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Common Themes In Hamlet

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Individuals often make New Year resolutions that they might or might not follow; similar to some commitments that they make throughout their lives. Humans have a unique nature that allows them to recognize the difference between making a commitment that may lead for their advantage. Whereas, sometimes humans make commitments that they cannot keep which is frustrating for many individuals as our normal behavior provokes us to think that not staying true towards a commitment might let others think that they are not capable of sticking true towards their commitments. Moreover, it also reduces the self-respect of an individual as they themselves start to lose faith. In William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, through the characterization of Hamlet …show more content…

At the beginning of the play, Hamlet is revealed as a very ambitious character as he finds out that his uncle is the murderer of his father. The moment when he finds out that his father has been murdered is a very emotional situation; also it is a situation where one’s mind tends not to think straight, similar to Hamlet. As soon as the ghost of his father reveals the news to Hamlet, he is shocked and wants to take revenge from his uncle. This situation for Hamlet is very shocking and he panics just like any son would. The tension created by this situation is very hard for Hamlet to face and he stops thinking logically and lets his “animal-mind” replace his normal thinking. He commits to himself that he would take revenge from his uncle by murdering him and it is a big decision for an individual to make. However, considering the logical side of the situation it is very unlikely for an individual to make a decision of killing someone under normal conditions. An individual’s decisions are affected by the conditions around them which later becomes a commitment that they are unable to keep; leading towards a devastating effect on their …show more content…

After his encounter with the ghost, Hamlet is committed to kill Claudius (his uncle) as a revenge for his father’s murder. To achieve his goal, he acts “mad” in front of some of the characters in the book which he succeeds in as other characters become suspicious about his madness. However, as the play progresses his madness also increases as he thinks of killing Claudius during his prayers in the church; yet he does not. This shows that his madness was an act but how long can an individual act mad? Moreover, to what extent can an individual act mad? He realizes that he is not keeping up with the commitment that he made when he saw the Forinbras army crossing through their land to fight with their opponent over a little piece of land. During that time, he questions himself as he thinks that if their army can fight over a little reason, that he has also made a much bigger commitment to himself. So, at some points in the play, he is acting mad while at some points, he is not sure of what should he do about his commitment; he is confused about killing Claudius. This shows that his mental state throughout the play was not at the correct momentum, which caused him to repeal from his normal state of mind. Having to stay with a commitment that an individual

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