet” many of the characters are referenced as other beings. Old
Hamlet is likened to a Hyperion, or sun god and King Claudius is likened unto a
satyr. Both comparisons are eye opening to the fact that Denmark’s leadership
was superb, but now is that of a despicable creature. This also likens our
understanding of how Hamlet views his father with respect and his uncle with
contempt. Shakespeare also utilizes allusion to add flavor to his script. Twice
Shakespeare alludes: first in Act I a cock crows following Horatio’s monologue
with the ghost which is an allusion of Jesus telling Peter (one disciple of
twelve) he will deny him three times before the cock crows; the second is multilayer-ed because several times there is references to the play of Julius
Caesar, another renowned play of Shakespeare.
Allusions and metaphors, however, are not the only literary
techniques Shakespeare masters. Descriptions of the characters are detailed,
yet there is strong correlation with Denmark’s hierarchy and Norway’s. Both are
Uncle ruled and the supposed son to inherit the thrown is in the background
scheming, but Hamlet is of revenge for his father and young Fortinbras plans to
regain territory that Denmark captured. This plight to invade Denmark assists
Hamlet in his plan to eradicate his uncle from power.
This just skims the surface that a formalist would reveal,
since the entire play is filled with literary techniques that makes “Hamlet”
not just any other play.