Shakespeare's Hamlet-Conflict

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Hamlet and Conflict

The story of Hamlet revolves around conflict. The emotions and decisions of the main character push the conflict as he influences other characters. Hamlet’s actions and the actions of the other characters, like King Claudius, drive the story from the beginning to its tragic conclusion. The major conflict in the play begins the moment Hamlet is confronted by his father’s spirit. When Hamlet questions if the spirit is his father he says “Be thou a spirit of health or goblin damned, Bring with thee airs from heaven or blasts from Hell, Be thy intents wicked or charitable, Thou comest in such a questionable shape” (I.4. 40-45 Shakespeare's Hamlet). Hamlet wants to know why the spirit has come for him and so he chooses to follow it. Then, he learns the horrible truth. The king who sits upon the throne, his uncle Claudius, is his father's killer. Hamlet decides to act as if madness has taken over him or as he calls it “As I perchance hereafter shall think meet, To put an antic disposition on,” (I.5.170 Shakespeare's Hamlet) in hopes that will make Claudius lower his guard. …show more content…

He fights with himself internally and questions if he would be doing the right thing by killing him. However, even as he does this, he is still unsure about going through with it. He speaks of it in his most famous speech, the to be or not to be speech. Hamlet says, “Thus conscience does make cowards of us all” (III.1.85 Shakespeare's Hamlet) so makes up his mind to go forward and kill Claudius. However, Hamlet comes up with an excuse of why he cannot kill Claudius while he is praying. He thinks “Now might I do it pat, now he is praying, And I’ll do’t: so he goes to heaven”(III.3.74-75 Shakespeare's Hamlet). Hamlet is fearful that if he kills Claudius while he prays it will send him to heaven, so he leaves Claudius to his

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