William Shakespeares Hamlet - Essay Example

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet William Shakespeare is one of the legends in the field of literature. He has done many plays that have various significances to the readers. In his work there are themes that he normally intends to pass across to readers. This makes his work as a poet easier and enjoyable to read or watch. In this paper, a critical analysis is focused on one of William Shakespeare’s plays, Hamlet. The purpose of the paper is also to analyze, compare, and contrast various aspects of the play in relation to other plays that are in similar category. In this play Hamlet done by William Shakespeare, the main character, who is referred to be the heir to the Danish throne, fights to recover from the aftermath of his father’s death. “Hamlet is informed by his fathers ghost that his uncle Claudius was the murderer. Hamlet tries to decide on how to go about revenging on his uncle. In a soliloquy after coming up with a plan to determine if his uncle is guilty of murdering his father, Hamlet listens to his internal conflicts. He then begins his soliloquy while having an opinion that death would be a peaceful way to release him from his troubled life, but then his attitude changes towards uneasiness about death because of its unknowns.” In the beginning of his soliloquy, Hamlet considers death as a peaceful way of liberation from the constant torture and battery of troubles in life. Through diction, syntax, and figurative language, it is seen that Hamlets conception of taking off life as a serene slumber makes him subject or prone to painful suicidal feelings. At a particular point he describes life as a time when he has to "suffer/The arrows and slings of outrageous fortune" and "take arms against a sea of troubles" (lines 57-59). Shakespeares application of metaphors to compare and contrast life to a constant crashing waves and rampage of artillery shows that the main character, Hamlet sees life as a perpetual fight against hardships such as "trouble" and "outrageous fortune." He does not appear to have the motivation to "take arms," and "suffer," instead he considers killing himself to end it all. Shakespeares syntax, "To die: to sleep; /No more;" (lines 60-61) emphasizes on Hamlets view of death as a smart and peaceful, final rest. The punctuation used in the statement offsets each of the key fragments, particularly the phrase "to sleep," which is considered as Hamlets conception of death. The choice of the word "sleep" is used as a synonym to mean both death and the absence of being "no more". It shows that Hamlet believes that death is not torture, but rather a much needed eternal rest. Shakespeares diction "consummation" in line 63, also gives death a sense of peaceful finality through termination of life. The word "consummation" is typically used to refer to marriage or the satisfaction of some ultimate goal. Its use makes it appear as though Hamlet is accepting death as a way to achieve his final goal of ending the suffering in his life. In the first section, Hamlet looks at death as a channel or vessel to escape from the troubles that befell his life. Mental torture in life may result into certain actions that may end one’s life completely. Hamlet is stuck in thoughts about his life and the pain of losing a family. His instinct conforms to the information given by the late father’s ghosts that his uncle is believed to be the murderer. He has plans of revenging but again compares and contrasts various options that may relieve him from the pain of losing a father and living a harsh life. This prompts Hamlet to go into deep thoughts as explained in the play. Hamlets perception towards death changes to one of questioning that the results or consequences of what may be perceived to be such an easy task. His questioning about death is due to the realization that death may be an easy remedy to rid him of the cruelty and hardships of life. His changing attitude is cognized and mentioned in the contrasting diction of "death" and "dreams" (line 66) that is paired by the author. Dreams are often enjoyable and happy, but when they are paired or compared with death, they turn out to be nightmares. Unexpected changes in Hamlets thoughts of a “restful sleep of death to a restless one filled with foreboding dreams” reflect his changing attitude in considering death. At this point, Hamlet is never optimistic on whether death would be enjoyable based on the fact that it may turn out to full of some dreams that haunts. Shakespeare asks some question about life, "who would bear the whips and scorns of time" (line 70); this is a form of figurative language, that personifies time. By giving time the ability to “whip and scorn” various people in life, the question is repeated to justify why someone would live through pain if they could terminate suffering and consider the release of death. Hamlet is presented to be struggling with the benefits and costs of life and death, utterly he is confused as to which of the two aspects of living he would enjoy more. He is also aware that his life is not enjoyable and working out as expected; he describing this kind of life as "weary" (line 77). This diction used by William Shakespeare in the play, emphasizes on the tiredness that he must be taking effect through his life. Grief and sorrows break down Hamlet when he recalls of the death of his father. He does not have any signs of motivation to continue living a happy life. In this part, a question forms the largest and longest, sentence most involved. Most of Hamlet’s thoughts are question oriented indicates that there is a dilemma situation in his mind. There are other physical changes too that take effect in him such as weigh loss. These show that he is weighing options between life and death. He is tired of living the life but again fears the wrath of death that might be ahead of him. The play is divided into sections and each has a unique presentation about the kind of life that Hamlet is living. The play is also organized to show different perspectives that one may have while comparing and contrasting life and death. Hamlet is a victim in this situation and the thoughts of taking off his life takes the bigger portion of his brain. He debates on life, death and revenge to his uncle. Hamlet is reluctant to kill himself and still debates whether death is better than living a life full of troubles. The use of imagery and diction in the section of the play indicates that he fears death and not willing to take the move. Line 78 of the play shows Hamlet as a coward and someone who no longer considers death as the remedy to his problem. He claims that death no longer provides peace to his troubles and it is more painful than living a miserable life. Also, the use of visual imagery and tactile such as “fly” symbolizes or indicates a transition that can take place from life to death in a human being. This is evident in line 82 of the play. There are also other evidences that support the assertion that the main character in the play, Hamlet is reluctant and afraid to commit suicide. He argues that he would be committing himself to unknown actions that might turn out to be more painful that living a life that is full of miseries. This is evident when he is referred to as tired and weightless, also feeling queasy. Lines 84 to85 best explain the native hue of resolutions that Hamlet takes amid his decision to hang himself. Metaphor and other imagery of colors are used to compare and contrast Hamlet’s choice or motivation to undergo suicide. Initially Hamlet is fully motivated to take suicide as the final resolution to his problem, however, the feeling diminishes with time as his fears and thoughts grow stronger against this decision. He begins to literally doubt what benefits might be accrued to death. He finally turns away from the decision of taking his life as it is not the best way to get rid of his problems. This is based on the fact that he realizes that death might be of unknown qualities to him. Finally, Hamlets feelings and attitude towards death changes as he learns that when one dies, that is the final stage in life. Hamlet does not take away his life yet because he believes that the remedy of death may not be better than life. “He recognizes that his life is not as ideal as he wishes, but he also recognizes that death is not the best solution to his problems.” Death is considered as a frightening unknown, and the thought of dying by his own hand makes Hamlet uneasy because he does not know what death entails. Work cited McEvoy, Sean. William Shakespeares Hamlet: A Sourcebook. New York: Routledge, 2006. Print. Shakespeare, William, and Georg M. C. Brandes. Hamlet. London: William Heinemann, 1904. Print. Read More