Inner Conflicts In Hamlet

when one is given a task which conflicts with their morals, one must stop and consider the nature of their actions and whether it corresponds with their morals and usual behavior. Failure to do so will lead to many consequences, In the play Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, the main protagonist, Hamlet, is asked to avenge his father, King Hamlet, who was murdered by his brother while sleeping. Hamlet is troubled throughout the play as he attempts to resolve his inner conflicts in order to complete the task of revenge bestowed upon him by the late King Hamlet, but as with all revenge plays the hero must suffer a tragic death. Hamlet’s inner conflicts lead to his demise by providing Claudius with too many hints and too much time increasing his awareness towards Hamlet’s suspicious activity. Hamlet’s inner conflicts are composed of his morals – wanting to justify his actions according to them-, his distrust of women as a result of his mother’s marriage, and his failure to feign madness properly.

To begin, the conflicts leading to Hamlet’s demise is his desire to justify his actions. He struggles with the choices he will need to make so he must be certain of the murder enacted by Claudius. The task consists of eliminating King Claudius for treason. In the play, this is made clear that it is not enough as Hamlet seeks to prove Claudius’ guilt by attempting to “catch the conscious of the king”(II. ii. 605) as the play unfolds. He plans to observe Claudius’ behaviour throughout the play. As the play nears the end Claudius stands up and begins to yell as he is filled with anger by the ending of the play which portrayed the death of the king in the same fashion as King Hamlet’s murder. Claudius flees the room and is therefore given t...

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...ttempt to understand the true motives of Hamlet’s unusual actions. Hamlet and Gertrude partake in a heated discussion. She states that Hamlet has upset Claudius (this the result of the play) and hamlet replies with “Mother, you have my father much offended” (III. Iv. 11). His inner conflict is shown when he states the following: “Come, come and sit down; you shall not budge. You go not till I set you up a glass where you may see the inmost part of you” (III. iv. 19-21). Hamlet appears to be hurt and wishes to unveil to his mother the origin of his pain. Hamlet’s prior actions result in Gertrude thinking he’s going to kill her, so she cries for help. This results in Polonius crying for help as well which causes Hamlet to thrust his rapier into the curtains thinking he killed Claudius. Inevitably Gertrude is frightened and alerts Claudius further raising suspicion.