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Oxymorons
Definition of Personification
Personification is a type of figurative language in which non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the sentence, "The rain poured down on the wedding guests, indifferent... read full definition
Personification is a type of figurative language in which non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the sentence, "The rain poured down... read full definition
Personification is a type of figurative language in which non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the... read full definition
Act 1, Scene 1
Explanation and Analysis:
In Act 1, Scene 1, the men assembled on the battlements are frightened by the apparition of a ghost. Their fear is tempered, however, by a desire to understand why the ghost has appeared. They believe, and rightfully so, that the ghost is a harbinger of ominous news. Horatio is the first to question the ghost directly, swearing that he will get it to communicate with them. He chases after it, calling:
O, speak! Or if thou hast uphoarded in thy life
Extorted treasure in the womb of earth,
For which, they say, you spirits oft walk in death.
Related Themes:
Act 1, Scene 2
Explanation and Analysis:
In Act 1, Scene 2, the audience is introduced to Claudius and Gertrude, who are celebrating their recent marriage. The tension between Hamlet and his uncle/stepfather is palpable throughout the scene, and when the assembled characters finally leave Hamlet alone onstage, he begins to rant about the injustice of their hasty marriage. His rage is directed at his mother, whose decision to marry so soon after her husband’s death has struck Hamlet as immoral and spineless. He struggles to make sense of her actions and recounts the relationship she had with his father before saying:
Unlock with LitCharts A+And yet, within a month
(Let me not think on ’t; frailty, thy name is woman!)
A little month, or ere those shoes were old
With which she followed my poor father’s body,
[…] married with my uncle.
Act 2, Scene 2
Explanation and Analysis—Murder's Tongue:
Act 2, Scene 2 ends in a soliloquy from Hamlet in which he vows to use the players to find out whether his uncle is guilty. He berates himself for his previous inactivity and feels a sense of guilt, as though he has been a bad son for feeling unable to kill or confront his uncle. He runs over the plan in his mind and convinces himself that it will give him the opportunity to ascertain whether his uncle committed the deed he has been accused of. Using the players is the best way to do this, Hamlet says: "For murder, though it have no tongue, will speak / With most miraculous organ."
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