Theme Of Reason In Hamlet

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the titular hero and tragic figure of the play constantly finds himself unable to act on the Ghost’s instructions to take revenge on King Claudius despite the compelling reasons he realizes for doing so. The reason for this delay is Hamlet’s tragic flaw – his tendency towards thought and introspection rather than impulse and action. Because of this flaw, Hamlet is unable to ignore the moral aspects of his actions and “thereby becomes the creature of mere meditation, and [he] loses his natural power of action” (Coleridge, 343).

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, commonly known simply as Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare (approx. 1599-1602), is a renowned revenge-tragedy play set within the ever decaying state of Denmark. Shakespeare, throughout the entirety of the play, conveys that fear, of one kind or another, acts as a powerful motivator upon each character. Hamlet, in response to the loss of his father, became obsessed with all aspects of death. This obsession causing a deep fear of uncertainty, resulting in compound ethical contemplations hindering Hamlet’s capacity for action. Fear is conveyed by Shakespeare as being Claudius’ main motivation for living in a state of extreme self-preservation, this stemming greatly from his fear of being exposed. Fear motivates Gertrude into making somewhat false promises with Hamlet and deceiving Claudius. Through these various scenarios, Shakespeare conveys that fear acts as a powerful motivator upon both Hamlet, Claudius, and Gertrude.

In life, an individual’s course of action is directed by their nature of motivation. Sometimes, this nature lies so deeply beneath the surface, that people themselves aren’t even aware that it exists. In Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, all of the actions that characters execute throughout the play are naturally motivated by a certain situation or feeling. Some of the characters are motivated to commit brave and heroic acts, while others may simply be encouraged to do the right thing. People can often become pusillanimous when they think too carefully, however, the nature of their motivation is what decides if they will complete the feat or not. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the nature of motivations that direct an individual’s course of action are mostly clearly represented by love, ambition, and revenge.

In Hamlet, there is absolutely no critical thinking in the prevailing themes of the play. Much of revolves around the idea that the disorder of universe leads to general grave disrepair. This is according The Great Chain of Being which was an explicit and distinct hierarchy of life the Elizabethan universe from Shakespeare’s time[5]. The clear motif of fear of this hierarchy is seen when Hamlet says:

“To be, or not to be: That is the question” (III.i.56). In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet is a young man who has become crazy from his trials and tribulations in life. He loses his father due to his uncle murdering him and then had to watch his mother marry the killer. Hamlets insanity can be demonstrated by his crude language and disregard for the wellbeing of his mother. It can also be shown by his depression, which causes him to second guess everything, including his life. Finally, his love, Ophelia helps to justify his absurdness by acting as a mirror. His foolish behavior worries many in the kingdom and creates a hostile and paranoid environment for those around. While some in the castle may believe that Hamlet is putting on an act, he proves that he is mad through his violent actions, his mental health and Ophelia.

In Hamlet, Hamlet knows that he must avenge the death of his father, but he is too indecisive, too self-doubting, to carry this out until he has no choice. His failings cause his downfall, and he exhibits some of the most basic human reactions and emotions.

In the play Hamlet there are many themes that were brought to our attention; Madness, Revenge, Mortality, Religion, Incest, Family, and Death. In this essay we will be discussing two of these themes that we found intriguing, the two themes are Death, and Revenge.

"The time is out of joint: O cursed spite, / That ever I was born to set it right!" (I.5). Shakespeare's Hamlet is an unwilling avenger. Despite his hatred of his uncle Claudius and his sense of the injustice perpetuated upon his father's memory, Hamlet seems unable to obey the will of his father's ghost. Ultimately, this is not shown to be a sign of weakness or cowardice upon Hamlet's part. Rather, the intellectual protagonist understands all too well the futility of attempting to use violence to enact justice. By attempting to become an avenger, Hamlet simply begets more violence.

Life is full of choices. As humans, we are given the opportunity to make our own decisions and, ultimately, pave our own path. Just as we are able to decide on a movie to watch or a restaurant to eat at, we are also given the power to choose our actions. In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the characters are also given the ability to choose their actions. Some of their actions are driven by reasoning and logical thoughts, and others are fueled by pure passion. Through the play, Shakespeare shows both passion and reason while portraying the importance of balancing these two emotions.

This is the first time the audience becomes aware of Hamlet’s ability to be a great thinker and philosopher. However, from this moment on, Hamlet is divulged into a downward spiral of an obsession of death and tragedy. This onus that he must set things right that his conscience forces him to carry during the play is the inception of his hamartia. Hamlet’s obsession of avenging his father’s death causes him to not always think clearly. At times Hamlet is suffering from analysis paralysis

The state of mind is a fragile thing when facing extraordinary circumstances. This is when suicidal thoughts stem from feelings of guilt and helplessness. Hamlet is faced with the task of exacting revenge unto King Claudius who had killed King Hamlet to claim the throne. Hamlet’s state of mind at first is controlled, yet self deprecating. Soon after, Hamlet’s mental state quickly spirals down into depression and suicidal thoughts. Shakespeare utilizes allusions to Greek mythology, figurative language, and different tones to capture the mental state of Hamlet.

Shakespeare’s Hamlet shows strange occurrences in Hamlet’s mind and the possibility of an intangible entity persuading him towards constant confusion. His many decisions give question to his sanity, as if irrational and unreal voices attempt to provoke him into committing strange actions. His continuous struggle to make concrete decisions throughout the play drowns him in episodes of uncertainty, rage, and sadness. Even when Hamlet makes a decision, there is always an underlying worry of whether or not the soundness of his judgement is rational or if his decision is beyond question his most sincere and desireable choice. His conflict between knowing how to feel and when to act is a reflection of the theme known as “being and acting.” Hamlet’s challenge of not knowing whether something should be done and his conflicting feelings of not knowing how to act or when to act on a situation shows the recurring “being and acting” theme throughout the play.

With Hamlet’s tragic flaw being his inability to act, he is plagued throughout the play by his immense intelligence and philosophical nature, which causes him to overanalyze each situation, rendering him unable to carry out any action in response. This is evident in the play by the frequent delay of acting out his father’s revenge due to the uncertainty of the evidence pertaining to his uncle’s crime. Hamlet’s inability to act creates a discourse between hamlet and his consciousness, generating an abundance of stress, which causes him to become increasingly frustrated as the play progresses. This frustration leads to him at moments in the play to behave in a rash and impulsive way or acting in an inappropriate manner, contradicting his methodical and reserved disposition. It is the consequences of these “inappropriate” actions that resurfaces at the plays end, to haunt the character, as Hamlet’s inability to act while using his renowned logic and intelligence ultimately leads to his eventual demise at the plays conclusion, due to his inability to act both “effectively” and “appropriately” in critical situations.

Logic is man 's most valuable asset; it is what pushed humanity past other species and helped develop humankind into what it is today. Without such logic and reasoning, humanity would not have evolved into the strongest and most powerful beings alive. It is what has enabled us to dominate the world, create civilization, unlock the secrets of the universe through math and science and reveal the true nature of man through art. One of art’s most beloved benefactors, William Shakespeare, crafted his most famous character, Hamlet, to be the living embodiment of this God-given reason. However, we learn throughout Hamlet’s eponymous play the irony in the

The necessity of balance within the human mind is addressed by the theme of action and inaction within the play. Hamlet, the protagonist of the play, must seek revenge for his father’s murder. However he suspects that his informant, the ghost of his father, could be the devil in disguise, so Hamlet requires proof that Claudius is guilty. In act 2, scene 2, Hamlet soliloquises, ‘I’ll have grounds / More relative than this. The play’s the thing / Wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the King’. The use of iambic pentameter, and the rhyming couplet at the end of the scene conveys the importance of the plan. Hamlet has asked the players to perform a scene, mimicking his father’s murder. If Claudius is guilty, he will react poorly to the scene. This example of careful planning illustrates the balance between thought and action that humanity seeks to exemplify. In act 3, scene 1, Hamlet declares, ‘Thus conscience does make cowards of us all, / And thus the native hue of resolution / Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought’, soliloquising that natural instinct is inhibited by thought. The personification of fear and the connotations associated with the words, ‘sicklied’ and ‘pale’ depict action as strong and thought as weak. This power imbalance between action and thought foreshadows the climax of the play, where action without thought provokes chaotic consequences. In act 5, scene 2, Horatio says to Hamlet, ‘If your mind dislike anything, obey it. I will forestall their repair hither and say you are not fit’. Hamlet replies, ‘Not a whit… If it be now, ’tis not to come. If it be not to