Hamlet: Literary Terms

1
Hamlet Literary Terms
2
Explication

• Line by line analysis of the literary text
• Includes larger meaning as well as a discussion
  of such elements as diction, style, symbolism,
  parallelism, figurative language, irony, etc

3
Conventional Symbol

• Symbol accepted by tradition to have a particular
  meaning
• Skull
• Rose/other flowers
• Poison
• Disease

4
Irony

• Verbal puns, sarcasm, hyperbole, understatement
• Dramatic Claudius prayer, the duel, Hamlets
  kindness to Laertes
• Situational Ophelias madness

5
Genre

• Drama
• Poetry
• Tragedy
• Revenge tragedy

6
Diction

• Poetic
• Levels reflect characters
• Ironic
• Figurative

7
Circumlocution

• Speaking indirectly
• Polonius windy has trouble getting to the point
• Osric
• Hamlet (Shakespeare) perceives this to be
  superficiality which he consistently mocks

8
Tone

• Through diction
• Irony puns, sarcasm situational (hoist with
  their own petar)
• Metaphors symbols
• Polonius to Ophelia (leash)
• Hamlet to Gertrude/Horatio (cankered rose vs rose
  in May) /RG (springes to catch woodcocks)
• Allusions
• Soliloquies

9
THE END