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Act II and III of Hamlet, what are some motifs, in your opinion?
I am writing an essay for my AP English class about Hamlet. What do you think are some motifs in the second and third acts? There is no right or wrong answer, as there are endless possibilities. For example, I think that one of the most obvious motifs in the second act is confusion. What do you think?
2 Answers
- Anonymous1 decade agoFavorite Answer
eh its ok... i dont like shakspeare persay
- 1 decade ago
A motif is a recurring element that has symbolic significance. What's the symbolic significance of confusion? There are not "endless possibilities." There is such a thing as right or wrong. If you make up "motifs" that Shakespeare did not intend then you are wrong. Also, I have no idea what motifs are "in the second and third acts." Motifs, as recurring elements, tend to be scattered all through the play, not just in particular acts.
Some of the motifs in Hamlet are:
(1) book/brain
http://www.thyorisons.com/#Usurp - Usurp Your Sovereignty of Reason
http://www.thyorisons.com/#Old_Men - Old Men in the Book of his Brain
http://www.thyorisons.com/#Remembrances - Remembrances in the Book of Their Brains
(2) wheels
http://www.thyorisons.com/#Revolution - Fine Revolution
http://www.thyorisons.com/#Wheel_Becomes - How the Wheel Becomes It
(3) voice/silence
http://www.thyorisons.com/#Rest_Is_Silence - The Rest Is Silence
http://www.thyorisons.com/#Voice - The Voice of Denmark
http://www.thyorisons.com/#Hell_Breathes_Contagion - Hell Itself Breathes Out Contagion
http://www.thyorisons.com/#Whore_Ratio - Unpacking the Whore in His Heart's Core - Whore Rational - Horatio
There are also some more complicated motifs that I don't yet fully understand: birth/death/womb/grave, dirt/graveyard, demonic possession, purgatory/confession .
Source(s): My website: http://www.thyorisons.com/ Be All My Sins Remembered Essays on motifs, symbolism, & themes in Hamlet. Also please see http://www.thyorisons.com/#Nutshell - Hamlet in a Nutshell http://www.thyorisons.com/#Summary - Summary of the Themes of Hamlet