Rather unfortunately, Hamlet is by far the most internally conflicted character in the play. The personal and family troubles that have afflicted him from very early on in the play have proven to have had an extremely serious affect on Hamlet's reasoning and judgements. As a result, the two most prominent internal conflicts that have arisen are Hamlet's frequent musings of suicide, and his contemplation of whether to kill King Claudius or not.
The first instance of Hamlet's internal struggle with suicide is found in Act 1 Scene 2. Here, Hamlet has just been denied by King Claudius to return to his studies in Wittenburg: “[To Hamlet] For your intent/ In going back to Wittenburg,...we beseech you, bend you to remain/ Here in the cheer and comfort of our eye” (1.2.116-120). As all the other characters exit, Hamlet transitions to his first of many famous soliloquys, in which he opens by expressing his despair saying, “[I wish that my] sullied flesh would melt/ Thaw, and resolve itself into a new dew” (1.2.133-135), and that he further wishes that God had not made “self-slaughter” ...
To continue on the subject of suicide, I will bring in some information from my last source, “Shakespeare’s Hamlet 1.2.35-38,” by Kathryn Walls. (Gather information from source and relate to the book).
I truly believe Hamlet was having depression issues and did not know how to cope with everything that was going on but one thing is for certain, is that he would not kill himself being it’s a sin. What this quote is stating is that he’s not suicidal by any means but he is ready to die, whether it’s now or later but it’s bound to
Hamlet 's deliberation in murdering Claudius results from the contradictory traits that quarrel within him. Henry MacKenzie notes contrasts in Hamlet 's personality, such as how he possesses the "strongest purposes of revenge" but is "irresolute and inactive," or how he holds the "gloom of the deepest melancholy" but is simultaneously "gay and jocular" (MacKenzie 150). This array of traits that
From the death of his father, the late King Hamlet, he is often faced with thoughts of suicide, sin, and life after death. Through his first soliloquy, Hamlet contemplates suicide because he cannot deal with the pain from his father’s death and the new marriage of his mother, Queen Gertrude and his uncle Claudius. Following Christian values, he goes on to say that it would be sin to do so, “O, that this too too solid flesh would melt, Thaw and resolve itself into a dew! Or that the Everlasting had not fixed His canon ‘gainst self-slaughter!” (Act I, Scene II, line 129-132). He continues to keep this “Christian value” till the end of the play, but further contemplates his ow...
Suicidal tendencies play a huge role in Hamlet by forming character relationships, adding suspense to the plot and storyline. “Ah, I wish my dirty flesh could melt away into a vapor, or that God had not made a law against suicide. Oh God, God! How tired, stale, and pointless life is to me” (Hamlet 1.2.130-134). This quote by Hamlet Junior in act 1 really embodies the
The most important and crucial ideas about suicide lies within the vulnerable prince himself. In Act I, Hamlet is approached by an apparition, claiming to be his deceased father, King Hamlet. During this encounter the ghost tells Hamlet that Claudius was the man who killed him and now he wants Hamlet to seek revenge for his murder. After enduring this horrifying scene, Gertrude and Claudius tell Hamlet to stay in Denmark instead of going to school, seemingly against his wishes. Subsequently was Hamlet’s first important soliloquy in which he thinks about suicide. “O that this too too solid flesh would melt/ Thaw...
Hamlet is a melancholic, violent, and suicidal character, as a result of the events that have occurred in his life. Such events as the murder of his father, the quick marriage of his mother, and the ghost’s insistence on revenge caused Hamlet to have these emotions. The murder of his father caused Hamlet’s melancholic and violent state. The quick marriage caused more violence and confusion in his life. The ghost’s insistence on revenge caused more violent behavior. As a result of all the events that occurred Hamlet became extremely suicidal because he was confused with how he should solve his problem. Everyday people are faced with similar situations and it helps us to relate to the same pain that Hamlet felt.
The way we see ourselves is often reflected in the way we act. Hamlet views himself as different to those young nobles around him such as Fortinbras and Laertes. This reality leads us to believe that over time he has become even more motivated to revenge his father's death, and find out who his true friends are. How can you be honest in a world full of deceit and hate? His seven soliloquies tell us that while the days go by he grows more cunning as he falls deeper into his madness. This fact might have lead Hamlet to believe that suicide is what he really wants for his life's course.
Like most teenagers and young adults, Hamlet bases his decisions on his emotions. Feeling out of place in his family without his father, the desire to see him became more prominent; and with no sympathy or support from his mother or uncle, his depression worsened. Since he is not understood and has no one to relate his life to, he expresses his feelings to himself in his first soliloquy in Act one, scene two. This soliloquy reveals his suicidal state of mind when he says, “Or that the everlasting had not fixed His canon ‘gainst self-slaughter!” (1.2. 135-36). In this quote, he explains his frustration regarding God’s “canon” against committing suicide. This shows the audience the depth of his despair, since sui...
Throughout a variety of movie interpretations of a given film, one version proves to be the most effective for distinct reasons. Within Act 3, Scene 4 of Hamlet, Shakespeare provides little direction by which the scene should be interpreted, but the play, taken in its entirety, proposes a certain way in which Hamlet and Gertrude express their emotions. This has led to distinctive cinematic interpretations of this scene, all in which portray the storyline in a unique way. Kenneth Branagh’s version of the closet scene provides a more realistic portrayal of the conflict between Hamlet and Gertrude than the Gregory Dovan and Campbell Scott versions; Branagh’s view on the mother-son relationship, Hamlet’s reaction to the ghost and Gertrude’s guilt is closer to the original text in which Shakespeare leaves room for audience interpretation.
In the soliloquy, Hamlet considers suicide. His character is clearly shown in this speech. The speech itself shows that he thinks too much. He is wavering between the two extremes: life and death. “Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them” (3, 1, 56-60). He wonders whether he should live and suffer or die and end the suffering. He believes that life is synonymous with suffering. The “whips and scorn of time, Th’oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely, The pangs of disprized love, the law’s delay, The insolence of office, and the spurns That patient merit of th’unworthy takes...
In these lines Hamlet says that he would like to commit suicide, but cannot because of the way suicide is looked upon in god's eyes. More of Hamlet's depression can be seen in Act III scene I lines 56-61 when Hamlet says:
Hamlet’s anger and grief- primarily stemming from his mother’s marriage to Claudius- brings him to thoughts of suicide, which only subside as a result of it being a mortal and religious sin. The fact that he wants to take his own life demonstrates a weakness in his character; a sense of cowarness, his decision not to kill himself because of religious beliefs shows that this weakness is balanced with some sense of morality. Such an obvious paradox is only one example of the inner conflict and turmoil that will eventually lead to Hamlet’s downfall.
Hamlet is a paradox; he is a perplexing character that throughout the play has more to show. Hamlet is a person of contradictions he is inquisitive and profound yet indecisive. The experiences Hamlet goes through led to dramatic changes in his character. In the beginning we are introduced to a young man who is mourning for the death of his father and struggling with the sudden marriage of his mother to his uncle. Hamlet faces the dilemma of wanting to avenge his father’s death and suppressing his intense emotions in order to calculate a plan.
The perfection of Hamlet’s character has been called in question - perhaps by those who do not understand it. The character of Hamlet stands by itself. It is not a character marked by strength of will or even of passion, but by refinement of thought and sentiment. Hamlet is as little of the hero as a man can be. He is a young and princely novice, full of high enthusiasm and quick sensibility - the sport of circumstances, questioning with fortune and refining on his own feelings, and forced from his natural disposition by the strangeness of his situation.