To Choose Or Not To Choose
You make around 35,000 choices a day they’re everywhere you go and in everything you do. Some so simplistic that you don 't consciously think about them, while others weigh greatly on the conscious and take time to think about. However you never know how these decisions are going to affect you, nor do you know what the outcome will be until you make them. This makes us hesitate, debate, and philosophize their potential, leaving room for one to talk themselves out or to find something else to occupy their mind. In WIlliam Shakespeare 's Hamlet this is exactly what our hero does over and over again until his hand is forced and he must take action.
Hamlet tells the tale of a Prince from Denmark who has just lost
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The End of Hamlet we are able to descend into Hamlet 's madness and truly see the cause of his delay.
Hamlet is struggling with who he is as a person and what he stands for. Here we have a man who used to believe in the world and all the good it had to offer, that is now broken and filled with pain. The loss of his father is a heavy burden for him to bear, along with the newfound anger he has towards his mother Gertrude for her remarriage to Claudius He states that the world he thought he knew has become “weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable”, that there is no form of justice for his father 's murder, and no calling for Claudius’ head. This steals away at Hamlets drive to act, time and time again we see him become enraged and ready to kill, only for the flames to be snuffed out by some other distracting matter.
A perfect example of this Act 1 Scene 5 when Hamlet states “ ...I’ll wipe away all trivial fond records, / All saw of the books, all forms, all pressures past / That youth and observation copied there, / And thy commandment all alone shall live / Within the books and volume of my brain, / Unmixed with baser matters “(1.5.9-104). Here we see him hellbent on avenging his father, proclaiming that he will wipe all of his remembrances and books from his memory good and bad so that he can focus on revenge. Yet ironically the next time we see Hamlet he is reading a book and seems to have forgotten all about this.
This all sets the stage for Hamlet’s mental state prior to learning that he was killed by somebody in his family. These themes of death and betrayal lead into the end of the first act when Hamlet is tasked by the ghost of his father to seek revenge against Claudius for what he did. Hamlet believes that he was “born to set it right” (1.5.190). The extremes of this line reveal that Hamlet believes that the whole reason for his existence is to avenge his father. This need for revenge drives Hamlet for the rest of the play. He wants justice for his father, but he also wants to punish Claudius for his murder and marrying his mother. He gives in to human nature when he starts striving to avenge his father’s death.
In this soliloquy we also observe the use of sensory imagery to spearhead the theme along. Hamlet paints an image of a river that is weakened by changing the direction of the current. He declares, “With this regard their currents turn awry/ And lose the name of action,” (III.i.88-89). We have visual imagery of a river whose current has begun to flow differently. This river can no longer move with the power of a raging rapid, they are weakened due to this massive change in their life. Hamlet is similar to this river; his father has been killed and his uncle is now his step-father. This is a colossal change in his life that has drastically weakened him. He must make a giant change to his life yet again and he will never know how this will turn out for him. We see his attentiveness in the quote: “And by a sleep say we end / The heart-ache and thousand natural shocks / That flesh is heir to,” (III.i.62-64). Contemplating killing himself we notice that all he truly wants is for the heartache to end. With organic imagery Shakespeare makes this incredibly relatable to most audiences. The majority of people have had – or will have - a
He alters from innocent sorrow and depression following his father’s death to unhinged insanity and anger once he hears of his father’s true reason for death. Hamlet is constantly under scrutiny and this led to the way in which he chooses to handle his response to learning information about his father’s involuntary passing. The significant change in Hamlet’s emotions also pushes the implied meaning of how thought processes work differently for everyone. It is extremely noticeable of Hamlet specifically, that clear thought processes can be clouded by a desire to carry out crazy and revengeful
In Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, Hamlet, a studious young man and Prince of Denmark, struggles to face the death of his father and the task to kill his father’s murderer, Claudius. He was once known as a charming, smart young man before his father’s death. However, Hamlet experiences depression and anger at the world, causing him to look outwardly on society but failing to look inwardly on himself. The death of his father and the task for vengeance leads him to question whether or not he should follow through in killing Claudius. He becomes a man of thought rather than a man of action. In addition, the delay of King Claudius’ murder leads the readers to believe that he wishes not to kill him; he
Hamlet is considered to be Shakespeare's most famous play. The play is about Prince Hamlet and his struggles with the new marriage of his mother, Gertrude, and his uncle and now stepfather, King Claudius about only two months after his father’s death. Hamlet has an encounter with his father, Old King Hamlet, in ghost form. His father accuses Claudius of killing him and tells Hamlet to avenge his death. Hamlet is infuriated by this news and then begins his thoughts on what to do to get revenge. Hamlet and Claudius are contrasting characters. They do share similarities, however, their profound differences are what divides them.Hamlet was portrayed as troubled, inactive, and impulsive at times. Hamlet is troubled by many things, but the main source of his problems come from the the death of his father. “Oh, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt, thaw, and resolve itself into a dew, or that the everlasting had not fixed his canon 'gainst self-slaughter” (Act 1, Scene 2). In this scene, Hamlet is contemplating suicide, which is caused by the death of his father and the new marriage of Gertrude and King Claudius. This scene shows the extent of how troubled Hamlet is. Even though Hamlet’s father asked him to avenge his death, Hamlet is very slow to act on this throughout the play. “Now might I do it pat. Now he is a-praying. And now I’ll do ’t. And so he goes to heaven. And so am I revenged.—That would be scanned. A villain kills my father, and, for that, I, his sole son, do this same villain send to heaven” (Act 3, Scene 3). This scene shows King Claudius praying, while Hamlet is behind him drawing his sword but decides not to kill
In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the titular character struggles to engage in his desired plan of revenge. Hamlet shows throughout the play that he is inconsistent, indecisive, and unsure of himself, as well as his actions. The play focuses on Hamlet’s revenge; however, he continuously fails to happen at opportunistic moments. Throughout the play, Hamlet insists that he intends to avenge his father’s death through the murder of Claudius, but Hamlet fails to act on occasion because of his indecisive personality.
Hamlet, and J Alfred Prufrock take us down the paths of revenge and recollection. Hamlet is driven by the want to revenge his fathers murder. Early on In the story Hamlet learns of the way in which his father is killed and this brings out a rage in him. This shows readers how much Hamlet really loved his father and how willing he is to get his revenge. Hamlet is willing to go crazy so that his actions wouldn’t be suspicious to his mother, Claudius, or Polonius. It was proved to work considering Claudius covered Hamlet’s murder of Polonius. Hamlet was willing to go as far as killing his two “best friends” so that he could kill Claudius. One example of Hamlets love for his father was how he said, “By what it fed on, and yet, within a month—Let me not think on ’t. Frailty, thy name is woman!—A little month, or ere those shoes were old With which she followed my poor father’s body, Like Niobe, all tears. Why she, even she—O God, a beast that wants discourse of reason, Would have mourned longer!—married with my uncle”(1.2.145-152). Hamlet argues that his mother shouldn’t have been able to move on as fast as she did. He emphasizes one month, the time it took for his mom to move on and the fact that she married his fathers brother is what makes him even sicker. Hamlets affection for his father is what drives his pursuit of revenge. While Prufrock doesn’t show much love towards a certain individual, similarly,
From the perspective of Claudius, Hamlet is insane and this discourse is motivated by Claudius’s desire to silence his nephew. Claudius feels the urge to silence Hamlet because he is asking far too many questions about his father’s death and appears to be getting too close to the
Hamlet is a character that we love to read about and analyze. His character is so realistic, and he is so romantic and idealistic that it is hard not to like him. He is the typical young scholar facing the harsh reality of the real world. In this play, Hamlet has come to a time in his life where he has to see things as they really are. Hamlet is an initiation story. Mordecai Marcus states "some initiations take their protagonists across a threshold of maturity and understanding but leave them enmeshed in a struggle for certainty"(234). And this is what happens to Hamlet.
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.
King Claudius's contribution to the conversation exacerbates the tension in the scene. When he refers to Hamlet as “my son “ Hamlet immediately rebuffs him, saying that he is “a little more kin and a little less kind”. The young prince feels aversion towards his malevolent stepfather who has taken over the role of the king and has also married his mother. Claudius does not try to console Hamlet or offer him any support. Instead he criticises behaviour and treats him like a stubborn ignorant child. In Claudius's long speech, refers to Hamlet’s grief as “unmanly“ suggestion that his actions are and fitting for a man. He also declares that his step-sons behaviour is “It shows a will most incorrect to heaven”. This is very offensive as he is saying that Hamlet is going against God's wishes. The sentences Claudius use in his speech clearly imply that his relationship with Hamlet is very distorted.The antagonist continues by adding “why should we in our peevish opposition/ Take it to heart?”. Claudius is acting in a very philosophical and inhuman as if his brother has not died recently. He sees death as a meaningless phase in life and that Hamlet should move on like he did. Two bold words jump out of his speech “unprevailing well“. He can’t feel the pain Hamlet is enduring and that’s why he thinks Hamlet is overreacting. Shakespeare has successfully sent us the message that Claudius is a very insensitive man and that Hamlet is feeling great aversion towards him and this is a reason why their relationship is very weak.
Consistently, Hamlet reveals his innermost thoughts and devising of plans in order to lead up a decision. Hamlet includes the audience through soliloquies of the intricacy and complexity of each of his
Hamlet often times exhibits signs of being in emotional state. It though to know when he is truly being real or living his lie as he seeks to avenge his father’s death. Claudius live for power went as for him to kill his brother to get to the throne. Because of his love for his father he has hatred towards his killer, Claudius. “A villain kills my father and for that I, his sole son, do this same villain send to heaven.
Hamlet is an intensely cerebral character marked by a desire to think things through and pick situations apart. As such, for the first three and a half scenes of Hamlet, Hamlet broods over his father’s death instead of taking action against Claudius, his father’s murderer. Hamlet finally acts because he experiences three intense emotional jolts that allow him to view his situation from a new perspective and spur him to action. Together, these emotional experiences alter his personal philosophy about the nature of death and God’s relationship with creation, and compel him to finally take decisive action.
Eva Young once said, “To think too long about doing a thing often becomes its undoing.” The play Hamlet written by William Shakespeare exemplifies this quote as it showcases Hamlet’s never ending battle with procrastination. The story follows the tragic hero, and Price of Denmark, Hamlet, whose father has just been murdered and his mission to get revenge for it. The play opens with the words “who’s there?” (Shakespeare 1.1.1), being a question, this establishes the underlying tone of the play and of Hamlet himself. Everything is questioned, and as a result, many major events are trumped because of it. This procrastination leads Hamlet to his doom in the end of the story. Needs More Before Thesis. The soliloquies of Hamlet provide insight