Hamlet's Uncle example essay topic

Perhaps the most famous soliloquy in literature, these words reflect the state of desperation in which Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, finds himself as he contemplates suicide. His father, the King, has died. His mother, the Queen, has remarried within a month of the King's passing, an act which has disturbed young Hamlet in and of it. To make it worse, she has married the King's brother, Hamlet's uncle, who is now the King of Denmark.

As Hamlet's despair deepens, he learns through the appearance of an apparition of his dead father; that the old King was murdered by the new King. Hamlet's growing awareness of the betrayal of his mother and evil of Claudius leads to a deepening depression and madness. This soliloquy contains the famous words 'Thus conscience does make cowards of us all', hinting that the 'dread of something after death'-purgatory, hell, perhaps-is what keeps Hamlet alive to avenge his father. Many people incorrectly interpret those famous words of Hamlet's, not knowing the true meaning or background behind his speech. In his soliloquy, Hamlet contemplates whether or not he should take it upon himself to act accordingly to his uncle's / step -father's crime against his own father. However, later on in the play, Hamlet realizes Fortinbras' resolve and his quest for victory.

By witnessing Fortinbras and his actions, Hamlet comes to realize that he has no inner struggle and sees the actions that he must take in order to bring inner peace to him and avenge his father's murder. He is grappling with the difficulty of taking action against Claudius and the fact that he has not been able to revenge his father's murder yet. Hamlet's introspective commentary is interrupted when he sees Ophelia. In his most famous soliloquy, Hamlet ponders whether he should take action against his 'sea of troubles' and seek revenge for his father's death or live with the pain of his father's murder.

Hamlet's weakness is later illustrated when he passes up the opportunity to kill Claudius by rationalizing that he has made peace with God, therefore sending him to Heaven if he were to be slain. In addition to his proposal of vengeance, he also contemplates whether it is better to stay alive or commit suicide. If he were to sleep, he feels that all his troubles would vanish, and this would not be such a bad thing. However, he says that if he were to sleep, he might have disturbing dreams while in slumber which would be wholly undesirable. Hamlet knows that what he wishes to do to his uncle is sinful and wrong, but it is this train of thought that leaves him in a state of anxiety. This soliloquy portrays Hamlet as a sort of coward because he can not act upon his own emotions and desires.

In order to escape his heartache, he cowardly thinks about killing himself. Hamlet's state of mind has gone through a metamorphosis. Hamlet knows how much of a coward he has been comparing himself to Fortinbras. He admires Fortinbras for the mere fact that he can retain control of his state and his army, whereas Hamlet can barely control himself. By this, he is finally realizing what he has to do in order to protect his honor, and his father's honor. Hamlet as the coward who can not avenge his father and the honor of his family.

Hamlet finally vows to act upon his feelings and states, 'O, from this time forth / my thoughts be bloody or be nothing worth!" It is at this pivotal moment where Hamlet no longer has an inner struggle and determines the actions he must assume in order to restore his family honor and bring an inner peace to him. Hamlet's character during the beginning of the play is one of virtue and integrity, fearing the consequences of his action. As the play progresses, Hamlet becomes more and more confused and his inner struggle seems to be getting worse. After the explosion scene, Hamlet finally wins the battle within himself, causing him to act against his own inhibitions in order to dutifully avenge the murder of his father. Hamlet is debating whether to live or to die. He is finding it hard to keep his promise to his father to avenge his death and to kill Claudius.

Instead of planning and then killing Claudius he would rather run away from of the problems he is faced with. He then compares death to sleep and realizes that even in sleep one isn't always at peace. Nightmares and dreams corrupt sleep, which is similar to having one's misfortune or problems corrupt and disrupt their life. People can develop a fear of sleep due to continuous nightmares, and likewise they can develop almost a fear of death because of their problem-filled lives. He continues by questioning who would want to put up with a life like this and looks at what lies ahead for him if he kills the king or if he goes off the course of action; what would be the consequences he would face after death. The opening to this soliloquy is open to debate over interpretation.

However, it also appears that Hamlet is questioning whether or not life is worth living whether to commit suicide. He immediately euphemizes dying to sleeping, but he is talking about suicide. At this point in his thinking, dying is his not being. But dying to Hamlet is an ending of human life which seems very attractive because it would stop all the troubles that one has to put up with in human life. He acknowledges that he doesn't know what that would involve on the fundamental level, continuing on from what he has already said, explain that because he doesn't know what the lot of his soul may be after death, he is unwilling, even afraid, to take his own life. He dreads what comes 'after death', probably especially because he could be damned for committing the sin of suicide, in which case his existence after death would indeed be very bad; and he points out that if he doesn't like it after death he can't come back to human life.

But, of course, one can be fearful without being a coward; and we see from events in the play that he isn't really a coward. He faces the ghost bravely, faces his killing of Polonium bravely, faces Claudius the powerful reigning king bravely, faces the pirates bravely, and faces death bravely. This whole speech is just thinking, at one moment in his life. William Shakespeare.

Hamlet. Trans. Robert Fables. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces.

Expanded Edition in One Volume. Gen. Ed. Maynard Mack. New York: W.W. Norton, 1997.