"This above all, to thine own self be true": Truth versus Self in Hamlet

Truth versus Self in Hamlet by William Shakespeare

"This above all, to thine own self be true" (Act I scene 3 line 78) as expressed in Shakespeare's Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is a philosophical idea that strips away moral standards, accountability, and that selflessness is evidence of true love, as taught by

Jesus Christ. Professor Sir Walter Murdoch writes in The Policy of

Polonius, "As a matter of fact, of course, the lines are nonsense, and Shakespeare

was well aware that they are nonsense; he puts them in the mouth of a garrulous

old gentleman who spends most of his time talking nonsense" *http://home.pacific.net.au/~morrisqc/Murdoch/Polonius.htm*. The characters of Hamlet and Laertes live by this faulty philosophy and form defective character traits that ultimately lead them to death. The same can be said for Alfred in O'Neill's Before Breakfast, he follows a different path using the same philosophical ideals and ultimately ends up serving the same self centered desire. The assertion that somehow this philosophy can become stable with a sound individual falls short because it is without objective measurable standard. Left to our own self to decide what is good will always lead to a pantheistic view; one without hope, self-serving and motivated to satisfy any desire that we think is correct. Successful living depends on an established guide of moral standards, accountability, and selflessness.

Hamlet, Laertes, and Alfred have set their hearts and minds to do just as they please without regard how their actions affect others and without regard to moral standards. Hamlet and Laertes have settled in their own mind that the way to find peace is through the death of the person that murdered their fathers....

... middle of paper ...

... revenge. The meek inherit the land" (Leithart). To thine own self be true? I think not. Be true to God and His commandments, His judgment, and the philosophy that I must lay down my life if I want to find it. Jesus said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life" (John 12:24-25 NKJ).

Bibliography:

Eliot, T.S., "The Sacred Wood: Essays on Poetry and Criticism." Hamlet and His Problems Home Page 19 Nov. 2000 .

Leithart, Peter J. "The Serpent Now Wears the Crown: A Typological Reading of Hamlet." Contra Mundum No. 11 Home Page 19 Nov. 2000

.

Murdoch, Walter. "The Policy of Polonius". The Shakespeare Essays. Home Page

19 Nov. 2000 .