Example Of Humanism In Hamlet

Extending beyond the ordinary, William Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet confronts the psychological, personal, and political aspects of vengeance as part of a complex examination into human flaws. This is achieved through parallel subplots centred around revenge, whereby each character possesses traits that are antithetical to an opposing other. Specifically, these manifest into the prominent notions of action and inaction, truth and deceit, as well as revenge against justice, influencing the development of the plot and characters. With each portraying the extremities of their trait, audiences are urged to consider the necessary emotional equilibrium, which influences actions and further affirms the morals brought forth by Shakespeare.

Through

Within the play, both characters experience the murders of their fathers, and are expected to avenge their deaths by enacting the same fate upon their killers. Hamlet, the protagonist in the play, is initially hesitant in his approach to murder Claudius, the perpetrator in his father’s assassination, embodying the philosophical stance of humanism, introduced between the medieval and renaissance periods, emphasising the value of life and critical contemplation. Through the device of soliloquies, Shakespeare conveys Hamlet’s hamatia of indecisiveness as a result of his humanist attitude in his constant self reflections, deliberating if avenging his father would restore true justice. Particularly in act 3 scene 1, a rhetorical question is used by Hamlet during one of his soliloquies reflecting his psychological conflict “to be or not to be”, in relation to existentialism, whether it is preferred to live or not, and further if the intent to kill and avenge or accept, forgive, and continue would be more advantageous. In contrast to this, Laertes relies on retributive justice, a common belief during the time of the medieval era, ultimately acting upon his emotions without

Within the play, deception is used by Hamlet to confront the truth regarding the murder of his father. Through the use of foreshadowing, Hamlet states “I am not in madness, but mad in craft” as he “put[s] an antic disposition on” in an attempt to gain evidence proving Claudius as the perpetrator of the homicide. Furthermore, the device of metafiction is used by Shakespeare as Hamlet constructs a play to be performed reflecting the events of the murder, convinced it will reveal Claudius and his wrong doing. The play, ironically named “The Mousetrap”, mirrors specific moments within the murder, through the use of stage directions, indicating “another man, takes off his crown, kisses it, pours poison in the sleeper’s ears, and leaves him” and soon after “[t]he prisoner woos the Queen with gifts. She seems harsh awhile, but in the end accepts his love”, therefore depicting how Hamlet deceives his uncle/newly appointed step father Claudius into revealing the truth of the homicide of his father, allowing him to pursue his revenge. In contrary to Hamlet, though his subplot does not directly centre around vengeance, Claudius uses deception as a means to avoid truth, misleading other characters from acknowledging his crime of fratricide, thus “conceal[ing] the moral ugliness of evil” (James L. Calderwood). Rosencrantz and