'For although Old Hamlet appears as the epitome of a heroic, noble monarch, his values can also be seen to be ones built on a system quite different from its appearance - the system of legitimised violence, 'He smote the sledded Polacks on the ice' (I.i.63), absolutism and, perhaps, tyranny. His first lines to his own son are commands, spoken with unwavering authority - 'Mark me' (I.v.2), 'So art thou to revenge, when thou shalt hear' (I.v.8) - not so much the words of a Father to a grieving Son, as of a furious and proud, yet usurped dictatorial monarch to one of his loyal subjects. 'An eye like Mars, to threaten or command' (III.iv.58).'

'Both sonnets are written in the traditional iambic pentameter, but both poets break out of this metre in order to avoid monotony of rhythm and to emphasise important words or phrases. For example, Sidney’s sonnet begins with a trochee - 'Not at ...'. This provides a striking beginning whilst emphasising, through stress, the word 'Not' - it was 'not' love at first sight. The second line begins 'Love gave...' - which is a spondee. 'Love' is emphasised showing the poet’s fascination with the subject.'

'It is also interesting to note [Square & Thwackum’s] arguments on other topics to discover what other morals Fielding is attempting to instill in the reader, through the discourse of Square and Thwackum. An example of this can be found when the pair are first introduced in the novel, and their views on humanity are aired. In Book III Chapter 3 it is mentioned that 'Square held human nature to be the perfection of all virtue, and that vice was a deviation from nature.' 'Thwackum, on the contrary, maintained that the human mind, since the Fall, was nothing but a sink of iniquity, till purified and redeemed by grace.' These philosophies are obviously intended to provoke argument within the reader, leading to contemplation of higher matters than can otherwise be supposed. This type of suggestions adds an extra layer of philosophy to the text, illustrating the fact that Fielding was aiming not only to amuse, but to educate the reader, using the medium of the novel.'