As with other plays
we've read this semester, Hamlet tells a
inconspicuous story about the difficulty of understanding the motives, actions,
and rationales of others, the ability to control fate, and the unattainability
of true justice; while telling a conspicuous story above revenge.
Hamlet seems to
emblematize the values of loyalty and attitudes of deception and ambiguity.
The character Hamlet
personifies exactly what Shakespeare brings into question. The plot and all the
actions of Hamlet bring into questions whether justice can be accurately and
rightly served by humans.
The audience is introduced to Hamlet when he is still grieving for his father two months after his death. Hamlet seems to dislike his uncle-turned-father, and love but disagree with his mother. In the same act, the audience gets a glimpse Hamlet's loyalty; Hamlet commits to seeking revenge for his father's death because his father's ghost has asked him to do so. We see just how deep his loyalty to his father runs in Act II and Act III as Hamlet tries to remain respectful of his mother and ensure that his uncle pays for killing King Hamlet, per the wishes of King Hamlet. In Act I, the audience gets the impression that Hamlet was once very fond of Ophelia, but after Hamlet commits to avenge King Hamlet's death, the audience beings to question Hamlet's ability to love wholeheartedly. Hamlet's motives and actions continue to be questionable as the play goes on. It becomes more and more difficult to distinguish between deliberate madness and unconscientious madness. For instance, Hamlet moves from welcoming his good friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to deeming them disloyal at the end of Act III. In a second instance, Hamlet seems to become so obsessed with the ends (getting Claudius to confess to murder) that he disregards the means and disrespects his mother and unintentionally kills Polonius, of which his regrets for the sake of sin but not for the sake of being remorseful.
The audience is introduced to Hamlet when he is still grieving for his father two months after his death. Hamlet seems to dislike his uncle-turned-father, and love but disagree with his mother. In the same act, the audience gets a glimpse Hamlet's loyalty; Hamlet commits to seeking revenge for his father's death because his father's ghost has asked him to do so. We see just how deep his loyalty to his father runs in Act II and Act III as Hamlet tries to remain respectful of his mother and ensure that his uncle pays for killing King Hamlet, per the wishes of King Hamlet. In Act I, the audience gets the impression that Hamlet was once very fond of Ophelia, but after Hamlet commits to avenge King Hamlet's death, the audience beings to question Hamlet's ability to love wholeheartedly. Hamlet's motives and actions continue to be questionable as the play goes on. It becomes more and more difficult to distinguish between deliberate madness and unconscientious madness. For instance, Hamlet moves from welcoming his good friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to deeming them disloyal at the end of Act III. In a second instance, Hamlet seems to become so obsessed with the ends (getting Claudius to confess to murder) that he disregards the means and disrespects his mother and unintentionally kills Polonius, of which his regrets for the sake of sin but not for the sake of being remorseful.
Similarly to
Oedipus, who tries to control his fate, Hamlet tries to control the actions of
his mother, his friends, Claudius, and others in his life and have everything
meet his terms. He tells the guards to take him to see the Ghost of Hamlet.
Once he meets the ghost, he swears them to secrecy and won't disclose what the
ghost and he talked about. He tells Horatio about his plan for revenge, swears
Horatio to secrecy, asks Horatio to look to see how Claudius reacts to the
play, "The Murder of Gonzaga". Hamlet tells his mother that he is
faking his madness to get a reaction from Claudius and asks his mom not to tell
Claudius nor sleep next to Claudius that night. Lastly, he admits to his
friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern that he is indeed not himself but will not
disclose the truth about why, trying to keep his friends distant, possibly
because he doesn't trust them.
Finally. the
morality of Hamlet's plan for revenge for his father is questionable too.
Shakespeare forces the audience to question whether true justice is attainable
in the mundane world. In Act III, just as Hamlet is about to kill Claudius, he
stops because Claudius is praying. He does not want to kill Claudius while he
is sinless because Claudius will go to heaven. Hamlet says this won't do his
father justice, especially since Claudius did not allow his father to repent
before his death, possibly sending King Hamlet to hell. Hamlet decides to wait
to find Claudius in a sinful act.
Passage Act II,
Scene II, Lines 561-574
Remorseless,
treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain!
Why, what an ass am
I! This is more brave,
That I, the son of a
dear father murdered,
Prompted to my
revenge by heave and hell,
Must like a whore
unpack my heart with words,
And fall a-cursing
like a very drab,
A scullion! Fie upon
't! foh!
About, my brains!
Hum--I have herd
That guilty
creatures sitting at a play,
Have by the very
cunning of the scene
Been struck so to
the soul that presently
They have proclaimed
their malefactions:
For murder, though
it have no tongue, will speak
With most miraculous
organ.
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