Why Is Hamlet Not To Be King

Frickle 1
Hayley Frickle
Mr.Breuninger
English I I, period 6
07, October 2013
Hamlet, To be king or not to be king? What are the characteristics of a faithful leader? A good answer might include things like responsibility, wisdom, or levelheadedness. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, there are many characters in a leading position, such as Claudius, Fortinbras, and Gertrude. But the character under examination in this paper will be none other than Hamlet. A brief summary of the situation is that Claudius murdered Hamlet’s father, the king, so he could gain the position. Hamlet figures this out by his fathers ghost visiting him and telling him he needs to take revenge for the evil deeds that Claudius has committed. But what if Claudius had never
killed Hamlet Sr.? What kind of king would Hamlet become? After researching, the conclusion has come to Hamlet not being a good king because of his many personality flaws. A characteristic of a good king, or any leader, is the ability to think things through and be patient. When in such a high position there is almost no room for error. Hamlet does not show this quality for the majority of the play. Such as in the scene of Ophelia’s burial when he does the following, “ I am Hamlet The Dane! Leaps into grave after Laertes” (Hamlet 5.1.236).This shows that Hamlet has a hard time controlling himself, and just jumps into the grave of Ophelia and fights with her mourning brother. Another example of Hamlets generally
Frickle 2 unintelligent decisions is after he leaves for England.
“ And in a grapple I boarded them.”(4.6.20). In this letter Hamlet reveals that he boarded a pirate ship after being attacked, in hopes they would take him back to Denmark. Not only is Hamlet rash, but he has many other flaws such as self esteem
issues. Having a healthy amount of self worth is a good thing, and will show others confidence.
But having too much or too little can become a hassle. Somebody with too much might never second guess themselves, but someone with too little may over analyze little unimportant details. Hamlet falls on the latter end of the scale, and it is very apparent at certain moments. He constantly scrutinizes himself with malice. An example of this is when he says this, “O what a rogue and peasant slave, I am!”(2.2.509). Hamlet flat out compares himself to the likes of a rogue or a slave. What common person would want somebody like a slave to be their leader? In another place he says, “Yet I a dull and muddy-mettled rascal.”(2.2.526). Yet again Hamlet slanders himself. But these are not his only flaws, he still has a tough time being immature. The third and final reason Hamlet would not be a good king is that he is immature and boasts a sassy attitude. Even in the first scene Hamlet is introduced, the reader can plainly see his insolent disposition. It is easily seen that Hamlet is not amused by the situation he is in. Where this is especially apparent is where he says this, “ A little more than kin and less than kind.” (1.2.65). When he says this, the meaning behind it is a pun about the incestuous relationship between Gertrude and Claudius. If that does not add insult to injury, Gertrude’s
late
Frickle 3 husband had just died. Another time when this is shown is when Hamlet is speaking with Ophelia for the first time in almost a month. “ Ha Ha, are you honest?” (3.1.105). This statement does not sound blatantly rude, but looking into the cultural context, Hamlet is actually questioning Ophelia’s chastity. This is another way of indirectly calling her a whore, which is a horrible thing to say to someone you supposedly loved.
Some may say that Hamlet would be a good king because of his intelligence. “Without debatement further, more or less, he should have the bearers put to death.” (5.2.48) This is a quote used to show that Hamlet was clever enough to alter the order Claudius wrote to England to have Hamlet killed to say that they should execute the two bearers, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. This is easily refuted by how crazy Hamlet is at the time he writes this. He is on the ship to England just before he jumps onto the pirate ship. He does outrageous things and does not even expect there to be consequences,such as two innocent people being killed because of his own mistakes.
In the end, Hamlet would be a bad king because he has many tragic flaws and personality faults. What kingdom would be safe with a madman as their ruler? Not only would that be putting his immediate relationships in danger, but the safety of the entire country as a whole. The destruction of Denmark would be imminent, and at the fault of Hamlet.

Works Cited
Shakespeare, William, and Robert D. Shepherd. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. St. Paul, MN: EMC/Paradigm Pub., 1998. Print.