Free Hamlet Essays: Not Murder, Self Defense

to be too busy in some danger." ( Act 3 scene 4, line 38) Every person has their own distinct approach to confronting death: Hamlet grieves and seeks retribution, Gertrude moves on by marrying another spouse as a substitute for the previous one, and upon discovering her father's passing, Ophelia spirals into insanity.

Ophelia's response to death is to spiral into madness and exhibit erratic behavior. In the end, she becomes disconnected from reality and tragically decides to take her own life as a means of escaping the agony and torment. Ultimately, it is the passing of Ophelia's father that ultimately drives her untimely demise.

While Hamlet cannot be entirely blamed for Polonius' death, he should not be held accountable for Ophelia's demise. Hamlet truly loved Ophelia and would never purposefully harm her. As he stated, "I loved Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers could not equal the love I had for her. What will you do for her?" (Act 5 scene 1, line 282). Ultimately, it was Ophelia's decision to drown herself and put an end to her life.

Ophelia's dangerous way of dealing with death is not Hamlet's fault. Some people wrongly accuse Hamlet of killing Gertrude, but this is not true.

Claudius, intending to kill Hamlet, dropped a poisoned pill in the cup. However, his plan went awry and instead Gertrude, to Hamlet's triumph, lifted the glass to drink and was killed.

Despite Claudius's strong warning to Gertrude not to drink, she disregards his advice and consumes the beverage anyway. While some argue that Gertrude deliberately took her own life by knowingly ingesting the poisoned cup, there is no discernible motive for such an action. It would have

been inconceivable for her to suspect that her husband would go as far as poisoning his own stepson and nephew. Gertrude fully trusted in the safety of the cup due to her unwavering belief in her spouse's loyalty, a sentiment shared by any devoted wife. Alternatively, Claudius had the opportunity to swiftly approach and retrieve the cup from her.

Instead of intervening, he silently witnessed her demise. His fear of being labeled a traitor in front of his kingdom prevented him from acting. The humiliation of being mortified outweighed the pain of losing his beloved. Hence, Gertrude's death can be attributed to Claudius, and Hamlet had no involvement in it. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were supposed to be Hamlet's "friends."

Friends should monitor each other. Hamlet showed great kindness to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. "My excellent good friends! How are you, Guildenstern? Ah, Rosencrantz! Good lads, how are both of you?" (Act 2 scene 2, line 242) Hamlet believed his friends would support him. However, they ended up supporting his mother and his sinister uncle. Throughout the play, Hamlet's supposed "friends" turned against him and sided more with his parents.

Friends always choose you over your enemy. Therefore, Rosencrantz and Guldenstern were not genuine friends of Hamlet; they were only pretending for their personal gain. They were "sucking up" to the queen and king and driven by greed. Claudius provided them with a letter to deliver to the King of England, instructing him to eliminate Hamlet. Despite their ignorance of the letter's contents, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern would have unquestionably followed through with the King's scheme.

Having been previously killed, there was no reason to stop now. Hamlet had to have them

killed in order to protect himself as he was unaware of their next move.