A research on Hamlet in the light of Aristotle's rhetoric

Hamlet is analysed through five topics in accordance with Aristotle?s understanding of Rhetoric. Son-Father-Mother, Love Affairs, Friendship, Ruling-Ruled and Language. In the first part, the reader will find information on how Shakespeare uses rhetoric to present Hamlet and his father as characters that have so high moral values that they see all the corruptness in relationships and the country. He makes those two characters look right and puts the audience, who are to decide, into the right frame of mind. There is a detailed analysis of how the writer brings credit to Hamlet and discredit to Hamlet?s mother and his uncle Cladius. In ?Love Affairs? part, how Shakespeare brings credit to Hamlet is analysed focusing on the relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia, Ophelia and his brother Laertes, Ophelia and her father Polonius and how he brings discredit to Ophelia by presenting her as a weak character who becomes an indirect agent of the plans against Hamlet and behaves like an object of a male dominated society. In ?Friendship? part, the relationship between Hamlet and Horatio, Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Hamlet and Polonius, Hamlet and Osric and Cladius and Laertes is analysed in the light of Aristotle?s understanding of rhetoric concerning friendship and related issues. In ?Ruling-Ruled? part, it is analysed in detail that Shakespeare brings credit to Hamlet by creating an atmosphere in the play where there is an unease in the country and a potential opposing group, the ruled class, against the new `ruling class?. Shakespeare uses the rhetoric so effectively that he makes the audience feel the anxiety which prevails the whole country and the feast like atmosphere of the hedonist court. He uses such a rhetoric which gets the audience to contrast the old ruling class who gave the best appropriate decisions for the country and the ruled class, and the new ruling class who comes up with inappropriate diplomatic solutions. In the last part, ?Language?, the use of prose and verse is analysed. The reader will find information how the use of prose and verse brings credit to Hamlet. The dialogues between Hamlet and the Ghost, Hamlet and Horatio, Hamlet, Guildenstern and Rosencrantz, Hamlet and Osric, Hamlet and Ophelia, Hamlet and Cladius, Hamlet and the First Clown are given as examples. Furthermore, in this part, the play is analysed by focusing on Aristotle?s understanding of foretaste of the theme in a prologue of an epic poetry, of metaphors and of epilogue.In all parts, it is analysed that Shakespeare uses a rhetoric which matches with Aristotle?s understanding of rhetoric.Keywords : Rhetoric, Hamlet, Aristotle, prose, verse