Analysis of Hamlet by Shakespeare - Research Paper Example

 HAMLET BY SHAKESPEARE The human mind is a ‘mine’ of thoughts. That is, the human mind is ‘mined’ with lot of thoughts and memories, which can be ‘extracted’ and put into action only at appropriate times. The timeline between thought translating into action will be shorter in some cases, while it will be longer in some other cases. However, most times, the mind will have thoughts, which will be put on planning mode for a longer period before being translated into action, without any motivation to complete it quickly. This delayed mode of action, if looked positively, would show one’s patience and planning, while if looked negatively would show one’s hesitance. While hesitance is normally seen as a drawback to translate one’s thoughts into action, it could also be a good inbuilt strategy from failing in a mission. So, even though hesitance would create mental blocks, normally the thought process will reach the logical conclusion or translate into action, whatever are the repercussions. Likewise, the Shakespearean character, Hamlet’s thoughts or target was on killing his uncle Claudius, and however his non-motivation or hesitance to translate his action did not hamper the final result. So, this paper choosing the central character and protagonist of Hamlet in the play Hamlet, will discuss the character's actions to achieve his target of killing Claudius, overcoming hesitance. Background In the Shakespearean play of Hamlet, the central character of Hamlet is a tragic hero who while trying to avenge his father death, falls into a ‘death trap’. The ‘deathtrap’ was set by Claudius for Hamlet, however tragically all the main characters also fell into the trap. When the play begins in Elsinore in the kingdom of Denmark, the King Hamlet is dead and his brother Claudius have crowned himself the king, marrying the late king’s wife Gertrude. In all this developments, the legal heir and son of the late king, Hamlet remains a mute spectator, grieving his father’s death and grousing at the decision of her mother to marry his uncle. “O most wicked speed, to post with such dexterity to incestuous sheets!” (Hamlet, 1.2.157). First action towards the target After grieving for some time, he happens to see and hear the ghost of his father. He was shocked and angered to hear that it was Claudius who actually killed his father by pouring poison into his ear, when he was fast asleep in the garden. When Hamlet hears this, he was skeptical whether to believe it or not. But, realizing the gravity of the charge, he seeks to find out the truth behind his father’s death. So, with Claudius on the front seat, Hamlet stages a play “The Mousetrap” featuring a scene in which a character kills the king by pouring poison into the ear. When the scene was being acted, Claudius out of guilt forces the play to stop. This act of Claudius was just enough to confirm Hamlet’s suspicions that he only killed his father. This revelation makes Hamlet very angry and he wants to kill Claudius. “The certainty of the king’s guilt, as revealed by the play makes Hamlet furiously angry, and that anger provokes both the decision to kill the king.” (Bayley 171). Here, Shakespeare’s scene creating skills comes to the fore. Shakespeare creates this murder scene in a play (actually play within the play) and brings to light the truth behind King Hamlet’s murder. It leads to second action After this confirmation, Hamlet boiling with revengeful mind goes to the Claudius’ room to murder him. There Claudius in a solitude state, without knowing that Hamlet is hiding in the room, self-confesses to killing his brother and laments the fact that he cannot repent his crime. He then starts his prayers to absolve this crime. Hamlet enters behind him and with the confession of his uncle, he is about to kill his uncle. However, he realizes that Claudius is praying, and therefore if he kills him while praying that would absolve all his sins. So, Hamlet decides not to kill him at that moment. "A villain kills my father, and for that / I, his sole son, do this same villain send to heaven.../ When he is drunk asleep, or in his rage.../ And that his soul may be as damned and black / As hell whereto it goes" (3.3.76-78,89, 94-95). Hamlet postpones his killing plan and wishes to make an attempt when he is sure that Claudius will be sent to hell. Here Hamlet’s hesitance comes to the fore. Even though, his mind is full of thoughts of murdering his father’s killer, he could not translate it into action. However, he hesitated mainly because of his beliefs in superior power. So, here, his hesitance had a valid reason. On the other hand, this hesitance can also be viewed as an apt strategy because if he killed Claudius then and there, it would have created graver consequences. That is, when Hamlet tried to kill Claudius in his room, he was viewed as an insane person. Thus, his act of revenge could be constructed in a wrong way and Claudius’ original crime could be wiped off. Final Action and the actualization of the target Claudius as counter measure tries to exile Hamlet, to save himself and also as a punishment for Hamlet for killing the Lord Polonius. However, Hamlet returns to Denmark, setting the stage for a bloody tragic climax. Ophelia, Hamlet’s lover, commits suicide after losing her mind due to her father’s death. Both these incidents doubly spurred Polonius’ son as well as Ophelia’s brother Laertes to kill Hamlet. Claudius was willing to use this opportunity to ‘silence’ Hamlet once for all, and so he conspires with Laertes. Using the fencing match as the setting, Claudius applies Laertes’ sword with poison, so when it strikes and cuts Hamlet during the course of the match, he will die instantly. Even if Hamlet emerge victorious without getting any cut from the poisoned sword, Claudius had a backup plan to murder Hamlet by giving a poison mixed wine as a ‘victory drink’. However, in a chain of tragic sequences, Gertrude overjoyed by his son’s victory in the fencing match, mistakenly drinks the poisoned wine. Then Laertes as well as Hamlet gets struck by the poisoned sword. On the verge of death, Hamlet as an actualization of his wish and culmination of his revenge plans slits the Claudius’ throat. “The death of Claudius near the end of the homicidal frenzy of 5.2 is the final confrontation and is thus worthy of a dramatic climax.”(Usher, 52). So, the four main characters gets killed with Horatio remaining the only witness, who reveals all the truths to the people of the kingdom, and paves the way for Hamlet to get the military honors on his death. So, in the conclusion, Hamlet does not hesitate even a bit and overcome by emotions knowing that his end is nearing, seeks revenge. So, although he hesitated to kill Claudius when he had an opportunity, his thoughts translated into actions and reached the logical conclusion in the climax of the play. Works Cited Bayley, John. Shakespeare and Tragedy. Routledge.1981. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Courier Dover Publications. 1993 Usher, Peter D. Hamlet’s Transformation. Elizabethan Review. 7. 1 (1999): 48-64 Read More