Hamlet's Struggle

Hamlet's Struggle

The Shakespearean tragedy, Hamlet, entertains the title character's split between head and heart, and accordingly, the arduous struggle he must endure in order to reconcile the two. It is a difficult struggle that is generated by the necessity to unite the two internal counterparts of human consciousness, head (logic and reason) and heart (passions and emotions). From the very beginning of the play, Hamlet is split against himself in a state of entrapment, which is spawned by the unbearable situation with his family. Throughout much of the play, Hamlet attempts to rationally think his way through his situation. His emotions, however, are far too strong for him to adhere to reason alone. Accordingly, his attempts to logically resolve his situation are invariably thwarted by his inflamed emotions. In fact, it seems that Hamlet is simply unable to deal with his problems in a prudent manner until he comes to accept his own mortality. By doing this, however, he is able to think clearly and, therefore, choose the best path to take. Hamlet's escape from entrapment is most evident in the scene that he accepts the duel with Laertes. Precisely at this point in the play, Hamlet is completely free from his "psychological prison" and knows exactly what he is to do in order to calm his raging emotions and avoid succumbing to the elements of evil. For he must rise above evil if he wishes to go to heaven. But even in a corrupt and evil society, the mighty Hamlet remains virtuous. Therefore, by the end of the play, Hamlet achieves peace by uniting his head and heart, and ultimately triumphs in his death in that he is free from entrapment and goes to heaven.

One major theme throughout this play is the internal...

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... By doing this, he achieves the necessary mindset for him to make prudent decisions that do not harm him, but rather do him service and, ultimately, lead him to eternal salvation. This cycle of entrapment that Hamlet suffers is very much a part of many people's lives; only it manifests itself in a very different ways. In fact, this is why Shakespearean tragedy still makes complete sense to us four hundred years later. Many of his plays, such as Hamlet, touch the very soul of human nature and although the settings of his plays may be completely alien to modern man, the passions and emotions that Shakespeare plays upon, still reach us in a very profound way.

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Works Cited

Cooper, J.C. An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Traditional Symbols. London: Thames and Hudson Ltd, 1978.

Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. New York: Bantam Books, 1980.