Literary Merit Essay Hamlet

William Shakespeares plays have long been regarded as industrial plant of literary merit due to their mingledity and thematic depth, as well up as their universal appeal and ability to stand the test of cadence. One of Shakespeares nearly renowned plays, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, subsequently referred to as Hamlet, is an ideal example as it satisfies the requirements of literary whole works of merit. Complexity is a timberistic of literary merit nominate in Shakespeares works, and most evidently, in his characters. Hamlet, for example, is considered to be the epitome of complex characters, as he let outs many layers throughout the play.Its obvious 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, Scene Two, Polonius, advisor to Claudius, reads aloud a delight letter written 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 person aloney to Ophelia in the nigh 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 molarity brothers for each 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 theme in this tragedy is that of punish, which can be seen frequently throughout the play.There is the obvious plot of revenge in the play as Hamlet tries to avenge Claudius of King Hamlets death. There exist two other plots as Lae rtes attempts to avenge Polonius and Ophelias deaths, as well as Prince Fortinbras avenging his mystifys death. A thematic depth is composed as these three separate scenarios are woven together, work the value and necessity of revenge into question. Another prominent theme in Hamlet is death. From the appearance of the dead King Hamlets ghost in the opening scene 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 monologue 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 academic fields, other than English. The cause of this is Shakespeares ability to provide insight i nto the gentle 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 Interpretation 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, along with Hamlet is employ by students of both anthropology and lingui stics as a way of understanding the effects 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 direful Classics, 2005. Print. Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince Of Denmark. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York, NY, USA Washington Square, 1992. Print.