Hamlet Literary Analysis Essay Research Paper In

Hamlet Literary Analysis Essay, Research Paper

In Hamlet , the tragedy by William Shakespeare, Hamlet, the prince of Denmark withholds a great internal conflict throughout the play. As a result, Hamlet contradicts himself many times throughout out the play, which caused the unnecessary death of many others. As well as trying to be true to himself, Hamlet is an expert at acting out roles and making people falsely believe him. The roles he plays are ones in which he fakes madness to accomplish his goals. While one second Hamlet pretends to be under a strange spell of madness, seconds later he may become perfectly calm. He struggles with the issue of avenging his father s death. He vows to kill Claudius but then backs out several times. Hamlet s actions throughout the play support this deceitful nature. His dual personalities are the foundation of his madness. There are many examples that illustrate how Hamlet s deceitful nature results in a tragedy because of his inability to choose which role to play.

In Act One, Hamlet appears to be very straightforward in his actions and his role. When his mother questions him, Hamlet says, “Seems, madam. Nay it is. I know not seems” (1.2.76). By saying this, Hamlet lets Gertrude know that he is what she sees, torn over his father s death. Later, he makes a clear statement about his state of mind when he commits himself to revenge. “I ll wipe away all trivial fond records, all saws of books, all forms, all pressures past, that youth and observation copied there, and thy commandment all alone shall live within the book and volume of my brain” (1.5.100-104). In that statement, Hamlet is declaring that he will be committed to nothing else but the revenge of his fathers death. There is no confusion about Hamlet s character in Act One. He has said earlier that he is what he appears to be, and there is no reason to doubt it.

In the next act, Hamlet s intentions suddenly become confusing. In the first act, Hamlet was dedicated and inspired in seeking revenge. However, when Hamlet appears again in the second act, he loses the conviction that was present earlier. He has yet to take up the orders assigned to him by the ghost. He spends the act walking around, reading, and talking with Polonius, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and the players. It is not until the very end of the act that he even mentions revenge.

These two acts show Hamlet s insincerity and how tragedy results. With certain people, Hamlet is resolved to get revenge for his father s death. With other people, this thought is the last thought in his mind. If he had any of the resolve he had showed earlier, his act of revenge would have already been completed. Instead of playing the part of the vengeful son, or dropping the issue entirely, he spends the entire act slacking off . He avoids the decision he has to make and pretends to be mad. This is shown when he says to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, “I know not-lost all my mirth, forgone all custom of exercises” (2.2.280-281). Later Hamlet tells Rosencrantz and Guildenstern that he is just faking his madness when he says, “I am but mad north-north-west. When the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw” (2.2.347-348). By Hamlet admitting that he is faking, he is truly saying that he is comfortable with it. It is strange that Hamlet is comfortable with playing at this point, but the main concept is that he is not acting out the role that he established in act one.

However, when the players come around, the resolved Hamlet returns. Hamlet is prompted to vengeance again by the moving speech that is given by one of the players. In this speech, he says, “What s Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba, that he should weep for her. What would he do had he motive and cue for passion that I have” (2.2.513-516). In the praise of this player s ability to act, Hamlet says that if this was a play he acted in, he would have killed Claudius by now. He is then moved to swear that he should kill Claudius when he says, “I should ha fatted all the region kites with this slave s offal. Bloody, bawdy villain! O, vengeance! Why, what an ass am I” (2.2.533-537).

Act 2, scene 2 is a great example of Hamlet s tremendous problem. Hamlet makes this big buildup of what he should have done and how he will seek revenge, but then contradicts himself in his next statement. After all of the swearing and support, he backs out again. He can t decide whether to play the role or not. Being caught in the middle, Hamlet decides that he needs more proof of the King s guilt. He keeps going back on his resolve when he says, “The play s the thing wherein I ll catch the conscience of the King” (2.2.559-560). Hamlet believes that acting will transform one s inner self to match the exterior.

Hamlet s belief is backed up by the play. In the play, it is true that acting can transform one s inner self into whatever role one is playing. This is proved when Claudius s inner self is shown during the play, due to the one of the players acting his part out. Hamlet says if he would only act the part, he wouldn t have a problem taking action. However, the repeated contradictions in Hamlet are shown again when he says, “God hath given you one face, and you make yourselves another” (3.1.139-140). He is bouncing back and forth between supporting acting and denouncing it. Whenever he is in support of acting he is also ready for revenge.

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