Hamlet Essays (3568 words) - Characters In Hamlet, Prince Hamlet

Hamlet 1. Claudius begins and ends the act by lying to Gertrude. Name FOUR other aspects of his character that are provable on the basis of what he says and does in this act. Is he still wracked with guilt, do you think? Just a brief note on how Claudius lies to begin. In Act Four, scene one, he tells Gertrude that he refrained from taking action against Hamlet because of his love for the Prince. In actual fact, we know from the King's speeches at the end of III.i. and the opening of III.iii. that the King has been planning to send Hamlet away to England for some time. It seems likely that at this point, he decides that he wants the prince dead. In any case, the general tone of Claudius' attitude towards Hamlet has been one of suspicion and dislike, certainly not love. At the end of the Act, in scene seven, he tells Gertrude How much I had to do to calm his rage. This is deceitful rather than an out and out lie, because what Claudius has done is to direct and control Laertes' rage rather th an calm it. Other things one might say about Claudius in this act are how callous and selfish he is in his reaction to Polonius' death. The King shows no pity or sorrow at the death of his counsellor. Rather, his reaction is: It had been so with us had we been there (IV.i.). That is to say, he realises that Hamlet poses a direct physical threat to himself and must be disposed of immediately. A second, very obvious thing to say, is that Claudius' treatment of Laertes shows what a brilliant manipulator he is. He expresses no anger towards the rebel; he gives him everything he wants (Let him demand his fill IV.v.) Once he has thus deflated Laertes' rage, he begins to provoke it again in order to persuade him to take part in his plot to kill Hamlet through treachery in the fencing match. Before explaining the plan, he asks Laertes, was your father dear to you?. Thirdly, we may notice that Claudius doesn't mention his conscience once in this act. In Act Three, he desperately attempts to pray for the strength to repent his crimes. In Act Four, all of Claudius' actions are villainous, suggesting that he has come to peace with the idea of being unrepentant. Lastly, a few more positive, more human features become apparent. One might note Claudius' apparent love of horse-riding which is communicated in his unnecessarily lengthy speech about the virtues of Lamord in IV.vii. Alternatively, his lengthy speech to Gertrude in IV.i. shows his genuine worry about his kingdom. Or, Claudius professes deeply-felt love for Gertrude when he explains his failure to punish Hamlet in IV.vii. It may be, however, that he is using this as an excuse and the (alleged) popularity of the prince is a more genuine reason. 2. Has Gertrude reformed after her confrontation with Hamlet in III.iv.? In Act Three, scene four, Gertrude promises Hamlet she will stop sleeping with Claudius. There are two things to look at here in order to try to assess whether she has done this: Gertrude's aside at the opening of Act Four, scene five and her behavior around Claudius. What she says at the start of Act Four, scene five is that every event seems like an omen that something dreadful is about to happen to her sick soul, which she defines as a sinful soul. This seems to suggest that, like her new husband, she knows she is sinful, but is persisting in that sin. If she had reformed by this point, four scenes after having made her promise to Hamlet, she would presumably not be feeling so sinful. It is fairly difficult to draw any particular conclusions from the Queen's behavior around Claudius. We see them alone together in Act Four, scene one and briefly in Act Four, scene five. In the first scene, she lies to Claudius in order to protect her son. She tells the King that Hamlet killed Polonius in a mad fit. The Queen is apparently convinced of Hamlet's sanity by the end of Act Three, scene four and so we

Animal testing should be banned essays

Animal testing should be banned essays When picking out your mascara or eyeliner, do you even stop to see what kind of makeup you are using? You could be supporting animal cruelty and not even know it. Today many makeup products, such as mascara, are being tested on animals. Helpless and defenseless animals are being performed on for different types of experiments all around the world. Most of the things being performed in these labs you could never imagine one human being doing to another. I believe that animal testing should be banned because it is cruel, not very reliable, inaccurate, and is proved to be unnecessary. Animal testing is arrogant and incredibly cruel. Like us, animals can feel pain and fear, but also excitement and satisfaction. Close contact with animals shows that they look forward to some extents, and can clearly get a lot of enjoyment from their lives, be it from basking in the sun, exercising, eating favorite food, or interacting with others, as in playing and mutual grooming. Certainly animals don't have the same abilities as humans. They can't talk, write books or drive cars, but neither can some humans. We don't ask how intelligent a person is before we decide whether to eat them or experiment on them. Regardless of intelligence, their life still has value to them. Use of animals clearly violates animals right to live without suffering pain or emotional distress. A range of household products including cosmetics and cleaners are routinely tested on animals to determine how safe the products are for human use. Some of these animals are subjected to pain in tests of skin or eye irritancy; others are killed while establishing the lethal dose of chemical products. In animal experiments, animals can be burned, cut, mutilated, poisoned, turned into drug addicts or alcoholics, given diseases such as cancer or arthritis, crippled, blinded, starved, and brain damaged. Most of the time the animals are denied painkiller, for fear of affect...

Flatland Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Flatland - Essay Example The mindset which is accepted, even though it creates a sense of status in society, is still flat and unable to develop into new ideas. The point which Abbott makes shows how this mentality holds back information about potential ways of living, innovations and the overall progression of the society, specifically because of social status and rejection of new ideas. Background of the Work The background of â€Å"Flatland† is based on the specific social and religious conditions that were associated with the Victorian society during the time of Abbott. Abbott wrote and premiered his novel in the 1880s in England, specifically with the focus of approaching the trends in literature that were based on questioning the social status and divisions that were currently in society. The book arose not only from the observations in society, but also associated with the personal interactions which Abbott had before this time. In the 1840s, Abbott was known to defend Christianity against idea ls such as superstition and irrational expectations that were a part of the religion. Abbott believed instead, that all information was based on logic and personal experience. This was followed with the experiences that Abbott associated with not only in religion, but also in defense of women, social rights and divisions between the rich and poor which were a strong component of Victorian society (Zeller, 95). Defining the Mentality of Society The aspects that Abbott included with his defenses against religion, logic and the imperialism of society are reflected in â€Å"Flatland,† not only with the direct connotations to problems in society. Abbott directly refers to the generalized problems to the acceptance of ideas that were limited to a dimension and which led to ignorance within society. Abbott shows this through two main ideals. The first is with the interaction of line land, specifically as he moves into a one-dimensional world. The second is the recognition of the oth er dimensions that are associated beyond flatland, specifically which the narrator sees but is rejected by society. These two main narrative ideas show how the social standpoint is limited by ignorance and what is seen physically and known. Even though there may be other outside ideals, Abbott shows through his narrative that the mentality of society is limited to only what they see. There are several examples that Abbott uses to show the ignorance of society and how this limits possibilities. This is done with the social status of those in society, speaking with religious leaders and with presenting the ideas to royalty. For instance, when trying to describe Flatland to Lineland, there is an immediate rejection of what is real. The king rejects this because of the known laws, accepted religion and the practices in society that are accepted. This is followed by the limitations because there hasn’t been an experience with this dimension. Even though the narrator sees the life in Lineland as dull, there isn’t the capability of understanding what it would be like to live outside of this from those who exist in that reality. The lines then become a metaphor for the reality, religion, rules and belief systems that limit the ideals. â€Å"King: Exhibit to me, if you please, this motion from left to right. I: Nay, that I cannot do, unless you step out of your Line altogether. King: Out of my line? Do you mean out of the world? Out of Space? I: Well, yes. Out of YOUR