Hamlets Contradicting Traits Essay Example for Free

Hamlets Contradicting Traits Essay William Shakespeare created many complex characters in his play Hamlet. One of these complex characters being the protagonist, Prince Hamlet. Hamlet has many contradictory traits, two of them being that Hamlet sometimes thinks rationally, and that being overcome by the command left by the ghost of his belligerent father, King Hamlet, he tends to make irrational decisions. When Hamlet is first introduced to the ghost’s commands in scene one, act 5, they begin to consume him with thoughts of vengeance, to murder Claudius, his father’s murderer. Throughout the play, Hamlet acts in such a way to provide evidence supporting both traits. Conflicted by these two opposing traits, Prince Hamlet has a war of two spirits in his mind, deciding which side is right. During the length of the play, Hamlet frequently argues with himself. Many of his soliloquies are debates between Hamlet and the warring side of his mind that believes he should listen to the vengeful plan of his father’s ghost. At the beginning of the play, Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, is a rational scholar from Wittenberg. When he returns from Wittenberg, his mother, Queen Gertrude confronts him concerning his melancholy. He replies â€Å"Seems, madam? Nay it is. I know not ‘seems’† (1. 2. 76) He is very straightforward with her and speaks in a sensible and rational manner. This conversation happened before Hamlet encountered the ghost; therefor the militant and vengeful spirit has not yet influenced him. When Hamlet is preparing to rig the play to gage a reaction from Claudius to prove he is guilty of murdering his father, he is thinking rationally. Ill have these players/Play something like the murder of my father/Before mine uncle: Ill observe his looks; /Ill tent him to the quick: if he but blench, /I know my course. † (2. 2. 601-605) it takes and intelligent, sensible, and rational person to develop such a precise and functioning plan, therefor proving Hamlet is able to think rationally. Once Hamlet has met and been influenced to his father’s ghost, he becomes consumed with the thought of avenging his father. Hamlet is not a violent person; therefor the thought of murdering Claudius causes a lot of internal conflict for Hamlet. As Hamlet and Laertes fight in Ophelia’s grave, Hamlet says to Laertes â€Å"For, though I am not splenitive and rash, /Yet have I something in me dangerous, /Which let thy wiseness fear† (5. 1. 265-267). This quote proves that Hamlet is aware that though he is not generally a violent person, he now possesses something dangerous in him due to his dead father’s command. Later, Hamlet claims to Laertes that he is mad. â€Å"Roughly awake, I here proclaim was madness. /†¦ Who does it, then? His madness: ift be so, /Hamlet is of the faction that is wrongd; /His madness is poor Hamlets enemy† (5. . 224-233) according to Hamlet it was not him who killed Polonius it was his madness. Again, Hamlet is aware that avenging his father has driven him to be something he is not, and to do irrational things such as murdering Polonius. Hamlet had stabbed Polonius through a curtain simply because there was a slight chance it would have been Claudius hiding. Before chec king, he quickly stabbed Polonius, this is completely irrational and risky on Hamlet’s part. This dramatic turn of events caused negative repercussions towards Hamlet. By killing Polonius, Hamlet pushed Laertes to decide to avenge his own father and in the end, he murders Hamlet. The overwhelming urge to avenge his father caused Hamlet to act without thinking, putting Hamlet in a dangerous situation. Due to Hamlet’s strongly contradicting traits, he frequently argues with himself, usually in his soliloquies. Hamlet’s soliloquy â€Å"To be or not to be† is a literal debate between scholarly, rational Hamlet and Prince Hamlet as the soldier-son, seeking revenge for his pugnacious father. In this soliloquy, Hamlet questions his motives and morals. To be, or not to be: that is the question:/Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer/The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, /Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, /And by opposing end them? † (3. 1. 56-60) he is debating with himself on whether or not it is worth it to avenge his father. This way of making a decision is a rational and logical thought process in which Hamlet is evaluating all of his options and their repercussions. However, had Hamlet not had irrational thoughts to begin with, he would not have to go through with this process. Eventually Hamlet`s irrational urge to avenge his father consumes him. Most of his rationality has vanished and all of his thoughts concern revenge, or are not fully thought through. In his â€Å"My thoughts be bloody†¦Ã¢â‚¬  soliloquy, the irrational part of Hamlet`s divided soul is convincing him that if he does not avenge his father essentially he has no purpose â€Å"What is a man,/If his chief good and market of his time /Be but to sleep and feed? a beast, no more† (4. 4. 36-38) Hamlet says if he has no purpose, he is nothing. At the end of the soliloquy Hamlet decides â€Å"My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth! (4. 4. 68) this is him saying that if his thoughts are not concerning violent actions towards Claudius, they are worthless. These thoughts are completely irrational, and the benefits and downfalls of this decision have not been taken into consideration. Later when Hamlet is asked whether he would prefer to battle Laertes now, or give himself some tim e to prepare, he quickly responds that he will fight him now, leading to Hamlet’s death. Again, Hamlet has irrationally made a decision without considering each side of the argument. The command left by the ghost of his father has completely overcome his mind leaving him not thinking logically or rationally as he was at the beginning of the play. Hamlet is an irrational rationalist. Before the ghost confronts him, Hamlet is a rational scholar from Wittenberg, however afterwards, the ghost’s vengeful thoughts consumes him, giving Hamlet an irrational and violent mindset. During the play, these two combative traits are warring in his mind, and expressed through soliloquies. Many of Hamlet’s soliloquies are debates between these two opposing traits. Eventually, the vengeful thoughts consume Hamlet and he becomes highly irrational. He does not plan or think anything through as he did at the beginning of the play. Hamlet’s irrationality is potentially the cause of his madness, and death. Had Hamlet not been so irrational whilst making decisions and allowing the vengeful thoughts left by his father to consume him, Claudius would not be seeking to murder him. Though Hamlet is genuinely a rationalist, his need to avenge his father’s death consumes him, causing him to make irrational and illogical decisions.

Hitler and His Reich :: World War II History

Hitler and His Reich Feeling that all was lost,Hitler shot himself on April 30, 1945. By orders formally given by him before his death, SS officers immersed Hitler's body in gasoline and burned it in the garden of the Chancellery. Soon after the suicide of Hitler, the Germ On Easter Sunday April 20, 1889, at an inn called the Gasth of Zum Pommer, the wife of an Austrian Customs official gave birth to a son, Adolf Hitler. He was the fourth child to the parents of Alois and Klara Hitler of Austria. Hitler was a good student. One of the teachers in his high school classified young Hitler as "notorious, cantankerous, willful, arrogant, and irascible. He has an obvious difficulty in fitting in at school." He did well enough to get by in some of his courses but had no time, for Adolf saw no real reason to stay in high school. He left school at age sixteen without a leaving certificate. In September 1907, Hitler left home taking with him all the money left to him by his father, who had died a few years earlier. The money was used for preliminary examination, the applicant was asked to submit drawings. Biblical drawings were most preferred. Hitler's drawings were returned saying they were "too wooden and too lifeless." He was rejected. He tried three months later and did not get pa Hitler moved into an apartment with his friend in Vienna. He pretended to be a student living off his relatives money. He read many books and sat in on the Austrian government sessions . Hitler speaks of his life in Vienna as "five years in which I had In 1913, Hitler moved to Munich. Life was not much better there until the First World War started in 1914. While many people were frightened and sad at the thought of a world war, Hitler was delighted. He held the rank of corporal, and in forty-seven b On October 13th 1918, a month before Germany surrendered to the Allies, his good luck ran out. When Hitler and his fellow dispatch runners were waiting in line for their food rations, British troops began lobbing high explosive shells nearby. Hitler soon regained use of his eyes, but as he was about to rejoin his regiment, he got the terrible news of Germany's surrender. "Once again, everything went black before my eyes, and I tottered and groped my way back to the place where we slept and bu As part of Hitler's job, he investigated a party called "the German Workers' Party.

Wasted years

This Is certainly a period somewhat unique as unlike the ass and ass, Britain did not experience a recession. Therefore It can be argued that the 13 years were not wasted In regards to the economy, as successive Tory governments managed to keep the economy healthy. However, although on the surface the economic situation looked promising, In reality the 13 years of Tory rule were unable to stem Britain's relative economic decline. Chancellors across this period often employ a system of â€Å"stop-go† economics whereby the economy Is inhered with strategically in order to make political gains.This occurred in 1959 when Chancellor Butler gave tax cuts of El 34 million to the middle classes just in time for the election. Although this was politically successful it was not wise, as after the boom came the inevitable bust, leaving the economy weakened. In addition, the Conservatives governments continued the post-war policy of appeasing the trade unions. For instance: when Macmillan was faced with striking railways, he increased their pay by 5% instead of the recommended 3%.This avoided infiltration but was economically unsustainable, as seen by the strikes in the ass and ass. There was a trend of difficult decision being avoided. Operation ROBOT, a plan to restructure industry, was cancelled by Churchill, and industrial stagnation continued. Also notable is Macmillan refusal to cut spending, which in 1958 led to the resignation of Chancellor Theretofore and two other members of the treasury, Birch and Powell. Historians such as Barnett argue these were key missed opportunities which eventually led to the much greater problems of the sass.Overall, the Tory governments of the 13 years between 1951 and 1964 should be considered a waste in regards to economy as despite ensuring short term prosperity, they consistently failed to make tough long term decisions and restructure the economy. In foreign policy, there were also some successes, although they were few In number and as always there were not without their failures. Disconsolation finally became an issue during this time, particularly after Macmillan â€Å"winds of change speech†, which committed Britain to further disconsolation.This was a success, as It appeared Britain was finally realizing Its own significantly reduced role on the world stage and because it was accomplished despite tough opposition from many Conservative backbenchers. However, failures and missed opportunities seem to outweigh this success. â€Å"Delusions of grandeur† were seen throughout, notably when Churchill attempted to organism a three party conference between Brutal, the US, and the USSR, falling to recognize we were not a power on par with the other two. The US and a â€Å"post-Suez hangover† which reduced Britain's role on the world stage.However, most important is the fact that Britain failed to engage in the SEC while there was a chance – Churchill and Eden foolishly threw aw ay our chances of being at the heart of Europe during the â€Å"open door years†, which meant years left in the cold and Joining on poor terms in 1974. It is clear that in the areas of foreign policy, the years were somewhat wasted – through holding delusions of grandeur, pursuing foolish wars, and most importantly, â€Å"missing the bus† on Europe, which could have been a chance of escaping relative economic decline.In domestic affairs, Macmillan in particular can claim some notable success. All the Conservative governments retained and embraced the welfare state left by Tattle's Labor government, but Macmillan was able to extend on their work, building 300,000 new houses per year. In addition, the Conservatives only denominational steel, and Hennessey suggests that this allowed prosperity. Education was also improved, with poorer students being more able to gain grants for university. This was an admirable achievement in social mobility.However, immigration be came an increasingly worrying issue as the period went on. Marry argues that Conservative governments â€Å"locked the courage to speak out against immigration or the will to stop it†. Race riots occurred, such as in Noting Hill in 1958. In addition, the tripartite system of school was criticized as secondary moderns and technical schools were either neglected or sparse. Therefore, although the governments created an affluent society, they were also wasting opportunities in domestic policy.It could also be seen that the Conservatives only continued with leslies such as the welfare state to meet their own ends, rather than any actual ideological commitment. To conclude, it would be overly harsh to suggest that the thirteen years were solely wasted. Affluence increased, disconsolation was accepted, and by the end of the period the importance of the SEC had at least been realized. However, the Conservatives did waste opportunities through continuing with â€Å"stop- go' economi cs, failing to Join the SEC, and excessively appeasing the unions. Therefore, while it is not entirely wasted, it was certainly a time of missed opportunities.

Alzheimer s Disease South Piedmont Community College

Alzheimer’s disease Ashley Linker South Piedmont Community College Abstract Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive and fatal form of dementia, frequently seen in the elderly altering their cognition, thought process and behavior. AD is reported in about half of patients that have a dementia diagnosis; one study states that about 10.3% of the population over 65 years is affected by dementia with an increase to almost 50% over the age of 8 (Beattie, 2002). Alzheimer’s disease is not a normal part of the aging process in humans, but rather found in a group of diseases that affect the brain leading to a decline in mental and physical control. AD when diagnosed has a very slow and gradual course, initially affecting the individual’s short term memory (Beattie, 2002). Alzheimer’s disease is the 6th leading cause of death, affecting more than five million people in the United States and is also one of the most common forms of dementia. Dementia can be defined as a disorder of progressive cognitive impairment severe enough to affect da ily functions of an individual’s life (Fillit, et al., 2002). History Early 1900’s a man named Alois Alzheimer cared for a woman who had rapid severe declining dementia, after she died he was able to study her brain where he found atrophy of the grey matter along with plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, which when destroyed interrupts the messages sent from the neurotransmitters to the central and limbic regions of the brain resulting in earlyShow MoreRelatedThe Chronic Neurological Disease : Alzheimer s Disease1649 Words   |  7 PagesNeurological Disease: Alzheimer’s Hollie Haywood South Piedmont Community College Abstract Alzheimer’s disease has been around since 1901; a German psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer was the first man to identify and follow a case that is now known as Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is involved in synaptic deterioration and neuronal cell death, and causes degeneration in the hippocampus and amyloid deposition in blood vessels, ultimately cell death is the cause of the disease. There are