Hamlet's Love of Words, Words, Words

Explore the Play of Words in Shakespeare's Play of Hamlet

Oct 24, 2009

William Shakespeare loved wordplay, and the English language has rarely enjoyed a larger playground than that of the dramatic masterpiece Hamlet.

The main character himself delights in lexical twists that result from his unique thought processes. This habit keeps his brain always moving, demonstrating a mental flexibility superior to any other Shakespearean protagonist.

In fact, Hamlet's very first line, delivered in the second scene of Act I, is a play on words. When King Claudius -- Hamlet's uncle and now-stepfather -- calls him "my cousin...and my son," the prince replies:

That's a rich example of a pun, the use of a word to suggest two or more meanings. Shakespeare so loved this writing tool, he put it in his plays 3,000 times. Throughout Hamlet, the Bard of Avon packs meaning into words and phrases.

While wielding a recorder (the musical instrument) in III.2, Hamlet tells his double-crossing schoolmates, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern:

"Call me what instrument you will, though you can fret me, you cannot play upon me."

In common usage, fret means "vex, chafe." But a fret is also a stop (finger hole) in a musical instrument such as the aforementioned recorder. Additionally fret, used as a verb in II.2, means "ornament," and Rosencrantz & Guildenstern do try to "butter up" Hamlet at various points. So the prince's use of fret has at least three possible meanings.

Hamlet and the Sense-shifting Pun

Another excellent example of a triple-headed pun comes in the final scene of the play when Hamlet and Laertes prepare for their fencing match. Hamlet calls out, "Give us the foils," referring to the rapiers. When Laertes asks for his own, the prince says, "I'll be your foil, Laertes."

Here Hamlet has employed "sense-shifting," using the same word to mean something different. By his second use of foil, Hamlet means "something that sets off something else by contrast." Laertes is, in fact, the protagonist's dramatic foil; he shows no hesitation in avenging his father's murder, thus highlighting Hamlet's failure to slay his own father's killer.

But foil can also be used as a verb to mean "defeat." (Think of the cartoon villain Snidely Whiplash: "Curses! Foiled again!") By striking Laertes with his own poison-tipped rapier and by revealing Claudius to be the real villain, Hamlet foils Laertes' plan for a satisfying revenge.

Just For the Pun of It, or Something More?

Esteemed Shakespeare scholar A.C. Bradley long ago pointed out that sometimes Hamlet "plays with words and ideas chiefly in order to mystify, thwart and annoy." But, as a dramatic device, such "punnage" also seems capable of foreshadowing.

When the court arrives to watch The Murder of Gonzago in III.2, Hamlet asks Lord Chamberlain Polonius -- father to Laertes and Ophelia -- about his university acting experience:

Some clever wordplay lies in this brief exchange. The Capitol in Rome was the dramatic setting for Caesar's assassination, and capital is another word for "excellent;" brute means "acting like a beast," and "Et tu, Brute'?" were the last words Shakespeare put into Caesar's mouth (in Julius Caesar). But the admittedly witty dialogue appears to serve no purpose and, according to Bradley, "could hardly be defended on purely dramatic grounds."

But jump forward to III.4, when Hamlet is confronting his mother, Queen Gertrude, in her chamber. Polonius cries out from his spying place behind the arras and Hamlet stabs him to death -- just as Brutus had stabbed Caesar. It may be only coincidence, but consider this: when the word capital is used again in IV.7, it means "deserving of the death penalty."

Other Wordplay Techniques

Additions. Shakespeare's characters often say the same thing in different ways (rephrasing), add unneeded words to an already-clear phrase or statement (superfluous words), and amplify words with modifiers that are essentially synonyms for the key word (amplification). These techniques demonstrate a character's emotional or mental state.

For example, in his first speech to Gertrude, Hamlet mentions "windy suspiration of forc'd breath" (I.2). Shakespeare's Language author Frank Kermode points out that this memorable phrase basically translates as "breathy breathing of forced breathing." Repetitive, yes. But think of the deep sigh or exhalation suggested. Boy, is Hamlet sad!

Reverberation. Shakespeare gave his melancholy Dane a peculiar, unmatched habit of repetition that colors his character with unique shades: "Thrift, thrift, Horatio" ... "Indeed, indeed, sirs" ... "O God! God!" ... "Fie on't! Ah fie!" ... "Very like, very like."

And those examples are all in Hamlet's first scene! These repetitions, or reverberations, are used to express deep emotions, articulate big realizations, and amplify strong actions.

Conclusion

Hamlet has been said to offer the fullest presentation of Shakespeare's poetic and dramatic powers. The Bard's frequent and varied manipulation of language is breathtaking. Through that manipulation, he can develop a particular rhythm, construct a vital emphasis, or give a character its own unique speech pattern. The audience (or reader) must remain alert to the shapes and sounds of words and also to their possible meanings, but careful attention is rewarded with a rich and memorable theatrical experience.

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The copyright of the article Hamlet's Love of Words, Words, Words in Shakespeare Tragedies is owned by P. Ryan Anthony. Permission to republish Hamlet's Love of Words, Words, Words in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.