Hamlet and Audience
How does Hamlet present both an outward and inward conflict?
Although Hamlet's flaws, melancholy, and pretended madness all lead to his inevitable downfall, the inward and outward conflicts of Man vs. Self, Man vs. Man and Man vs. Society (which arouse from Hamlet's acts of revenge for his father's death) ultimately play a key role as they are what trigger him to make most of the actions he commits which leads to the tragic downfall in Hamlet. I believe Shakespeare uses the character of Hamlet to present how one can become imprisoned by his own moral obligations and uncertainty in what he believes is right or wrong. Action and dramatic development within the play are both reliant on Hamlet’s internal conflict; whether he should avenge his father’s death, and even given the weighted responsibilities tied to the act, if he should instead take his own life. He is often lost within his own contemplations, and consequently procrastinates in taking action until he believes he knows all of the facts. The dramatic form allows Hamlet to open up to the audience in the form of soliloquies: “to be, or not to be- that is the question; whether it is nobler in the mind to suffer…” -Hamlet is torn between facing his harsh realities and simply giving in; therefore suggesting life itself is an internal battle, which can either be won or lost. However, outward conflicts such as religious obligations add to Hamlet’s uncertainty about what is right and wrong- i.e. a Christian will be damned if he/she commits suicide.
Conflict is also presented in the play by differentiation of illusion and reality; Hamlet must define what separates truth from its superficial representations. For example, many of the characters are superficial and have different motives behind what they say. At the very beginning of the play the concept of illusion becomes apparent, as I believe Shakespeare uses the ghost of King Hamlet as a representation of illusion and reality- i.e. is the ghost really there?
Although Hamlet's flaws, melancholy, and pretended madness all lead to his inevitable downfall, the inward and outward conflicts of Man vs. Self, Man vs. Man and Man vs. Society (which arouse from Hamlet's acts of revenge for his father's death) ultimately play a key role as they are what trigger him to make most of the actions he commits which leads to the tragic downfall in Hamlet. I believe Shakespeare uses the character of Hamlet to present how one can become imprisoned by his own moral obligations and uncertainty in what he believes is right or wrong. Action and dramatic development within the play are both reliant on Hamlet’s internal conflict; whether he should avenge his father’s death, and even given the weighted responsibilities tied to the act, if he should instead take his own life. He is often lost within his own contemplations, and consequently procrastinates in taking action until he believes he knows all of the facts. The dramatic form allows Hamlet to open up to the audience in the form of soliloquies: “to be, or not to be- that is the question; whether it is nobler in the mind to suffer…” -Hamlet is torn between facing his harsh realities and simply giving in; therefore suggesting life itself is an internal battle, which can either be won or lost. However, outward conflicts such as religious obligations add to Hamlet’s uncertainty about what is right and wrong- i.e. a Christian will be damned if he/she commits suicide.
Conflict is also presented in the play by differentiation of illusion and reality; Hamlet must define what separates truth from its superficial representations. For example, many of the characters are superficial and have different motives behind what they say. At the very beginning of the play the concept of illusion becomes apparent, as I believe Shakespeare uses the ghost of King Hamlet as a representation of illusion and reality- i.e. is the ghost really there?