The Play Written by William Shakespeare - Essay Example

? Hamlet Table of Contents I. Introduction 3 II. Discussion 4 III. Conclusion 7 Detailed Outline 8 Works Cited 9 I. Introduction The play, written between 1600 and 1601 by William Shakespeare, regarded as the writer with the most influence in all of English literature. The first printed version of the play came out in 1603, with another edition featuring an enlargement of the text coming out a year after. The first public performance of the play was held before the arrival of the first print version, in 1602. The story itself is said to have borrowed from a number of previously existing works. These include the 'Histoires Tragiques' by Francois de Belleforest and the ‘Saxo Grammaticus' History of Denmark, written in Latin in the 12th century. The plot revolves around Hamlet and his psychological turmoils in the midst of a vortex of violence and murders. In the play Hamlet's uncle usurps his father's throne and takes his father's wife as his own. His uncle does this after first killing Hamlet’s father the King of Denmark. Hamlet, in an act of revenge, kills his uncle in turn. This basic storyline is the backdrop of a great emotional and psychological inner turmoil on the part of Hamlet. Here Hamlet is unable to resolve some fundamental dilemmas, including a large degree of uncertainty over his uncle's accountability for the crime (Shakespeare; Mabillard; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). This paper focuses on the literary element of character, and in particular the character of Hamlet, focusing on the theme of uncertainty and the subjectivity of human experience. The thesis is that this uncertainty is at the root of Hamlet's inner struggles to come to terms with the death of his father and the hands of fate that seemed to have thrust him into the position of avenging son and tormented soul (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; Mabillard). II. Discussion We come to understand from an exploration of the character of Hamlet that at the root of every human being is a subjectivity that will always bump into uncertainty. At the root of that uncertainty is the fact that life is filled with ambiguities, and that reality is not black and white but are varying shades of gray. This reality is reflected in the passage below, where Hamlet ponders on his own subjective reality and the uncertainty underlying his thoughts and actions. In this scene Hamlet is in a Danish plain, pondering after he had asked Rosencrantz to go ahead of him while he took some time to collect himself (Shakespeare): Now, whether it be  Bestial oblivion, or some craven scruple  Of thinking too precisely on th' event, A thought which, quarter'd, hath but one part wisdom  And ever three parts coward,- 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. (Shakespeare Act 4, Scene 4, p. 81) In the passage above Hamlet is examining his own thought processes and his own subjective way of processing his reality, and come face to face with an ambiguity in his understanding of how he thinks and acts (Shakespeare Act 4, Scene 4. p. 81). Yes, in the end Hamlet understands that to live is to live in ambiguity. Within this subjectivity the character of Hamlet unfolds. One lives with one’s biases. In the following passage Hamlet demonstrates this, as in grief he colors the chain of events leading to her mother's remarriage and his father’s death with his own subjective bias (Shakespeare): My father's brother, but no more like my father Than I to Hercules. Within a month, Ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears Had left the flushing in her galled eyes, She married. O, most wicked speed, to post With such dexterity to incestuous sheets! (Shakespeare Act 1, Scene 2, p. 11) In the passage above the subjectivity springs from Hamlet’s grief over his father’s death, which prompts him to feel aggrieved and to be affronted by what he subjectively interprets as his mother and uncle’s deceit (Shakespeare Act 1, Scene 2, p. 11). An aspect of that subjective uncertainty is in evidence in the way Hamlet obsesses. We are able to see that aspects of his character all converge towards obsessiveness about things. This obsessiveness extends to his intense moral scruples, as evidenced in the passage below. Here he wrestles with the enormous moral ambiguities that face him, and that leave him shaken and unsure of his own place in the whole scheme of things (Shakespeare Act 4, Scene 4, p. 81): How stand I then, That have a father kill'd, a mother stain'd, Excitements of my reason and my blood, And let all sleep, while to my shame I see The imminent death of twenty thousand men That for a fantasy and trick of fame Go to their graves like beds, fight for a plot Whereon the numbers cannot try the cause, Which is not tomb enough and continent To hide the slain? O, from this time forth, My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth! (Shakespeare Act 4, Scene 4, p. 81) In the passage above, Hamlet is expressing the moral ambiguity and emotional anguish at seeing too much, and seeing that the death of many men are all for nothing, and that he himself is standing on shaky ground, not knowing what to make of the death of his father and the shaming of his mother (Shakespeare Act 4, Scene 4, p. 81). In this and other things that obsessed Hamlet what stands out is that Hamlet's obsession and control is shoved back to his obsessive mind by a world that is filled with uncertainties. Hamlet's obsession and his propensity for thinking are hallmarks of his character, and which clash with a reality that will not answer his questions with finality. In this famous passage that defines Hamlet to the public, Hamlet makes his famous introspective speech about being and the precarious, ambiguous nature of subjective reality and the meaning of life (Shakespeare Act 3, Scene 1, p. 50): 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 (Shakespeare Act 3, Scene 1, p. 50) In the passage above Hamlet seems to be saying that life when grasped with the subjective intellect does not seem to yield any solid meaning, and that man is left facing his ambiguities, with nowhere to turn for help and guidance in the end (Shakespeare Act 3, Scene1, p. 50). Finally, the image we get of the complex character of Hamlet is one who observes the world keenly, and has the fine intelligence to be able to process those observations, but that his most obsessive analyses do not end in certainties, but in paradox and uncertainty. In this passage Hamlet talks to Horatio about the limits of thought (Shakespeare Act 1, Scene 5, p. 27): And therefore as a stranger give it welcome. There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy (Shakespeare Act 1, Scene 5, p. 27) In the above Hamlet is saying that thought, for all of its complexity and sophistication is yet unable to grasp the reality of things in heaven and on earth (Shakespeare Act 1, Scene 5, p. 27). Where Hamlet yearns for the concrete and complete, he instead encounters ghosts, for instance, and more uncertainty. In the passage below, Hamlet displays his uncertainty with a rapid succession of questions that underscore his search for answers and direction. Here is he seeing the ghost of his father, who has not introduced itself yet to him, and Hamlet is confused (Shakespeare Act 1, Scene 4, p. 20): What may this mean That thou, dead corse, again in complete steel, Revisits thus the glimpses of the moon, Making night hideous, and we fools of nature So horridly to shake our disposition With thoughts beyond the reaches of our souls? Say, why is this? wherefore? What should we do? (Shakespeare Act 1, Scene 4, p. 20) In the passage above Hamlet seemingly years for something certain to stand on, but instead gets thrown into more uncertainty with the vision of the ghost. Here he does not know where to stand, but must further question what he sees before him, and what he should do in the face of it (Shakespeare Act 1, Scene 4, p. 20). III. Conclusion The exploration of Hamlet’s character and his subjective reality brings us face to face with an uncertainty that limits the ability of men to come to grips with the enormity of his fate at times, as typified by the enormity of the tragedy that befell Hamlet and his family. This uncertainty lies at the heart of his subjective reality, within which he must nevertheless act, judge, and make sense of things (Shakespeare; Mabillard; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). Detailed Outline I. Introduction a. Background and Synopsis of Play b. Overview of Paper, Focus on Hamlet’s Character and Uncertainty as Theme II. Discussion a. How Character as Literary Element Illumines the Theme of Uncertainty i. Uncertainty springs from the ambiguities inherent in life ii. Human subjectivity has its limits iii. Human beings like Hamlet have no choice but to act nevertheless b. Hamlet’s reflective nature and propensity to think leads him to uncertainties i. Character traits enforce the theme of uncertainties in thinking and action c. Hamlet’s character tries hard to achieve clarity, but instead lands him into uncertainties and gray areas. This is a reflection of reality itself i. The quest for the concrete and the unambiguous leads to ghosts and ambiguity instead III. Conclusion Sources for inputs to the above outline: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; Mabillard; Shakespeare Works Cited Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. “Hamlet”. CliffsNotes. 2013. Web. 20 October 2013. Mabillard, Amanda. “Introduction to Hamlet”. Shakespeare Online. 2010. Web. 20 October 2013. Shakespeare, William. “Hamlet”. Issue 29 of Plays of William Shakespeare, William Shakespeare in 37 Parts. 1843. Ghent University: Tauchnitz Read More