Hamlet's Exquisite Sense Of Moral Conduct example essay topic

The Inanition of Hamlet William Shakespeare's Hamlet, is one of the best known tragedies in literature. Hamlet, is charged by the spirit of his father to avenge his wrongful death. Previously unaware of any foul play in the death of King Hamlet, Hamlet becomes suspicious for the ghost said that the serpent that did sting thy father's life / Now wears his crown. (Act I sc. vs. 46-7) He must now take revenge on his uncle Claudius to let the disturbed spirit rest in peace.

It would seem to most people that this is a rather simple task to execute, but it proves to be the single most difficult thing for Hamlet to do in the play. His inanition in murdering Claudius stems from his great cowardice. Many people believe that the main reason that Hamlet takes so long to kill Claudius is that he is constantly contemplating his morals. Samuel Taylor Coleridge would have you believe that the reason for the inaction is caused by endless reasoning and hesitating- constant urging and solicitation of the mind to act, and constant escape from action. Here we have poor young Hamlet, mourning the death of his father and now must kill his uncle.

His conscience is preventing him from taking any action to send Claudius to his maker. Coleridge would also like the reader to feel that Hamlet was not a coward. His reasoning is that for Hamlet is drawn as one of the bravest of his time. Agreeing with his statement would show that the reader did not pay close attention to Hamlet's soliloquies. In his rogue and peasant slave soliloquy he mentions so plainly that even an uneducated man could see that Hamlet is a coward for he admits it. Throughout the soliloquy he refers to himself as many repugnant things, such as a John-a-dreams, a muddy-mettle d rascal, and a pidgeon-live red person lacking gall.

How, one can loo at Hamlet's famous soliloquoy and get the message that Hamlet is not a coward. He goes so far as to say that he is unpregnant of his cause. This quote clearly states that he is feeling quite impotent about carrying out his bidding. No where once, does he mention that he cannot fulfill the charge given to him in the soliloquoy due to his mental state of mind. There is nothing preventing him from killing Claudius, other than the fact that he is fearful of the consequences that would follow his actions.

In the soliloquoy How all occasions do inform against me (Act IV sc. v) Hamlet only vaguely mentions any idea of thinking. He states Now whether it be / Bestial oblivion or some craven scruple / Of thinking too precisely on th event (41-3), sending the image of a man pondering his current state and weighing different options to the unwary reader. A person, like Coleridge, will be lulled into believing this statement without acknowledging the following lines A thought which, quartered, hath but one part wisdom / And ever three parts coward (44-6) Here once again Coleridge's ever prevalent thought that Hamlet is not a coward is disproved by none other than Hamlet himself. In this statement he is saying that the main reason for his inaction is due to his thinking, but his thinking is due to his cowardly nature. Another person that was caught in Shakespeare's trap of making people believe that Hamlet was thinking heavily about his moral code instead of killing Claudius is William Richardson. He firmly thinks that the strongest feature in the mind of Hamlet, as exhibited in the tragedy, is an exquisite sense of moral conduct.

Doubting the ghost's revelation, he becomes inactive for a while. He was not totally sure that Claudius was guilty of the crime, so he arranged sixteen lines to be said in the play, The Murder of Gonzalo. Upon observing Claudius reaction tot he play, Hamlet is convinced that he is guilty of murder. Now he must act and destroy his uncle. Hamlet's actions to be sure of Claudius guilt stem from one basic thing; fear. Fearing damnation causes him to think that the ghost may have been the devil and he most have some evidence for him to continue his vengeance.

He was quite certain that Claudius had murdered his father by then, but wanted an escape from completing his charge, so he devised the lines in the play as a trap for his uncle. Upon noticing that Claudius is guilty, Hamlet must now find a new was to delay his revenge. His next opportunity for vengeance is after the play when he sees Claudius in the chapel praying at the altar. He does not seize this opportunity that is knocking ever so loudly, for he says that he does not want to send Claudius to heaven, but rather to hell. Hamlet knows that the soul of Claudius is damned, due to his heinous actions, but makes up yet another excuse to not kill him.

Hamlet is afraid of the repercussions of his actions if he kills the king in the chapel. He will most certainly be executed for his actions, and this is what he is most afraid of. He is like most men, afraid of death. Coleridge mentions that he is one of the bravest men in the land, but when it comes time for the jousting match between Hamlet and Laertes, Hamlet states that it has been quite a long time since he has used the sword. This would show that he has not been in battle lately, making it that he has not been cowardly lately, but more importantly, that he has not been brave lately. I must pose one question about the writing of William Richardson, who praises Hamlet's exquisite sense of moral conduct.

On the ship to England, Hamlet reads a letter from Claudius requesting the termination of Hamlet upon arrival. He proceeds to forge a new letter and sentences the messengers, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, to death upon their arrival to England. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were Hamlet's closest friends as a kid. They were still very close, and were sent, under the king's order, to accompany Hamlet on the voyage. Hamlet's actions here must been forgotten if we are to think of him as having an exquisite sense of moral conduct.

He has done anything but been true to a sense of moral conduct, for he ordered the death of his friends. He did not need to have them killed, but he did. If these are the actions of a person with an exquisite sense of moral conduct, then I would wish to never make the acquaintance of any person with such morality. As always, there is a person that hits the nail right on the head. This person is A.C. Bradley. He is a brilliant writer that pondered the seemingly logical statements and views of Hamlet and felt it as his calling to debunk most of them.

To anybody that skims Hamlet, the views that he bashes seem to be the exact sentiments that the reader had. If the reader decided to look deeper into the play, he would notice that there are many nuances that, when put together, debunk the views almost by themselves. Bradley writes that Hamlet, it is impossible to deny... that he ought to avenge his father. Even when he doubts the honesty of the Ghost, he expresses no doubt as to what his duty will be if the Ghost turns out to be honest.

This point is of extreme importance to understanding the character of Hamlet. Most of the other writers will be satisfied to say that Hamlet doubts because of his morals, and then does not want to continue with his charge, but this is not true. In the soliloquies where he reflects upon his position, he reproaches himself bitterly for the neglect of his duty... he never mentions among them a moral scruple. This is the most salient fact that the other writers missed completely. In his two main soliloquies, Hamlet scolds himself for his inanition. He cannot seem to go through with the charge set before him.

He is too fearful of the consequences of his actions and not of morality in any sense. He is physically capable of avenging the death of his father, but he cannot stomach it. Being a complete coward, in every sense of the word, causes the inanition of Hamlet. 314.