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Theme Of Flowers In Hamlet

Decent Essays

All throughout literature and poetry the use of flowers as well as references to gardens have been common for thousands of years. These flowers are so intricately used within the writings that they tend to develop their own form of communication or language. This language that the flowers have begun to establish can be referred to as floriography which can simply be defined as communication through a variety of flowers. William Shakespeare's Hamlet, is a perfect example of the immense amount of flowers that have been used by characters to indirectly communicate their thoughts. In Hamlet, Shakespeare grasped the idea of floriography, and used it to his advantage by creating a strong motif that is centered around flowers as well as the garden. This motif can be followed throughout the play, as it is used to develop a large amount of characterization. For Shakespeare, many ideas or thoughts couldn’t be directly said character to character, instead they were indirectly addressed through the flowers and garden. This characterization and unique communication that is established through the garden and flowers is a very crucial aspect of the characters within the play. Shakespeare uses the garden and flower motif throughout Hamlet to contribute to the characterization of Hamlet and Ophelia.
Prince Hamlet, the main character within the play, has struggled from the very beginning. With the passing of his father, King Hamlet, and his mother quickly remarrying his uncle who took the

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