Initially, Hamlet is plagued with unrestrained thoughts of sadness and disbelief, crying out to the heavens, “Ah, I wish my dirty flesh could melt away into a vapor, or that God has not made a law against suicide…how tired, stale, and pointless life is to me… my heart must break in silence” (Shakespeare 28-29). His ever-changing behavior encompasses major depression disorder, which interferes with one’s daily life and transforms their behavior; furthermore, “depression is a mood disorder characterized by… symptoms including hopelessness, helplessness, personal devaluation… an inability to concentrate or make decisions, exaggerated guilty feelings, and thoughts about suicide” (Kahn 1). As the story progresses Hamlet begins to procrastinate inducing action, creating indecision and…
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark has remained the most perplexing, as well as the most popular, of William Shakespeare’s tragedies. Whether considered as literature, philosophy, or drama, its artistic stature is universally admitted. To explain the reasons for its excellence in a few words, however, is a daunting task. Apart from the matchless artistry of its language, the play’s appeal rests in large measure on the character of Hamlet himself. Called upon to avenge his father’s murder, he is compelled to face problems of duty, morality, and ethics that have been human concerns through the ages. The play has tantalized critics with what has become known as the Hamlet mystery, that of Hamlet’s complex behavior, most notably his indecision and his reluctance to act.…
In every play or book that a person reads the characters are never perfect. They always have a flaw that causes a problem or conflict within the storyline. This is true for Hamlet's character in William Shakespeare's Hamlet. In several of Hamlet's speeches he discloses many flaws in his character to the readers throughout the play. These are aspects that have thus far only been able to be seen as fragments in other speeches.…
Hamlet was brought up as a prince, a noble born, embedded with sweetness. Showered with love and provided with whatever necessary for a prince… He was out studying and not being involved in politics of Denmark or even being involved with the series of war King Hamlet has being fighting. He embodies a full course of human emotion, ranging from grief, love, anger, rage, and passion to fear and insanity. Ultimately, Hamlet has no interest in becoming the king rather his concern is to avenge his father’s death which he could not fulfill because his character does not show someone who is capable of murder, apart from this, there were various factors that contributed to Hamlet’s delay in seeking revenge against Claudius.…
In life there are various unpleasant and distressing situations that people have to go through, but do not like to face. One of them is death. Death is a fact of life. Regardless of how wonderful, kind-hearted, and modest or extremely horrible a person is, death is inevitable. Being a teenage girl, I know one of the things I do not like to think about is the death of my parents. It is unquestionably difficult to think about how someone can be taken away from this world in just a blink of an eye. In spite of how great one’s love is for another person, it does not stop a person from dying. That being said, one of the most painful facts of life that Hamlet went through was the death of his father. Although the play never truly introduced King Hamlet, it was so clear that the King and Prince had an exceptionally close relationship. Hamlet not only looked at King Hamlet as a fatherly figure, but as a role model and inspiration to those in Denmark. In addition, at the time, Hamlet did not even know how has father had died. There were many questions still waiting to be uncovered, but Prince Hamlet felt as if he had nothing. With his father not around, Hamlet feels as if he does not belong and is depressed for months. He wishes as if he could disappear and that the world is meaningless. “How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable seem to me all the uses of this world!” (1364). Thinking life is featureless; Hamlet would highly consider killing himself if it was not a sin.…
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, William Shakespeare’s longest, and perhaps most notable, play explores several important aspects of the human condition. Hamlet’s battle between his emotions and logic, as well as his fatal flaws and what he considers to be morally good and looming evil, encased in a story of murder and betrayal enlightens audiences to contemplate the true meaning of being human. Ultimately, through Hamlet’s questioning of humanity and what it means to be alive and human, Shakespeare prompts the conversation in his audience.…
Throughout the play, Hamlet shows many examples of being an indecisive person and being unable to do anything he wants to, as if something stops him. An example would be in act five, when he decides to confess his love for Ophelia on her grave. He took too long to tell Ophelia or anyone for the matter about his love for her. Another example would be his mother remarrying, and Hamlet not being able to confess his true feelings about King Claudius being his new father. In the first four acts, Hamlet goes on about his life being miserable and in some kind of melancholy mood. He can’t find a way to deal with it, so he keeps all of his negative feelings to himself. This “depressed” funk he is in interferes with his will to act upon things that go on around him. However, he does manage the courage to finally step up and confront his feelings about King Claudius, which puts him in fear of Hamlet. Besides his mood affecting his will to act, how Hamlet over thinks his actions ruins his ability to do anything. For him, there is always something else that can go wrong, so he decides not to go with his original plan.…
In his most famous soliloquy, Hamlet becomes aware that “conscience does make cowards of us all; and thus the native hue of resolution is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought, with this regard their currents turn awry, and lose the name of action.” (3.1. 85-90) Hamlet initially wonders if it's better to put up with the bad things you know about in life than to die. His problem is that he doesn't want to keep on living when Denmark is in this tragic state of decay. In thinking about the unknown that death brings "make cowards of us all,” Hamlet begins to accept what needs to be done. In his final soliloquy, Hamlet addresses the action of young Fortinbras and his bold, seemingly pointless actions. He questions why these men are risking their lives for a rather unimportant piece of land, why he can’t even muster up the courage to do something that has a legitimate point. “What is a man if his chief good and/market of his time be but to sleep and feed? A beast, no more” (4.4. 34-36) He ensues to claim that if men don’t act, but wait for what is desired to happen, they are no more than animals. “I see the imminent death of twenty thousand men, that, for a fantasy and trick of fame, go to their graves liked beds, fight for a plot…O, from this time forth, my thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth.” (4.4. 60-67) Hamlet, in the end, is finally able to…
William Shakespeare’s Hamlet portrays the prince as an undeniably complex character. It is evident from the beginning of the story that he is in the midst of crisis and is struggling with both the death of his beloved father as well as his mother’s hasty marriage to his uncle. Throughout the play the prince increasingly goes mad as his world is turned upside down. Hamlet’s obsession with existential questions and passionate nature combine to create a flawed and problematic prince whose downfall is inevitable.…
Imagine having to try to live a normal life, with your mom and uncle married. And…
Hamlet and his failure to act had many consequences that eventually led to his own death. Hamlet’s cowardly behavor is very similar to the character in the poem “The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock”. Hamlet and the character in the poem were both coward and failed to act. While Hamlet’s failure to act is much different to other characters in literature such as in “Mulan”. When Mulan acted quickly, the results were beneficial in contrast to Hamlet who had failed results because he did not act. Hamlet’s failure to act ended his life. Mulan acting on her courageous belief gained pride and honour even though she was a girl and was looked down upon. Hamlet was a coward and that led to many consequences, which as a result led to his…
When tragedy struck and Denmark lost the noble King Hamlet and natural order was lost, the weight of this nations sorrow and expectation were thrust upon our prince’s shoulders. But Hamlet did not cower under such grave responsibility. He did not ignore the injustice that was before us all. All the while Hamlet never acted rashly for he was ever-mindful of the weight of his choices. Never did he act without immeasurable forethought for the consequences of his actions to himself and above all, others.…
The play, Hamlet, by William Shakespeare is a tragic story about a prince named Hamlet attempting to get revenge for his father's murder. As Hamlet only to slowly destroy his life in the process. As Hamlet attempts to get revenge, he ultimately ends up destroying himself and the people around him. But before his death, Hamlet slowly decides what he wants to do with his life. Hamlet goes from thinking the world holds nothing for him but not wanting to kill himself because he fears god in the first Soliloquy, to living to avenge his father if needed in the second Soliloquy, to fearing death in the third Soliloquy. Hamlet slowly decides what he wants to do with his life, through his first three Soliloquies in the play…
Morality plays a major role in the decisions we make in our daily lives. Often times, emotion alters our ability to make coherent choices. In the play "Hamlet", by William Shakespeare, Hamlet encounters difficulty in making decisions as he deals with his nemesis, Claudius. In Act III Hamlet proves to be a cautious and contemplative person through his delay in avenging his father's death.…
Hamlet’s reoccurring problem throughout the play is his inability to follow through with his plans, and take action as he promised himself he would. Soliloquys come out of Hamlet’s mouth more often than a sword is drawn to Claudius. “To be or not to be-that is the question: Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or take arms against a sea of troubles…” (127). The proposal of suicide, is Hamlet’s way of coping with the drama in his life, and putting off the murder of King Claudius. Debating the topic of his own death provides evidence of Hamlet’s curiosity with questions of no definite answer.…