Conflict Analysis in Hamlet

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The conflicts in the play, Hamlet by Shakespeare, are very complex, and are introduced on many levels. However, there is no conflict that is more agonizing than the internal struggle that Hamlet himself goes through. Hamlet is trying to do one of the most difficult actions that most people must endure; he is trying to find out what his identity is. The catalyst of his father’s death brings his internal conflict to a climax, and his struggle is the basis upon which the underlying story in Hamlet is built upon.
To begin with, it is apparent that Hamlet is struggling with who he is after he meets the ghost of his murdered father. His father calls upon Hamlet to avenge his death. This revenge includes the murder of Hamlet’s uncle, and that in itself is a sin that Hamlet is not sure he will be able to shoulder. Promising the ghost that he would carry through with the murder of his uncle, Claudis, Hamlet begins the journey through his internal strife by acknowledging his discomfort at the unsavory task, moaning, “‘O cursed spite, that I was ever born to set it right!’” Again, the war within Hamlet is shown when comparing himself to the talented actor, saying, “‘He would drown the stage with tears… appall the free… Yet I, a dull… rascal… unpregnant of my cause… can say nothing.’” It is specified even more with the words “‘Am I a coward?’” Hamlet has to force himself to find more proof that his uncle is guilty, thinking that “‘…the spirit that [he] has seen may be a devil, and the devil… abuses to damn [him].’” His thoughts about the morality of the murder fluctuate, and up until this point Hamlet has not yet set a plan in motion to actually avenge his father’s death. The pinnacle of Hamlet’s inner angst is shown when he speaks the...

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...he severity of this identity crisis is the reason it leaks into everyday life, and almost every action is based on this conflict. It happened to Hamlet, and it is currently happening to the teenagers of the modern world.
In conclusion, the inner strife that is prevalent in Hamlet causes the repercussions of his father’s death to be multiplied, and end in the eventual deaths of his loved ones, and a final epiphany in the last moments of his life. The self-doubt, the question of whether it is better “to be or not to be,” changes the lives of all who come in contact with Hamlet, and enhances the overall aspect of the play itself. Without this conflict, the play would simply be a story of revenge, and not a dramatic tragedy which masterfully observes both the positive and negative aspects of the human mind and its ability to conduct itself in stressful situations

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