Hamlet Essay
A valuable text has something to say and says it well. How valid is this claim considering the different contexts a text can be received.
In your response, compare your personal evaluation of Hamlet with one other perspective on the play.
A valuable text is one that is able to articulate its ideas, allowing understanding amongst the audience. Shakespeare’s Hamlet performs this but does it so well that even audience of different contexts can grasp its notions. This is also because Hamlet explores a universal human condition where overwhelming emotions dominates the susceptible and initiates a chain of irrational actions. Therefore, the play’s sustaining appeal derives not only from its exploration of this human condition, which transcends time, but also due to its ability to communicate its ideas with the aid of various mechanisms forming a cohesive whole.
Shakespeare’s notion that humans are vulnerable to overwhelming emotions which leads to impulsive actions is evident in his persona, Hamlet. Hamlet’s character is that of a weak soul whose emotions dominate him, driving his rash actions and behaviour. This is evident in Act 1, in which Hamlet’s love and passion for his father naturally positions him to be inferior to King Hamlet’s apparition. His grief of losing his father also adds to his complex emotions. Consequently, these powerful sentiments compel Hamlet to soliloquise that he will “wipe away all trivial fond records...thy commandment all alone shall live...” after obeying the ghost’s command to “...revenge his foul and most unnatural murder.” Hamlet’s omnipotent emotions prevent him to fathom the ghost’s motives or question the authenticity of the ghost’s identity. The strong influence of his overpowering emotions on his actions is further emphasised in his soliloquy and hyperbole to “...wipe away all trivial fond records...” The hyperbole demonstrates that his feelings for his father caused him to submit to the mysterious ghost’s command while the
In your response, compare your personal evaluation of Hamlet with one other perspective on the play.
A valuable text is one that is able to articulate its ideas, allowing understanding amongst the audience. Shakespeare’s Hamlet performs this but does it so well that even audience of different contexts can grasp its notions. This is also because Hamlet explores a universal human condition where overwhelming emotions dominates the susceptible and initiates a chain of irrational actions. Therefore, the play’s sustaining appeal derives not only from its exploration of this human condition, which transcends time, but also due to its ability to communicate its ideas with the aid of various mechanisms forming a cohesive whole.
Shakespeare’s notion that humans are vulnerable to overwhelming emotions which leads to impulsive actions is evident in his persona, Hamlet. Hamlet’s character is that of a weak soul whose emotions dominate him, driving his rash actions and behaviour. This is evident in Act 1, in which Hamlet’s love and passion for his father naturally positions him to be inferior to King Hamlet’s apparition. His grief of losing his father also adds to his complex emotions. Consequently, these powerful sentiments compel Hamlet to soliloquise that he will “wipe away all trivial fond records...thy commandment all alone shall live...” after obeying the ghost’s command to “...revenge his foul and most unnatural murder.” Hamlet’s omnipotent emotions prevent him to fathom the ghost’s motives or question the authenticity of the ghost’s identity. The strong influence of his overpowering emotions on his actions is further emphasised in his soliloquy and hyperbole to “...wipe away all trivial fond records...” The hyperbole demonstrates that his feelings for his father caused him to submit to the mysterious ghost’s command while the