Examples Of Conflict In Hamlet

In William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, the protagonist struggles with an inner conflict throughout the play, that of his existence being purposeless. This ongoing struggle against himself where he is constantly questioning whether or not to kill himself, and at the same time dealing with the fear of not knowing what happens after death, if he is going to go to heaven or to hell, is resolved as his father’s ghost appears. It is when he finds out that his uncle murdered his father that he finally finds his life’s purpose, getting revenge, which becomes a major theme of the play. From start to finish Hamlet struggles with what his purpose should be. This is very apparent in the way that he speaks to others and the way that he speaks to himself in his soliloquies. In Act I Scene I he begins his first soliloquy with “O, that this too too solid flesh would melt, Thaw and resolve itself into a dew!” (Act 1, line 130-131) This is the first instance where Hamlet demonstrates his desire to kill himself, or rather to not exist anymore, which will linger for the rest of the play. He wants to disappear but he does not want to face the consequences that would come with suicide. At this point in his life Hamlet appears to have stopped finding joy in living, everything seems pointless

The ghost reveals to Hamlet that his uncle was the one who murdered him and this sparks Hamlet search and desire for vengeance, which becomes a central theme of the play. More than anything, this hunt for vengeance provided something monumental for Hamlet, for the first time he is passionate about something. That something, is killing the king. He even says that he “will wipe away all trivial records”(Act 1) and only think about how he will kill the king. Finally Hamlet has found something that he can do with his life, he has a reason to exist, and he will devote himself to his