Internal Conflict In William Shakespeare's Hamlet

Revenge is a recurring theme in Hamlet. Although Hamlet wants to avenge his father’s death, he is afraid of what would result from this. In the play Hamlet, Hamlet’s unwillingness to revenge appears throughout the text; Shakespeare exhibits this through Hamlet’s realization that revenge is not the right option, Hamlet‘s realization that revenge is the same as the crime which was already committed, and his understanding that to revenge is to become a “beast” and to not revenge is as well (Kastan 1).

Hamlet is as much a story of emotional conflict, paranoia, and self-doubt as it is one of revenge and tragedy. The protagonist, Prince Hamlet of Denmark, is instructed by his slain father’s ghost to enact vengeance upon his uncle Claudius, whose treacherous murder of Hamlet’s father gave way to his rise to power. Overcome by anguish and obligation to avenge his father’s death, Hamlet ultimately commits a number of killings throughout the story. However, we are not to view the character Hamlet as a sick individual, but rather one who has been victimized by his own circumstances.

The relevance and significance of the revenge tragedy is in the way it explores human nature and forces audiences to evaluate ideologies such as revenge and justice. The concept of revenge is accompanied by moral conflict and Shakespeare demonstrates that by acting immorally society is likely to be riddled with corruption. Hamlet seeks to avenge the death of his father but struggles with the ramifications of seeking righteous revenge through an immoral act. The imposition of revenge instills the existential questioning on Hamlet as it contradicts his with his social expectation. His

During the early 1600s, a time of unrest and uncertainty spread through most of the world specifically in Europe as it began to see a gradual insurgency of leadership as new monarchs rose to great power as the existent ones faded. The legitimacy to how some new rulers gained their prestigious power came into question as tales of treason especially within families spread rapidly. William Shakespeare, having grown up near this time period was influenced by his surroundings and similar works such as histoires Tragiques, that inspired his work Hamlet. Although there are various views and opinions surrounding Hamlet as a whole, it is a great tragedy which centers itself on one’s own uncertainty and depicts seeking revenge as a major theme. These main topics are further discussed in the works or Kiernan Ryan and the British Library in “Hamlet and Revenge”, as well as “Hamlet in Purgatory” by Stephen Greenblatt. The main character, Hamlet however is both the protagonist and the tragic hero as the story unfolds. Hamlet is torn between his own conscience as expresses in his ongoing soliloquies and in doing what he believes is right opposed to seeking revenge, which leads him to being indecisive on his actions taken due to influence caused by those around him.

Individual reactions to situations of external or internal conflict are reflected in much of literature. In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the character of Hamlet must deal with both external and internal conflict. He faces the death of his father, the knowledge that his uncle Claudius is his father's murderer and the knowledge that he must take revenge. Hamlet's responses to these external conflicts and his own internal views proclaim his nature and character.

In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare conflict plays a very significant role. The play’s main protagonist, Hamlet, possesses both internal and external conflict due to the fact that he is fighting his inner conscience and suppressing his inner emotions, and he is seeking revenge on and conflicting with many other characters in the play. These internal and external conflicts this character is experiencing affect those around him. They also shape the events that occur in the drama and contribute to the overall outcome.

Hamlet faces challenges throughout the play that try his inner strengths and test his ability to handle the situation. He is torn between wanting to seek justice, and avenge his father’s death. Hamlet is also caught up in an intricate web of lies and deceit, he is considered mad by most characters when in all actuality it is just playing off of the actions of others to benefit himself. He puts on different acts trying to hide the truth, which makes him seem sincerely mad to the people around him. The truth of the matter is that Hamlet can’t decide whether or not his convictions are accurate. This dilemma ultimately leads to not only the deaths of the main characters, but the downfall of the kingdom.

The concept of internal conflict is one that reverberates with audiences of any historical context. This idea is explored in Shakespeare's Machiavellian revenge tragedy Hamlet (1603). The intense dilemma faced by the protagonist, Prince Hamlet, splits his Christian soul between his filial obligation of avenging his murdered father, and his religious duties. This in turn causes Hamlet to fall into a madness trying to decide between confrontation and resolution.

Conflict, in literary context, can be defined as “the opposition of persons or forces that gives rise to the dramatic action in a drama or fiction.” Conflicts can be external, between two or more persons, or internal, within one’s self. In most literature the conflict adds to the execution of the plot itself. Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” makes use of both forms of conflict as an essential element of the play. I will show how “Hamlet” presents inner and outer conflicts with examples of each and how their resolutions (if any) serve as a major part of the overall play itself.

The internal conflicts prevalent in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet are the reason why the play is viewed as a classic. Conflicts are imperative in tragic plays as conflicts are the stimulus for catastrophe in the end. The characters in Hamlet face inward conflicts that are equally important as their outward conflicts. Three characters who especially exhibit this are Hamlet, Claudius, and Ophelia. The conflicts that these characters face play a major role in their downfalls and, ultimately, their deaths. Through Claudius’ struggle to conceal the murder of King Hamlet, Ophelia’s guilt for Hamlet’s madness, and Hamlet’s inaction due to fear, Shakespeare conveys that each character faces a dilemma, in which there are no simple solutions.

In society many people suffer from making decisions. They feel immobilized and are unable to act upon opportunities. However, there are usually many factors that contribute to the inaction. In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, the protagonist Hamlet is incapable of action. His internal struggle is visible throughout the course of the play.

A literary critic of Hamlet, Patrick Cruttwell, explores in his writing titled The morality of Hamlet- ‘Sweet Prince or ‘Arrant Knave’? the purpose of religion during Elizabethan times to set moral value sets that often conflicted with man’s nature. Additionally, Cruttwell states the actions in the play aggressively clash with the religious values of the time period. Shakespeare illustrates throughout the play that not abiding by the only moral structure of the time period, religion, man is doomed to self destruction by giving into his chaotic Dionysian nature.

Hamlet aspires to resolve his father’s murder with “bloody” action (IV.v.69). For that reason, when Hamlet succeeds in impaling his uncle upon the rapier and forcing him to consume the poisoned elixir, “[Shakespeare] has depicted in [Hamlet] a true national hero” (Crawford). According to this belief, as Hamlet has taken the life of the man that killed King Hamlet and was powerless to stop Denmark from falling to Fortinbras, the Danes have been lifted from danger and the prince Hamlet can be deemed a “savior.” Yet, this victory is short lived when compared to the impairment Hamlet has brought his nation and the amount of lives he has spent in his whirlwind of destruction. Crawford’s idealistic view of Hamlet fails to support itself when weighed against the unfortunate truth—Hamlet cannot be savior of Denmark.

Hamlet is one of Shakespeare’s most well-known tragedies. At first glance, it holds all of the common occurrences in a revenge tragedy which include plotting, ghosts, and madness, but its complexity as a story far transcends its functionality as a revenge tragedy. Revenge tragedies are often closely tied to the real or feigned madness in the play. Hamlet is such a complex revenge tragedy because there truly is a question about the sanity of the main character Prince Hamlet. Interestingly enough, this deepens the psychology of his character and affects the way that the revenge tragedy takes place. An evaluation of Hamlet’s actions and words over the course of the play can be determined to see that his ‘outsider’ outlook on society,

William Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ is characterised as a tragedy, illustrating an abundance of significant themes, with one of the most important ideas being revenge. Revenge is defined as an action of hurting somebody in return for something that has been done unjustly wrong. The main character, Hamlet, continuously reflects on revenge throughout the play, particularly in his soliloquies. Nevertheless, he has been procrastinating, talking about the situation, but not demonstrating it. In an honour code, it displays coward-like qualities. Revenge is effectively represented in ‘Hamlet’, as it allows to develop a strong understanding of human strengths and frailties. This is because it represents the different forms of deceptive plots that result in the situation of death. This is clearly evident in Hamlet’s interaction with his father’s ghost, convincing him to murder Claudius for revenge, which extends into the play that is acted out, proving that he is the murderer of his father. Also, Hamlet’s third and most famous soliloquy provides the reader with a reflection on death in his melancholic state of mind, and Hamlet also refrains from killing Claudius as he is praying and decides to kill him at another time.