Inhumanity In Hamlet Research Paper

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Shakespeare’s Elizabethan revenge-tragedy Hamlet (1602) strikes to the core of what it means to be human; the struggle between internal and external circumstances in the search for a cohesive sense of identity. Hamlet’s attempt to navigate the tensions between Renaissance Humanism and Christian Providence evokes an ontological search for meaning. Mirroring the anxieties of Shakespeare’s bleak world, the corruption of the social state and Hamlet’s loyalty to his father compels him to take decisive vengeance. However, these aspirations are deeply entwined with moral dilemmas as he tries to reconcile his duty and extreme passion with a propensity for thought and a valuing of truth. The ensuing internal instability halts Hamlet’s search for these …show more content…

Hamlet adopts an “antic disposition” in a desperate attempt to protect himself from Claudius’ constant scrutiny. However, ironically, Claudius’ Machiavellian scheming “there’s something in his soul,” leads to a more intense level of surveillance, “madness in great ones must not unwatched go.” Ophelia also distances herself from Hamlet as she fearfully recoils from his facade of insanity ”As if he had been loosened out of hell.” The dramatic suspense builds through the “get thee to thy nunnery” showing how irrational outbursts of emotion are both a response to the pressure exerted from the court and a contributing factor to it. The potential love of “words of so sweat breath composed” is fractured by bitter rhetoric, “Why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners?”. Hamlet’s regret regarding the loss of his love contributes to his isolation, reduced metaphorically to a pipe “to be played on”. The fundamental paradox lies in the fact that Hamlet evokes Ophelia’s compassionate concern that his “ noble and most sovereign reason” has become “like sweet bells jangled out of time and harsh”. However, Hamlet’s feigned madness contrasts to Ophelia real psychological degeneration, “Divided from herself and her fair judgement”, revealing that innocence is compromised by the intense psychological burden of navigating loss. In this manner, Shakespeare leaves his audiences with a sobering message about the breakdown of the human mind, rendered vulnerable by persistent pressure, isolation and

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