A Character Analysis of Hamlet

Hamlet fascinates many readers and the first thing to point out about him is that he is mysterious. Shakespeare's work demonstrates Hamlet's dilemma as the role of revenger showing a man of thought forced to be a man of action. Hamlet is extremely philosophical and introspective. He is particularly drawn to difficult questions or questions that cannot be answered with any certainty. Faced with evidence that his uncle murdered his father, Hamlet becomes obsessed with proving his uncle's guilt before trying to act. He is equally overwhelmed with questions about the afterlife, about the wisdom of suicide, and about what happens to bodies after they die.

However, even though he is thoughtful to the point of obsession, Hamlet also behaves rashly and impulsively. When he does act, it is with surprising as when he stabs Polonius through a curtain without even checking to see who he is. He seems to step very easily into the role of a madman, behaving erratically and upsetting the other characters with his wild speech and pointed innuendos. It is also important to note that Hamlet is extremely depressed and unhappy with the state of affairs in Denmark and in his own family. At a number of points in the play, he contemplates his own death and even the option of suicide.

Hamlet is a man of thought' forced to become a `man of action' because right from the start of the play, he is expected to take revenge/action for the murder of his father. His contrast of philosopher and revenger is shown throughout the play, either by the thoughts of the torments of this burden, decisions he has to make or actions he is expected to take.

Shakespeare uses many techniques in language and structure to show Hamlet's dilemma. For example, blank verse i...

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...houghts have now set him in motion and forced him to become a `man of action'.

This sets about a mood for inevitable physical action.

In conclusion, Hamlet's dilemma as the role of revenger is dramatised in many scenes throughout the play. It is clear that Hamlet has been a `man of thought forced to be a man of action', through many of the described scenes in this essay. It can be decided that Hamlet was simply a bad decision maker, not taking the chance to pursue action when it was presented before him. However, he can also be seen as a good decision maker, for even though he did not pursue action straightaway, he was a student of philosophy and it may be absurd to believe that he was not good at assessment techniques. In the end, Hamlet took what he had to deal with and tried to make it work for him. Thus, a `man of thought' forced to be a `man of action'.