The Usual Shakespearean Death - Essay Example

Hamlet faces the usual Shakespearean death at the end of the play. As usual in Shakespearean plays, he presents Hamlet with a complex nature that can be analyzed according to the readers’ will. While some claim that Hamlet is the victim of a chain of misfortunes that prevented him from fulfilling his mission, some others argue that he is a coward and a great procrastinator. However, one has to agree that it is his lukewarm approach and his inability to kill Claudius that resulted in the death of many others, resulting in a tragic end not only of his but many others.
However, a close look reveals that it is his nature to plan and execute complex operations well. At first, he wants to make sure that Claudius is really guilty of the murder. One can see a Hamlet who wants to be sure of his uncle’s guilt before doing revenge, and for that, he plans the play. He says “the play’s the thing, wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king” (Act 2 Scene II). However, the biggest mistake on his part that made his entire plan go astray is his killing of Polonius in his mother’s room. It gives Claudius a chance to send Hamlet away and order to kill him, which is followed by a number of deaths leading to the tragic end of the play. In addition, it is his love towards Ophelia and his desire to keep her away from the tragic end that makes him show a callous attitude towards her after the ghost reveals the truth to him. In total, though the play has a tragic end, his plan is to do the revenge in such a manner that only the guilty are punished. In total, he is a man of great virtue. Or, Hamlet is “the most admirable picture of human nature in its highest state, little lower than angels” (Adams & Hackett, 4).
II
There is still a controversy among scholars about Shakespeare’s intention in showing Hamlet as mad. However, close scrutiny clearly proves that he is not at all mad. Instead, he is utilizing that madness as a mask to cover his ploy. For example, in Act 2 Scene II, Hamlet answers the queries of Polonius in a totally nonsensical way, making them conclude that Hamlet has gone mad. However, when his friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern appear, he greets them with excitement and easily makes them reveal that they are spies of the king. In fact, one can observe his ability to plan and implement complex tasks with ease. To find if Claudius is really guilty of killing his father, he makes the troupe present a play that is very similar to the killing of his father, and from Claudius’ reaction, easily infer that it is guilt that makes Claudius stop the play. In addition, one can see Hamlet giving explicit directions to the players that they should not overact as that will ruin the purpose of the play (Act 3, Scene II, The Tragedy of Hamlet). In addition, he has no other way other than behaving like a madman because he wants to keep Ophelia away from the troubles, though she does not.
However, one can also argue that the situation is painful enough for Hamlet to become mad, and considering the series of events he had to pass through, it arouses little surprise if he really becomes mad.
III
The most pathetic figure in the play, undoubtedly, is Ophelia. She is the one who suffers the most in the play for no guilt of her. She loved Hamlet very much but when her father stops her from meeting Hamlet, she readily agrees. As Gehrmann (13) points out, she acts the way that is liked by the male-dominated society; always obeys her father and ignores the feelings of her own heart. In Act 3 Scene I, when Ophelia greets him with trinkets he has given her, he lashes out at the girl, suggests that she should join a nunnery, and asks “why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners?” (Act 3, Scene I). In addition, while watching the play, she tries to talk to him, but his response is hostile. (Act 3, Scene II)
However, there are more issues for her in the pipeline waiting their turn. She gets the news of her father’s death, that too at the hands of her lover Hamlet and the departure of Hamlet to England at the same time. This is more than enough to send her nuts (Act 4, Scene V). Soon she meets her end jumping off a willow tree (Act 4, Scene VII). Read More