Simplicity In Shakespeare's Hamlet Essay

Leonardo da Vinci, a notoriously talented artist and prominent figure during the Italian Renaissance, stated: “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication” (BrainyQuote). Simplicity, as a characteristic, presents an intriguing class of elegance that is immensely admirable. In modern society, individuals over-emphasize the complexities of living in their search for recognition. Humanity becomes entangled in the materialistic aspect of life, in turn, producing a highly intricate and often, confusing environment. With that said, there becomes an increasing fascination with simplicity, possessing a compelling and harmonious beauty in a frenzied world. In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the ingenuity in the portrayal of women exceptionally embodies
Defined by her sensual nature, Gertrude is heavily associated with the pitiful collapse of the Kingdom of Elsinore. “Gertrude’s flaw of lust made Claudius’ ambition possible, for without taking advantage of the Queen’s desire still to be married, he could not have been king” (Bloom 325). Unmistakably, Shakespeare portrays Gertrude as the corruption that accentuates the play. While the murder of Old King Hamlet lies at the hands of Claudius, the preceding circumstances come as a result of Gertrude’s overly sexual nature. Hamlet’s melancholy, Ophelia’s lunacy and the irrational murder of many all source from the corruption in Gertrude’s passion. The notion of corruption is made evident from the onset of the play when Marcellus exclaims: “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark” (Ham.1.5.90). However, the contamination embedded in Gertrude’s lust is fully exposed in Hamlet’s agitated confrontation with his
In turn, Ophelia is emotionally abandoned, left to combat the abrupt deterioration of her relationship with Hamlet. In the same manner, Polonius’ disregard for the emotional state of Ophelia is further displayed in his scheme to culprit Hamlet’s melancholy. While eavesdropping on Hamlet’s inhumane castigation of his daughter, Polonius fails to exhibit any form of compassion towards Ophelia in the following moments: “You need not tell us what Lord Hamlet said. / We heard it all” (Ham3.2.179-80). Consequentially, with no parent or companion to confide in, Ophelia is pressured into concealing her brimming emotions, spurring her decline towards insanity. That being said, the true notion of Ophelia as a damsel in distress comes from her association with the infectious Gertrude. Hamlet, who struggles to comprehend Gertrude’s act of betrayal as anything but, that of an impetuously feeble minded woman, exclaims that “frailty” (Ham.1.2.146), characterizes all females. As Hamlet heavily criticizes Ophelia in Polonius’ aforementioned scheme, Hamlet views Ophelia as “becoming contaminated in his eyes, subject to the same ‘frailty’ that names his mother … he can think of Ophelia only as a cuckold-maker, like his mother” (Adelman 14). Through Ophelia’s association with Gertrude, Ophelia is degraded in the eyes of Hamlet, relinquishing any