Corruption and Mortality in Hamlet
Corruption and Mortality in Hamlet
Hamlet is arguably one of the most complex characters in literature, and most certainly within Shakespeare's realm. He can be both weak and admirable, and he defies the explanation of many readers I am sure. Death is a constant presence in HAMLET, right from the beginning of the play the themes of death and mortality set in with the death of King Hamlet. From then on, young Hamlet cannot stop questioning the meaning of life and more importantly, its' eventual end. In Hamlet's mind, it is not the idea of dying that frightens him; it's the uncertainty of what comes after death. This uncertainty overcomes him with obsession over death, suicide and mortality as a whole. Throughout the play, many key characters make references to death, which in a way corrupt them as it goes on. By the end of the play, all of these corrupted characters are eliminated, almost as if so everything can be right in Denmark again. It seems Hamlet is always questioning death; the uncertainty of it is unsettling to him. He wonders what happens when one dies, if one is murdered do they go to heaven, and of course the famous question he poses in act 3; To be, or not to be, that is the question. In this soliloquy, Hamlet is musing about death, but what kind of death and whose he might be referring to is not 100% clear. The speech holds many confusing and unanswered queries; he could be contemplating suicide, or he could be thinking of the risks that killing Claudius may behold. "Thus conscience does make cowards of us all, And thus the native hue of resolution, Is sicklied o'er with the pale case of thought" (III.i.91-93) In this excerpt from the speech Hamlet is describing that his conscience won't let him kill, but does he mean himself? Or could he mean Claudius? I think it's safe to say that BOTH are plausible answers. Hamlet feels suppressed by his conscience not to murder Claudius, even though it is for revenge. However he
Hamlet is arguably one of the most complex characters in literature, and most certainly within Shakespeare's realm. He can be both weak and admirable, and he defies the explanation of many readers I am sure. Death is a constant presence in HAMLET, right from the beginning of the play the themes of death and mortality set in with the death of King Hamlet. From then on, young Hamlet cannot stop questioning the meaning of life and more importantly, its' eventual end. In Hamlet's mind, it is not the idea of dying that frightens him; it's the uncertainty of what comes after death. This uncertainty overcomes him with obsession over death, suicide and mortality as a whole. Throughout the play, many key characters make references to death, which in a way corrupt them as it goes on. By the end of the play, all of these corrupted characters are eliminated, almost as if so everything can be right in Denmark again. It seems Hamlet is always questioning death; the uncertainty of it is unsettling to him. He wonders what happens when one dies, if one is murdered do they go to heaven, and of course the famous question he poses in act 3; To be, or not to be, that is the question. In this soliloquy, Hamlet is musing about death, but what kind of death and whose he might be referring to is not 100% clear. The speech holds many confusing and unanswered queries; he could be contemplating suicide, or he could be thinking of the risks that killing Claudius may behold. "Thus conscience does make cowards of us all, And thus the native hue of resolution, Is sicklied o'er with the pale case of thought" (III.i.91-93) In this excerpt from the speech Hamlet is describing that his conscience won't let him kill, but does he mean himself? Or could he mean Claudius? I think it's safe to say that BOTH are plausible answers. Hamlet feels suppressed by his conscience not to murder Claudius, even though it is for revenge. However he
Cited: Altick, Richard D. "Hamlet and the Odor of Mortality." Shakespeare Quarterly 5.2 (1954): 167-76. Www.jstor.org. Folger Shakespeare Library. Web. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/2866587>. Shakespeare, William, Barbara A. Mowat, and Paul Werstine. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. New York: Washington Square, 2002. Print.