Motifs in Hamlet

From Wikinfo

There are a number of interlocking motifs in Hamlet which reveal much about Hamlet�s character and the themes of the play. For more details see Motifs in Hamlet, at Academic Publishing Wiki

(1) Hamlet's Wheel Motif Fine revolution, knave/nave, whirling words, circumstance, circumscribed, whale/wheel, how the wheel becomes it, at the center, be round with him, it would be spoke to, to the top of my bent.

(2) Dirt, Death, Purgatory Motif in Hamlet Kings caused thousands of deaths by fighting wars over land, thus, in the dirt, death, purgatory motif in Hamlet associates land with death. There is also a connection between purgatory and land in English history.

(3) Death, Birth, Grave, Womb Motif in Hamlet

There is a motif associating death with birth and graves with wombs.

Since kings cause thousands of deaths by fighting wars over land, Hamlet equated his own birth and that of any future son with death and equated wombs with graves and land with graveyards.

(4) Hamlet's Fish Motif The fish motif in Hamlet involves the carp of truth, a fishmonger, a man who ate a fish who ate a worm, and wormwood.

(5) Hamlet's Silence and the Voice of Denmark Motif When Hamlet said "the rest is silence," he meant that he was finally free from the "voice of Denmark".

(6) Hamlet's Question Motif Who's there, essential question of the play be then to be, to be or not to be, that is the question, so like the king that was and is the question of these wars, crowners quest

(5) Claudius/cloud motif

(6) Cannon/canon motif

(7) Mole motif

(8) Polonius/Poland motif

(9) Hercules motif

Links Hamlet http://members.cox.net/jhaldenwang/thyorison.htm Motifs in Hamlet, at Academic Publishing Wiki