Shakespeare's Hamlet: Perennial Issues of the Human Condition
Through a consideration of the conflict between familial duty and individual moral integrity, Shakespeare’s Hamlet reveals perennial issues of the human condition to audiences which transcend temporal bounds. Hamlet’s burden of fulfilling revenge is established from the onset with the appearance of the ghost and pervades throughout the play. However, this is juxtaposed to his entrenched Renaissance humanist temperament, characterised through the maintaining of moral integrity and questioning of his existential worth. Furthermore, the adherence to Christian doctrine, which fundamentally conflicts with his humanist character, becomes a significant consideration for Hamlet’s revenge quest. The resultant indecisiveness which emerges from the divergence between these internal and exterior influences conveys the universal value and compatibility of Hamlet to broader contexts. Gregory Doran’s 2009 film adaptation of the play further highlights the malleability of Hamlet into ecumenical contexts, reflecting its enduring worth.
The catalyst for Hamlet’s plight for revenge initiates with the appearance of his father’s ghost, providing the necessary justification for action. Its arrival offers Hamlet a medium to escape the ethical injustices occurring within his life; with his impulsive acceptance of the ghost’s existence an indictment of the severity of his moral dilemma. The sudden death of his father and incestuous remarriage of Gertrude have removed the sense of purpose and corrupted his understanding of moral integrity, whilst the commandment to seek revenge is welcomed as a means to re-establish such doctrines. Hamlet’s Senior’s murder and his mother’s carnality have produced emotional shocks whilst suggesting fundamental questions regarding the nature of human existence with which Hamlet is unable to cope. A.C. Bradley argues in Shakespearean Tragedy that Hamlet’s nature is blanketed by the melancholy ensuing from such occurrences, with this affliction inhibiting
The catalyst for Hamlet’s plight for revenge initiates with the appearance of his father’s ghost, providing the necessary justification for action. Its arrival offers Hamlet a medium to escape the ethical injustices occurring within his life; with his impulsive acceptance of the ghost’s existence an indictment of the severity of his moral dilemma. The sudden death of his father and incestuous remarriage of Gertrude have removed the sense of purpose and corrupted his understanding of moral integrity, whilst the commandment to seek revenge is welcomed as a means to re-establish such doctrines. Hamlet’s Senior’s murder and his mother’s carnality have produced emotional shocks whilst suggesting fundamental questions regarding the nature of human existence with which Hamlet is unable to cope. A.C. Bradley argues in Shakespearean Tragedy that Hamlet’s nature is blanketed by the melancholy ensuing from such occurrences, with this affliction inhibiting
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