Hamlet is depressed from the exposition of the play. Why? It is a month after his father’s death. Why can't he just continue on with his life? Hamlet’s overwhelming depression first manifests itself after the visit from his father as a ghost. His father warns him of the deceptive and wretched qualities of his uncle Claudius. Hamlet suffers a great deal of sadness, feeling helpless in his father's request to exact revenge against Claudius and becoming distrusting of the incestuous nature of his mother. Hamlet, however rational, normal, and capable he may have been before the play begins, is unable to think rationally, instead over-analyzing every detail. This meticulous analysis cripples him, rendering him unable to make any sort of rational decision. This inability to make decisions is rooted in the intense internal struggle Hamlet must overcome: he cannot imagine himself killing someone and he cannot imagine himself not avenging his father’s murder. This duality of conscience causes Hamlet to spiral into depression and he must examine the depths of his soul before he makes a decision. To make a decision Hamlet must answer the quintessential Hamlet-ian question, “To be or not to be?” (Shakespeare 3.1.56). Hamlet is depressed and unable to act until he has an epiphany in Act V, wherein he must just “Let be”.
Hamlet is petrified into inaction by the quickness of events that transpires at the beginning of the play. His uncle Claudius has killed his father, and his mother in less than a month has married the same man who committed this heinous murder thus beginning an incestuous relationship. Hamlet addressed his discord with this speed and nature of this relationship, “A little more than kin, and less than kind”...
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... mourning of his father), an encounter with a ghost who claims to be his father and asks him to exact revenge on his own uncle, and an innate sense of overly analytical and indecisive qualities which likely stem from the upbringing of the character in his youth. These perils which plague the character, along with the long drawn-out soliloquies the character delivers, all create for a character which is by definition, depressed.
Works Cited
Analysis." Analysis. N.p., n.d. Web. http://www.auburn.edu/~tuckebr/Site/Analysis.html
Carroll, Joseph. "Intentional Meaning In Hamlet: An Evolutionary Perspective." Style 44.1/2 (2010): 230-260. Literary Reference Center. Web. 20 May 2014.
“Shakespeare Resource Center.” Shakespeare Resource Center. Web. http://www.bardweb.net/ 18 May 2014
Shakespeare, William, and Harold Jenkins. Hamlet. London: Methuen, 1982. Print.
At the play’s commencement, Hamlet’s familial relations are relatively impaired, for his mother’s remarriage to his uncle instills great distrust within the family; however, as Hamlet attempts to expose the family’s darkest secret, these relationships deteriorate further until they eventually collapse. After conversing with his father’s ghost, Hamlet feels it necessary to confirm Claudius’ guilt; therefore, he asks a group of actors to perform a scene that wittily mirrors King Ha...
Hamlet shows signs of depression starting after his father’s death. In the beginning of Hamlet, Hamlet is grieving over his father’s death and resents his new father, Claudius. Hamlet says, “She married. O, most wicked speed to post/ With such dexterity to incestusous sheets!/ It is not, not it cannot come to good./ But break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue” (I.ii.158-161.). Hamlet is unable to escape from his depressive state because of his continuing grudge towards Claudius. Hamlet now not only loathes his new father, but his mother as well for remarrying so quickly and to his father’s, her late husband’s, brother. Hamlet mourning is prolonged and extreme as he continues to wear a dark wardrobe long after his father’s death, unable to accept what has happened and move on with his life. Hamlet’s depressive mood swings are a symptom of his bipolar disorder. According to The Gale Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders, the mood swings associated with bipolar disorder range from mania (elevated or irritable mood) to depression (a mood characterized by loss of interest and sadness). Symptoms of a depressive episode include, persistent sad, anxious, or empty mood and feelings of irritability, hopelessness, or negativity (Basile)....
Hamlet, Fortinbras, and Laertes have a lot in common when it comes to the situations that they find themselves in and how they initially intend to respond to those situations. Be that as it may, each of these “avenging” sons sees their situation in a different light and attempts to avenge their fathers in different fashions. The foils, similarities and differences are used by William Shakespeare to highlight the potential paths Hamlet could have taken on his crusade for revenge. Following the death of King Hamlet, Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother and Queen of Denmark, marries Claudius, the younger brother of the departed King Hamlet. Claudius addresses the haste of the wedding and claims although he is still mourning the loss of his older brother, he is overjoyed to have a new wife....
When Hamlet’s mother remarries to Claudius, her husband’s murderer, Hamlet is disgusted that she could move on so quickly. He’s also disturbed over the fact that his Uncle could kill his own brother, and then marry his brother’s widow. This “incestu...
Hamlet’s and Martin Luther’s relationships with their families play a fundamental significance in their lives. Both protagonists present a mixed feeling of resentment and love toward their mothers, and show strong devotions to their fathers. Hamlet shows strong disgust towards his mom’s marriage to Claudius, and believes his mom has betrayed his father and broken their marriage vows (Hibbard 279). Moreover, he thinks his mom is weak and lustful, as she is eager to get into bed with Claudius (Hibbard 282). However, even though Hamlet portrayed abomination towards his mom, he still loves her as a son. Throughout the play, Hamlet struggles with his revenge and shows much hesitation for a character; however, in the last scene of the play when
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Mental illness can be a virus. It attaches to those with wild thoughts, actions, and comprehensions of a world known and unknown. It hits the soul, pulling at once a kind being into anxiety, pain and loss. In Shakespeare's play Hamlet, his main character, Hamlet, comes down with the illness. It enters him through actions by friends, enemies, and even his own family. The hardest thing to understand is whether Hamlet's insanity is completely real, or an act put on to win revenge. However, no matter what the reality of his psychotic mind is, the real question is what brought this whole thing on. In 1601 when Shakespeares Hamlet was written, Hamlet would be diagnosed with suffering from melancholy, but with today's high technology and knowledge he would of been diagnosed with bipolar I disorder. In Shakespeare’s time there was no concept of depressive illnesses, although melancholy was well known during his time.
In the playwright Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Hamlet often shows many signs of depression. It is argued whether he is putting on the act, or if he is actually severely depressed. I believe after the death of his father, Hamlet becomes very emotionally unstable. Three things affect Hamlet, the death of his father, the remarriage of his mother, and Ophelia. Hamlet contemplates death, and becomes prepared to die near the end of the play.
It’s clear that the characters in Hamlet are suffering from some kind of mental illness. Some more serious than others, but given all of their backgrounds, it’s clear to see why. Having to deal with things like murder, your uncle becoming your father, and the girl you love killing herself becomes a lot to handle. The story begins with King Hamlet’s funeral where we later find out that Prince Hamlet’s uncle is marrying his mother and claiming the throne as his own. Months pass and Hamlet is still noticeably upset about his father’s passing and he’s been acting very strange. He’s then visited by the ghost of his late father, when he learns that his uncle killed his father. Prince Hamlet swears to his father that he will get revenge for his untimely
...e becomes a misanthrope who considers suicide and withdraws from the company of others. Through these fictional characters, the readers can understand the importance of choosing the healthy ways to cope with terrible events that happen in their lives instead of the dysfunctional ways that the characters chose.
His first words in the play is an aside saying "A little more than kin and less than kind" (Shakespeare. 1.2.64-65). Hamlet is already distrustful of those around him, shown in the way Shakespeare uses an aside. This displays a lack of trust and ability to speak his mind out loud. Due to the death of his father and the quick and untimely coronation of Claudius as the new king, Hamlet becomes hostile and distrustful of the people around him as people tell him to move forward and accept his father 's death, just as they have. While he believes his sorrow and mourning is genuine, Hamlet discloses to his mother that the other 's mourning is fake and only "seems"(1.2.83) real. Hamlet believes that their loyalty is fickle and unreliable, there by isolating himself and relying on his inner circle of friends and family to deal with his loss and to loss that support, would leave Hamlet
Hamlet’s attachment to his mother is quickly made evident within the first act of the famous tragedy. Hamlet, who sulks around wearing black clothing to mourn the death of his father, first speaks in the play to insult his stepfather. He voices his distaste at his new relationship with his uncle by criticizing that they are, “A little more than kin and less than kind” (I.ii.65). He believes that it...
It is obvious that Hamlet is depressed in this play. His depression can be seen in Act I scene II lines 129-132, when Hamlet says: