HAMLET

HAMLET

Hamlet is the greatest dramatic character ever created. He's the symbol of Doubt and Mistery and he shows his characteristic in the ambiguity of his madness. At the Court, Hamlet behaves and speaks like an insane man, but he reveals three times (to Orathio, to Rosecranz and Guildenstern and to Gertrude) that he has a precise aim: to revenge his father's death.

Hamlet is a man of radical contradictions, he is reckless yet cautious, courteous yet uncivil, tender yet ferocious. He meets his father's death with consuming righteous indignation, yet shows no compunction when he himself is responsible for the death of lord chamberlain, Polonius. He uses the fragile and innocent Ophelia as an outlet for his disgust towards the Queen, and can't comprehend that his own vicious words have caused her insanity. He is full of faults, by the way his faults have been quashed under his good qualities. He often speaks about frailty and falsity of women, and so we can also include Hamlet's character in a freudian interpretation.

Hamlet can't forget his father, even when all those around him have resumed their merry lives and his tremendous grief is intensified by the cold-hearted actions of his mother who married her brother in law within a month of her husband's death.

It is no wonder, then, that Hamlet develops a disgust for, not only Claudius the man, but all of the behaviors and excesses associated with Claudius.

Any possibility he had of regaining a semblance of normalcy and happiness is gone when the ghost of his father demands Hamlet seek revenge. Although Hamlet himself desires to see Claudius pay for his crime, he realizes the evil in the deed of killing the king, prompted by both 'heaven and hell'.The ghost has placed Hamlet in a most unnatural position by asking him to commit murder.

Hamlet is introspective, he is reflective and pensive, and we see this when Hamlet delays the moment of revenge as long as he possibly can. The perfect opportunity to kill Claudius as he was praying alone in his chamber is passed up by Hamlet, who makes excuses that the timing is not yet perfect.

He upset the court with his behaviour and, with his insanity he alarms King Claudius who first tries to find a reason for Hamlet's madness, then, worried about his own life decides to send away his nephew to England.

Hamlet doesn't follow his instinct, he always thinks a lot about everything he can do. At first he accuses himself of cowardice, but then he thinks that his incapacity of acting is fruit of his doubts about the real nature of the ghost: he doesn't know if the Ghost is HEAVEN or HELL.

Hamlet's perpetual introspection finally helps him to overcome his great anxiety. When he returns from exile in England, he is a very different Hamlet. He is calm, rational, and less afraid of death than merely indifferent. He has come to the realization that destiny is ultimately controlling all of our lives.

Hamlet is ready to confront the paradoxical truth that to revenge his father's death he must commit the same act for which he seeks revenge. Using fate as the scapegoat, Hamlet can distance himself from the act of killing Claudius.

Hamlet has reached the climax of his philosophizing; he has prepared himself for death.

When Hamlet finally dies, it is his princely qualities that make the lasting imprint in our minds.