Essay

Hamlet Essay Plans A Level OCR English Lit

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Module
Drama and poetry pre-1900

Institution
OCR

Multiple essay plans to guarantee A, includes all Hamlet themes, THIS IS WHAT GOT ME MY A IN ENGLISH LIT, honestly, you'll thank me, took me like a year to compile this document, has around 30 essays. OCR English Lit A level

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Uploaded on July 18, 2024
Number of pages 23
Written in 2023/2024
Type Essay
Professor(s) Unknown
Grade A+

hamlet
essay plans
ocr
hamlet critics
a level english literature

Hamlet= described as ‘This mad young man’ yet at no point do we see him as such

Intro
● It is certainly true that Hamlet is never portrayed to the aud as mad as the face of
‘madness’ he wears is one that has been carefully crafted + constructed as part of
his plan to avenge father
● However, his consuming grief for late father causes him to make rash decisions,
such as spontaneously following an unknown entity which is the ghost
● Such erratic behaviour provides an alt argument that H is indeed shown to be mad
at points in the play

point 2= he is not mad
● H’s madness may be a crafted facade as opposed to an indication of true insanity=
he explicitly states it himself in ACT 1 SCENE 5, he plans to ‘put an antic dispo on’
● madness tied to liberation as it enables himself to express his contempt for the
court and pursue vengeance in a safe fashion
● Described by Levin as ‘crafty madness which allows him to express his pent up
emotions’= supports ide act is essential for him to successfully kill C
● This is made evident as S deliberately uses prose in H speech to convey a sense
of disorderly thinking yet there is a sense of wit and perception to the things he
says
● With P, Hamlet employs comical wordplay and riddles,
● Comedically insults him calling him a ‘fishmonger’= suggesting fishing for info= use
of wit =H not truly mad demonstrated by precision of his insults
● leading Polonius to conclude, "though this be madness, there is method in it”,
hinting at H’s deliberate intention to convey a semblance of madness while
maintaining a purposeful structure w/in his actions.
● Clemens= ‘ under the protection of that mask of ‘AD’ H says more shrewd things
than the rest of the courtiers together’
● TO BE OR NOT TO BE (ACT 3 SCENE 1)= H says such profound, sensible things
which can’t be associated w/some1 whose mental state=awry
● Soliloquy= balanced, methodical + logical, laid out like a clearly structured
analytical argument=
● CRITIC= ‘madness is a part of the complex game Hamlet plays’=Salked
● S juxtaposes this w/O’s later genuine madness + ‘unshaped’ speech
● Through contrasting her madness +incoherent speech, w/H’s logical, witty speech
= conveys disingenuous nature of his madness

point 1= he is mad (behaviour towards ghost)
● It cannot be denied that Hamlet displays moments of madness, His instinctive
decision to follow ghost, in the face of such opposition from friends
● Horatio suggests ghost ‘might deprive ur sovereignty of reason’= foreshadow
downfall into state if madness, crucial to play
● Elizabethans believed ghost’s= wicked spirits . Thomas Browne described them
‘the unquiet walks of devils’=reflects majority belief of public
● Possible S intended aud= fearful about H’s decision to follow ghost
● In 1948= Oliver prod, the perspective of the ghost + he is never acc seen.
Suggests ghost is a manifestation of H’s imagination + emphasises his madness
● Edwards observes H’s reaction to ghost is ‘like a religious conversion’ as he
‘baptises himself a new man’ and casts himself in role of revenge hero =H’s
impulsive decision to replace mems w/ghosts instructions =heightened emotion
form of madness ‘from the table of my memory, I’ll wipe away all trivial fond
records’
● Middleton Murray observes ‘H’s fear of damnation was an immensely important

, factor in the play’
● H willing to eternally damn his soul for vengeance, despite being visceral fear
● The ghost’ revelation seems to serve as a catalyst for Hamlet’s descent into true
madness. The immediate aftermath of encountering the ghost is marked by
Hamlet’s tormented exclamations of , ‘o all you host of heaven!o earth”. H’s
repetition of ‘O’ underscores the true disturbance the ghost has caused within his
mind
● Mark Rylance, in a 1989 prod for RSC, portrayed H as truly mad, particularly when
he delivered ‘to be or not to be’ in soiled pyjamas + then accosted O during the
nunnery scene

point 3= moments of madness
● H’s highly depressive state due to the forces around him suggest he is ultimately
maddened
● 2nd soliloquy = inability to carry out ghosts request, hurls insult at himself= ‘O what
a rogue + peasant slave am i’= outcry underpinned w/self reproach + highlights
lowly positions w/in society of a ‘peasant’ is how H views his status (antithesis of
position)
● recurring mental self-flagellation + guilt due to inaction
● George Wilson, H ‘cannot break out of the closed circle of loathing + self-contempt’
● Schlegel= H ‘implies that there is no greater dissimilarity than b/w himself +
Hercules’ =this sense of complete contrast w/great Greek hero= lack of faith hood
in himself regarding bravery /action
● EA saw ‘melancholy’ as a as a sign of madness which they believed was caused
by the devil
● His highly depressed state of mind conveyed in opening speech ‘OTTTTSFWM’=
arguably drugged hum to genuine madness

conc
● S shows how H has some purpose behind madness through structure his
actions/speech hold
● BUT audience may also interpret H as having some elements of madness as a
product of his grief
● Incorrect to describe the play as not showing H as mad at all

Revenge as just an act

intro
● Hamlet= revenge tragedy
● Explore theme of revenge with the mousetrap scene, the evocation of the ghost
and the constant delaying of revenge

point 1= h’s delay in terms of an avenger
● Many attempts to enact revenge but not a natural avenger
● calls C ‘villain, villain, smiling dead villain, such anger would suggests an
eagnerness to kill C= but when time comes , he becomes far more hesitant, saying
‘now I might do it’
● Arguably, justified as in this moment C is perceived to be on his knees praying + h
is reluctant to ‘send the same villain.. to heaven’
● Resolves To kill him later in sin ‘in incestuous pleasure of his bed’ to ensure his
soul to hell
● Perhaps more of traditional avenger as doesn’t just desire revenge but also

, suffering
● Add context
● But audience becomes aware Claudius’ prayers are in genuine = labelling H’s
decision as an act of delay in his vengeance
● Kieran Ryan= ‘the main cause of the whole tragic chain of events is H’s
compulsion to postpone’

shows loyalty to his father
● Undeniable H’s compliance to ghost + firm loyalty to father depict a desire for
revenge
● H’ impulsive decision to replace mems w/ghosts instructions =impulsive ‘from the
table of my mem
● Middleton Murray observes ‘H’s fear of damnation was an immensely important
factor in the play’
● H willing to eternally damn his soul for vengeance, despite being visceral fear
● Compliant to suffer in purgatory despite ghosts description of it’s ‘sulphurous +
tormenting flames’, shows commitment to his revenge
● Purgatory= outer ring of hell, yet it is a Catholic teaching. S’s plays exist w/in New
England of Protestant= juxtaposition of religious beliefs= confusion in ideas at the
time

despite Elizabethan society’s perception of revenge as illegal as well as in-English
due to its connection w/Italy and Spain. S perhaps sways audience in supporting
H’s vengeance=
● c painted as a duplicitous, Machiavellion villain +
pinnacle of all corruption that has permeated Elsinore -
● ‘In the rank sweat of an enseamed bed stewed in corruption’= C bloated
w/corruption + H outraged infecting his mother = sexually explicit Lang represents
unwholesome nature of their affection
● ‘To let this canker of our nature come in further evil’ describes C as an infectious,
open wound - not killing C would do more harm + be bigger sin than killing him
(heart of corruption)death implies chance for state to be purified
● Guilt so palpable= ‘O my offence is rank! It smells to heaven’= even tho
repentance implies C holds a Christian perception of what he has done + suggest
he acknowledges the fact he has damned his own soul
● not willing to give up possessions he gained ‘I am still possessed of those effects
for which I did the murder’ =corrupt moral compass AND c goes against gods
natural order - contemporary audience see as shocking/blasphemous - gaining of
crown symbolises disordered society where one can sin + gain reward in earthly
life
● Arguably, justifying H’s revenge in eyes of aud

Women

intro=

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