TJ Haessig
Mr. Dranginis
Advanced Poetry
2/14/16
Deciding Fate In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet is a prince, who has been tasked to avenge his murdered father. As the ghost of his dead father assigns him this deed, Hamlet assumes it is now his fate to murder the king and cut the corruption out of the kingdom. As the play progresses, Hamlet does not actively attempt to assassinate the King, revealing his hope that he has free-will in the matter. Near the end of the play, Hamlet experiences a transformation, believing that fate in inevitable. Yet, his actions tell otherwise, as he still hesitates to murder the King. Conveniently, Hamlet is then poisoned. With nothing left and Hamlet believing fate must play it’s course, he ends the King’s
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As the play progresses, Hamlet’s actions tell he actively attempts to escape his self-proclaimed fate. Suspicions rise that Hamlet tests his free-will when he is inactive to plot the murder of his father. Instead, he develops a play to prove that the King is guilty, yet the play’s only effect is such, which does not bring Claudius closer to death. Finally, Hamlet has a chance to assassinate Claudius, but hesitates, believing that since the King is praying, he will go to heaven. This thought process and decision making demonstrates his attempt at free will. Hamlet’s assignment is solely to kill Claudius, yet his own thoughts get in the way, needing Claudius to waste away in hell and not heaven. In addition, when Claudius wishes to send Hamlet to England, he enthusiastically responds “For England!” (4.3.52), accepting being sent away, even though his mission is to kill Claudius, who resides in Denmark. In that instance, Hamlet is content with being shipped away, as he hopes to prolong his fate, hoping free-will will win over. Near the end of the play, Hamlet’s words contradict his actions, regarding fate versus free-will, yet when he is poisoned his belief in fate is reassured. Throughout the middle of the play, Hamlet scarcely mentions fate, leaving speculation to whether he follows it. Then, right before he fights Laertes, Hamlet voices his thoughts, saying, “We defy augury…If it be/ now, ‘tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be/ now; if it be not now, yet
He is seen again delaying his revenge due to over thinking when refusing to kill Claudius in a moment of weakness. The prince’s reluctance to murder the praying king and thus sending him directly to heaven is ironic due to the fact that Claudius is unable to confess his sins and ask for God’s forgiveness. The readers once again observe Hamlet’s failure to execute his responsibility due to his overwhelming desire to perform the perfect revenge.
”Thus conscience does not make cowards of us all;/ And thus the native hue of resolution/ Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought;/ And enterprises of great pith and moment,/ With this regard, their currents turn away,/ And lose the name of action.” Hamlet here combines some themes of this play: death and life, the connection between thought and action. In act five scene five, he goes into Claudius’ room to kill him. Like the last time he went to kill him, he was on his knees praying. Why send him to Heaven when he should go to Hell? His father wasn’t given a chance to repent his sins before he was murdered, so why should King Claudius? Hamlet thinks about this for a minute, and decides to wait for a more reasonable
Topic 2. As the son of a murdered noble, Hamlet is obligated to avenge the death of his father. It was the many losses faced by Hamlet in his life filled with extreme tragedies that forced him to avenge his father’s death from Claudius”.“In ‘Hamlet’, a play by William Shakespeare; the protagonist, Hamlet throughout the play is perceived to be mad however Hamlet’s insanity was more than an act. Hamlet's father's ghost sent him on a mission to kill Claudius to avenge his death, he tried to go but he kept hesitating back and forth. It was not that he was unfaithful, and he did not want to do it, but he was not done thinking it out. Every time he was about to do the deed
Even when he discovers Claudius' guilt, Hamlet finds himself bound by conscience. He comes across Claudius in the King's chamber, but as Claudius is in prayer (or so Hamlet perceives him to be), he cannot bring himself to kill the King, lest Claudius meet with a better end than his own father:
Laertes plots for vengeance due to Hamlet killing his father and second-handedly killing his sister, Ophelia. Hamlet, who is still a self-absorbed narcissist, is beyond clueless to Laertes intentions for fighting. In the end, Hamlet is cut with the poisonous sword, Laertes is stabbed with the poisonous sword, Gertrude drinks from the poisonous cup, and King Claudius finally gets what he deserves after Hamlet, as he’s dying, stabs him and forces him to drink the poison. Hamlet, who suffered through a road of vengeance, finally kills Claudius at the last possible second. All of Hamlet’s family and friends die because of his inability to be a man of action and a man of thought at the times when they are opportune. His delay of killing Claudius led him to become invested in his own issues and become the domino effect for the death of others. His moral ambiguity is questioned even at the end of the play because he killed Claudius at the last possible second. In Shakespeare’s tragedies, like Hamlet, Hamlet desire for vengeance ultimately corrupts the morals and decisions he makes further affecting the people around him as he is so self-involved. Hamlet’s morals suffer because he never once looked within himself to understand where he went wrong. Hamlet’s moral ambiguity creates this significance to the play by emphasizing the fact that
Hamlet’s thoughts about heaven and hell throughout the book can be interpreted as uncertain, and often compel him to do rash, unwarranted things. Hamlet considers killing Claudius: “Now might I do it pat, now he is praying,/And now I'll do ’t./And so he goes to heaven,/And so am I revenged.”
Now Hamlet uses a rational “now he is praying; And now I'll do't./ And so he goes to heaven;/ And so am I revenged. That would be scann'd:/ A villain kills my father; and for that,/ I, his sole son, do this same villain send/ To heaven”(p.79). Hamlet uses this “logic” to further justify his inconsistency between his actions and his motive. Finally, during the last scene, Hamlet encounters yet another chance to avenge his father’s, and now also his mother’s murders after his fencing match against Laertes. Claudius tries to kill Hamlet by poisoning him, and poisons Gertrude instead; this is the final breaking point of Hamlet. After the death of his mother Hamlet, can no longer hold back and strikes his foil through Claudius’s heart. Then, he forces the poisoned wine down his throat. This occurrence yet again shows Hamlet’s indecisive character. He plans out the vengeance of his father’s death so many times perfectly, but kills Claudius without a plan and everyone witnesses the murder.
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
Hamlet later furthers this sentiment in his own words, wondering to himself: "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" (3.1.55-58). Hamlet’s confession curses the randomness of fortune that has pained him greatly. He contemplates whether it is a better decision to commit suicide than to live with life’s troubles and suggests that fortune has stolen his own sense of
Marked as one of the greatest Shakespearean tragedies, Hamlet is riddled with corruption, murder, and indecision. As the true personification of an antihero and the driver of the play’s plot, Hamlet represents the duality of human nature. Hamlet may be the judge and jury presiding over the characters of the play, but Fate remains the executioner. Hamlet is a commentary on Fate’s power in controlling the good and evil in both man and reality as a whole.
Shakespeare's Hamlet is truly a great play to analyze. It is also unique in that a play based on revenge we don't see any action until the end. Hamlet has immediate suspicion and proof of his fathers murder and does not act. This poses the question, why does it take so long for Hamlet to kill Claudius? Hamlet's apparent indecisiveness to act is due to his constant habit of over thinking in addition to several conscious and subconscious distractions.
Hamlet also has free will and is very intelligent. A tragic hero must have free will or his fate would be decided for him, and his death could be avoided. He feigns madness to meet more information about Claudius and not give away his ulterior motive. "I am but mad north-north-west. When the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw" (Shakespeare 2.2 402). This quote signifies that he is only mad at certain times, the rest of the time he know what he is doing. Also he uses free will when he saw Claudius praying. He could have slain him then and there, but if he did that Claudius could have a chance of going to Heaven; Hamlet did not want to send his nemesis somewhere where he could be care-free and guilt free.
Hamlet’s plot to avenge his father’s death is ultimately driven by his passion and emotions, but his reasoning plays a role in the story as he considers the impact of certain actions. In scene three of act three, Hamlet finally receives an opportunity to carry out his plan. As Claudius is kneeling in prayer, the prince pulls out a sword and prepares to kill his father’s murderer. In this moment, he is driven by anger and bitterness, however, he suddenly has a realization and thinks logically. If he kills the man as he is praying, he will not suffer, but rather will go straight to heaven. Hamlet decides
First, as Aristotle indicates, a tragic hero must face a serious decision that they have to make. Prince Hamlet has to make many very serious decisions throughout the play “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare, starting in act III. The first decision Prince Hamlet has to make is whether or not he should kill his uncle Claudius. At the end of act III scene iii Prince Hamlet plans to kill Claudius but walks in on him while he appears to be praying. Prince Hamlet believes that if he kills Claudius while in prayer, Claudius will go to heaven and will not be punished for murdering his father. This decision is crucial in the play because it causes a chain reaction of events. Another important decision Prince Hamlet makes is choosing to fight Laertes. In act IV, scene vii Claudius and Laertes plan to lure Prince Hamlet into a dull when he returns to Denmark. When he arrives, Prince Hamlet goes to the churchyard with Horatio. Soon the funeral procession for Ophelia enters the churchyard. Prince Hamlet rushes to her grave and begins arguing with Laertes. This argument leads to Prince Hamlet agreeing to the dual. This is a serious decision because it ultimately leads to his death.
Throughout the play, Hamlet's soliloquies entrap his motives and at times leave him stuck without a clear path to take. This is evident even from his first soliloquy As Hamlet thinks “That this too too solid flesh would melt, Thaw and resolve itself into dew; or that the everlasting had not fix’d His canon ‘gainst self-slaughter” (Ham. 1.2.). Hamlet doubts the purpose of life as he infers that he wants to committee suicide but is unsure due to it being a sin against God. Hamlet's indecisiveness can be traced back to his curiosity about after life due to his father’s ghost existing and him thinking that in murdering his uncle, Hamlet's soul would not get an afterlife. However, the time period in which Hamlet is based in, it was a son's duty to avenge his father if he was a murdered noble. “A villain kills my father; and for that, I, his oldest son, do this same villain send to heaven” (Ham.