Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”: Hamlet as a Masculine Character

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Hamlet is one of Shakespeare’s most captivating plays which remains popular with contemporary audiences. Initially, the themes and scenes of the play were designed for staging at the Shakespeare theatre, and the costumes and the actors’ play were supposed to evoke awe for the rich life of medieval nobles. However, the themes that Shakespeare revealed in the play and the plot found such a wide response that the play met with dozens, if not hundreds interpretations in English, French, and other theaters in the 17th-19th centuries. Later, with the advent of cinema, Hamlet came under the close attention of directors, who allowed even more liberties in the plot. This essay argues that Hamlet is a masculine character and his decisiveness can be traced throughout the paper.

Remarkably, the popular characterizations of prince Hamlet as melancholy, suicidal, insane, or overwhelmed by love were not introduced by Shakespeare but appeared much later. These interpretations reflect the vision of the authors of theatrical productions and have an equal right to life with other interpretations. For example, scenes of communication between Hamlet and Fortinbras, where Hamlet’s masculinity and his friendship with the heroic Norwegian are emphasized, and memories of joint military campaigns are discussed, are cut out in many later theatrical interpretations of Shakespeare.

As a result, despite the general purpose of the directors to pay more attention to the central character, reducing long dialogues and branches from the main plot, the figure and image of Hamlet became incomplete, largely feminized, and refined. In this regard, productions where Hamlet is presented as a more masculine figure, such as the play Old Vic in 1930 and 1938, are of particular interest (Bevington and Kastan 35). This essay will pay more attention to the masculine traits of Hamlet, such as the desire for justice, selflessness, courage, wit, and, most importantly, determination.

Although Hamlet is usually seen as a model of indecisiveness, and even cowardice, according to Shakespeare, he only once indulges in thinking of killing Claudius from an ethical perspective. Otherwise, in the course of the plot, Hamlet only tries to make sure that Claudius is guilty of the murder. There are many obstacles in the way of Hamlet, as Claudius, probably feeling threatened, and, perhaps due to his nature, tries not to lose control of the situation, despite some agony of regret that arose after watching the performance organized by Hamlet.

Notably, Hamlet’s father was a hero who fought in many battles, including Viking raids into northern Poland in the company of the Norwegian king Fortinbras, and then he killed Fortinbras. Horatio says in the first scene:

At least, the whisper goes so. Our last king
Whose image even but now appeared to us,
Was, as you know, by Fortinbras of Norway,
Thereto pricked on by a most emulate pride,
Dared to the combat; in which our valiant Hamlet –
For so this side of our known world respected him –
Did slay this Fortinbras; who by a sealed compact
Well ratified by law and heraldry
Did forfeit, with his life, all those his lands
Which he stood seized of, to the conqueror. (Bevington and Kastan 1.1.84-93)

Hamlet’s reflections and his sadness are connected not with indecisiveness, but with sadness caused by his father’s death, whom Hamlet loved dearly. In the first scene where the prince appears, the queen says “Good Hamlet, cast your nighted color / And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark / Do not forever with your vailèd lids / Seek for your noble father in the dust” (Bevington and Kastan 1.2.68-71). Then, in a conversation with Horatio, Hamlet speaks of his father “He was a man. Take him for all in all, I shall not look upon him like again” (Bevington and Kastan 1.2.187-188). Hamlet understands that Claudius’ betrayal makes him responsible for the fate of the state, for which he is not ready due to his still young age. Therefore, he sometimes over-indulges in thoughts about the pain and injustice of the world, which is characteristic of adolescents.

Hamlet’s conversation with the Ghost is especially interesting, as this is one of the rare meetings between the son and his father, who was often busy on military campaigns. Hamlet very emotionally greets the Ghost:

I’ll call thee Hamlet,
King, father, royal Dane. Oh, answer me!
Let me not burst in ignorance, but tell
Why your canonized bones, heard in death,
Have burst their ceremonies; why the sepulcher
Wherein we saw thee quietly inurned
Hath oped his ponderous and marble jaws
To cast them up again. (Bevington and Kastan 1.4.44-51)

After Hamlet follows the Ghost, it replies “If thou didst ever thy dear father love / Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” (Bevington and Kastan 1.5.24-26). This call is preceded by a dramatic speech about the sins that will force king Hamlet to hell until they are burned and faded. Hamlet admires his father, but he did not receive enough attention from him – this is evidenced by dialogue with Horatio and questions about how the ghost looked like. Therefore, the prince is ready to do anything to fulfill his father’s will. Such behavior is deeply masculine, and despite his young age and the unreasonable severity of the opposing circumstances, Hamlet fulfills this promise.

A series of betrayals threaten to mercilessly destroy Hamlet’s life, leaving no room for hope or regret. The only support, his father, is dead; Claudius cannot become a new role model; his mother Gertrude is seen as a traitor. He can not rely on Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, who, without much remorse, carry out the orders of Claudius, and in general, were probably assigned to Hamlet by his parents for ‘games and entertainment.’ His friend Horatio cannot be privy to Hamlet’s affairs because of the need to keep the revenge in secret.

His beloved Ophelia is also cut off from him by circumstances, because, feeling a threat to her life associated with the plan to kill Claudius, Hamlet does not want to endanger her. Hamlet is deliberately rude to Ophelia and orders her to go to the monastery, as he wants to protect her, showing the maturity of feelings and masculinity. Hamlet’s love for Ophelia is deep, sincere and devoid of any distortions, including the Oedipus complex. Subsequently, this love turns out to be the weakness that Hamlet’s enemy Claudius uses: Laertes’ desecration of the ritual of Ophelia’s funeral pushes Prince Hamlet to a duel with Laertes, although Hamlet feels that this is an unreasonable act.

In isolation, and having to outsmart the other heirs and court representatives who are likely to protect Claudius, Hamlet pretends to be insane or at least slightly distraught, which is partly true, given his shock from the grief caused by the death of his father and the betrayal of his family. Not reflections, but actions determine the character of Hamlet, who is forced to fulfill his plan in complete solitude and relies only on himself. He is resolute, but his determination is manifested in obedience to fate, obedience to the will of his father and circumstances, which, as he later learns, are the will of his enemy Claudius.

The play Hamlet is a tragedy: in the final, the odds are stronger than the prince, and Hamlet dies from the poisoned sword of Laertes, having managed, however, to kill Claudius, whose guilt he finally ascertains. The tragedy traditionally ends with the death of all the main characters – Laertes, who died from the same sword, Gertrude, who drank the wine poisoned by Claudius, Claudius, the third victim of the poisoned sword, and Hamlet himself. Horatio wants to join this crowd, but Hamlet dissuades him, asking to tell the people about the sad fate of Hamlet and the reasons for the fall of the Danish kingdom.

Thus, this essay argued that Hamlet is a masculine character and his decisiveness can be traced throughout the paper. Hamlet’s determination can be seen in the course of the story, which continues to unfold with unexpected twists and turns. Despite the apparent vulnerability to Claudius, Hamlet does not allow him to reveal his plan. Moreover, when Claudius begins to guess the reasons for Hamlet’s strange behavior, the prince takes a decisive step, killing the figure behind the curtain. This is followed by a forced journey, where Hamlet also outsmarts Claudius. A final duel, however, causes the death of both Hamlet and Claudius. Eventually, Hamlet kills his enemy and restores justice by fulfilling his promise to his father. Therefore, we can assume that Hamlet is the story of the victory of the prince over his enemy.

Work Cited

Bevington, David, and David Scott Kastan. Four Tragedies: Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth. Bantam Classic, 2011.

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Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”: Hamlet as a Masculine Character

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