Preview

Hamlet - Destiny

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
926 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Hamlet - Destiny
In Shakespeare's tragic tale of Hamlet, destiny is viewed as a predetermined course of events, which lead to the outcome of one's future. Morals, values and beliefs reflect one's destiny, since they affect the decisions and choices that are made. Based on experience and development of knowledge one discovers their likes and dislikes. These discoveries lead to certain goals, fears, dreams, desires and expectations that one would go to any extent to achieve. Collectively, all of this contributes to one's destiny and what they, as individuals, desire for themselves. In the case of the play Hamlet, Claudius' desires to be king influence him to make decisions that affect the outcome of his own destiny. When considering the character of Hamlet, one is able to see that it is his procrastination that ultimately fails him and stops him from coming in terms with his inner self. Gertrude, being blind to the fact that Claudius killed her husbdand, contributes to the colapse of Hamlet's sense of individuation, and propels her character into fatal desiny. One would argue therefore that man is the author of his own desiny. The character of Claudius makes several decisions that are morally wrong. In the decision to murder King Hamlet, lust overcomes love in a sense that he murders his own brother due to his desire to be King. His need for power allows him to sell his soul to the devil. After the murderous scheme is discovered by Hamlet, Claudius is troubled by his guilty conscience. "O, my offence is rank, it smell to heaven;/It hath the primal eldest curse upon't-/A brother's murder. Pray can I not/…My stronger quilt defeats my strong intent." (Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act III, Sc. iii..36-40) Still, however, he is not ready to give up the throne. It is obvious that Hamlet's sudden madness is a result of his knowledge that Claudius did in fact kill Hamlet's father. Nonetheless, the desire, and the longing to be king is far too strong for Claudius to resist. His need


Cited: 1. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Oxford University Press, 1992. 2. Coles Notes. Hamlet. Coles Publishing Company.1998.
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Claudius and Other Characters of Hamlet
    • 698 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Claudius and Other Characters of Hamlet

    Now wears his crown” (1.5.46-47). Claudius’s brother was a great warrior that probably ruled with ideas of justice and moral balance but Claudius is a corrupt politician, he rules with manipulation and does not even feel guilt for catalyzing the fall from grace of so many characters. He schemes and manipulates other characters to get what he desires. When Claudius was certain that Hamlet knew of his lie about his brothers death he planned a match between Laertes and Hamlet in which Hamlet was not suppose to come out as the victor. Claudius will stop at nothing to maintain his power if he has he heart to murder his own brother, he will have the heart to murder anyone that blocks him from his goal. It is his own scheming that leads to his death, if power is gained by lies and manipulation more lies and manipulation must take place to maintain it and that life can only be held a secret for so long. The constant deaths, spying and confusion led many to become mad. His lack of guilt can be seen when he openly shows his affection for his wife in front of Hamlet and does it in a very obnoxious way. This affection for his wife is questionable because of his need for power. It is not certain whether or not Claudius actually has sincere feelings towards Gertrude or whether she is just another character playing a part in his lie, something that just came along with what he truly wanted, the crown. However even though his motives for marrying the queen are questionable, if he does not truly love Gertrude he covers it up well, showing once again his good use of manipulation. He openly shows affection and even declares his love in words, “The…

    • 698 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Analysis Of Hamlet's Tragic Flaw
    • 179 Words
    • 1 Page

    Analysis Of Hamlet's Tragic Flaw

    Consequently, Hamlets’ tragic flaw leads to his downfall. His lack of action causes him not to kill Claudius when he has the chance, giving him the advantage. It can be seen that Claudius has the advantage to kill Hamlet when he states, “By letters conjuring to that effect/The present death of Hamlet. Do it, England” (4.3.65-6). Since Hamlet reveals that he knows that Claudius killed the former king, Claudius is deceiving Hamlet into going to England, where he will be executed. Hamlet reveals his knowledge of the murder when he puts on the play, re-enacting the former King’s murder. Now Claudius knows that he must kill Hamlet in order to avoid getting caught and stay on the throne. Claudius tells Hamlet that he is sending him to England for…

    • 179 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Individual Analysis of Hamlet; Act 4, Scene 7
    • 474 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Individual Analysis of Hamlet; Act 4, Scene 7

    Throughout the scene Claudius depicts a personality that evaluates situations and makes choices out of desire without much concern for consequence. Although Claudius does show a little bit of concern for consequence, he generally acts from an “inner-child” psyche. In the scene, Claudius plots with Laertes and acts quickly out of a sense of DESIRE and makes a plan to kill Hamlet. Demonstrated in the lines; “A sword unbated, and in a pass of practice, Requite him for your father.” (4.7.137 - 140) And “I will do’t. And for that purpose I’ll anoint my sword. I bought unction of a mountebank, So mortal that, but dip a knife in it, Where it draws blood no cataplasm so rare, Collected from all simples that have virtue Under the moon, can save the thing from death That is but scratched withal. I’ll touch my point With this contagion, that if I gall him slightly It may be death.” (4.7. 140 - 145). In these lines, Claudius and Laertes plan to kill hamlet by sharpening a fencing blade and dousing it with a poison that will cripple upon contact. This is clearly a representation of a psyche that acts rapidly out of an intense sense of desire.…

    • 474 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Hamlet Laertes Character Analysis
    • 1081 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Hamlet Laertes Character Analysis

    Although Hamlet is characterized as relatively rational in his acts, he nonetheless still possess a strong desire to enact just vengeance on those who have wronged him. While Hamlet arrives at a propitious opportunity to kill Claudius in Act III, while the unknowing murderer sits in prayer while Hamlet, dagger in hand, watches, he ultimately chooses not to, postponing the act until his uncle “is drunk asleep, or in his rage / Or in th' incestuous pleasure of his bed / At game a-swearing, or about some act / That has no relish of salvation in ’t” (III.iii.90-94). Hamlet wishes not only for his uncle to pay the ultimate price for his sins – his life – he wants Claudius to suffer in eternal damnation, reflecting the intensity of Hamlet’s feeling (Bloom 20). Only now do audiences realize the full extent to which Hamlet wishes for vengeance. Even among Hamlet’s wit and the guise of his “antic disposition”, passion and hatred…

    • 1081 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Strong Emotions in Hamlet
    • 1133 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Strong Emotions in Hamlet

    Hamlet’s hatred toward Claudius generates his aversion of filial duties. Upon his return to Denmark Hamlet learns that his father has been poisoned and has died. His father’s ghost comes to him and demands revenge on Claudius, the true murderer. With his father’s death in his mind, he now plans for revenge. Hamlet finds Claudius kneeling on the floor praying for forgiveness and his plan for revenge comes to mind. The only mentality Hamlet has is that “A villain kills my father, and/ I, his sole son, to this same villain send/ To heaven” there is only vile emotions towards Claudius (3.3.81-83). The only plan is for Claudius’s…

    • 1133 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    What were the Elizabethan beliefs about ghosts, the afterlife, heaven and hell?
    • 657 Words
    • 3 Pages

    What were the Elizabethan beliefs about ghosts, the afterlife, heaven and hell?

    Belief in ghosts and the afterlife was common in Shakespeare 's time, the variance in views and opinions were rooted in religion.…

    • 657 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Hamlet Rhetorical Analysis
    • 1632 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Hamlet Rhetorical Analysis

    Throughout the course of the play, Claudius is manipulating the royal court and Hamlet. Immediately following his murder of the late king of Denmark, he cons the royal court into believing that the passing of the late king caused him much grief. However, Claudius exhibits no contrition for murdering the king because of “fruits” he had gained from it: “[his] crown, [his] own ambition, and [his queen]” (III.iii.59). He has no intention of handing over the “fruits” of his crime, that he is well past any chance of redemption. Claudius is unwilling to surrender everything he has gained from his crime because it was those ambitions that drove him to commit the murder in the first place. Claudius maintains his power by acting in favor of the people’s anticipations. Even after he had already wed Gertrude, Claudius confessed his sorrow for the late king and how he was overcoming his sorrowed heart to the royal court to be strong for the kingdom (I.ii.10-12). Claudius hastily shifts from the sadness over the late king and merriment of marriage to his future proposals and allegiance to Denmark (I.ii.17-38). In addition, Claudius also requests permission from Laertes father, Polonius, to authorize Laertes to go to France, as opposed to authorizing Laertes himself (I.ii.59-65). This generates favor from the people…

    • 1632 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Foils Between Hamlet And Fortinbras
    • 693 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Foils Between Hamlet And Fortinbras

    In scene three, during Claudius’ monologue, it is clear how similar Hamlet and Claudius have become. During this time, Claudius tells himself: “Pray can I not, / Though inclination be as sharp as will. /My stronger guilt defeats my strong intent, / And like a man to double business bound / I stand in pause where I shall first begin, / And both neglect” (Shakespeare, page 75). One part of Claudius wants to confess and be forgiven of his sins, but the other part of him does not want to lose all that he gained from killing King Hamlet and becoming the king. Hamlet does this quite often as he strongly wants to avenge his father’s death, but can not decide on a choice of action. Also, Hamlet and Claudius are both haunted and driven by their conscience. Hamlet feels extremely guilty about his father’s death, even though his blood was not on Hamlet’s hands. Claudius feels guilty for actually killing King Hamlet.…

    • 693 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Is Hamlet Right Or Wrong Analysis
    • 719 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Is Hamlet Right Or Wrong Analysis

    Murdering an innocent is among one of the greatest sins a man can commit. Hamlet shows no guilt for murdering Polonius by accident. Instead he feels nothing of it except that “heaven hath pleased it so, to punish me with this and this with me” and that he “must be cruel to be kind” (III, iv, 175-180). Not only is a strange kind of remorse found in place of his guilt, but he also tries to justify his actions, disregarding what is morally right. Like Hamlet, Claudius lacks the guilt that morality would provide in such situations. Claudius, in a jealous act of revenge killed his…

    • 719 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Hamlet Being Human Analysis
    • 943 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Hamlet Being Human Analysis

    Throughout the play, Hamlet expresses his internalised battle between his mission to avenge his father’s death and his morality through his long soliloquies. For example, in Act 3, Scene 3, Hamlet has a golden opportunity to kill Claudius in his bedchambers but decides against it when he discovers Claudius is praying. He avers that to kill Claudius then, when he is confessing his sins, would be to send him to heaven. He exclaims that ‘this is hire and salary, not revenge’, saying that the action of killing Claudius mid-prayer would warrant a reward instead of being an act of revenge. These conflicting feelings within Hamlet cause him to be indecisive with his actions. As England was in the midst of transitioning from barbaric medieval times to the more refined Renaissance period during the time of Hamlet, Shakespeare uses Hamlet’s confliction to highlight his progressive thinking in comparison to Claudius’ uncouth ways and to signal to his audiences the dawn of a new…

    • 943 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Providence In Hamlet
    • 2524 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Providence In Hamlet

    He utilizes the play as a test of his uncle's guilt, stating, "Out of my weakness and my melancholy…The play's the thing / Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King" (60:613-17). Even after Claudius' abrupt departure and suspicious reaction to the play depicting the king's murder, Hamlet is still unable to kill Claudius when the opportunity presents itself in the church. He states, "Now might I do it pat, now ‘a is a-praying / And now I'll do't. And so ‘a goes to heaven, / And so I am revenged. That would be scanned" (85:73-75). Hamlet reasons that because his uncle is praying, it would be unwise to commit murder since Claudius would be sent to heaven. Hamlet believes the new king should suffer in hell for the rest of his life as a result of all the evil things he has done; rewarding him in heaven would not be fitting, or just. Despite the truth in it, he uses this fact as an excuse not to spare his uncle momentarily because he is indecisive. In reality, Hamlet is unable to act and becomes rather weak when attempting to exact his father's revenge. He would rather allow fortune to decide his uncle's…

    • 2524 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Frankenstein vs Hamlet
    • 2036 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Frankenstein vs Hamlet

    William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet and Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein are challenging literary works that both have the same theme about the dead amongst the living. Both protagonists Hamlet and Victor Frankenstein endure hard times after their beloved father/mother dies. Victor’s mother and Hamlet’s father play a significant role in their upbringing. Therefore, their deaths bring to them inexpressible nostalgia for the past. Memories of their parents still linger in their minds. Both characters deal with the death of their family members in a similar way, which is Prince Hamlet and Victor Frankenstein are both haunted by the death of their loved ones and suffer from traumatic memories of their father/ mother. As the result of the trauma from this loss, they try to isolate themselves from society and seek for a way to fulfill the nostalgia for their happy childhood with their parents.…

    • 2036 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Desire Of Power In Hamlet
    • 221 Words
    • 1 Page

    Desire Of Power In Hamlet

    Despite these criticisms, the desire of power remains prevalent even until now. In Hamlet, Claudius is drawn to the throne by its promises of wealth and his sister-in-law Gertrude. Claudius giving into this desire by killing his own brother shows an immense amount about his character. The first thing that comes to mind when Claudius is mentioned in weakness. Giving into such temptations for…

    • 221 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Hamlet Annotated Hamlet
    • 59682 Words
    • 239 Pages

    Hamlet Annotated Hamlet

    "To be or not to be" . . . . "so like the king that was and is the question of these wars"…

    • 59682 Words
    • 239 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Ethics of Hamlet
    • 546 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Ethics of Hamlet

    Likewise, in Hamlet's second soliloquy, Hamlet's inability to kill Claudius demonstrates that Hamlet is not only a contemplative person, but also a cautious individual that excessively analyzes situations. At this point, Hamlet has concluded to carry out an act of vengeance. He has convinced himself that he is justified to kill Claudius, the murderer of his father, but certain obstacles stand in his way. In one scene, Hamlet finds Claudius alone, praying, but decides not to kill him just then because of…

    • 546 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics