William Shakespeare’s Hamlet features the themes of internal struggles and inaction. The protagonist, Hamlet, seeks to avenge his father’s murder, yet his fear of the unknowns of the afterlife prevents him from doing so. Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius, commits atrocities to gain power, tainting his soul with sin. Claudius reveals to the audience that he seeks repentance, yet cannot seem to change his ways and give up his power for God’s forgiveness. At certain times in the play these characters can be classified as either transients or travelers. Transients in Hamlet believe that life is quickly slipping away, and hold the materialistic belief that it is not worth sacrificing the palpable aspects of life on Earth to gain benefits in the major unknown of the afterlife. In contrast, travelers in the play accept the afterlife, knowing that it is part of a larger journey and understanding that destiny controls one’s …show more content…
Hamlet’s transient mindset makes him fear both the unknown of the afterlife and losing the control he holds on Earth, fears that leads him to inaction. Although King Hamlet’s ghost has given Hamlet clear instructions on avenging the ghost’s murder, Hamlet lacks the conviction to kill his uncle. The ensuing internal struggle consumes him, to the point where he contemplates suicide as an escape, wondering if it is “nobler in the mind to suffer / The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune / Or to take arms against a sea of troubles / And by opposing end them” (3.1.57-60). He is therefore left with two courses of action: to either commit a sin by murdering his uncle or commit a sin by ending his own life. During his soliloquy in Act Three, Hamlet explores the religious ramifications of these choices. The “dread of something after death, / The undiscovered country, from whose bourn / No traveler returns” instills in him a transient fear of the afterlife
William Shakespeare’s Hamlet features the themes of internal struggles and inaction. The protagonist, Hamlet, is seeking to avenge his father’s murder, yet his fear of the unknowns of the afterlife prevents him from doing so. Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius, commits atrocities to gain power, and his soul is tainted with sin. Claudius reveals to the audience that he is seeking repentance, yet can’t seem to change his ways and give up his power for God’s forgiveness. At certain times in the play these characters can be classified as either transients or travelers. Transience in Hamlet is the feeling that life is quickly slipping away, and the materialistic belief that it is not worth sacrificing the palpable aspects of life on Earth to gain benefits
One single moment or event during the course of an individual’s life can effectively alter their priorities and transform their identity drastically. In The play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, Shakespeare introduces the readers to the protagonist Hamlet who is draped in anger and emotions and has a new-found mission in life. Initially, Hamlet is portrayed as an individual in mourning over his father's death and his mother's haste in remarrying to her brother-in-law and Hamlet's uncle, Claudius. However, Hamlet’s character and personality were drastically altered after meeting the Ghost and
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.
Life is defined by the struggles it presents us. Without these constant tests of our fortitude, we would never grow as mature human beings. This is the one common denominator linking all people, past, present, and future. It is no mystery why our literature and art reflect this characteristic. The creation of a character is a mirror-image of a human. Shakespeare perfectly understood this truth. He crafted Hamlet, Claudius, Polonius, and his many other characters so that they would reflect life and in this way, entertain and educate his audience. Shakespeare's outright goal may have been to simply make money, but along the way, he sculpted beautiful characters filled with
It is clear that the death of his father and his mother 's remarriage has taken an enormous mental toll on him and that he desires death to free himself of the burden laid upon him by the ghost. He romanticizes it, saying that suicide is the brave and courageous option akin to “[taking] arms” against troubles. However, he can’t commit to the idea of death, saying “To sleep, perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub / For in that sleep of death what dreams may come” (III, i, 66-67). He craves death, which would allow him to escape all the “natural shock / that flesh is heir to” (III, i, 63-64) but the more he ponders it, the further he is from reaching a decision. Ironically, the argument within his mind about how he should free himself of the ghostly burden — murder, or death — is impeding him from carrying out any action on it. At the end of his most famous soliloquy, Hamlet hasn’t made any decisive choice and therefore is in limbo regarding death due to his overarching rationale. His inaction proves “[his] endless reasoning and hesitation and the way in which the energy of his resolutions evaporates in self-reproaches” (Morgan 259). Moreover, Hamlet tackles the decision of interpreting what is real and what is false when he questions the ghost’s true nature. At first, Hamlet is certain
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.
Hamlet went from a mourning Prince of Denmark over the death of his father, to a revenge seeking murderer as the play progresses. This transition in character is evident through Hamlets meaning of life; the desire for justice. After the meeting with the ghost, his worldview completely changed to a craving for revenge. In today’s ever changing world, people who act on revenge are no longer socially acceptable. These people who act on revenge often commit mortal sins and heavy crimes and are set to life in prison. Hamlet is the only person to blame for his death because of his worldview. “A villain kills my father, and for that I, his sole son, do this same villain send to heaven.” (Shakespeare 3.3 76-78) At this point, Hamlet’s worldview is completely based on getting revenge for his father. There is nothing more important in life at the time. Hamlet has just killed Polonius mistaking him as Claudius. Moments later Hamlet is face to face with Claudius, but chooses not to kill him because he wants the worst for him. Hamlet says “ I, his sole son, do this same villain send to
In Hamlet’s famous soliloquy, he contemplates for a while whether to commit suicide. Hamlet’s unhappiness is caused by the people around him. His mother’s actions of marrying her brother-in-law made Hamlet extremely frustrated drawing him out of the right mental state. Meanwhile, his view of his father is godlike, but he distrusts the Ghost enough to think about killing himself instead of pursuing the Ghost’s request. In Hamlet’s famous soliloquy, “to be, or not to be;” he contemplates (3.1). “The Everlasting had not fixed, His cannon ‘gainst self-slaughter!” (1.2). He is uncertain if things would be any better in the afterlife if he were to end his life. Hamlet’s hesitancy, especially concerning suicide, is the cause of his realistic and frightened nature. In this situation, his indecisiveness saves his life, but it also does not allow him to find another solution. Concluding, in his soliloquy he would rather
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 act 3 scene 1 of William Shakespeare “Hamlet” the main protagonist, Hamlet, recites a soliloquy “To be, or not to be.” Throughout his lines Hamlet explains the concept of suicide and why people choose to live long lives instead of ending their suffering. The main point he speaks on is the mystery of one’s afterlife, they never know for sure what happens when they die. For this reason, his speech does a good job highlighting the plays underlying themes of pervasiveness of death, and tragic dilemma, and tragic flaws.
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 exhibits his insecurity toward death when he lingers on the phrase ' no traveler returns' from death. He is afraid of leaving his earthly life, showing his indecision towards what lies in the afterlife. This indecision carries over into his actions when trying to go through with Claudius' murder. Hesitant to kill Claudius, Hamlets settles on making sure the ghost was correct in his accusation. By employing the players to dramatize the murder of King Hamlet Sr., Hamlet hides behind the façade of the play in order to accuse Claudius. By using the players as his medium for accusation, Hamlet again shows how timid he is to approach the subject of death and confront it face to face. It is seen by Claudius that Hamlet's 'madness' is a direct threat to his security, and Hamlet is shipped off to England. While traveling to his execution, Hamlet again slips out of deaths way before having to directly challenge it. Prior to Hamlet's 'kidnapping', he changes the letter to have it be his escorts execution. This is only appropriate, since Hamlet never is present to see their reaction to facing death, or is there is witness the ending of their lives. Again, Hamlet is able to allude death, by escaping the ship set sail for his execution.
Conflict is indispensable to drama and is necessary to interest the reader on the receiving end of the dramatic work. In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the protagonist, Hamlet, exhibits certain responses to external conflicts, which provoke internal conflicts and assert his character. The central inward conflict and the principal motive that this character experience is the delay in his revenge against Claudius which is caused by his conscience. The mental and emotional complications experienced by him throughout the play shape the events that occur. Hamlet battles his inner soul and supresses his internal feelings which look for requital and struggle with numerous different characters in the play. The outward conflicts are a result of the
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.
Hamlet is strongly held by archetypes that can be revealed throughout the play. Death, itself, is a very strong archetype in the story exploring the social beliefs in that era; superstitions and societies loyalty to religion. Throughout the play, Hamlet experiences his main trifles over the concept of death. Reviewing the murder of his father and the task given to him to kill his uncle, Hamlet becomes fascinated with the idea of existence and afterlife.As a whole, Hamlet is primarily concerned with exploring the individual's relationship with death in which our fear of death comes from the notion that there must be something else, eliminating the fact that we can't ever know for sure if there is. This idea is explored in Hamlet’s “to be or not to be” soliloquy, which questions the righteousness of life over death in moral terms. When Hamlet utters the pained question, “to be, or not to be: that is the question / Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer / The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune / Or to take arms against a sea of troubles” (Act 3, Scene 1 59-61) there is little doubt that he is thinking of death. Although he attempts to pose such a question in a rational and logical way, he is still left without an answer of whether the “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” can be eliminated since life after death seems so uncertain. All of this mirrors aspects of human nature as man has always questioned the meaning of life and the events that occur after. Theoretically, one will never understand the full nature of our