Discussing the Hamlet by William Shakespeare - Essay Example

         There is a possibility that Hamlet was inspired by Martin Luther, the initiator of the Protestant Reformation. In Denmark, people follow the Catholic faith and are very religious. In Hamlet’s days, Catholics faced many problems. In those times, the Roman Catholic Church was rapidly gaining absolute power. The priests said that our sins can be condoned from God’s punishment by buying tickets to heaven. However, since Hamlet studies in Wittenberg in Germany and not in Denmark; he is little influenced by the Catholic school of thought. In Germany, Luther is epochal. Luther confronts the tenets of Roman Catholicism in the Ninety-Five Theses.

Hamlet is surrounded by Protestantism, in mind as well as in spirit. Hamlet says, “O all you host of heaven! O earth! What else? And shall I couple hell?” (Act 1 Scene 5). He starts to doubt Purgatory as it is a Catholic concept. As his father comes from Purgatory and asks him to avenge his murder; Hamlet questions himself about the existence of Purgatory. He thinks that the Devil himself has disguised as his father’s ghost and has descended to test him. Therefore, the ghost might be his imagination.

          Hamlet is caught between the conflict of two opposite forces, so he tries to save his sanity and sense of reason. He has strong moral integrity. Since his father’s death remains a sudden occurrence; the next king of Denmark is supposed to be Hamlet. His uncle’s readiness to take his place makes Hamlet wonder how his father passed away. To make things worse, his mother marries him right after her husband’s death. Shakespeare writes, “Thrift, thrift, Horatio. The funeral baked meats did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables” (Act 1 Scene 2). Hamlet doubts his mother ever loved his father, and asks himself how in a short time she could overcome the grief and get married to her brother-in-law. Hamlet is disturbed by the happy demeanor of his mother. Shakespeare states, “How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable seem to me all the uses of this world! fie don't, ah fie!” (Act 1 Scene 2) The readers and audience can feel Hamlet’s anger. The ability to see multiple meanings and disgust for his elders may have caused his mind to invent the appearance of the ghost as a kind of psychological catharsis caused by the overpowering negative feelings.

          Hamlet is severely affected by the lack of mental fortitude. He is trapped in his thoughts so deeply that it causes him sleepless nights and troubled days. He has audibled and visible hallucinations. I believe in the existence of ghosts. Especially the people, who die with resentments, are believed to be wandering around in the real world. People catch them moving, but none of them say “I talked with,” or “I saw the exact appearance.” When they see a ghost, people describe it by using the words “look like.” Hamlet is the only one who talks with the ghost and concludes it as his father. Also, Horatio calls the ghost “it” while Hamlet says “he.” In Act 4 Scene 4, when Hamlet is talking with the ghost, Gertrude asks, “to whom do you speak thus?” If the ghost is real, then the queen is likely to see a vague appearance too. However, it is only Hamlet who sees and talks with the ghost. Thus, it can be assumed that Hamlet has a mental problem. As a result, he invents the ghost with his imagination.

         Throughout the play, Shakespeare stresses the hero’s dilemma rather than the depiction of bloody deeds. Readers sense that Hamlet is a very divided and complicated man at the beginning of the play. The fact that the hero sees the ghost also becomes a convincing fact because he does not believe in Purgatory, is overwhelmed and has fragile mental power.