Discussing Hamlet Essay

At various times, Shakespeare has been seen by critics as presenting Hamlet as a sensitive poet, unable to endure the cruel pressures of the world, a man driven by sexual desire for his mother, and a representative to a corrupt political regime. Which would be your interpretation and why? The character of Hamlet can simply be described as he who â€Å"embodies all that man represents in earth†- as ‘Toril Moi’ so eloquently points out. My interpretation, like Toril’s, is that simplicity is an element that lacks in tremendous proportions in Hamlet; he is a complex and three-dimensional character to an infinite extent. So much so, his complexity allows him to assume an ‘antic-disposition’ and also appear truly insane at the same time. It is evident that Shakespeare adopted the ‘Senecan’ classical revenge tragedy style of plot, which clearly sets out the characteristics of Hamlet: As the son of the dead king/father, it was obligatory to avenge his father’s death, however hindering this act is the hero’s hesitation, which one could describe as Hamlet’s cowardice. Eventually, Hamlet killing Claudius fulfils the revenge tragedy. Hamlet is therefore a revenge tragedy in plot, but not in central character. In my opinion, it is more intriguing to use the vengeance theme as a carrier to express the unimaginable depth of emotion contained in Hamlet. This emotion is caused by human experience of dealing with death, pursuing revenge, inaction, action, failure in love, and finally the oppressive affect on man (Hamlet) by a nation of corrupt power. Hamlet is a dexterous courtier and scholar, yet in times of extreme pressure he averts from his calm-courtier ways and behaves erratically, leading to fatal ends, such as the unnecessary killing of Polonius. The genuine despair of Hamlet limits his capacity for action and increases his self-abasement and self-disgust, constantly questioning the value and purpose of his life- hence being unable to endure the cruel pressures of the world. Hamlet thinks too precisely under the weight of thought, which as he says himself â€Å"makes cowards of us all†- This hesitation eventually leads to the downfall of Hamlet! I would define the ‘sensitivity’ in Hamlet as a deep philosophical nature wherein is contained a boundless range of emotion, which is depicted more so in the seven soliloquies in the play. We see Hamlet’s first soliloquy in act 1, scene 2, and expect to see a true sensitivity of Hamlet, as Shakespeare intended soliloquies to reveal a character’s true feelings, void of lies and deception. The opening lines of the soliloquy immediately introduce poetic antithesis: ‘O, that this too sullied flesh would melt, Thaw and resolve itself into a dew†. It is evident here that Hamlet is plagued with melancholy, wanting his ‘solid’ pain to dissolve, in other words he is suicidal. This suicidal behaviour implies that he is unable to endure the cruel pressures of the world, as he welcomes death to terminate all his problems. The reason he gives for not committing suicide is religious, that God condemned it in his sixth commandment, however he wishes that the â€Å"Everlasting had not fix’d His Canon ‘gainst self-slaughter! â€Å". Some critics say that he used religion here to serve as an excuse for avoiding the action of â€Å"self-slaughter†, however I believe in Hamlet’s belief and faith in religion, as he swears upon the language of the church, â€Å"Hic et Ubique† when promising his purpose to his father’s ghost, which I believe Hamlet would have taken very seriously. The bleak, grim words of the soliloquy, such as â€Å"stale†¦ Unprofitable† express of his depression and distaste of life. Hamlet in my opinion is also very unhappy with the state of Denmark, metaphorically representing it as an â€Å"unweeded garden†, that is a diseased and corrupted pit: â€Å"rank and gross†. After the internal insight of depression and woe in Hamlet, we see the reason behind his piteous state- that cannot be due to Claudius killing his father because he doesn’t yet know that! It is in equal measure the death of his beloved father, and the revulsion of Claudius’ and Gertrude’s hasty marriage into â€Å"incestuous sheets†. Hamlet absolutely abhors Claudius, describing him as a â€Å"bloat-king† and a â€Å"Satyr†- simply a beast in modern terms, which is in contrast to the vast admiration for his deceased father, the â€Å"Hyperion†- the beautiful sun God. The fact that Hamlet’s true father was a â€Å"hyperion†, that he was â€Å"so loving to my mother† and that â€Å"she would hang onto him† with great happiness, implies that Hamlet idealised his parents’ marriage. However, the betrayal of his mother to the ideal of marriage at an insincere instant, â€Å"unrighteous tears† at an â€Å"O most wicked speed†, badly bruised Hamlet’s opinion of women, degrading their honour and purity. The poet Hamlet uses personification to express his disgust to womankind in general: â€Å"Frailty thy name is woman! â€Å". This disgust in women is what I believe caused Hamlet’s bitter rejection for Ophelia, not because Hamlet is insensitive, but because his fragile sensitivity was taken advantage of and bruised. Hamlet later continues to express his disgust in women by using similes referring to women in a negative way to describe a bad situation: â€Å"Like a Whore unpacked†¦ â€Å"