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In the world today elections are a major issue. Every two years we elect important officials, and every four years, we elect the leader of our country. These elections are all decided by the people of the country, and we go through processes to gradually eliminate each candidate until we get down to several major candidates. The process would actually be considered mannerist ic, since it becomes very elaborate and involved. We choose our new leader from these few, completing a very long and important process. Shakespeare's Hamlet occurs in a similar fashion, although they are vying for a different position, to be King of Denmark.
Many people are in pursuit, crossing family lines and creating many internal conflicts. The play opens with Hamlet discovering his uncle has killed his father and taken the throne. The plot develops from there, with the election of the King as the main idea of the play, although it is never actually stated. With our world today the start of the presidential election process usually suggests to us two main candidates for the position. However, they are forced to go through the complete process, and, whoever holds up the longest is usually elected. Hamlets process is similar, with a conflict between him and Claudius throughout the play.
In the wake of this conflict, many deaths occur, although not all were planned to happen. In the tragic world of mannerism, the elimination of evil usually means the ruin of all those who were connected to the offender. An example of this process is Claudius courtiers Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. They follow his orders and become accomplices to the criminal King. This subjects them to punishment, which Hamlet carries out by putting them to death. The process of election today also involves the discovery of many personal components of each candidates life.
Although it seems naturally obvious, those who act criminally do not tend to succeed in politics at any level. For example, Richard Nixon's ordeal with Watergate created history, since he is the only president to step down while in office. He went through with this crime while in pursuit of his second term of the presidency. Another example of a criminal candidate who didnt succeed is Aaron Burr.
He actually shot Alexander Hamilton in a duel they had planned, and, in effect, never made it to the presidency. Hamlets plot exemplified this philosophy to the greatest extreme. Claudius death at the end of the play shows that those who act criminally are not elected, no matter how qualified they seem to be (or think they are). The exploitation of the characters (and our presidential candidates today) is quite mannerist ic, since we usually discover some strange things about each person. Another point discovered in todays election process is that the most successful and appropriate are elected to the presidency. Money plays a huge role in the process, since the candidate with more money can afford to spend more on campaigns, visits, and other things necessary to pursue victory.
I think if the top two candidates had access to equal amounts of money, we might have seen some different presidents in the past. Again, the plot of Hamlet developed a similar feeling, although in a much different way. Through all the killing and plotted deaths, Fortinbras survived. Ironically, it was his father that was killed by Hamlets father before the plays main events took place. He should definitely be considered the most appropriate for the position, since it would have been his had King Hamlet not been devoured by his own pride. The dark aspects of the play are all obvious examples of mannerism.
The tragedy goes along with mannerisms ideals of conflicts, since the play contains many, stemming from the pursuit of the crown. There are many tense moments between characters throughout the play, a perfect example of mannerist ic figures. The plot doesnt develop straightforward after the main idea is established. It leads off into other subplots following a mannerist ic non-centralized composition. Although the entire play is mainly mannerist ic, there are hints of renaissance style in certain places.
The prime example is Fortinbras manner of accepting the crown. He actually gives Hamlet a harmonious funeral (raising his body to the firing of cannons), knowing that he was the likely recipient of the crown had he survived. The presidential candidates of today should be happy that they dont have to face this kind of a process in pursuit of the highest office in our nation. The tragic election of the King of Denmark was a long involved process.
This was the backbone of the plot and it proved many things that are still true today. One, criminals almost never succeed. Claudius was deservingly eliminated, after the horrendous crime he committed among his own family. Another point proven in Hamlet was the fact that those who are the most appropriate for the position usually get it. Fortinbras was in line to take to the crown, and ended up with it after all, after a number of deaths. The election process, ironically, was demonstrated throughout the play even though it was never the main theme.
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Research essay sample on King Of Denmark Presidential Candidates
