Author: Alistair

“Something preordained by a bored and evil force”

Joe uses a metaphor and personification to show danger and fear in Touching the void. This quote is the thoughts of Simon just after he cut the rope on Joe and Simon believes Joe is dead. By saying that there is an “evil force” which is “preordained” means that these evil occurrences are being caused by force beyond their control. The evil force could be a metaphor or symbolism for the mountain, which could be seen as “bored” as it is untouched and is toying with these new visitors. Joe is personifying this evil force by giving it the human attribute of boredom. They are using the idea of a “evil force” that is acting against them as humans always need to explain or have a reason why something is occurring, so by blaming it on this “evil force” it puts their mind to rest.

I will be talking about how the different poets and Shakespeare use literary techniques to respond to forces which are beyond human control. I will also be looking at the themes that are used in these texts to show how each writer has different views on forces beyond our control; death, love and fate. This will also show how these ideas are thought to exist in different periods in history and how people’s views on supernatural forces changed throughout the centuries. and the similarities in the ideas, language devices and themes displayed through the texts.

Metaphors are one of the most widely used literary devices that are used throughout the text of Hamlet and the poems. ‘There lives within the very flame of love’ is using the metaphor of the flame representing love, an element which generates great heat and light. They are needed for human life but can be put out as easily as lighted: ‘A kind of wick or snuff that will abate it’. This also uses a metaphor, describing a wick or snuff as something which is the contradictory element to love, which puts the flame out. This creates great imagery, as a wick or snuff being purposely designed within the flame shows the self destruction nature of love and that fate had chosen for the love not to last. Looking at the context of the quote, another interpretation could be that love is something that diminishes over time ‘Time qualifies the spark and fire of it’. This is saying that the wick will put out the fire over time as love is the flame and the wick is the representation of time. Shakespeare also talks about how love is just a result of circumstance, the only reason that a person loves their family and parents is because they were born into that family ‘that I know love is begun by time’, or fate is the only reason why we have love for a person.

On My First Sonne is about a father who has lost his son ‘Exacted by thy fate, on the just day.’ This is talking about how it was fate the day that his son was born, linking into the ideology of the king in Hamlet, that the only reason why he loves this boy is the circumstance that he was his child. ‘To have so soone scap’d worlds, and fleshes rage’ uses the metaphor of ‘dying as a child’ as ‘scraping the world’ and talks about humans as ‘flesh’ and how dying young has meant that this child has avoided the rage and evil of humans, this idea is also explored in Hamlet. ‘For who would bear the whips and scorns of time’ this is talking about the same sort of concept of Ben Johnson asking why someone would want to live through all of the trouble of life and the calamitous nature of living a long life ‘To grunt and sweat under a weary life’. These two phrases uses metaphors to enhance the effect of the pain of living and through using the words such as whips and scorns this makes the reader think of ideas of slavery and oppression. The idea of having to bear this treatment, that the only choice that we really have in life is to end it, links back to the idea of fate. To ‘grunt’ and ‘sweat’ through life talks about the struggle that living is, even if you are not actually grunting or sweating and this isn’t a choice or avoidable, that everyone whether their wealth or status will have to struggle through life. This isn’t the only thing that links Shakespeare and Ben Johnson, they both lost a son at a young age and both of the pieces of text by these two people express very similar ideas except Ben Johnson’s poem is directly related to his son and Shakespeare’s ideas are implied through his play.

The use of rhythm is used throughout Hamlet and the poems. One example of this could be the use of iambic pentameter to symbolise the human heartbeat, the unstressed, then stressed beats is a very similar rhythm. In the poem, Do not go gentle into that good night, Dylan Thomas uses iambic pentameter throughout the poem but has a break in the poem ‘Rage, rage against the dying of the light.’ This is interesting as when he mentions about fighting against the your death, the steady pulse and rhythm stops, representing fighting against the natural rhythm of life and making a stand against the inevitable. This also emphasises the word ‘rage’, giving it a stressed beat, making the listener focus on this word more. In Hamlet iambic pentameter is used throughout the play, except in occasional scenes where it’s not used and all of these are when the character is seen as crazy. This is used when Hamlet is pretending to be crazy and also used when Ophelia is actually crazy, disrupting the rhythm of the speech and symbolising that the person has stepped out of the rhythm of life.

Personification is used within all of the different pieces of writing, in the poem ‘A song in a Storm’ the ocean is personified a great deal, described as an entity which is fighting on their side ‘Be well assured that on our side the abiding oceans fight’. Rudyard Kipling talks about how the waters seem as though they have a soul, that they have the conscious will to fight ‘As though they had a soul’ and that the sea carries that flag of which they serve with them to go fight the enemy with them ‘Our flag beneath their green’. In Hamlet there are examples of personification, ‘For murder, though it have no tongue, will speak with most miraculous organ.’ this is giving murder the human feature of having the ability to speak, even though murder doesn’t have a tongue. Hamlet is saying here that he won’t have to tell anyone as murder speaks for itself and he will show this through the play he is putting on in front of the King and Queen. Rosencrantz also says ‘None, my lord, but that the world’s grown honest.’ giving the world the attribute to be honest and more specifically to grow more honest. All these features are giving an object or situation a natural attribute for humans, which gives non sentient beings a sense of choice about what the decisions it makes.

All these authors talk about fate and other supernatural forces throughout their pieces using different examples of literary techniques. Each text does represent similar and differing ideas about how one should go through life and deal with these forces beyond their control. ‘Do not go gentle into that good night’ talks about how you should fight against death and rage against it, whereas in ‘On my first sonne’ the author accepts the death and is grateful to the seven years which were lent to his son on this earth. ‘On my first sonne’ does share similar ideas with Hamlet, talking about the circumstance of what family you’re born into and that fate is the only reason why we love certain people.

This new act starts with two grave diggers, where Shakespeare is trying to lighten the mood within the play. They are preparing the grave for Ophelia but are discussing the fact that she is being buried in a Catholic cemetery even though she killed herself, which is against the teaching of Catholicism. They say that only the rich are allowed to do these things against god. Hamlet and Horatio enter and the jovial nature of which the grave diggers perform their job disturbs Hamlet. This is characterised when Hamlets has a conversation with one of the grave diggers and the grave digger just throws up some skulls he finds while digging, one turning out to be someone who Hamlet knows. Hamlet discovers that Ophelia is to be buried in one of these graves and interrupts the procession saying that he was the one that only loved her truly, getting into a scuffle with Laertes. It is broken up and Hamlet leaves, where Horatio is sent to look after him. Claudius reminds Laertes of the plan they made earlier.

A messenger arrives with a letter for Claudius from Hamlet saying that he’s coming back to Denmark, Claudius concerned with this, suggests that Laertes to have a duel with Hamlet but plan to cover the tip of Laertes sword with poison. This will cover it up as an accident and clear Claudius of any wrong doing and even if Hamlet is looking like he is winning the battle, that he’ll poison a goblet of wine to make sure. Gertrude then interrupts them and tells of news that Ophelia is dead by sitting on a branch which broke making her fall into the river and drown. It is not specified if this was suicide or poor luck.

Horatio has a letter delivered to him by some sailors from Hamlet, which describes his situation at sea, where pirates captured his boat and he was the only person to be held prisoner; everyone else continued there journey to England. Hamlet says of a story he has to tell Horatio when he gets back to Denmark.

The scene starts with Gertrude, Horatio and a Gentlemen who is trying to convince Gertrude to go speak and see to Ophelia. When Gertrude enters the room, Ophelia sings about the Queen and Polonius showing Gertrude that Ophelia is clearly mad. Claudius enters and Ophelia continues to talk nonsense until she leaves, where Claudius sends Horatio to watch over her. Claudius talks how Polonius dying has poisoned Ophelia’s mind and that they hurried his burial, not giving him a state funeral. Claudius talks about how Laertes has arrived back from France, where people have been spreading rumours about Polonius’s death. A noise is heard, Laertes arrives wanting to avenge Polonius through the blood of Claudius but Claudius talks him out of it, passing the blame onto Hamlet.

This scene starts with Fortinbras asking his captain to go and ask Claudius for permission to go through Denmark, he also says that he is willing to do a favour for Claudius if he grants him permission. The Captain bumps into Hamlet, Guildenstern and Rosencrantz where Hamlet asks the Captain who’s troops they are and where they are headed. The Captain answers that they are Fortinbras and they are headed to invade Poland, where Hamlet ponders if it is the heartland or some Frontier; The Captain replying with “Truly to speak, and with no addition, We go to gain a little patch of ground that hath in it no profit but the name.” Hamlet, now left alone, talks about his inability to act and how young Fortinbras is willing to put his life at risk to do something about his problems.

The scene starts with Claudius talking to some of his attendants about how Hamlet is a danger to everyone and his plans to send him to England. He tells Rosencrantz and Guildenstern that they must go and get Hamlet to bring him before Claudius. Claudius asks Hamlet where Polonius is and he answers jovially by saying that Polonius is at supper “but where ‘a is eaten”. When asked where Polonius is he answers “In heaven”. Claudius tells Hamlet that he is being sent to England and being sent with note.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern find Hamlet and demand to know where Polonius’s body but he refuses, then they inform Hamlet that Claudius wants to see him. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern take him to Claudius.

Gertrude goes to Claudius and tells him that she thinks that Hamlet is truly mad, Claudius is thankful that he wasn’t the one that was killed. Claudius asks Gertrude where Hamlet is but she can’t answer, so he sends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to look for Hamlet and to get Polonius’s body to bury him in the Chapel. Claudius explains why they must send Hamlet away and that people might start suspecting that he is involved.