The Internal Action Of Hamlet Essay Research

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The Internal Action of Hamlet

Many people have emotional ups and downs, it is human nature, everybody has to go through a time of depression and happiness at one point or another. In this play, Hamlet is going through a time of depression. Many people can relate to Hamlet because everybody has struggles. In this play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, much of the action is internal. The conflict in this play is fought inside of a young prince named Hamlet. He finds out that his father was murdered and he has to decide within himself whether or not to seek revenge. Hamlet is always putting himself down for not taking action earlier. Many times Hamlet comes out with a soliloquy that puts himself down. Hamlet has many troubles, because he has thought of committing suicide. It shows in the play that many things are bothering him, because of his erratic behaviour. Many times in this play, Hamlet portrays his struggle internally, that prevents him from acting on his tasks.

Hamlet is struggling inside of himself whether the ghost was a good spirit or evil one. Hamlet debates within himself whether or not to kill Claudius and seek revenge. Because of his uncertainty Hamlet had the players put on a play to catch Claudius reaction. Example of this is when Hamlet says

Hamlet:

The play s the thing/Wherein I ll catch the conscience of the King . [Act II, Scene ii, line 616-617]

Hamlet saw a good opportunity to run Claudius through when he was confessing his sins. Hamlet decides not to because Claudius was repenting. If he killed him Hamlet would send him to heaven and would not be damned like Hamlet s father. That is another internal struggle to delay killing Claudius. Hamlet has thought everything through before he acts. Hamlet makes sure that the things he does will not fail and that he has to do it right the first time through.

Hamlet struggles with the idea of taking his own life. It is because there are so many things bothering Hamlet. Hamlet has to seek revenge for his dead father, but Hamlet has to think and consider every factor before he follows through, because of this flaw he puts himself down for not killing Claudius earlier. Hamlet compares himself to the young Fortinbras. He says, how come Fortinbras can lead an army in to Poland to retrieve land and he cannot kill his stepfather. Both young princes don t have a father, how come Fortinbras knows what he wants to do and Hamlet does not. An example of Hamlet thinking of suicide is his soliloquy.

Hamlet:

To be, or not to be: that is the question

Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,

And by opposing end them. To die, to sleep-

No more-and by a sleep to say we end

The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks

That flesh is heir to! tis a consummation

Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep-

To sleep-perchance to dream: ay, there s the rub

For in that sleep of death what dreams may come

When we have shuffled off this moral coil,

Must give us pause. There s the respect

That makes calamity of so long life:

[Act III, Scene I, lines 55-69]

Hamlet has many things on his mind. Suicide is one of them. Hamlet sees that Fortinbras has so much ambition. Hamlet is still struggling on what to do. He feels like he is worthless because he can t follow a task that his father wants him to do.

Hamlet struggles to keep sanity throughout the play. After speaking to the ghost on the platform Hamlet s behavior changed. Hamlet s behavior scared Ophelia when Hamlet went to see her. Hamlet struggles with all of the new that is given to him He was upset when his father died. A month later his mother gets married to his uncle. Hamlet considers this incestuous and unfaithful to his dead father. The ghost than appears to Hamlet to tell him that his father was killed by Claudius, because of all these devastations Hamlet s emotions inside of him are too much. Hamlet had feelings for Ophelia, but because of all Hamlet s problems he was really mean to Ophelia, he also said some hurtful things. Example of this is:

Hamlet:

Get thee to a nunnery. Why wouldst thou be

A breeder of sinners? I am myself indifferent honest,

But yet I could accuse me of such things that it were

Better my mother had not borne me: I am very

Proud, revengeful, ambitious, with more offenses at

My beck than I have thoughts to put them in,

Imagination to give them shape, or time to act them

In. What should such fellows as I do crawling be-

tween earth and heaven? We are arrant knaves all;

believe none of us. Go thy ways to a nunnery

Where s your father?

[Act III, Scene I, (lines 121-131)

Hamlet also makes some nasty comments to women in general. His mother marrying Claudius is really bothering Hamlet. Hamlet is not just mad at his mother. Hamlet is mad at all women. Hamlet s behavior is erratic, Hamlet vents out all his emotions to his mother in her room. Hamlet was so unstable that his mother was scared and yelled for help. Polonius was in the room also. He decides to help by yelling it also. Hamlet s behavior leads him into killing an innocent man.

The eternal struggled of Hamlet diverts him from his path. Hamlet s struggle brought down many guilty and innocent people. Hamlet made Ophelia upset and made her commit suicide. Hamlet was not able to control his emotions causing him to blow up on Ophelia. Many people struggle with depression, but thanks to science more and more people can be cured of depression. Some emotions should never be bottled up inside a person. It causes people to release it in very hurtful ways. Hamlet wasn t able to deal with his emotions and there fore innocent people died.

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