Night and Day- in IIii 85-95 during Polonius' response to the King and Queen, he says, "what majesty should be, what duty is, what day is day, night night, and time is time. Were nothing but to waste night day and time." Is symbolic to the situation with the key word being should. Everything should be what it seems. Therefore, Polonius makes the assumption that Hamlet is in love with Ophelia. But this isn't true because he is not outward with his emotions or that he is not what he seems. Night is not night but rather day. Night and day in this case symbolize deception.
Hercules- In II ii 365-375 Hercules is mentioned, referring to when they are talking about whether Denmark is winning the war with Norway, and Rosencrantz says they are not only winning but they are carrying Hercules load too. In ACT 1, Hamlet compares himself to Hercules, so maybe this is Rosencrantz way of saying Denmark is paying for what your father did, and now they are carrying Hamlet's burden as well. Hercules is strong, but self-destructive in the end, similar to Hamlet.
Sincerely.
DeAnna Slug
It's interesting how one of the themes is deception and one of your symbols alludes to deception; this is a testament to Shakespeare's ingenious writing and his effective way of making his audience lucidly comprehend the themes throughout the play.
ReplyDeleteLee Slug