Category: Hamlet

In the play, ¨Hamlet ¨ the main character, Hamlet struggles to deal with his father´s death and the recent marriage between his mother and uncle , causing Hamlet to spiral. This may all be to blame by Hamlet’s apparent Oedipus Complex and his unconscious verses his conscious mind. Through out the play William Shakespear proves how Hamlet’s madness leads him to his unfortunate ending.

Shakespeare’s play, “Hamlet” has very similar elements to the Greek Myth, Oedipus Rex. In the late 1800s a man named Sigmund Freud, developed a theory based on the events of the play Oedipus Rex, which has since been known as the Oedipus Complex. Ernest Jones also applied his knowledge of Freudian psychology and wrote a paper suggesting that Hamlet cannot kill his uncle, Claudius because of his repressed feelings for his mother. In the story of Oedipus Rex, Oedipus fulfills a prophecy given to him, by killing his father, Laius and by sleeping with his mother Jocasta. It is apparent that Hamlet very much admires his father and wants to be like him, so much that he sees his mother as another thing he must get once the death of his father. “…the concept is a desire for sexual involvement with the parent of the opposite sex, which produces a sense of competition with the parent of the same sex and a crucial stage in the normal developmental process”(Ahmed, Sofe). It is proven that Hamlet hates his uncle, Claudius so much, he wishes he would have killed his father first in hopes for his mothers love. In Act three scene four the full effect of Hamlet’s feelings for his mother are expressed which make the oedipal complex behaviors in the relationship apparent due to the fact Hamlet makes numerous sexuall allusions. In this scene Hamlet confronts his mother about her relationship with Claudius and her involvement in death of his father, King Hamlet. Here Hamlet is actually more concerned with his mother’s sexual relationship than anything else not even about avenging his father. In an anticipation of his later theories of the Oedipus complex, Freud suggests that Claudius has shown Hamlet the repressed wishes of his own childhood made him realize his desire to kill his father and take his fathers place. Confronted with this image of his own repressed desires, Hamlet responds with self reproaches and scruples of conscience, which remind him that he himself is literally no better than the sinner whom he is to punish.

The psychologist, Carl Jung believed that the universe and all of its inhabitants are made up of a measureless web of thought called the collective unconscious, it’s suggests that the collective unconscious is rooted in the genetic code of every living thing. This collective unconscious is evident in an individual’s personality, which is comprised of five separate personalities blended together ;these are called archetypes. In Jungian psychology, there are five different archetypes: the shadow, anima, animus, persona and the wise old man or mana-personality. Each influences a different aspect of one’s personality. These influences vary from one individual to another depending upon the dominance of each archetype. In the play Hamlet, each one of these archetypes manifests itself as a dominant personality trait within one of the play’s main characters. It is also apparent that the collective unconscious itself is an underlying theme which exists throughout the events in the play. Although, these concepts have only recently been discussed and proposed as a psychological theory, it appears that they pre-date Jung by three hundred years. ‘To be, or not to be: that is the question.’ (Act III, Scene I). He wonders if one route is ‘nobler’ than the next. At this point in the play, Hamlet has been unable to act upon his motives for personal revenge, and this frustrates him. For Cantor, the character of Hamlet exists exactly where two worlds collide. He is in one sense drawn towards the active side of heroism by his father’s legacy and the need for revenge. Simultaneously though, he is pulled to words a religious existence and in some sense sees his father‟s return as a ghost as justification for just such a belief. The conflict is perhaps most evidence in Act-III, scene III when Hamlet has the opportunity to kill the Claudius as he is praying. He restrains himself though, justifying his further hesitation with the following lines. Now might I do it pat, now ,a is a praying;/And now I will do it –and so a goes to heaven,/And so am I revenged.” Hamlets unconscious is apparent in this scene. Hamlet doubts himself constantly, pulling himself back and forth between decisions.

Hamlet is introduced as a reflective, slow-to-act character. While he stays true to this characterization for almost the entire play, he does undergo a transformation by the end of the play. By the end, Hamlet decides that he is no longer going to deprive himself of the revenge he so badly desires against Claudius, so he kills him. At this point, Hamlet is existential. He is the only character who fights back against Claudius’s usurpation of the throne, and he accepts the consequences of his actions without a flinch. This final existential act is what qualifies Hamlet as an existential character in an existential drama at a time when existentialism did not exist in literature. So finally Hamlet does what he said he would do the whole play, kill Claudius, freeing him of his jealousy of any man that comes for his mother.

Over history, Hamlet has been criticized heavily by literary critics, mainly over his mental psyche. Questions have been asked about how Hamlet’s mind works and what drives him to be so hesitant in the majority of the play. Carl Jung’s theory on human psychology archetypes offer an effective way of getting insight to Hamlet’s questionable and hesitant actions which ultimately gives an in depth understanding to Hamlet’s conclusion.

Carl Jung, an influential psychiatrist used his theory of archetypes to gain a better understanding of characters motivations of actions as well as personality traits. Jung’s three distinct archetypes were The shadow, the anima and animus, and the Self, all symbolizing different parts of a person’s personality. The shadow archetype represents unknown characteristics of the main protagonist, in this case, Hamlet. The shadow self also symbolizes many darker aspects of Hamlet’s that are not always apparent. An example of the shadow self is the ghost who urges Hamlet to revenge his father’s murder. It is unclear if the ghost is truly the spirit of King Hamlet, an illusion, or something else entirely. The ghost says to Hamlet “But know, thou noble youth, the serpent that did sting thy father’s life now wears his crown,” (pg 24). Hamlet’s suspicion that his father’s murder was no accident was not fully realized until the ghost enlightened him with this encounter. When Hamlet becomes complacent in his quest for vengeance, the Ghost appears and urges him to into action. The presence of this archetype represents Hamlet’s suppressed suspicion that his father’s death was not merely an accident, and a longstanding urge to exact revenge. This shadow archetype reveals Hamlet’s inner drive to kill his uncle, and functions as a window to his most basic instincts.

The second archetype that is present is the anima archetype. The anima is represented by a person of the opposite sex, and for Hamlet, is a manifestation of feminine impulses in his behavior. Hamlet comes across two different anima archetypes in the play, Gertrude and Ophelia. Hamlet and Ophelia were at one time lovers, however Hamlet ended the relationship once he began to focus on avenging his father. Hamlet’s sanity is questioned at various parts of the play leading to the quote from Polonius, Ophelia’s father “Your noble son is mad….I swear I use no art at all. That he is mad” (pg 36). Ophelia, ironically is only able to evade repression of her set role in society through going insane. Ophelia symbolizes crumbling mindset as he tries to escape social constructs in order to become a character of action.

The last archetype of Jung’s theory is the self archetype. The self archetype is a final mixture of the other archetypes coming together to act as one in one’s personality. Hamlet’s hesitation throughout the play seems to build from a difference between his other archetypes. Hamlet’s morals and underlying beliefs previously held him almost paralyzed to the action of murdering Claudius even when he had the chance. It is not until the very end of the play when Claudius is finally killed by Hamlet that the self archetype in the play is revealed. In the literary criticism The Psyche and Reasoning of Hamlet it is stated that “By viewing the characters as different personifications of Hamlet, the ending of the play takes on a vivid new meaning. All of the main characters, excluding Horatio, are killed, either by each other or by accidental reasons. Their deaths represent Hamlet’s inability to reconcile the warring aspects of his personality.” This alludes to the fact that in this scene Hamlet’s archetypes die, he apart of that death.

Hamlet’s morals and personality restrict him from performing the act he seems to want to commit, killing Claudius. Once he finally kills him, he seems to have the mindset that he has fulfilled the ghosts, or his fathers, demand to revenge him and due to this, he can die knowing that Claudius has paid for his sins. It is easier for Hamlet to feel this way after he sees his mother, Gertrude drink the cup filled with poison that Claudius meant for Hamlet to drink. When Laertes informs him that Gertrude is dying due to Claudius’ intentions, Hamlet acts out of character finally and stabs Claudius with a poisoned sword, killing him.

By viewing all characters of Hamlet through Jung’s archetypes, a better understanding of the underlying themes can be made. Although the archetype theory was published long after Hamlet was published, it is still an effective tool for all literature to help gain insight on the motives and reasoning of a certain character’s actions, in this case, Hamlet and his hesitation.

Reading Hamlet through a Jungian lens clarifies that morality is an essential component of the human psyche, and without it, a person can be destroyed by their own self-interest. A popular belief in the renaissance period was that the world is a stage, and everyone in it is playing a different part. In Hamlet, the parts these characters are playing are merely different aspects of Hamlet himself.

Two classics, “Oedipus Rex,” written by the great Greek playwright Sophocles, and “Hamlet,” work written by the world famous and renowned English author William Shakespeare. Both works are identified by their arduous search for justice and revenge, a very important factor in their respective dramas (Shmoop). Hamlet’s story revolves around the death of King Hamlet of Denmark, the succession of the throne to his brother, who marries Hamlet’s mother. In addition, Hamlet is shown as a son deeply displeased by the way his mother is acting; he is also hesitant because he wants to know the truth about his father’s death and revenge it. In Comparison, the story of Oedipus presents his attempts to expel the plague, that has invade Thebes after Laius’ death, the king. To achieve this, Oedipus must banish the king’s killer. From that moment, he begins a search for the killer, without knowing that it was him all along. Both works are identified as a tragedy; the term tragedy is associated with the type of dramatic work with fatal actions that generate fear and compassion. The characters of a tragedy inevitably face a supernatural force or different situations in life, events that lead to fatality. The main character of the tragedy usually ends up dead or morally destroyed; a tragic hero.

“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, and by opposing end them?—To die,—to sleep…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; And enterprises of great pith and moment, with this regard, their currents turn awry, and lose the name of action.” (3.1). Hamlet doubts all his decisions, he waits to fulfill the duty of revenge, murdering his uncle, who in turn murdered his father, King Hamlet. The pressure of revenge leads him to be doubtful and become indecisive. The prince’s character is emphasized when he is compared with Claudius or Laertes; both man acted quickly and firmly when the time came. Instead, Hamlet delayed his actions until he was dying to avenge the death of King Hamlet as his last opportunity to do so, he kills Claudius. Laertes, in the other hand, was a man of action, he would live up to his word and complete the plan.

Moreover, Hamlet’s hesitation provokes the indirect death of various characters of the play. Polonius is assassinated by Hamlet as he spies on him and his mother, Gertrude, leading to Ophelia to become mad. Ophelia who was Hamlet’s love interest loses her senses when she finds out about her father, also the prince’s attitude towards her contributed, she lastly lets herself drown. Laertes, who is Polonius’ son and Ophelia’s brother, wants revenge for their deaths, he proceeds to verse Hamlet in fencing. Next, Gertrude drinks poison destined for Hamlet, Laertes is cut by his own poisoned sword, Hamlet is also cut. Lastly leading to Hamlet forcing his uncle to drink from the poisoned glass, consequently, the prince dies. However, if Hamlet had taken action in Act 3 Scene III, “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.” Claudius would have been dead and all the other deaths could have been prevented.

At the same time, Oedipus stands as a tragic hero also, pride and salvation of the city, ends up being his downfall, dishonoring and leading to misfortune. As Oedipus already knows he has been cursed since birth to marry his mother and kill his father. However, Oedipus never intended to kill his father, nor to sleep with his mother, but to avoid precisely that fateful fate predicted by the oracle, fleeing from Corinth and from those he mistakenly believes his parents. Nor has he wanted to kill his real father, King Laius, whom he kills by chance, nor has he been particularly attracted to his real mother, Jocasta, with whom he marries in a political marriage to occupy the throne of Thebes after killing the Sphinx. Also has four children with her, Antigone, Ismene, Polynices and Eteocles.

All these facts are outside his intentions and outside his conscious impulses. Lucid and blind, innocent and at the same time guilty, he situates himself, at the beginning of the work, beyond the human condition; saving the people from the curse of the Sphinx, their superiority approaches that of the gods. The oracle was right, Oedipus innocent and naive, yet he does not know of his past. Eventually the truth is revealed and causes havoc among the people of Thebes. Therefore, he ends up excluded from the community, reduced to nothing, like a beast. Their insight and willingness to know and favor their own destruction. Ingenuity, which once opened the doors of the kingdom of Thebes, ends up becoming his own enemy. ‘To a strange land he shall soon grope his way. And of his children, inmates of his home, he shall be proved to be the brother and assassin of his sire’ (Sophocles 472-477). According to the prophet, the oracle has fulfilled its prophecy and now Oedipus must be exiled and punished for his crimes in order for Thebes to be free of plague. ‘He tore the golden brooches that upheld her queenly robe, upraised them high and smote full on his eyeballs, uttering words like these, ‘No more shall ye behold such sights of woe, deeds I have suffered and myself have wrought; henceforward quenched in darkness shall ye see those ye should ne’er have seen; now blind to those whom, when I saw, vainly yearned to know.’

Such was a burden of his moan, whereto, not once but oft, he struck with his hand uplift his eyes, and at each stroke the ensanguined orbs bedewed his beard, not oozing drop by drop, but one black gory downpour, thick as hail’ (Sophocles 1266-1278). As a tragic hero, Oedipus is destined to suffer, so when the truth is reveal and his wife, and mother, realizes this she hangs herself. The king can not bear to live through what he has caused and does not want to see, he takes Jocasta’s brooches and with them pulls his eyes out.

In Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, William Shakespeare introduces us to Hamlet who is the son of the late king of Denmark. Hamlet has been given the task of carrying out revenge for his father’s death by the ghost of his late father. Those guilty of sin should not go free. Confused and giving vague instructions by the ghost of his late father, it takes Hamlet a very long time to come up with a solution to this task of revenge given to him. He takes different approaches and schemes so he can be fully ready to take this journey of revenge. In the past a prince is supposed to be a hero, steady in thinking, and quick to action. After knowing the truth behind his late father’s death, Hamlet his son would be driven by emotion, filled with unjust and ready to go in action without any setbacks, but this was different than what we expected. Hamlet felt differently, not because he did not love his father or care about his father’s death but he is delayed by internal character traits because he is religious, intellectual, filled with conflicted emotions and external obstacles such as being exiled from Denmark.

The church played a very important role in people’s lives back then. The Main church in Denmark at that period was the Catholic Church. Citizens looked up to the church for guidance and protection, while following steadfastly the rules and regulations of the church. Hamlet was no exception to this path. The modern world did not change his, he stayed true and faithful to his religion. He believed in obeying God’s Word. When the Ghost first appeared to Hamlet and told him about the revenge, Hamlet definitely doubted the ghost, because in his believe, good ghost do not ask for revenge. There was a clear opening after Hamlet had all the evidence to kill Claudius but he did not, because he kept questioning if it was right in the eyes of God and when he finally knew he was going to commit a sin and came to agreement with it, other religious obstacles stopped him. In “Act III, Scene III, Lines 73-96” Hamlet finds Claudius alone in the balcony and immediately sees this as the perfect opportunity to carry out the revenge, but to his greatest dismay, Claudius is on his knees praying to God asking God for forgiveness. Hamlet could not kill Claudius then, because according to his religious doctrine, if a sinner begs God for forgiveness, God always forgives our sins, so the person is free from sin and if that person dies right after without committing another sin then, that person goes to heaven. Hamlet wanted Claudius to suffer for his sins in Hell, and he knew sooner or later Claudius was going to commit another sin and will not have the chance to ask for forgiveness. Once again the revenge was delayed. No moment was actually good enough for Hamlet in the play.

Hamlet has been going to school for a very long time. He has been studying in England almost all his life. Education was very important to him and he was very intellectual. After his father’s death, he was not very pleased when his new parents demanded he stayed back in Denmark instead of going back to school. Hamlet was a great thinker, he had the mind of a scholar. Everything he did or planned to do, had to be carefully thought off. In “Act III, Scene II, Line 79-91”, Hamlet gives Horatio instructions during a play at the castle, to watch his uncle’s reaction: body movement, expression, and he would do the same. He wanted another person’s opinion and perspective. Hamlet was not completely clueless about the evidence in the death of his father. The ghost had told him everything and including that gave him some clues which he later on discovered. Carrying out the revenge immediately after knowing all that would be the reaction most people would take. But hamlet being the educated person he is, did not feel the need to rush into conclusion. All the accusations laid on his uncle had to be backed up with physical evidence. While thinking about how he was going to find out the truth and Idea came up. He hired players to come and perform at the castle for a fun night and one of the stories the players would act out, will be how his father died. This was a smart move, Hamlet wanted to watch the mannerisms of his uncle during the play. This would help him in understanding if his uncle Claudius is guilty or not. There is always uneasiness when someone is guilty and hamlet needed that proof to take him to the next step. Hamlet needed his actions for the revenge to be justified. The approach Hamlet used is like that of a scientist performing an experiment. First he created a hypothesis, then carries out the experiment, observes the experiment, then draws a conclusion. The hypothesis was Claudius was going to have a negative reaction to the play, the experiment was the players acting out the play, the observation was Hamlet and Horatio observing Claudius while the play was going on; he used Horatio so the experiment is not biased. Last but not the list, is the conclusion which he realized Claudius was guilty.

Hamlet never had the opportunity to fully grieve his father death. Losing a parent is always very tough on people. After losing his Father, the only person Hamlet had left was his Mother to comfort and guide him, but returning to Denmark he finds out that right after the death of his father, his mother is married to his deceased fathers, brother. That was a very disturbing situation and Hamlet had to see and live through it. His mother did not grieve his father as Hamlet would have wanted her to and neither did she stand by Hamlet to help him get over the tragedy. He was left to carry the burden by himself. In “Act I, Scene II, Line 129-159” We see Hamlet open up his feelings about his father’s death and his mother’s relationship. He praises his father as an excellent king, who loved his mother dearly, but despite all that, his mother could not wait to stop grieving and marry his uncle. Hamlet began to see his mother as a bad woman, which leads him to feel disgusted by all women, and strain the relationship he had with Ophelia who he loved so much. Looking back at all the awful things that has been happening in the kingdom, Hamlet begins to lose his mind and question his existence. “In Act III, Scene I, Line 54-88” we see the most famous Hamlet soliloquy, “To be or not to be”. “He compares life to death, whether it is better for a person to withstand all the bad things that goes on in life or to end all the misery by dying?” Pertaining to the religious aspect he thinks about killing himself but falls short of the act because it is a sin to commit suicide. Stock between life and death, Hamlet almost drives himself insane. “Act II, Scene II, Line 573-628” we see Hamlet begin to question himself, feeling guilty of not performing the revenge sooner after having all the evidence. This phase of trying to find his purpose in life, took up more time, delaying the revenge. questions himself and feels guilty for not acting While spending time contemplating, there was a self-realization taking place and he begins to draw closer to a decision.

There were situations which Hamlet had no control over; he could not change the outcome all he had to do was adhere. “Act IV, Scene III, Line 44-57”, Claudius uses this opportunity, in which Hamlet kills Polonius to exile him to England. But he claimed it was for Hamlet’s safety, if the news was released to the public that he killed Polonius Hamlet would have been targeted. By doing this the king was trying to get rid of Hamlet for good, and all the suspicions he had, as he felt hamlet could be a threat to his throne as king. Hamlet knew all this but played along with Claudius game. By going away to England Hamlet was drifted away from his main task of carrying out the revenge and got distracted with the issues of Fortinbras. If he was at the kingdom by watching what goes on, he will have the zeal to carry out the revenge because he cannot stand the disgust. There was no possible way he could do that out of Denmark, because he would not think about it a lot and secondly he lacked the resources.

Conclusion

All this internal traits that hamlet portrayed which were anti-heroic compared to the normal ideology of a prince and external obstacles caused by Claudius which hamlet had no control over led to valuable time being wasted. He was not a coward either, he had great determination and was not afraid to speak the truth, but due to all this terrible events happening at close ranges he began to lose track of himself. He let his intellectual skills get in the way by acting crazy, which led to him having conflicted emotions about life, then killing Polonius as part of his paranoia, and the consequence was him getting exiled. This delay did not only extend the revenge but also affected almost everyone’s life both in Denmark and out of Denmark

Towards the end of the play, Hamlet is confronted with another struggle in contemplating the role of providence, which again, delays his quest for revenge. When Hamlet returns to Denmark in Act IV, he acquires a more mellow and mature understanding of Christian salvation, which is the idea that a divine force is wisely and rationally running the universe.

Hamlet: There is a special providence in the fall of a sparrow. If it be now, ’tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come – the readiness is all. Since no man of aught he leaves knows, what is’t to leave betimes? Let be.

The “fall of a sparrow” is Biblical imagery from the Gospel, illustrating that the fate of every creature, even the insignificant nature of a small bird, lies within the hands of God. Since God is so concerned with everything, this allusion affirms the wise and moral way in which the supreme being governs and protects the universe.

Moreover, the syntactical repetition in the following line, “tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come” reinforces the perspective that all Christians can do in this world is to be ready and prepared. Since time is controlled by God, Hamlet believes that the world will unfold as it should and when it is most fitting.

At this point, he is no longer trying to find the right time to get revenge on Claudius; instead, he concludes with “let be,” emphasizing his affirmation and trust in God’s complete control.

Since Hamlet no longer needs to be the agent for divine justice, his act of vengeance is delayed again and he awaits readily for divine guidance to help accomplish his revenge.

In conclusion, Hamlet’s excessive contemplative nature is the result of his inner turmoil as he is tormented by the uncertainty of knowledge and is conflicted by his religious beliefs. These internal conflicts lead to his continuous questions and considerations regarding sin and salvation and the consequences of his actions, thus hindering his ability to act resolutely.

Hamlet’s delays, however, suggest that he harbors a self-centered attitude and the act of vengeance was ultimately self-serving. Had he set aside his personal conundrums of how he could be affected and focused on the well being of Denmark, the revenge would have been executed at a much faster pace. Instead, these hindrances affected the nation as a whole, delaying the restoration of order in his country and resulted in numerous innocent casualties.

The play ‘Hamlet’, by William Shakespeare, is a disastrous story that traps frenzy, trickery, and lies so as to have exact retribution present in ‘Hamlet.’ Throughout the play Hamlet searches out his reprisal on his uncle influencing everybody around him, just as other people who search out requital. By doing as such those around Hamlet turn out to be a piece of the web Hamlet has weaved just to convey his dads request. In the play different individuals search out requital however through the plans of reprisal it definitely brings disaster and surprising results. Presently in the present requital, more often than not, closes with the cheerful closure. Normally exact retribution is viewed as the ‘gallant’ vindicate where toward the end it prompts the cheerful closure for the ‘heroes.’ Demonstrating that a decent portion of requital will make everything better.He chooses to search out reprisal on the man that nearly pulverizing his life. He effectively showcases his vengeance and takes out the person who devastated his previous lifestyle.

Hamlets demonstration of retribution makes individuals believe he’s crazy, but Hamlet is not crazy. Hamlet pretends his craziness in order to confuse Claudius and his followers. Hamlets is pretending to be crazy to get everyone’s attention, he wants them to ponder what’s causing hims to act so strangely. “I essentially am not in madness, But mad in craft.” (3. 4. 194-195). Hamlet’s change in behavior seem as if he has gone Insane. If one of your best friends stop talking to for no reason, it is reasonable for you to be angry. Also, in Act I, Scene v., lines 166-180, Hamlet discloses to Horatio that he will ‘fake madness’, and to pardon weird conduct from him. He acts rationally around Horatio and the Gravediggers. Most notably, we can contrast Hamlet’s behavior to Ophelia’s behavior, and we can tell the difference between feigned insanity and real insanity. I believe his insanity is only used as an excuse to treat others badly and say what’s on his mind, which is what everyone is calling his “madness”. Shakespeare intentions was to throw his readers off. If someone know what they are doing, they cannot be insane because they still can win back some self control.

Hamlet was in love with Ophelia.“that he had importuned her with love in honorable fashion, and had given countenance to his speech with almost all the holy vows of heaven” (1. 3. 110) It was necessary for him to convince the king, queen, and even Ophelia, that he was insane, and to destroy her hopes of their love. Now that he can express some of his bottled-up anger, “He goes on that women should not marry, because they just bore children who will grow into corrupt men. He says that beauty is a just a charm to draw men in. He says that there are no honest women and that all women should become nuns in order to not create any more confusion or children in the world.” This is Hamlet venting his frustration out to his mom for marrying his uncle only weeks after her husband’s death and women in general. Shakespeare wants his audience to focus on Hamlet and what he does, and Hamlets reasonings behind his actions. Believing that hamlet is driving himself crazy, is a tactic to only get the truth out.

In the play, Hamlet had moments to show some type of madness that may had the audience think that he was crazy. Hamlet started off with his so-called madness by searching for revenge for the death of his father. He then found out about the adultery and incest done by his mother and uncle which triggered his insanity even more. “Or that the everlasting had not fixed his cannon ‘gainst self-slaughter how weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable seem to me all the uses of this world.” (1.2.131-134). Hamlet expressed to the audience about his depression through his speech in talking aloud. He had tragic events happen in his life that led him to the brink of wanting commit suicide. Another reason for Hamlet’s crazed antics may have been for the hate that was grown toward his mother because of the fact she married his uncle after his father’s death.

There are some reasons why people may think Hamlet is crazy but I believe he’s fooling the audience, Claudius and his followers. He’s using the events that have happen to him as an excuse for someone to see him as deranged individual. His love for Ophelia had grown and made him go on with with the act of him being insane. I believe Hamlet is putting on an act for his craziness for attention and for what he’s been through. [795]

In Hamlet by Shakespeare, the view of Madness can often be seen as a simple exhibit of “eccentric behavior”. But through the characters in the play we see that each of them alters their own Madness creating a most divine sense of themselves and their Madness. therefore, Shakespeare views the madness in Hamlet with a “Discerning Eye”.

The main character Hamlet is the first to reveal that his actions of Madness for being controlled by the madness that is inside of him. Act 2 scene 1 Hamlet First shows his true Madness when he barges into Ophelia’s room. Blackmore’s “The Real or Assumed Madness of Hamlet” shows that Shakespeare created the type of Madness for Hamlet as the “delusion” one, unable to differentiate what’s good for him and what’s not. This can be indicated in Hamlet’s Soliloquy “To be or not to be…” (Act 3 scene 1). Hamlet Madness that is being portrayed come from the fear within himself and the billiard the haunted in the back of his mind.

Ophelia, Hamlet’s former lover, has a distinct emotional attachment to Hamlet. She gets caught in the crossfire of Hamlet’s “antic disposition”, slowly turning herself mad. On the other side, Ophelia’s Madness is much opposite from Hamlet’s Madness but comes from similar reasons for going mad in the first place. Ophelia, being seen at the beginning of the play Slowly loses her sanity after the killing of her father by the hands of the man she loved. The madness that takes over Ophelia doesn’t make her become a horrible, mad person, but actually finds herself in Enlightenment after going mad. Ophelia’s Madness are one of the examples that this was not eccentric Behavior but actual Madness living within the characters themselves.

Because Ophelia had reached Enlightenment in the process of becoming mad call Ma she almost seems like she now has hidden knowledge deep beneath her. Comparing her Madness with Hamlet, they both reached divinest sense of their own Madness but it is how they use their knowledge of Madness is that makes them different from each other. Shakespeare’s view of Madness can be seen with a Discerning Eye because of the way Shakespeare creates Madness for Hamlet and Ophelia, having them both ignite a man.

In “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S Eliot, both Prufrock and Hamlet experience Madness and have similar ways to show their conflict within themselves. but because Hamlet does not have the choice of dying he is stuck and I forever going Madness that he suffers alone.

Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, who was studying at the Protestant University of Wittenburg of reformer Martin Luther. This play takes place in Denmark, which is known to be a largely Protestant nation at the time of the play which is the Renaissance period. Roman Catholic during this this time believe in a state of purgatory, where they believe that souls go after death to atone for venial sins/wrongdoings. The Protestants then began several Catholic teachings, including the existence of purgatory, in the Protestant Reformation. Since Prince Hamlet valued Christianity immensely, this may explain as to why Hamlet is a bit hesitant to accept the ghost’s claims that he is tormented until his life’s wrongdoings are “purged” away. Prince Hamlet is face with two obstacles of vengeance revenge; to find out who the murderers are and them get himself in a position where he can kill them. In Act 1, Scene 4, the late king Hamlet’s ghost appeared to Prince Hamlet, where he revealed that he was murdered by his brother Claudius who poisoned him and now have taken over the throne and has married his wife Gertrude (Hamlet’s mother).

Prince Hamlet has been summoned home to Denmark to attend his father’s funeral. One night, a Ghost reveals itself to Hamlet, claiming to be the ghost of Hamlet’s father, the former king. The Ghost claims that the old king was murdered by Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius, who has since married Hamlet’s mother and assumed the throne. Since King Hamlet died unexpectedly, and he is considered doomed because he didn’t have time to repent for his sins. During this period of Hamlet ghost are thought to be evil spirits and it was believed that if one did not repent for his sins before death, they would immediately go to hell. For the late King’s ghost, others will think it was and hallucination, an orthodox spirit, or a devil in disguise. But when the late King’s ghost seeks revenge, automatically it is contrary in the Christian law. Seeking justice would be allowed under the canon law.

In a Catholic view, the late King Hamlet died without blessing and being in Purgatory. Instead of the ghost seeking Prince Hamlet to atone for his sins and pray for him, he seeks for revenge on is murderer. The dead King Hamlet’s ghost refers to his “prison-house” where he is confirmed to fast in fires till the foul crimes done in his days or nature are burnt or destroyed. In the Catholic world this kind of request could not be condone, particularly from a sinful soul in purgatory. Protestants hated it, it simply means they are demeaning Christ. Referencing to the Bible, revenge is unacceptable (do don’t take revenge). The prince pretends to be feeble-minded to throw his uncle off guard and will then manage to kill his uncle in revenge. Not only has he took over the thrown from Hamlet because he was young and still in school to take over responsibility, but the ghost has left the young prince unsettled. As he wonders what people would think of him that he saw and communicated with a ghost, he will be considered bewitched by an evil spirit.

Hamlet decides to uncover the truth for himself, involving only few trusted people to help him achieve his aim and find out whether the ghost was indeed right. He then decided to make himself appear crazy and mistreating his girlfriend Ophelia to deflect Claudius’ suspicion. In trying to achieve this he was able to convince a troupe of players to perform “The Murder of Gonzago” in the presence of everyone including his Uncle the New King and the Queen his mother. The play act-out King Hamlet’s death by poisoning. As they staged the played, he kept a close look at his uncle to see his reaction. As expected, King Claudius’ response to the play was very suspicious. Shakespeare delayed the prince’s acting on his father’s request for revenge because Prince Hamlet because his knowledge of his uncle’s crime was so uncertain. The play Hamlet kind of throw guilt on both the new king and the Queen Gertrude, as it makes one wonder whether the Queen was part of the plot to kill King Hamlet. Shakespeare makes her character seems to be attached and in loved with Claudius and she didn’t appear to be grieving after marrying her late husband’s brother barely few months after his death. Shakespeare played around with different instances as also to whether Hamlet continues to love Ophelia even as he spurns her, whether Ophelia’s death is suicide or accident, whether the ghost offers reliable knowledge, or seeks to deceive and tempt Hamlet, and perhaps most importantly, whether Hamlet would be morally justified in taking revenge on his uncle. Shakespeare makes it clear that the stakes riding on some of these questions are enormous and the actions of these characters bring disaster upon an entire kingdom.

The young Prince Hamlet, heartbroken after confirming the ghost revelation about the death of his father, decided it was time to take the revenge his father requested. He had lots of opportunities to kill him. He would have taken his sword and run him through at any time, but he didn’t. A perfect moment came for him to kill him, when Hamlet spies on Claudius, listening to him pray. Hamlet hesitates to kill Claudius because he believes that Claudius is praying. If he were to be killed right after praying, when his soul is at its most pure, Claudius would go directly to heaven and Hamlet wants to be sure he sends him to hell. Without Hamlet hearing what he was saying, Claudius admits that he cannot fully repent of his murder of King Hamlet, because doing so would mean giving up his crown. Enraged, Hamlet accidentally kills Polonius, Ophelia’s father. Claudius sends Hamlet to England on the pretense of a diplomatic mission, having secretly arranged for the prince to be executed on arrival. Hamlet cleverly escapes, returning in time to witness Ophelia’s funeral. She may have killed herself.

Shakespeare’s irony in the play made us the reader know that his uncle Claudius was not actually praying but was just on his knees reminiscing of what had happened. Him saying he knows he cannot be forgiven for the murder of his brother King Hamlet unless he truly repents, and that would mean giving up the throne and the Queen and that was the last thing on him mind doing. This makes me wonder what would’ve happened if Hamlet had known this. He would’ve killed him and took the revenge for his father, and not only that but take over the throne, probably marry Ophelia and everyone that ends up dying in the play wouldn’t have died. Hamlet is a play that fight over control of their control, but the tragic incident led the country to be taken over by a foreign power. Even though the main motive of Prince Hamlet’s was to avenge for his father’s death, but this revenge ends up killing the entire household and its close friends. Victory was achieved but it meant all of them dying. What was the point of avenging the late King’s death if Prince Hamlet was not going to rule the country and die as such an early age? So, he fulfilled his father’s request but have up his own and his life. Even though, the ending seems justified, peace has been restored but it was done at a terrible price.

Death is something that is mysterious, inevitable, and can be dealt with in a number of ways. In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Shakespeare represents the stages of grief, the process in which everyone goes through while mourning a loss. These stages are directly shown through the emotions and state of mind of Hamlet which were anger, sadness, and acceptance.

Firstly, Hamlet’s initial response to his father’s murder was anger, which is a usual reaction to just hearing that your father has been murdered. But when Hamlet also finds out who exactly killed his father, he plots revenge. This event took place when Hamlet said “O my prophetic soul! My Uncle” (I.V). This is near the beginning of the play when the ghost of his father comes and tells Hamlet that he has been killed by his uncle Claudius. Hamlet seems lost but when the ghost of his father orders him to seek revenge, Hamlet is right on board. But before he goes through with it, he wants to make sure that Claudius really killed his father and not just kill his uncle because a ghost told him so. This is sets up a play involving the way his father was killed. Claudius was in attendance and storms out of the theatre as he says “Turn on the lights. Get me out of here!” (III.II.12). At this point Hamlet did not seem angry, but was just trying to not care about it, which is also another way of trying to deal with death. He also has another chance at killing Claudius but does not because he is worried about what is due for Claudius in the afterlife. Hamlet ends up not killing Claudius with a thought out plan, but does in the heat of the moment when his mother has also been murdered by Claudius through poisoning her drink unintentionally. Another fuel to Hamlet’s fire is the fact that his mother had replaced his father with someone who he despises; Claudius. His anger with this situation is exemplified when he expresses “The funeral bak’d meats did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables” (I.II.7). This is showing his frustration with the situation that his mother has essentially replaced his father with his uncle in the matter of 2 months. Hamlet feels like this is too soon to get over a death and move on with their lives. So this leads to Hamlet also feeling anger towards Gertrude, as well as Claudius even more so. Even though this scene was prior to finding out that his father had murdered by Claudius, this caught up with him and just piled on the anger Hamlet was already feeling towards Claudius.

The second stage of Hamlet dealing with his father’s death is the feeling of sadness and depression. Hamlet contemplates suicide after his feeling of loneliness. In Hamlet’s first soliloquy he reveals that his despair has driven him to thoughts of suicide as he says “How weary….His law ‘gainst self slaughter” (I.II.5). This is where Hamlet is talking about potentially wanting to kill himself due to having these different emotions of both anger and sadness. But he ultimately does not kill himself because that is a sin in Christianity and goes against what stands for. Here Hamlet is again worried after what is due in afterlife, except this time he is worried about what is due for himself after death. Hamlet once again gets a huge dose of deep sadness when his love Ophelia has died. He expresses his feelings for Ophelia after her death as he said “ Forty Thousand brothers, could not, with all their quantity of love, make up my sum” (V.I). So this quote is initiated when people are at Ophelia’s unofficial burial and her brother Laertes jumps in her coffin to express his brotherly love to her for one last time. Hamlet then also jumps in and expresses his true love for her, as said before. What he means by that quote is almost exactly what it says, forty thousands brothers, directly meaning forty thousand people with Laertes’ love combined would not be enough to match Hamlet’s love for Ophelia. This situation also does not help Hamlet with dealing with everything and once again just adds to his existing sadness. This is also common is real life situations where once you are truly sad, everything around seemingly goes wrong for you and is rightly so for Hamlet.

After Hamlet gets the validation he needs from the play, he moves on to the final stage of grief; Acceptance. He now knows what must be done by him to avenge the death of his father. Hamlet shows here that he is set on completing the task laid on him by his father’s ghost. “ I do not know why yet I live to say “This thing’s to do, “Sith I have cause and will and strength and means to do’t…..How stand I then, That have a father killed, a mother stained, excitements of my reason and my blood, and let all sleep—while, to my shame….oh, from this time forth, My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth!”(IV.IV.3). At the end of this passage Hamlet resolves to not think of anything other than his stepfather’s blood from that point on. This shows Hamlet’s determination to now do what he has accepted that he must. Also, in this stage of Hamlet’s grief, we see another acceptance come to light. As Hamlet and Horatio are talking with the gravedigger, he comes to another realization. “Alexander died, Alexander was buried, Alexander returneth to dust;the dust is earth; of earth we make loam; and why of that loam whereto he was converted might they not stop a beer barrel? Imperious Caesar, dead and turned to clay, might stop a hole to keep the wind away.” (V.I.9). Here Hamlet is coming to terms with life in that all lives and people will eventually just be dust, remembered and revered by no one. In the last pages of the play, Hamlet strides confidently into what he knows will be his death. He has already read the letter the king wrote to have him killed in Finland, so he knows the king wants him dead. Hamlet is smart enough to know that he will not come out of the duel alive. Yet, in his stage of acceptance he can only decide to end both his life, and fulfill his destiny in one fell swoop, which, by killing the king in his final moments he does.

Death goes beyond the simplicity of mortality and immortality. The person’s age at a time of another’s death contributes to their process of grieving, but also their ability to let themselves grieve and become vulnerable to the pains of approaching death as a friend rather than an enemy. Hamlet’s experiences with grief not only justify the legitimacy of the grieving process, but they also characterize grief as more than simply a ladder, but rather a bumpy road that has numerous ins and outs that cannot be accounted for at first glance. For this reason, grief is not an equation that can be placed in a calculator and made easier.

Shakespeare’s Hamlet explores the freedom that madness provides through setting and the characterisation of Hamlet and Ophelia, presenting the freedom their changing speech and behaviour provide. Shakespeare emphasises the liberty of Hamlet and Ophelia’s seemingly irrational actions against their confined status and actions in a rigid social structure where women still “obey” a male figure and Princes feel trapped in a “prison.” Hamlet uses the façade of madness to “put on an antic disposition”, to find his father’s murderer.

Shakespeare portrays the liberty a responsible Prince is provided through his madness to justify his irrational and indecent investigation of his father’s death, concerning the “King” himself. Similarly, Hamlet uses his madness to deny responsibility for the murder of Polonius as he was “from himself ta’en away” when Polonius was killed. Shakespeare portrays Hamlet’s apparent absence, due to his madness, from the scene through the use of third-person narrative that angers the audience as Hamlet easily gets away with murder.

Shakespeare displays Ophelia’s madness as a sign of the loss of her father, which is the first indication of her freedom from the confinement of a “male figure” in her life. Her speech is changed from iambic pentameter to prose in her sonnets, indicating her madness and freedom of speech. Her once submissive character that “obey[ed]” her father’s every wish is portrayed as outspoken as she insults Gertrude by offering her “fennel” and “columbines”, that symbolise adultery. She is able to break from her confinement as a polite “noblewoman” who now has the freedom of speech as that of a man.

The audience further acknowledges Ophelia’s will to take control of her own life through her suicide in which she “chant[ed] snatches of old lauds” and drowned “like a creature native” to water. Her madness which allowed her to peacefully “drown” is indicated by Shakespeare as the gateway to free Ophelia from this rigid patriarchal society, resonating with the audience who themselves may feel oppressed and would want to take control of their own life.

Through the characterization of Ophelia and Hamlet, and their changing speech and behaviour, Shakespeare successfully displays that despite the alienation and isolation of madness, madness also allows truth and freedom to act.