Discuss the idea(s) developed by the text creator about the human need to make a commitment or renounce a course of action. Existentialism is one of many hallmarks of hellenistic philosophy and civilization. No other intellectual tradition has been as thoroughly preoccupied with defining the individual’s consciousness than Western philosophy, and no other philosophy has strived to define the responsibilities and prerogatives of the individual and has made it as central a concern as Western societies. Within the concept of individuality, comes an existential, and possibly nihilistic struggle. A conflict of reality to the human mind. Making wild, possibly absurd attempts to rationalize one’s existence, through religion, work, tradition, art …show more content…
Holding individuality, the logical mind and the human need for freedom as the most valued of metaphysical ideas. The ability to think, and feel and understand one’s own existence has been a philosophical inquiry that has stumped the brightest of minds for centuries. A question that has spawned a plethora of different answers. Søren Kierkegaard is widely regarded as the first existential philosopher, stating “each individual—not society or religion—is solely responsible for giving meaning to life and living it passionately and sincerely”. A sentence spoken with the figurative weight of the world attached to it. All individuals responsible to holding up their own sky. Every human akin to that of ancient Gilgamesh; to search and discover the meaning to their own life. This philosophy of existence subsequently can bring forth disparaging and crushing questions. One may find oneself wondering if there really is any point to applying meaning to life, as it is only artificial and poses no real impact towards the grand scheme of things. One may also feel overwhelmed, as discovering the meaning to one’s life, such that can inspire passion and authenticity, is no menial tasks. In fact, it is plausibly the most momentous of tasks the Human soul may ever endeavour. In Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”, the titular character is massively representative of the human struggle to apply meaning to a chaotic, confusing and even meaningless existence. Hamlet is a sensitive, intuitive and thoughtful man. He struggles as so many have to discover what his life’s ultimate meaning is. He constantly is questioning human’s existence, one can observe this mental strife in Act II, scene ii when Hamlet says “What a piece of work is man”. Hamlet describes the wonders of humankind and humans incredible abilities. He finishes his monologue by saying “And yet to me, What is this quintessence of dust?”. The tragic hero is
“The thing is to understand myself, to see what God really wishes me to do; the thing is to find a truth which is true for me, to find the idea for which I can live and die” (Kierkegaard 95). Søren Kierkegaard was a clear supporter of expressing our own personality. He wanted us to take the time to find our true selves. Even though he acknowledged there were social systems in our society, he still believed we were our own individual human being. The only way to make sense of our life and find our individuality is to embrace our faith in God. Kierkegaard wanted human beings to be able to exercise their freedom. Human beings should not postpone their choices simply because they do not know the universal truth. As humans we cannot postpone our choices because we will never
Shakespeare’s Hamlet happened to be written in the period of Elizabethan values. One of the most significant values the absolute dedication to divinity. This dedication formed religious beliefs and the notions of destiny and fate and the search for the meaning contrast widely to Stoppard’s outlooks which were determined by Existentialist philosophy.
In life, one goes through different experiences which makes and shapes us into the person who we become. Whether something as little as a "hello" by a crush or a death in a family, they contribute to the difference, as they are all equal in importance. In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the protagonist Hamlet struggles throughout his life as he is in search of his true identity. The Webster's dictionary, under the second definition, defines identity as "The set of behavioral or personal characteristics by which an individual is recognizable as a member of a group." As life only moves forward for Hamlet, he struggles to find his place in life, nonetheless to revenge the murder of his father.
Guignon, B. C. and Pereboom, D. (eds). (2001). Existentialism: Basic Writings. Indianapolis, IN: Hacket Publishing.
classicmoviescripts/script/seventhseal.txt. Internet. 4 May 2004. Blackham, H. J. Six Existentialist Thinkers. New York: Harper, 1952. Choron, Jacques. Death and Western Thought. New York: Collier Books, 1963.
An understanding of William Shakespeare’s philosophies reinforces the meaning of the human condition found in the play Hamlet. The revenge tragedy is an example in the exploration of good versus evil, deceit, madness, inter-turmoil, and utter existence. Shakespeare, fascinated by the human mind and human nature, clearly and completely illustrates the meaning of “self.” Hamlet is a drama that examines one’s personal identity. From the beginning of the story atop the castle when the guards enter the platform to the conclusion of the performance as Hamlet lies, dying in Horatio’s arms every characters’ psychological type is
Although referred to as a distinct philosophy, it seems nearly impossible to find an exact definition for the term “existentialism.” This is primarily true because existen...
Throughout the novel, Hamlet journeys through the grieving process in the stage of anger, depression, and acceptance. Elisabeth Kubler Ross states, “The purpose of life is more than these stages….it is not just about the life lost but also the life lived”
One of the most famous Shakespearean lines-"To be or not to be, that is the question” is found in Hamlet, spoken by the title character himself. While this is the most obvious reference that Hamlet makes to this own philosophy, Hamlet makes frequent proclamations about his stifled life throughout the play. Hamlet views his life in a negative manner, to the point where he finds himself contemplating whether or not to end his own life. Hamlet does not value his life, which causes him to become flustered with himself and his lack of action. Therefore, demonstrating that Hamlet does not value his life as one should.
Ross, Kelly L. "Existentialism." The Proceedings of the Friesian School, Fourth Series. Kelly L. Ross, Ph.D., 2013. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.
The Merriam – Webster Dictionary defines existentialism as a chiefly 20th century philosophical movement embracing diverse doctrines but centering on analysis of individual existence in an unfathomable universe and the plight of the individual who must assume ultimate responsibility for acts of free will without any certain knowledge of what is right or wrong or good or bad (Merriam, 2011). In other words, an existentialist believes that our natures are the natures we make for ourselves, the meaning of our existence is that we just exist and there may or may not be a meaning for the existence, and we have to individually decide what is right or wrong and good or bad for ourselves. No one can answer any of those things for us. A good example of existentialism is Woody Allen’s movie, Deconstructing Harry. A man is haunted by his past and his past has followed him into the present. He is a wreck not because of the things that happened to him, but because of the choices he made. He is consumed by regret and insecurity and he tries to find blame in his situation with someone other than himself, however he cannot (Barnes, 2011). Throughout the rest of this paper I will be discussing two of the most prominent existentialists, Kierkegaard and Nietzsche.
Sadigh, Micah. "The Foundation of Existentialism In The Oldest Story Ever Told." Existential Anaylsis: Journal Of The Society For Existential Analysis 21.1 (2010): 76-88.
Kreis, Steven. Lecture 12: The Existentialist Frame of Mind. 25 July 2002. The History Guide. 27 Nov. 2002.
Hamlet appears to be a rather philosophical character. He is skeptical and expresses views that nowadays can be described as existential and relativist, but those terms did not exist in Shakespeare’s time. Existentialism analyzes existence and the way humans appear to exist in this world. It is concerned with the individual; finding oneself and finding a meaning to life by one’s own measures.That is exactly what Hamlet is going through. Presented with the jarring conflict of avenging his father’s death, Hamlet finds his meaning to life shortly before dying himself among others tangled in this mess. He was tasked by the ghost of his father to kill Claudius in an act of vengeance, which would be considered noble (though in this case, it is a regicide avenging a regicide; treason for treason). The ideals of society demand that he...
Explain the six propositions of this theory and give your opinion of each proposition and for the theory in general.