Hamlet's Changing attitude Towards Death - Admission/Application Essay Example

Lecturer Essay # Hamlets Changing attitude towards Death In the play d The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by WilliamShakespeare, Hamlet, the main character, is portrayed as a complex character. The play centers on a young man, Hamlet, who seeks revenge for the death of his father. He is a young man who never quite understands what he wants to do and his mind is occupied with clashing ideals and feelings. He is a character who wears different masks, making it difficult for the readers to fully understand him. Throughout the play, Hamlet plays different kinds of roles. Each of these roles demand different courses of action, and therefore Hamlet has to put on different hats at different stages of the play. One of the key areas where he shows a clash of ideals and a change of attitude is in his perception and attitude towards death. Death is a major theme explored in this play. Throughout the play, readers are exposed to a character whose attitudes towards death keep shifting. As the play closes, Hamlet reveals a new understanding of death. While he initially believed he had the power to control death, he later comes to the conclusion that there is a higher power that controls the world. From the beginning of the play, Hamlet’s attitude towards death is well brought out. At the start of the play, Hamlet brings out his views towards death through his wish for suicide. He says that: O, that this too too solid flesh would melt Thaw and resolve itself into a dew! Or that the Everlasting had not fixd His canon gainst self-slaughter! O God! God! How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable, Seem to me all the uses of this world! (I, ii) Here, Hamlet wishes that his flesh could melt and go away. He wishes that the ‘Everlasting’ or God had not prohibited against committing suicide. He feels human beings are contaminated, and he feels he no longer has to stay in the dirty world. In other words, Hamlet is of the view that God should not have put a canon against suicide. To him, the power to take away life should lie in the hands of the person or people involved (McAlindon, 9). Hamlet’s suicidal thoughts are also brought out when he says that “To be, or not to be: that is the question” (III, i). He wonders whether it is noble for a person to suffer or to take action against the troubles; “To die: to sleep” (III, i). His thoughts regarding suicide at the beginning of the play indicate that he believed death to be the best route away from trouble. To him, by committing suicide, a person does a great thing and therefore escapes the troubles of the world (Draudt, 89). In the book by David Bishop (2000) on Hamlet’s clashing ideals, the author points out that Hamlet was an idealist. He was a young man who wanted to do what he believed to be noblest to the mind. Clearly, his idealistic nature is brought out his contemplation towards suicide. As a young man, and perhaps acting out of naivety, Hamlet believed that suicide is an ideal path that can be taken to avoid troubles. To Hamlet, Death is a ticket to happiness and people should be allowed to take their own lives. Although Hamlet appears to support suicide at the beginning of the play, he later appears to recognize the divinity or spirituality surrounding death in the third scene. He now understands that death is not something that can be taken lightly. Previously, when thinking about suicide, he appeared to promote the idea that God should not be involved in the death of a person and that people should be given the freedom to do so whenever they feel here is a need to take away their lives. However, when reflecting upon Polonius death, he recognizes that there is a higher authority that controls death. Pointing to Polonius, he says that “I do repent: but heaven hath pleased it so…. The death I gave him….” (III, iv). Hamlet appears to confess to the murder of Polonius and begs for forgiveness from the Lord (Magnus, 184). He now understands that taking away human life is not as easy as he initially thought. He recognizes the value of human life and the control of a higher power when it comes to taking life. Hamlet also takes the view that death is nothing but the ending of human beings. Unlike his previous view of death being a route to freedom and happiness, Hamlet’s view towards death changes. This is well captured when Claudius asks him where he hid Polonius body. He replies that he has hidden it “at supper, not where he eats but where he is eaten (IV, iii).” He tells Claudius that “Your worm is your only emperor for diet (IV, iii).” According to him, people fat themselves for “maggots (IV, iii).” Here, Hamlet appears to suggest that death consumes us all, even the mighty in the society. In this case, he appears to suggest that it is only other small creatures like worms that actually benefit when a person dies. The idea that both the beggar and the king end up in the stomach of the worm appears to suggest that Hamlet views death as a leveler. He tells Claudius that the king and the beggar, after their deaths, are “two dishes, but to one table (IV, iii).” He appears to realize that regardless of one’s power and might, there comes a time when he is consumed. This attitude towards death differs from his initially held view because he now sees death as being somewhat inevitable. Whether a person likes it or not, there comes a time when he is reduced to nothing by death. The most intriguing aspect of his new attitude is that the death of a person benefits other creatures. The death of a person, however powerful, does not necessarily benefit a fellow man. It can be argued that this is another hat Hamlet puts on to mask his real intentions for seeking revenge. If indeed he understands that worms are the masters of diet, why would he want to kill to revenge for his father’s death? In addition, since he understands that all people die and end up at the same place, revenging for his father’s death would not change anything after all. This is a question many readers are left to ponder. This new attitude towards death also suggests that Hamlet views death as a form of punishment. The fact that worms eat up the dead is some form of punishment enough, especially for the mighty and powerful in the society. In fact, Hamlet appears to mock King Claudius by simply illustrating to him what will happen to his body after his death. In addition, he appears to take a sly dig at the dead Polonius (Ghose, 1007). Overall, Hamlet no longer views death as a ticket towards happiness but as a means of creating equality. Death also signifies the tragic end of human beings, including the mighty. While at the graveyard scene, Hamlet recognizes the frailty of human nature. When Hamlet and Horatio enter the graveyard scene, Hamlet takes a look at the skulls the gravediggers are excavating. They were digging up the skulls to make room for new graves. Hamlet begins to guess the occupations the owners of the skulls must have served while alive. For instance, he remarks that: “Why may not that be the skull of a lawyer? Where be his quiddities now . . .” (V, i). He further remarks at another skull’ “Hum! This fellow might be ins time a great buyer of land…” (V, i). By looking at the skulls and recognizing that the owners might have held powerful positions or might have been wealthy when alive, Hamlet recognizes that by nature, human beings are weak. He is simply admitting that at some point, a person leaves his or her good life, and the body rots away. Hamlet recognizes that death is a powerful thing that spares no one. There is no one strong enough to avoid death. For example, when looking at the skull he suspects belonged to a lawyer, he says that, “why does he suffer this rude knave now to knock him about the sconce with a dirty shovel …” (V, i). In other words, he understands that regardless of what one holds in life, it can never be enough to protect him from the jaws of death. Readers of the poem are thus seeing a mature Hamlet who understands that there are certain things that cannot be controlled. His naivety and idealistic reasoning appear to have died down, and his reasoning is somewhat realistic. He now fully comprehends the power of death over human beings and the inability of escaping it. Although he recognizes the frailty of human nature and the power of death, Hamlet appears to recognize the importance of maintaining heroism status even in death (Ghose, 1007). By attaching careers to the skulls at the graveyard, Hamlet appears to suggest that even in death, one’s identity remains. A person remains to be who he was even after his demise. Finally, towards the end of the play, Hamlet starts to realize that God controls everything. He changes his perceptions towards suicide and realizes that the timing of death is a function of a higher power. He realizes that death itself is controlled by God, and no single person has the power to exercise such control. For instance, he says that, “Not a whit, we defy augury: theres a special providence in the fall of a sparrow …” (V, ii). Here, he is admitting that God controls everything, including something small as a sparrow’s death. He acknowledges that if something is destined to take place, it will happen. There is no one with the power to stop it. This includes death. When it is time for a person to die, there is nothing that can be done to stop it. He further states that, “it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come: the readiness is all” (V, ii). Hamlet realizes that whether something is supposed to happen now or later, the most important thing is for one to be prepared. He further goes on to say that, “Since no man has aught of what he leaves, what ist to leave betimes” (V, ii). Hamlet understands that since no one knows anything regarding what he leaves behind, then there is no reason to leave early. In other words, he appears to have realized that his thoughts about suicide were wrong. There is no point in a person dying early. What is important is for a person to be prepared for his death- the timing of which is in the hands of God. In conclusion, it is evident that throughout the play, Hamlet exhibits a clash of ideals on a number of issues. His attitude towards death keeps shifting as the play progresses. At the beginning of the play, a young Hamlet appears naïve and ideal. He believes that the only route away from problems is by committing suicide. However, as the play progresses, Hamlet realizes that there is more to death than the freedom he imagines. He begins to see death as a leveler that makes everyone in society equal. He begins to understand the fragile nature of human life. Towards the end of the play, Hamlet begins to understand that the world is controlled by a higher power. No one else has such control. All we need to do is get prepared. Works Cited Bishop, David. Hamlets Clashing Ideals. [Cambridge, Mass.]: D. Bishop, 2000. Print. Bosak, Jon. “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark” 1999 J. Bosak Draudt, Manfred. “The Comedy of Hamlet.” Atlantis, 24.2: 85-107 Ghose, Indira. “Jesting with Death: Hamlet in the Graveyard.” Textual practice, 2010, 24(6), 1003-1018. Magnus, Laury. “Tragic Closure in Hamlet.” Connotations 11.2-3 (2001/2002): 180-200 McAlindon, Tom. “What is a Shakespearean tragedy?” In Claire McEachern (ED). The Cambridge Companion To Shakespearean Tragedy. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 2003. Print. Pp. 1-22 Read More