Hamlet The Man Who Knew Too Much

Essay, Research Paper

Hamlet is a beautiful, pure, noble, and most moral nature, without thestrength of nerve which forms a hero; he sinks beneath a burden which he canneither bear nor throw off, every duty is holy too him, this is too hard. When the author calls Hamlet beautiful he is referring to Hamlet’spersonality and soul. Hamlet’s soul is beautiful because it is untarnished by sinand evil underhanded deeds. Hamlet is saint-like when compared to characterslike Claudius and Polonius. Ophelia talks about what he was like before theking’s death, O, what a noble mind is here o’erthrown!The courtier’s, soldier’s, scholar’s, eye, tongue,sword,(Th’ expectancy) and rose of the fair state, She compliments his looks, morals, bravery, brains, and chivalry. Latershe is upset to have seen what was once great and now isn’t. She believes thatHamlet has changed. He hasn’t; he just doesn’t have time to live the way heused to because now he has a quest. If Hamlet wasn’t so noble the people wouldn’t love him so much. Opheliacalls him the mold that other people try to achieve. Even Claudius won’t touchhim. One of Claudius’ reasons for not killing Hamlet himself is because, …The other motive why to a public count I might not go Is the great love the general gender bear him, Who, dipping all his faults in their affection,… ….Convert his gyves to graces, so that my arrows,… ….Would have reverted to my bow again, Claudius is afraid the people would think he was the bad guy if he bad mouthedHamlet. This is why Claudius wants Hamlet to be killed in England or byLaertes. The king doesn’t want to get his hands dirty or take the responsibility. Hamlet’s morals are better than he wants them to be. He hesitates killingClaudius when he has the proof, and later regrets it. He does not kill his mothereven though she has committed a horrible crime according to Hamlet. Harshwords are as far as he’ll go, “I shall speak daggers to her, but use none”. Hamlet does have weak nerves, even he knows this; he deals with itseveral times, “Am I a coward?…But I am pigeon-livered and lack gall” Later, inhis last soliloquy he admires Fortinbras’ courage and ‘go-get-em’ attitude; henotes about himself, …Now whether it be bestiall oblivion or some craven scruple Of thinking too precisely on th’ event A thought which, quartered, hath but one part wisdom And ever three parts coward, I do not know Why yet I live to say “This thing’s to do,” Sith I have cause, and will, and strength, and means

Hamlet vows to stop over thinking things and just do them. He has aperfectionist attitude which makes him angry with himself for his ‘inadequacies’. He sees himself only as in comparison to those better than him. He thinksFortinbras is better because Fortinbras doesn’t over think like him. He doesn’tthink about the alternative, Laertes, who rushes bull-headed into things beforethinking or finding the whole story. Hamlet is too judgmental, especially withhimself. By judging himself too harshly Hamlet sets too high of a standard forhimself. When he doesn’t meet this standard he becomes depressed. Later inthe book we see Hamlet develop a messianic complex. This means that he hasto save the world. He thinks it’s his job to make to world right. If Supermancouldn’t do it then neither can Hamlet. Hamlet’s famous “To be or not to be”speech asks the ago old question “Is life worth living?” He also contemplatessuicide in his first soliloquy, “How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable Seems tome all the uses of this world” By the end of the book Hamlet knows he must die. He is prepared to die when he goes in to fight Laertes. It will make repairing theGreat Chain of Being easier. Hamlet expresses him readiness to die just beforegoing to the fight, …There is a special providence in the fall of the sparrow. If it be now, ’tis not to come; of it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now yet it will come. The readiness is all. Since no man of aught he leaves knows, what is’t to leave betimes? Let be Hamlet is basically saying that death important; he is making a referenceto the Great Chain. He also knows that no one knows when their own death isabout to happen; and there is no reason to not die now. He thinks everyoneshould live life as life was planned out before. It is total commitment to apredestination belief. Hamlet is noble enough to be classified as an authentic hero. But hishesitation to act makes him appear cowardly. He is slow to act, but he does notfear death. He isn’t really a true coward. He just doesn’t try to prove otherwise,like Laertes and Fortinbras. If he wasn’t in such a tough situation then maybe hewouldn’t be so worried or melancholy. He has reason to be a manic depressive. I don’t think he would have committed suicide after he had revenged his father. His suicidal tendencies are only reflective of all the stress caused by hissituation. It is only natural to seek an easier way out. But Hamlet is too much ofa hero to take his own life. The best way to put it is “Innocence is bliss”. IfHamlet didn’t know so much or think so much then he wouldn’t be so depressed. He has taking more emotional stimuli than anyone should.