Hamlets Character Essays - Characters In Hamlet,

Hamlet's Character In Hamlet's speech in act three, scene three Hamlet discloses many facets of his character to us, aspects that we have thus far only been able to see as fragments in other speeches. He reveals himself to be an over-analytical man who often procrastinates. He also shows that he does not really want to kill Claudius but feels compelled to out of a sense of duty to his dead father. Hamlet demonstrates his over-analytical nature in line seventy-three of the speech when he says "That would be scann'd:", meaning that he should examine his situation more closely. Instead of simply killing Claudius while he had the chance he over-analyses and eventually decides to postpone Claudius' murder, missing the best chance he will obtain in the play. Hamlet is also a procrastinator and this is demonstrated many times in the play. In line eighty he says "Why, this is hire and salary, not revenge". He knows that he must kill Claudius but he postpones it. This almost suggests that Hamlet does not really want to kill Claudius, but feels obligated to do so. Through his over-analysis he seems to be almost talking himself out of doing his job. One of Hamlet's most renown traits is his over-analysis of conversational topics and situations in which action must be taken. An example of his over-analytical nature is apparent in his speech in act one, scene four, line 13. He begins his speech quite normally, replying with a simple answer to Horatio's inquiry but then his thoughts begin to wander and he starts to analyze and philosophize about topics unrelated to Horatio's question. Another trait of Hamlet is the way he procrastinates. For example, in act two, scene two, line 603 he convinces himself that his plan to add sixteen lines to the play and watch Claudius' reaction, rather than completing his task, is the best plan of action. Although in the end he postpones the murder of Claudius, beginning on line 570 he acknowledges his lack of action. This also shows that Hamlet does not really want to kill the king and that he will go to great lengths to postpone his duty. In fact, Hamlet reveals to us about his unwillingness to kill Claudius early in the play. In act one, scene five, line 189 he says "O cursed spite,/That ever I was born to set it right!", meaning that he is angry that he is now put in the position of having to kill the king and he is sorry that he was born with this destiny.

My Overseer Sent My Mother To essays

My Overseer Sent My Mother To essays The name of this document is entitled, The Overseer...Sent My Mother Away... To A Retired Place. This story is told by Josiah Henson who was a child slave at the time. In this story Henson explains the horrific story about how his father was sent away and also explains the events that lead up to that tragedy as well. He tells us about how his masters passing was the result of his families separation, the event which separated him from his mother at the very young age of six. The source of this document is Josiah Henson, Uncle Toms Story of His Life: An Autobiography of the Rev Josiah Henson (London, 1877). This document is about Josiah Henson who was born June 15, 1789 in Charles County, Maryland, on a farm that belonged to Mr. Francis Newman. His mother and father were both slaves of Dr. Josiah McPherson, but where hired out to Mr. Newman the man in which his father belonged to. One day the overseer had sent his mother away to a retired place and tried to force himself upon her. Her screams aroused his father, and as he went to see what the noise was, he found his wife struggling with the man. This angered him very much, so he struck the man and within the blink of an eye the overseer was down. He would have killed this man, but the overseer had made a promise that nothing should ever be said of the event that had taken place. The promise was not kept and the laws of the state were after him, for a nigger had struck a white man and something was to be done. For a good while his father had stayed on the run hiding in woods, and at night venturing into cabins in search of food that wa s until he was starved out, and compelled by hunger which forced him to give up and turn himself in. The day of the execution of his penalty had arrived and the Negroes from the neighboring plantations were summoned to witness the scene. Fifty slashes were given to him by a blacksmith named Hewes. The cries from his f...