1st Body Paragraph: Hamlet

Speech is used to convey one's feelings, emotions, and intentions. Shakespeare's word choice for each character's speech, in "Hamlet," not only reflects the personalities of the characters, but also helps the reader obtain a deeper understanding of the plot.   By recognizing the characteristic of each character, the reader can comprehend the situation of each character, in relation to the plot, and understand the motive for their actions and responses.    In "Hamlet," the Ghost and King Claudius can be seen as foils, through their language and diction.  The Ghost, who feels betrayed by his brother, speaks to Hamlet in a very direct and decisive manner, demanding righteous vengeance for his death.  King Claudius, on the other hand, is very sly and elusive, trying to hide his sin of murdering his brother and speaking in convoluted sentences.  However, Claudius, being the King, tends to still be direct in his speech by eventually stating his point after talking in a roundabout manner.  Therefore, through speech and diction, Shakespeare is able to convey the tension and motives for his character's actions, such as the Ghost and King Claudius.

Despite the fact that King Claudius and the Ghost are brothers, they have different speech patterns according to their situation. While King Claudius speaks in a convoluted manner as he attempts to hide his evil sin of murdering his brother, the Ghost, rushed by the short time he has time roam the earth, speaks with a sense of urgency.  The Ghost also has more emotion when speaking because unlike his brother, who has tainted his soul with murder, the Ghost seeks rightful vengeance.  King Claudius speaks in a uncongenial manner where he mixes the grief in his brother’s recent death with the joy in his new marriage: “Have we as ‘twere with the defeated joy, with an  auspicious and a dropping eye, with mirth in funeral and with dirge in marriage, in equal scale weighing delight and dole taken to wife” (1.2. 10-15).  King Claudius’s strange manner of speech can be explained by his twisted soul, which no longer has any humanity.  The Ghost, unlike King Claudius, speaks in a firm and direct manner, plotting his plan to get revenge on Claudius. 

Furthermore, it is made obvious that Claudius has done something very wrong because the ghost uses such strong language in order to describe Claudius’s actions