Analysis of Hamlet's Character Essay

William Shakespeare's character "Hamlet" depicts the reality of inner-torment and humanity. His inner torment stems from his burning desire for revenge on Claudius for murdering his father and incestuously marrying his mother, Queen Gertrude.

Hamlet, who is thoughtful and idealistic, is torn between the demands of his emotions and the doubt in his mind. Hamlet's prime imperfection is his inability to act on his desires. This can be attributed to the dramatic irony of being ordered, by his father's omnipotent spirit, to commit a murder as vengeance for King Hamlet's slaying. As a dutiful son, Hamlet must act accordingly and seek revenge on King Claudius. Hamlet also must contend with how his mother could ever fall in love with such a vile man as Claudius. In the process of partially feigning his insanity, Hamlet loses all sense of identity, even contemplating suicide. All the circumstances that Hamlet has endured have fogged up his mind to the point where he cannot rationalize his own thoughts, leading to his gradual emotional decay.

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Hamlet's psyche is affected by his doubt as to whether Claudius is the actual murderer of his father. As a result, he struggles to act when necessary, not making specific plans for his revenge. As time passes, Hamlet still has not acted out the revenge he promised his father, with his madness emergent inside of him. Being an over-analytical procrastinator, Hamlet passed on his best chance to kill Claudius.
"And now I'll do 't. [draws sword] And so he goes to heaven… That would be scanned: A villain kills my father, and for that, I, his sole son, do this same villain send to heaven. Why, this is hire and salary, not revenge."
(iii.iii.78-84)

According to Hamlet, by murdering Claudius he would be doing a disservice to the late King Hamlet by supposedly sending his assassin to heaven. What Hamlet conveys is that this is not what he really wants to do, rather more of an obligation to his father out of honor. The appearance of the ghost of King Hamlet, his disbelief that Claudius was the actual murder of Hamlet's father, and his analytical, intelligent personality all contributes to the emotional turmoil that best portrays Hamlet.
Another theme of Hamlet is the concept of honor, or chivalry. After the apparition tells Hamlet the story of the homicide, he pledges to revenge his father's murder. "Haste me to know't, that I, with wings as swift as meditation or the thoughts of love, may sweep to my revenge" (I.v.35-37) Hamlet was in a state of shock at the time, in fear of being harmed the ghost. Unsure if the apparition was truly the deceased King Hamlet or an evil spirit, Hamlet has no choice than to accept the spirit's order, as if it was a commandment from God. Later on, however, as he prepares to leave with Marcellus and Horatio, Hamlet admits that this event was too much for him to take, that he had not committed himself to his revenge. "The time is out of joint: O cursed spite that ever I was born to set it right!" (I.v.210-211) To confess that one wishes he were never born raises the inquiry that something is affecting his consciousness. Marking the beginning of his apparent, or perhaps feigned, madness, Hamlet's sense of identity is henceforth sent into a slow yet painful deterioration.

Hamlet's general outlook on life is one that is pessimistic, boring and unpleasant. Undoubtedly, this is resultant of the death of his father, and the incestuous remarriage of his mother to his uncle. There are, however, other factors that are significant in the development of Hamlet's persona. Hamlet is quite intelligent, as seen in his ability to analyze situations and postulate that Claudius is starting to realize that Hamlet knows what has occurred in his family. He partially feigns his insanity to convince Claudius that he really doesn't know what is going on. Through the process of pretending to be insane, however, Hamlet is deeply affected by a loss of identity. "And spur my dull revenge! What is a man, if his chief good and market of his time be but to sleep and feed? a beast, no more." (IV.iv.35-37) Hamlet has lost a purpose in life - he has been living the life of an savage animal, eating and sleeping but not getting anywhere, simply existing. When one dabbles along without a feeling of purpose, a reason for living, he may contemplate suicide or, in frustration, turn to uncontrollable murderous rage. "How now, a rat? Dead for a ducat, dead… A bloody deed - almost as bad, good mother, As kill a king and marry with his brother." (III.iv.29, 34-35) Through his foolish action, Hamlet creates yet another foil for himself, Laertes.

Hamlet shows absolutely no sorrow or remorse in killing Polonius, further isolating himself from his mother.

Hamlet is quite an interesting enigma in that it is up to the reader to determine whether his insanity is mocked or real. In spite of this, one concludes that it is a combination of both. Hamlet is simply a bewildered pessimist whose psyche has been negatively affected by the actions of those around him. What appeared to be a promising future for the young Prince of Denmark was gone. Hamlet laments on this as: "O God, God how weary, stale flat and unprofitable seems to me all the uses of this world!" (I.ii.136-138) Hamlet clearly has no purpose with which to live his life for, hence throwing himself into a suicidal frame of mind. Yet, Hamlet shares many qualities of a human personality. Many people experience a period of depression sometime in their life, wondering if there's still a reason to live. He experiences self-doubt, inner-turmoil and periods of lunacy where he acts irrationally, as most humans do. Nobody is perfect, and never will be. The complexity and humanity of Hamlet's character has enshrined him as one of the most ingenious characters in all of literature.

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