Hamlet

Great wits are sure to madness near allied, and thin partitions do their bounds divide. Though John Dryden’s quote was not made in regard to William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, it relates very well to the argument of whether or not Hamlet went insane. When a character such as Hamlet is under scrutiny, it can sometimes be difficult to determine what state he is in at particular moments in the play. Nonetheless, Hamlet merely pretends to be insane so that he can calculate his moves according to the situation at hand.

There are many situations throughout the play that are enough to bring Hamlet to insanity. Take, for example, Act IV, scene II, after Polonius’s death. Hamlet’s day has been hectic; he finally determines that Claudius has killed his father. The chance to kill Claudius confronts him, and he comes very close to convincing Gertrude that Claudius killed his father. Hamlet accidentally kills Polonius and finally, the ghost of his father visits him. Though at this point these situations create plenty of reasons for Hamlet to be insane, he remains sharp and credible. [Hamlet] concocts this state of madness…his intellect remains clear, his discourse sound and comprehensive, (Harris, p. 129).

Hamlet reveals to his friends and his mother of his plans to pretend act insane. He tells Horatio that he is going to “feign madness,” and that if Horatio notices any strange behavior from Hamlet, it is because he is putting on an act. (I. v). Hamlet also tells his mother that he is not mad, “but mad in craft.” (III, iv). In addition to his confessions, Hamlet’s madness only manifests itself when he is in the presence of certain characters. When Hamlet is around Polonius, Claudius, Gertrude, Ophelia, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, he behaves irrationally. When Hamlet is around Horatio, Bernardo, Francisco, The Players and the Gravediggers, he behaves rationally (Bevington, p. 59).

Some of the characters themselves come to realize that Hamlet is not mad. Claudius confesses that Hamlet’s “actions although strange, do not appear to stem from madness.” (II, i). In addition, Polonius admits that Hamlet’s actions and words have a “method” to them; there appears to be a reason behind them, they are logical in nature. (II, ii). Hamlet is also able to make smart remarks to Rosencrantz and

Guildenstern, comparing them to sponges. “When he (Claudius) needs what you have gleaned, it is but squeezing you and, sponge, you shall be dry again,” (). This is random and unexpected, as many of his actions, but the comparison makes sense; Rosencrantz and Guildenstern soak up all the kings favors, only to become dry again after they mop up the King’s mess, which was spying on Hamlet, and getting Polonius’s body.

Later, with Claudius, Hamlet tells how lowly a king can be by saying, “A man (beggar) may fish with the worm that hath eat of a king, and eat of the fish that hath fed of that worm,” ( ). This also makes sense, and is not quite as random; when Hamlet confronts Claudius, and the king asks where Polonius is, Hamlet immediately begins the comparison by telling Claudius that Polonuis is at supper. This proves that Hamlet had some kind of planning for this degrading comment, and that his thoughts are not scattered and he is able to stay focused.

Hamlet believes in his sanity at all times. He never doubts his control over psyche. There is a question, though, of what being insane really is. Is Hamlet really mad? If so, what causes Hamlet’s madness? Is it his reluctance to take revenge? Is it his confused feelings about his mother? Is he in fact sane and the world mad for failing to understand the things he says? Is he sometimes pretending to be mad and at other times genuinely unbalanced? All of these question still remain unanswered, yet it can be inferred from the text of Hamlet that there was a method to Hamlet’s madness.

The madness of Hamlet has always been a topic of controversy when discussing William Shakespeare’s Tragedy of Hamlet. In this play, the tragic hero contemplates his own concepts of moral judgment and, in the process, may be considered mad. Hamlet both feigns madness and actually has some characteristics of a madman. His madness is defined by his inability to decide between right and wrong and to make appropriate decisions based on standards of society.

Hamlet’s mere circumstances at the opening of the play are a major contributing factor to his madness. His father, King Hamlet, has just been murdered; his mother, Gertrude, has married his uncle Claudius only a month after her late husband died, stripping Hamlet from his natural right to the throne. The loss of his father, as well as his uncle’s new role as

King of Denmark and father to Hamlet, contribute to Hamlet’s disturbed mental state. The play illuminates this trapped position Hamlet experiences, both in circumstances and in his own mental state. The first sign the audience receives that Hamlet may be mad is after his encounter with Ophelia. Ophelia is Hamlet’s secret love and her father has forbidden her to see Hamlet any more. She must discontinue her relationship with Hamlet, but she can give Hamlet no reason for her rejecting him. She has returned his letters and presents, “My lord, I have remembrances of yours.

That I have longed long to redeliver. I pray you now receive them” (129). Hamlet receives no explanation for his love’s actions. He confronts Ophelia. yet it frightens her and makes Polonius think Hamlet is mad. Hamlet could either be extremely upset or insane, but Polonius attributes his actions to madness: “[Ophelia’s rejection] hath made him mad/ I feared he did but trifle/And meant to wrack [Ophelia]” (81). Hamlet’s state of mind is obviously in question when one considers his soliloquy. Hamlet was contemplating his own death:

To be or not to be-that is the question/ To die, to sleep-no more-and by asleep to say we end The heartache and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to/ But that the dread of something after death, the/ undiscovered country form whose born no traveler returns/ does make cowards of us all (127).

Hamlet ultimately decides against suicide for fear of God’s punishment after death. Obviously a man who is contemplating his own death is not completely sane. His depression from his father’s death, his corrupt uncle’s position, his mother’s adultery, and his lover’s rejection have pressed Hamlet enough to make him question the continuation of his own life.

One major contribution to Hamlet’s confused state of mind is the apparition of his ghost father King Hamlet. The ghost of the late King appears to Hamlet at the beginning of the play and relays to Hamlet that Hamlet’s uncle Claudius murdered the king. “The serpent that did sting thy father’s life now wears his crown,” cries the ghost (59). Hamlet is doubly dismayed to learn that his own mother, the “seeming-virtuous queen,” committed adultery with Claudius and possibly had a hand in King Hamlet’s murder. Hamlet’s father was killed in his sleep without a chance to repent his sins and now roams the earth in a state of purgatory as a ghost seeking revenge. The ghost tells Hamlet to avenge him: “If thou hast nature in thee, bear it not./

Let not the royal bed of Denmark be/ A couch for luxury and damned incest”(61). Hamlet’s state of mind is filled with thoughts of vengeance against his father’s murderer, yet the guilty murderer is Hamlet’s own uncle. Hamlet speaks of his late father and his mother’s hasty marriage, “So excellent a king/ so loving to my mother/ And yet, within a month/ (Let me not think on’t, frailty thy name is woman!)./ A little month, or ere those shoes were old/ With which she followed my poor father’s body married with my uncle, My father’s brother, but no more like my father/ Then I to Hercules” (29).

“Do not forever with thy vailed lids/ Seek for thy noble father in the dust/Thou know’st ’tis common; all that lives must die/Passing through nature to eternity,” says Gertrude (25). She denies Hamlet his right to grieve and tries to tell him that all men must die-it is a mere fact of life. Hamlet is even more disturbed by this because he feels that his own mother should be mourning the loss as well. That death is common does not soften the loss of his father. He must decide between avenging his father and obeying the laws of God and man by not killing the King.

This decision puts Hamlet in a heightened state of confusion and temporary madness. The ghost ends his monologue with the words, “Remember me,” allowing Hamlet no excuses to forget the bidding of the ghost. Throughout the entire play, these words haunt Hamlet and continually upset his usual train of thinking. This is evident later in the play when the ghost appears again, increasing Hamlet’s state of confusion.

Other small factors in the play also contribute to Hamlet’s state of mind: the country is currently on the brink of war with Fortinbras; Hamlet learns that he is to be sent to England, accompanied by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern who are later executed by the order of Hamlet, where he will be promptly put to death by the order of King Claudius; and when Hamlet returns to Elsinore, he learns that his dearest Ophelia has drowned.

All of these occurrences influence Hamlet’s way of thinking and actions. After closely examining the events that occur in Hamlet’s life p, one can conclude that though at times he appeared to be feigning madness, there can be no question as to whether or not certain events in the play added to Hamlet’s actual madness. His extraordinary circumstances are cause to make a man react irrationally, making Hamlet a candidate for temporary insanity. Works Cited

In the play Hamlet, Hamlet pretends to be a mad. Hamlet pretends hoping that others will ignore his actions, but instead it drew more interest from people. 1)Hemlet’s madness probably aroused the suspicions of the king. 2)Because people were trying to figure out why he was acting mad, people paid more close attention to Hamlet. 3)When Hamlet presented his play “Mouse Trap”, the king knew that Hamlet knew about the murder and Hemlet’s feigned madness probably made the king more suspicious and impatient to get rid of Hamlet. Hamlet’s madness was not only useless it also aroused the suspicions of the king.

1)Hemlet’s madness probably aroused the suspicion of the king. Hamlet wanted to act crazy thinking people will ignore his strange actions. The king hired Rozencraz and Guildensturn to find out why Hamlet was acting mad and by doing this the king might have discovered that Hamlet knew about the murder of his father. The king did not know that Hamlet knew who killed father until Hamlet presented the play “Mouse Trap”, but he was certainly curious and also little suspicious about Hemlet’s madness. After talking to Polonius, the king tells Polonius “Madness in great ones must not go” (line 203,act3,sc1) before he exits. Here, the king knows Hamlet is a intelligent person and he suspects there is a good reason behind his madness.

2)While the king was trying to solve the mystery of Hemlet’s madness other members of the court were also trying to find out what made Hamlet mad or helping the king to find out why Hamlet was mad. Polonious was also curious about Hemlet’s madness and he also spied on Hamlet while Ophelia talk to Hamlet. Although no one finds out exact cause of his madness Polonius was paying close enough attention to make a guess.

Polonius thought Ophelia probably caused Hemlet’s madness. Polonius told Ophelia to stop seeing Hamlet and he thought this was the cause of Hemlet’s madness. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were also working to find out the cause of Hemlet’s madness, but they were working for the king. Many characters in the play were very interested in why Hamlet was mad and it probably wasn’t what Hamlet had in his mind when he planed to act like a mad man.

3)Hemlet’s madness encouraged many members of the court to pay a close attention to him and after the play “Mouse Trap”, Hemlet’s feigned madness was useless and probably harmful to Hamlet. Hamlet acted mad so that people won’t take his actions seriously, but people had more interest in him and tried harder to see why he was acting mad. Hemlet’s feigned madness was completely useless when he presented his play. The king had little suspicions about Hemlet’s madness all along.

The king hires Rosencratz and Guildensturn to spy on Hamlet more than once. When the king watched the play “Mouse Trap” he knew that Hamlet knew about the murder. From this point on the king knows that Hamlet is planing something to revenge and his madness was a part of it. Hemlet’s madness was not only useless from this point, but it probably made the king more agitated and the king decides to kill Hamlet. The king was determined to kill Hamlet no matter what he does.

Hemlet’s feigned madness served no useful purpose. Hamlet was center of everyone’s interest because of his madness. 1)Hemlet’s madness probably aroused the suspicions of the king. 2)Because people were trying to figure out why he was acting mad, people paid more close attention to Hamlet. 3)When Hamlet presented his play “Mouse Trap”, the king knew that Hamlet knew about the murder and Hemlet’s feigned madness probably made the king more suspicious and impatient to get rid of Hamlet. Hemlet’s feigned madness was not only useless it also aroused the suspicions of the king.

I received 29 out of 30 points. only reason i got 29 would be small amount of gramatical errors and spelling. make sure to spell all names right and proof read this. main ideas are numbered and thesis at the end of 1st paragraph. Good luck. Main body paragraphs numbered also.

William Shakespeare’s writings have left many readers pondering what the actual meanings of his plays are, and why the characters act in a certain manner. In Hamlet, a great deal of scholarly detective work has been done to unravel the unique complexity of his text, such as, why Ophelia became mad. There were many factors that could have led to Ophelia’s insanity.

Carroll Camden believed that Ophelia’s madness was induced by the death of her father, Hamlet’s denied love for her, Polonius’s orders for her not to make contact with Hamlet, the lectures given to her from Laertes and Polonius, Hamlet’s indication that Ophelia was responsible for his madness, and his many insults (253). All these occurrences stimulated Ophelia’s madness and caused her to take her own life.

The first reason that may have provoked Ophelia’s madness was through the conversations she had with her brother. In Act I, Scene III, Laertes diminished Ophelia’s self-confidence by telling her that Hamlet’s love for her will not last forever. He also tried to advise her not to be mesmerized by Hamlet’s charm. Being a respectful sister, she kept Laertes’s advice in consideration.

Similarly, Polonius destroys Ophelia’s dignity, “Affection? Pooh! You speak like a green girl,/ Unsifted in such perilous circumstance (I. iii. 107-8).” He calls her an immature girl, inexperienced in foolish matters. Ophelia defends her love for Hamlet, “He hath, my lord, of late made many tenders of his affection to me… My lord, he hath importuned me with love in honourable fashion… And hath given countenance to his speech, my lord, with almost all the holy vows of heaven (I. iii. 105-20).”

Ophelia’s responses opposed her father’s negative remarks about Hamlet. She is persuaded that their love is true. Polonius then frightens her, “Ay, springes to catch woodcocks! I do know,/ When the blood burns, how prodigal the soul/ Lends the tongue vows… Do not believe his vows…. I would not, in plain terms, from this time forth/ Have you so slander any moment leisure/As to give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet (1. iii. 121-33).”

In those two conversations, nothing inspired Ophelia to be with Hamlet. Laertes and Polonius both insulted Hamlet and told her not to believe in Hamlet’s vows. As a result, Ophelia obeyed her father’s commands not to make contact with Hamlet. Against her own will, she followed her family’s requests. This must have been a heart-aching situation for Ophelia.

These scenes caused Ophelia a great amount of distress, but she was even more devastated when she encountered Hamlet during the scene in which Polonius and Claudius spied upon. “I love you not (III. i. 127),” those four harsh words spoken by Hamlet destroyed Ophelia’s belief in their love for one another. Not only that but Hamlet goes on insulting her. “Get thee to a nunnery… I have heard of your paintings well enough (III. i. 130-50).” Ophelia now believes that she herself is the immediate source of Hamlet’s madness (Camden 249).

Soon after Hamlet leaves the previous scene, Ophelia expresses genuine distress from Hamlet’s insanity in a soliloquy. “And I, of ladies most deject and wretched,/ That sucked the honey of his music vows,/ Now see that noble and most sovereign reason… O woe is me,/ T’have seen what I have seen, see what I see (III. i. 163-9).” Hamlet’s pretended madness actually contributed to Ophelia’s real madness (Camden 249).

After such an incident, no one comforted Ophelia. Polonuis treated her as if she was a tool for spying and had no feelings, “How now Ophelia!/ You need not tell us what Lord Hamlet said,/We heard it all (III. i. 186-8).” He then goes on chattering about another scheme with Claudius. He did not realize Ophelia’s distress cause by Hamlet’s monstrosity. It is evident that Ophelia is experiencing a great amount of emotional pain.

Once more, Hamlet strikes Ophelia with his witticisms in Act III, Scene II, at the performance of The Mousetrap. Ophelia’s terse and polite replies gave the impression that she feels uncomfortable having that conversation with Hamlet.

To this point, Carroll Camden’s statements as to why Ophelia had gone mad are acceptable. However, I disagree with the fact that Ophelia’s madness was stimulated by her father’s death. Roderick Benedix said, “No girl becomes insane because her father dies, least of all Ophelia” (qtd. in Camden 247). I also agree with what Katherine Mansfield stated, “And who can believe that Ophelia really loved him (qtd. in Camden 253)”. An example of Ophelia’s hatred towards her father is when she sings about a “baker’s daughter (IV. v. 44).” She is referring to the way her father used to treat her before he died.

Ophelia has a unique form of madness unlike Hamlet’s and Laertes’ because it a mixture of love and hate. An example of hate is when she sings about a “baker’s daughter.”(Act IV,Sc.5,42) Ophelia is referring to the way her father used to treat her before the tragic incident of his death. A love within her madness is when she speaks about the events on “Valentine’s day.”(Act IV, Sc.5,48) When Ophelia speaks about Valentines day she is referring to the events of romance that she was denied. Ophelia’s madness is brought on by her lack of being able to demonstrate any maturity in trying to cope with her losses and in return can only inflict her madness on the court.

Something was definitely rotten in the state of Denmark: the king was dead of a murder most foul, a betrayal from his own brother, and young Hamlet was thrown out of the frying pan, which was his father’s passing, and into the fire of revenge. One would think that an act of revenge such as this, retribution from an enraged son over the unjust murder of his father, would come about quickly, wildly, and brutally, driven by anger and by rage.

This was simply not the case in Shakespearels Hamlet, as the young prince unexpectedly drew out his plans for revenge over a rather large amount of time due to his own apparent weakness, inaction. “The smallest deed is greater than the grandest intention.” (Raja: Pp 111) Hamlet was full of grand ideas and intentions, but he failed to act and to carry out the deed that was his revenge, the destruction of Claudius. Why did Hamlet choose, and it was a choice, not to take revenge on Claudius quickly and decisively? Hamlet had his own reasons for inaction; the strategy that he felt best suited his revenge.

Hamlet was undoubtedly an incredible intellectual, and throughout the play it seemed as though the thoughts of his mind came too quickly for the actions of his body to keep up with. This intellectual quality provided a roadblock for Hamlets taking a quick revenge on Claudius. Nearly all of Hamletis actions, with the exception of his outburst at Ophelia’s grave, were preplanned and precisely calculated.

His inborn thought process prolonged his revenge, and while Hamlet may have appeared listless with inaction, the wheels in his mind never stopped turning. Hamlet questioned everything. including the validity of his own father’s ghost, and this questioning slowed down Hamlet’s ability to take action. The young prince may have thought too much for his own good at times; he wrestled with many ideas, thoughts, and feelings over the course of the play, delaying any real action until the time, in his eyes, was right.

Hamlet was very much a perfectionist in revenge. He wanted everything to be perfect, and this caused him to take unusual and unique steps to gain his revenge on Claudius. Hamlet’s play within a play, a brilliant scheme in which he caught the conscience of the king, was a prime example of the young princells need for perfection in revenge. Inaction resulted from this perfectionistic nature. Hamlet missed golden opportunities, and even passed up a chance to kill Claudius and to take his revenge simply because Claudius was praying at the time. Hamlet did not only want to kill his father’s murderer, he wanted to send him to an eternal punishment of damnation. This quality of perfectionism, along with his intellectual aspect, caused Hamlet to move slowly and carefully in his revenge, often resulting in periods of inaction.

Hamlet also seemed to truly enjoy his revenge, so much that he may have procrastinated in taking action on purpose, simply to toy with Claudius as long as possible. Hamlet clearly enjoyed tormenting his father’s killer; the prime example of this again being the play within a play, where Claudius was able to watch his own crime, his own guilt, played out before him on stage. Hamlet toyed with Claudius and his mind, attempting to destroy the guilty king before killing him. This purposeful procrastination delayed any decisive vengeful action from Hamlet.

Hamlet’s delay of vengeance was necessary in order for his ideal revenge to come about; unfortunately Hamlet’s ideal plans never came to be. The young princells tragic situation applies to another quote of Shakespeare, “There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune.” Hamlet had the opportunities, the tide that leads on to fortune, all around him; he simply failed to act on them. The quote goes on to say, “Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat, and we must take the current when it serves, or lose our ventures.” (Shakespeare: Pp 1126)

Hamlet’s choice to remain inactive did not cause, but certainly helped to bring about his downfall, his shallows and his miseries. Although Hamlet’s intellectual qualities, perfectionistic nature, and enjoyment with the torment of Claudius resulted in inaction that prevented his taking revenge, it was action, Hamlet revealing himself at Ophelials grave, which finally destroyed his plans for vengeance. Had Hamlet remained inactive, he certainly would have been able to complete his plans for revenge on Claudius. Instead, Hamlet revealed himself at Ophelia’s tomb, losing his element of surprise on the king, and causing all of his plans to unravel. In the end inaction did not destroy Hamlet’s revenge, his action regarding his love for Opheila did.

In the play, “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare, many aspects contribute to the tale of tragedy, but of these there is one thing that is purely essential to this famous story: the ghost of King Hamlet. The ghost of King Hamlet is so important to “Hamlet” on so many levels, accounting for most issues, directly or indirectly, that are involved in the drama.

The intrigue of the pale specter creates many things such as Hamlet’s procrastination, it also projects the image of Hamlet’s madness, and most importantly, it provides the plot of the story: Hamlet seeking revenge for King Hamlet’s murder. The mystery that was set at the beginning of the play, with the appearance of the king’s ghost, was resolved when his son Hamlet went to the battlements after a quick game of follow the leader. This is where King Hamlet’s visage speaks to Hamlet, saying not the most famous words of the play, but the words with the most meaning.

At this time King Hamlet tells his son the truth of his death. Here it is revealed that King Hamlet did not die of a tragic accident, but of a treacherous betrayal by his own dear brother. With this event revealed the story is set in motion with Hamlet seeking to avenge his father’s untimely demise and with Hamlet also seeking the death of Claudius. With Hamlet’s new found knowledge about the murderous Claudius, another aspect of Hamlet is shed light upon.

Hamlet’s so called “procrastination” is brought forth with the apparition’s information. Because the prince was unknowing of his father’s true identity, whether he was truly his father, King Hamlet, or a devious imposter sent by the devil himself to make Hamlet commit a deed of unrepentable evil. To make sure the accusations of the spirit were true, Hamlet set out on a quest to test the validity of the statements made. So, through half the play, Hamlet goes forth looking for clues, finding no hard evidence but plenty of suspicion. It wasn’t until the actors came that he pondered on an idea that would test the truth of the words that were circulating in his mind. Here Hamlet decided “the play is the thing, to catch the conscience of the King”.

That he did, proving that Claudius was indeed responsible for killing his father, therefore proving the identity of the ghost being actually his father. In most of Shakespeare’s plays, madness plays a major role and Hamlet is no exception. In Romeo & Juliet mad love played an important part in the tragedy. In even closer ties, Macbeth’s run in with the ghost of Banquo also proved to be an important additive. The appearance of Banquo to only the eyes of Macbeth displayed to his guests a visage of madness. This case is also true in Hamlet, but in a slightly different manner.

In Hamlet, the coming of the apparition did not totally create the image of Hamlet being mad. To begin with he was not the first and only person to see this ghost of King Hamlet. Only with the testimony of Horatio, Marcellus, and Barnardo did Hamlet even know that this apparition existed. The impression of Hamlet being crazy was not present in his first encounter with the ghost, but in another. After the first meeting with the specter, Hamlet made his three accomplices swear not to tell anyone about what they saw. So instead of sweeping through Denmark that the King was present in a less substantial manner, no body knew of the ghost’s existence. So comes the ghost’s second encounter with Hamlet.

This time it occurs in the “closet” of Queen Gertrude while Hamlet is pleading with his mother to lay off of Claudius because of Claudius’s dark deed. Right before Hamlet was to totally sell his speech to Gertrude, his ranting got out of hand and his father’s form appeared again, warning Hamlet not to harm his mother for a second time.

While Hamlet was conversing with his father, the Queen stood in dismay not knowing who Hamlet was talking to because of her lack of ability to see her ex-husband. This convinced Queen Gertrude that Hamlet was truly mad and she totally dismissed the ideas that were recently programmed in her mind. With out the mad appearance of Hamlet and his noted procrastination, “Hamlet” would not be as popular as it is today. Certainly without its detailed plot the story would have little meaning and little effect. Therefore, where would the play be without King Hamlet’s insubstantial visit.

The story of Hamlet comes from a long line of revenge tragedies in which a character attempts to avenge the murder of a family member. Just as revenge is present in literature, it is also present in today’s society. It is always there, lurking in the darkness of the human mind, watching. waiting for an opportunity to lash out at the surrounding world. Shakespeare suggests in Hamlet that revenge is a debilitating force, and the pursuit of it can infect the most noble of all souls. Once tainted by this infectious disease, no weak minded individual can be cured of it. Revenge is an unavoidable power moving the mind closer towards destruction.

In order for revenge to truly corrupt Hamlet, he had to be an innocent and noble character from the onset of the play. Without this innocence and respected status, Hamlet would have nothing to lose, revenge would have no affect on him because the evil would already exist. There has to be a shift from good to evil in order for Hamlet to be a tragedy, and it is the darkness of revenge that provides this shift. It is from Ophelia that a reader gets their description of Hamlet’s character before it was corrupted. She reveals everything about Hamlet that would make him a noble man. It is in their first meeting in the play, that Ophelia states, DO, what a noble mind is here oler-thrown!

The courtiers, soldiers, scholaris, eye, tongue, sword; thi expectancy and rose of the fair state, the glass of fashion and the mould of form, the observed of all observers (III.142-146). First of all, she herself states that he has a noble mind. Then Ophelia comments on how he can relate to everyone in some small way. This ability makes Hamlet the pride of Denmark, and the most loved. He is also considered to be a model for all men, thus meaning that people admire him and look to him for guidance. One can base the entire notion of Hamlets nobility on this one quote. What else does a person need in order to be considered noble? He is admired, he is loved, and he is a role model, thus Hamlet is noble.

The nobility of Hamlet was corrupted by the power of revenge. Hamlet, although saddened by his father’s death and the marriage of Claudius and Gertrude, was not consumed by it. These were in no way the sources of his diseased soul, rather it was the desire for murderous revenge that slowly turned his heart black. The deterioration of his righteous mind began when he first learned of his father’s foul murder and and vows swift revenge. Hold, hold, my heart; and you, my sinews, grow not instant old, but bear me stiffly up (Shakespeare I.v.93-94). Hamlet not only vows revenge, but he hands his mind, soul, and everything he holds dear over to it. He is no longer loyal to his father, but to revenge alone. It is at this exact moment that Hamlet and all his actions become truly dark; revenge has begun to consume him.

The destructive force that revenge possesses comes from its consummation. Once an individual stands in the light of revenge, there is no turning back, revenge is unavoidable. It is impossible to commit a crime or ponder the thought and not be affected by it in some way. Hamlet can try and justify his cause with the belief, DAn eye for an eye, but it is no use. Murdering his uncle is not his decision nor his duty. There is no such thing as an appropriate sin, or Isinning elegantly.

All sins are immoral no matter what the intention. Hamlet is too intent on the damning of Claudius soul. Then trip him, that his heels may kick at heaven, and that his sould may be as damnid and black as hell, whereto it goes (Shakespeare III.iii. 93-95). Just because Hamlet’s father was murdered does not mean that he has the right to murder Claudius, much less damn him in the process. It is Hamlet’s decision to damn Claudius, that exposes the ultimate degredation and destruction that revenge has brought upon Hamlet’s soul.

Revenge is negative, but the affects that revenge produces can be far worse. In the case of Hamlet, the results were catastrophic. The first victim was the unsuspecting Polonius. The death of Polonius and young Hamlet’s desire for insatiable need for revenge sparked a chain reaction that soon engulfed everything and everyone around the young prince. Hamletis relentless pursuit not only caused the death of many people, it triggered the downfall of an entire kingdom.

Hamlet warns that revenge is a force not meant to be tampered with. The struggle to achieve revenge, will not relieve a person of pain, it will only cause more. In writing Hamlet, Shakespeare demonstrates that revenge is not the answer, and that it in the end solves nothing. By doing this, Shakespeare leaves the audience with the moral dilema of how to live there own lives. If the path that Hamlet chose was unfulfilled, then what path is the audience supposed to take? Forgiveness. The act of forgiveness is the only path to true happiness and salvation, not only because it spares the soul of the individual affected by the crime, but also because it delivers the offender from eternal damnation.