Literary Merit Essay Hamlet

William Shakespe ars plays keep back long been regarded as working of literary merit referable to their decomposcapableity and thematic depth, as well as their universal draw and ability to stand the shield of time. One of Shakespe atomic number 18s most renowned plays, The Tragedy of critical point, Prince of Denmark, subsequently referred to as settlement, is an ideal exercising as it satisfies the requirements of literary whole works of merit. Complexity is a char comeeristic of literary merit found in Shakespeares works, and most evidently, in his characters. Hamlet, for example, is considered to be the epitome of complex characters, as he displays numerous layers throughout the play.Its perspicuous that this tragic character is indecisive and unsure at times, including when he contemplates suicide, in his relationship with women, and when to kill his uncle, King Claudius. For example, in Act Two, nip Two, Polonius, advisor to Claudius, reads aloud a love letter wri tten by Hamlet to Ophelia, his supposed love interest. In this letter, Hamlet declares his love for Ophelia, and tells her never to doubt his love. However, when talking personally to Ophelia in the next act, Hamlet tells her that he never loved her.Yet, at Ophelias funeral in the final act of the play, Hamlet tells the attendees that he had more love for Ophelia than does forty thousand br some others for individually other. This happens to be one of many examples of Hamlets complexity, mostly due to his feigning of madness throughout the vast majority of the play. This characteristic of complex characters is one reason why Shakespeares works are considered to be of literary merit. Another characteristic of literary merit that Shakespeares works display is thematic depth, especially in Hamlet. A major mind in this tragedy is that of penalize, which can be seen frequently throughout the play.There is the obvious plot of revenge in the play as Hamlet tries to visit Claudius of Ki ng Hamlets death. There exist two other plots as Laertes attempts to avenge Polonius and Ophelias deaths, as well as Prince Fortinbras avenging his receives death. A thematic depth is sedate as these trio separate scenarios are woven together, calling the value and necessity of revenge into question. Another prominent theme in Hamlet is death. From the appearance of the inanimate King Hamlets ghost in the opening exposure to the carnage of the final scene, the knowledge of life and the mystery of death are examined.Hamlets to be or not to be soliloquy is a perfect illustration as he ponders over the idea of suicide. Because Shakespeare is able to bring up discussion and call certain ideas into question with much(prenominal) themes, his works are thematically deeper, making them of literary merit. Despite having been composed over four hundred years ago, William Shakespeares plays have stood the test of time and have proven valuable in many schoolman fields, other than English . The cause of this is Shakespeares ability to provide insight into the valet de chambre condition, as well as his ability to include universal themes in his plays, so as to gain more appeal.Shakespeares plays explore ideas that are prevalent in the human condition, such as vengeance, romance, and jealousy, which creates universal appeal and paves the way for the analysis of the human condition in the sub-fields of humanities psychology, sociology, anthropology, etc. In the case of Sigmund Freud, the founding father of psychoanalysis, his The comment of Dreams, explores the foundation of Hamlet on the Oedipus Tyrannus (Oedipus Rex). Freud explains that Hamlets hesitation at avenging his uncle is due to the repression of his subconscious desires.Another example of this cross-curricular analysis of Shakespeares works can be seen in Laura Bohannans essay, Shakespeare in the Bush, in which Bohannan attempts to tell the story of Hamlet to a group of Nigerian villagers. This essay, on with Hamlet is used by students of both anthropology and linguistics as a way of understanding the effect of perspective on ones perception and expectations. Therefore, because Shakespeares works have stood the test of time, and continue to be valued in many academic fields, his works are of literary merit.Ultimately, William Shakespeares works, specifically Hamlet, have all demonstrated their literary merit because of their complexity and thematic depth, along with their value and ability to stand the test of time. Works Cited Bohannan, Laura. Shakespeare in the Bush. Print. Freud, Sigmund, A. A. Brill, Daniel T. OHara, and Gina Masucci MacKenzie. The Interpretation of Dreams. New York Barnes Noble Classics, 2005. Print. Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince Of Denmark. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York, NY, USA capital letter Square, 1992. Print.