Sample-Character-Analysis-Essay-Hamlet

SampleCharacterAnalysisEssay-HamletShakespeare’sHamletandExistentialismWhatismankind?WhoamI?Whatisthemeaningoflife?Thesearemultifacetedexistentialquestionsthatancientandmodernphilosophieshaveyettoadequatelyanswer.Countlessphilosophershavespenttheirlifetimesinsearchofanswerstothesequestionsbutdiedbeforefindingasuitableanswer.Certainly,thephilosophyofexistentialismisaninterestingphenomenon.Thedictionarydefinesexistentialismasaphilosophicalmovement...centeringonanalysisofindividualexistenceinanunfathomableuniverseandtheplightoftheindividualwhomustassumeultimateresponsibilityforactsoffreewill(Existentialism).ThecharacterHamletfromShakespeare’stragedyHamletexplorestheseexistentialquestions,seekingtruthandunderstandingashetriestocometogripswithhisfather'sdeath.Intheend,Hamletprovestobeanexceedinglyexistentialcharacter.PrinceHamletisauniversitystudentwhoenjoyscontemplatingdifficultphilosophicalquestions.Whenhisfather,kingofDenmark,dies,hereturnshometofindevidenceoffoulplayinhisfather’sdeath.TheGhostofHamlet(thedeadking)tellsPrinceHamletthathisuncleClaudiusisthemurderer.Throughouttherestoftheplay,HamletseekstoproveClaudius’guiltbeforehetakesactionagainstClaudius.However,Hamletispensiveadextremum,attimesevenbrooding;heconstantlyoveruseshisintellectwhileignoringhisemotionsandignoringwhatfeelsright.HisextremelogiccauseshimtodelayhisrevengeagainstClaudiusuntilthefinalsceneoftheplaywherehekillsClaudiusandprovesthathehasprogressedintoatrulyexistentialcharacter.Atthebeginningoftheplay,Hamletactsoutofpureintellectandprocessedlogic.Hesuppresseshisnaturalinstincts,hisemotions,andtrustsonlyinthepowerofhisintelligence.Forinstance,whenHamletencountershisfather'sghost,hedoesnotbelieveitishisfather—eventhoughhehasanemotionalreactionuponseeingit.Hamletsays“Letmenotburstinignorance;buttell/Whythycanoniz'dbones,hearsedindeath,/Havebursttheircerements...Say,whyisthis?wherefore?whatshouldwedo?”(I.iv.46-48,57).Hamletissoconfusedbythesightofhisfather’sghostthatheisunsureofhowtoact.Hisintellecttellshimthatthesightisnotpossible,howeverhisemotionstellhimotherwise.However,hestifleshisemotionandretainshisdoubtsabouttheghost.Later,Hamletplansaplaywhereactorsre-enacttheking'smurderinanefforttoprovethevalidityofwhattheghosthastoldhim.AlthoughHamletappearstobetheepitomeofananti-existentialistfromtheoutsetofthestory,Hamlet'slogicslowlybeginstounravelscenebyscene,likeablood-soakedbandage,withlayerafterlayerrevealingsnippetsofHamlet'semotionandfeeling.WhenHamletuttersthefamouslinesTobe,ornottobe:thatisthequestion:/Whether’tisnoblerinthemindtosuffer/Theslingsandarrowsofoutrageousfortune/OrtotakearmsagainstaseaoftroublesheiscontemplatingthethoughtofsuicideandwishingthatGodhadnotmadesuicideasin(III.i.58-61).Hamlet'sanxiety,uncertainty,andtensionscausehimtodoubtthepowerofreasonalonetosolvehisproblems.Hamletbeginstorealizethatreasonisimpotenttodealwiththedepthsofhumanlife—oneofthecentralassertionsofexistentialism(Bigelow,paragraph6).PerhapsthisiswhyHamletfeignsmadness;herealizesthathelackstheemotionstoavengehisfather'sdeath.Indeed,HamletdoesgotemporarilyinsaneinActI,sceneii,anditisduringthistimewhenheisabletoactoutofpuresensation,withnothoughtsabouttheconsequencesofwhathesaysordoes(e.g.whenheundeservinglycriticizesOphelia).However,inunitinghisemotionsandreason,Hamletiscarefultoavoidthetemptationtocommitsuicidebecauseifonecommitssuicidetoescapelife'spain,thenoneisdamnedtoeternalsufferinginhell.ToHamlet(andmostotherpeopleofthe1600s),suicideismorallywrong.BymakingthedecisiontostayaliveandfightClaudius'corruption,Hamletdemonstratesexistentialqualities.However,thisisnottheonlyscenewhereHamletactsexistentially.InActIV,HamletencountersalienationandnothingnesswhenhemeetsaNorwegiancaptainunderthecommandofFortinbras.WhenHamletasksthecaptainaboutthecauseandpurposeoftheconflict,heisshockedtolearnthatthecountries'armieswillgotowaroveralittlepatchofland/Thathathinitnoprofitbutthename(IV.iv.98-99).AfterHamletrecoversfromtheshockofthecaptain'shonesty,heisdumbstruckbythethoughtthatFortinbraswouldsacrificethelivesofthousandsofmenforanadmittedlyinferiorpatchofland.Atthispointintheplay,Hamletisstillstrugglingwithhisowninaction,unabletokillClaudiuseventhoughheknowsofhisguilt.HamlethasagoodreasontokillClaudius,yethefailstodoit.HowcanFortinbrassacrificesomuchforsuchafutilepurpose?Inthisscene,Hamletrealizesthebrutalityofhumanityandfirstponderstheideathatnooneissafe—anothercentralpillarofexistentialism.Fromthispointon,Hamletdeclaresthathewillhavebloodythoughts.Mythoughtsbebloody,orbenothingworth!(IV.iv.9.56).HamletisimpressedbytheforcefulnessofcharacterslikeFortinbrasandLaertes,whoturnthoughtintoactionquickly(Phillips).Laertes,who,likeHamlet,hasafathertoavenge,doesnothesitateforamomentwhenseekingvengeanceonhisfather'smurderer.AsHamletdecidestostriveforthispersonalquality,hebeginstoactincreasinglyexistentialanddecreasinglyreflective.WhenHamletfinallydoesachievehisfather’svengeance,hewasnotspurredtoitonhisown,butbywatchinghismotherandOpheliadieinfrontofhisowneyes.Furthermore,asHa