Hamlet Similes A) \"Make Thy Two Eyes,

Hamlet

Similes

a) "Make thy two eyes, like stars, start from their spheres" (1.5.17)

In this line from the first act of Hamlet, the ghost instructs his son to kill his uncle and in so doing, avenge his death. He asks that Prince Hamlet watch everything carefully in order to determine whether or not the Ghost speaks the truth. Just as it is the job of the stars to provide light in the darkness of night, Hamlet is asked to cast light into this dark situation. Instead of witnessing events with ignorance, Hamlet must now see everything in the light of this new information. By performing this action, he will be doing what is morally right and avenging a great wrong.

b) "What a piece of work is man!...in action how like an angel! In apprehension how like a god!" (2.2.300-301).

Hamlet has come to realize that his childhood friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have betrayed him. They are no longer his allies, but enemies of his uncle Claudius. Here, he compares these two people and comes to the conclusion that they are representative of most of mankind. The men come to him as friends and promise help, like angels, but in reality they mean him nothing but harm. It discusses the kind of presentation man gives to the world when he hides his true character.

c) "Mad as the sea and wind, when both contend / Which is the mightier" (4.1.7-8).

In this quote, Queen Gertrude is explaining to her husband that she believes Hamlet to be insane. She compares his speeches to the howling of the wind in the ocean. He is pretending to be insane in order to find out how guilty Claudius is of regicide. Further, Gertrude wonders which of the two in this comparison would have more strength, the sea which can kill or Hamlet who may also. This proves to be an apt comparison because Hamlet, although not crazy, does become violent.

2. Beautiful passages:

a) "I did love you once" (3.1.114-115).

Ophelia has been sent by Claudius and Polonius to see whether or not Hamlet loves her. Here, he is so torn by what he has seen and what he now suspects that he cannot reconcile fact from fiction. His pretending to be crazy has led to some true imbalance. When he tells Ophelia that he did indeed once love her it seems to be the last moment of truth without fear he will ever speak. Five words have all the power in this scene than any protestation of love that ever was.

b) "I loved Ophelia: forty thousand brothers / Could not, with all their quantity to love, / Make up my sum" (5.1. 259-261).

Hamlet is grieving terribly when he learns that Ophelia has died. His pretending to be insane led to the real insanity and then the suicide of this woman whom he loved. His pain is palpable in these words. Her brother Laertes may be angry, but Hamlet professes, no brother could feel more pain than Hamlet does right now. It is beautiful because it allows the reader to see how much Hamlet has had to sacrifice in order to avenge his father. An innocent girl has been lost and we feel it as much as he does.