Hamlet – the IronyThe existence of considerable irony within the Shakespearean tragedy Hamlet is a fact recognized by most literary critics. This article will examine the work for examples of irony and their interpretation by critics. In his essay “O'erdoing Termagant” Howard Felperin comments on Hamlet's “ironic consciousness” of not being able to quickly carry out the ghost's command: Even our intuition of the creative or recreational act that took place in the play presupposes a struggle with the literary past, but of a more complex nature. It would seem that Hamlet fails to successfully impose the template of an ancient play on the intractable material of his present life, and Shakespeare that he dramatizes with unshakable control the tragic conflict between his heroic effort to do so and his ironic awareness that he cannot it is possible, with the inevitable consequences of hesitation and delay. (107-108) At the very beginning of the play, there is irony exhibited in the way Shakespeare characterizes King Claudius – he is simply the perfect ruler – and yet, shortly after, when the ghost appears, he reveals himself as a true type evil. George Lyman Kittredge, in his book Five Plays of Shakespeare, describes the Bard's excellent characterization of Claudius: King Claudius is a superb figure, almost as great a dramatic creation as Hamlet himself. His intellectual powers are first rate. He is eloquent: formal when formality is appropriate (as in the speech from the throne), graciously familiar when familiarity is in place (as is his treatment of Polonius' family), persuasive on an almost superhuman level (as in his manipulation of the i...... half of the document... go: Greenhaven Press, 1996.Rose, Mark “Reforming the Role”. Rosenberg, Marvin. “Laertes: An Impulsive Young Aristocrat”. Delaware P., 1992.Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/hamlet/full.html No lines num.Wright Louis B. and Virginia A. LaMar. “Hamlet: A Man Who Thinks Before He Acts.” Readings on Hamlet: Greenhaven Press, 1999. From the Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Ed. Louis B. Wright and Virginia A. LaMar. Paperback books, 1958.