Act I, Scene v
"Hamlet:How strange or odd soe'er I bear myself, As I perchance hereafter shall think meet To put an antic disposition on" Act II, Scene ii "Hamlet: Why, what an ass am I! This is most brave, That I, the son of a dear father murder'd, Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell, Must, like a whore, unpack my heart with words, And fall a-cursing, like a very drab, A scullion!"
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Motifs in this play include: Madness, religion, revenge, mortality, sex, gender, lies, family, and the supernatural. The quotes I used above are examples of the motifs gender and madness. Madness is at the heart of the play. Hamlet's "antic (meaning clown) disposition" has famously sparked a debate: Does Hamlet truly go "mad" or is it all an act? The ambiguity of Hamlet's mental state and erratic behavior in the first quote and entire play is compelling and seems to speak to the play's overall atmosphere of uncertainty and doubt. Gender is also a motif in the play especially conveyed by Hamlet like in the second quote. Hamlet seems to think that not avenging his father's murder makes him a coward and, therefore, like a woman. And, since Hamlet thinks all women are "whores," he must be one too. He also sees his inability to carry out the Ghost's orders as a betrayal of his father. Hamlet associates betrayal with women, especially his mother.
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