Personal response to Hamlet and its enduring power of Shakespeare Essay Example

that he is a coward by saying, "Why, what an ass am I! " Hamlet seems to know exactly what his problem is, as he himself admits that he does nothing but "unpack my heart with words".

The audience by now is well aware of Hamlet's desire to end his life, but later Hamlet questions his very existence by asking, "To be, or not to be-that is the question". That is the existential question that is yet to be answered. Once more, we see Hamlet as an escapist as he wants to opt out of life instead of avenging his father's death. He also asks, "Must I remember? " so we see that for Hamlet, oblivion is better than remembrance because for him, to remember is to grieve. He wonders whether it is wiser to remain unaware, unconscious, blind and deaf to what is happening around him.

He shows a sensitive awareness of life. His soul-searching gives rise to a lot of conflicting questions and instead of facing them and finding a solution, he wants to give up his life. He is aware that man has to suffer manifold problems and be victimized by fortune ("the heartache and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to'), but he is also aware that death is a "consummation devoutly to be wished". He wishes to sleep that is the metaphor of death, but he also dreads "what dreams may come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil". The Human existence is compared to a mechanism that is infested with sorrows.

Hamlet also contemplates life after death and seeks to find an answer. He finally comes to this result

that it is better to "bear those ills" we have now "than to fly to others that we know not of". Life is painful and that is a known reality. But life after death is an unknown reality, an "undiscovered country, from whose bourn no traveler returns". The "dread of something after death" makes it better to "grunt and sweat under a weary life". To further characterise Hamlet one must take into fact the ideas of conflict between religion and faith with honour and duty.

This is shown through Hamlet's ability to contradict his own decisions without realising it. An example of this is when he says "His canon 'gainst self-slaughter. O God, God," in this he is referring to suicide, which is seen as a blasphemous action to partake and thus forbidden from doing so. The repetition of "God" creates the feeling of desperation in Hamlet, thus enforcing the view that he is dismal. In contradiction to his prior decision to not practise blasphemy, Hamlet vows to avenge his father in act one scene five, "May sweep to my revenge" which immediately tells us he puts honour and duty before his religious obligations.

In doing so Hamlet is portrayed as a weak minded individual who is easily swayed by the wants and requests of others. Alternatively, it can be suggested that Hamlet is an honourable man as it is possible he turned down suicide in order to follow through with his suspicions of Claudius and fulfil his duties as the son of a murdered king. In order to have done this Hamlet must have reconciled his doubt and self-loathing during Act V "Alexander has died, Alexander

was buried, Alexander retuneth to dust. " thus enabling Hamlet's development as a character through reflection of the Christian message.

It is clear to see that Hamlet is a confused individual who has been greatly affected by the events in his life that led him up to the point where he has to usurp a role that is clearly unfit for him. It can be suggested that Hamlet is a grown man and should be able to deal with such issues without being held back or put into danger by hasty and nai?? ve decisions. This relates to the idea that he should be fully aware of the fate he has devoted himself to, as he is an actor with the full knowledge of the story of the tragic hero.

To conclude, the characterization of Hamlet in relation to the enduring power of Shakespeare's play is an understanding of the complexities of the character. Not only does Hamlet represent an ordinary man who wants revenge but also a man struggling to survive with a fatal flaw - procrastination over action. It is evident that throughout the progression of the play of "Hamlet" the character, Hamlet deals with many difficulties which both ultimately lead to his progression throughout the play and unfortunately his demise.