Hamlet World Essay, Research Paper

In having to enter and act in the world of his uncle, Hamlet himself becomes an

unwilling creature of that world. When he chooses to obey the ghost’s command

and revenge his father, Hamlet accepts the inevitability that he must become

part of Denmark’s "unweeded garden". As the ripple of original

vengeful intent widens and Hamlet is slowly but surely entangled in Claudius’

brutal world through his madness, his murders, his plots, his relationship with

other characters and his revelations on life and more importantly, death. Even

before the ghost urges Hamlet to avenge his death, Hamlet teeters on the edge of

his uncle’s brutal world. Whilst never evil in intent Hamlet is simply one of

the finest tragic heroes. Caught between his agony of mind and indecision

Hamlet’s nature is neither treacherous like Claudius’ nor rash like Laertes’.

This combination of values carries only tragedy when one such as Hamlet suffers

such a fate as he did. Prior to his dead father’s prompting, Hamlet is already

devoured by melancholy over the loss of Old Hamlet and his mother’s "o’er

hasty" marriage to Claudius. This suggests that Hamlet was already

inexorably linked to his Uncle’s brutal world. "It is not, nor it cannot

come to good." (Act1, Scene2) Hamlet also feels jealousy towards his mother

as their relationship goes beyond that of a normal parent/child relationship.

Whilst perhaps not sexual, their mere fifteen years age difference has enclosed

them in a very close-knit co-dependant affair. "You are the Queen, your

husband’s brother’s wife, And, would it not so, you are my mother." (Act3,

Scene4) This jealousy and hatred Hamlet feels is close to pushing him over the

edge, so when the Ghost commands revenge Hamlet has already positioned himself

at the starting line ready to begin his descent into Denmark’s brutal court.

Hamlet’s acceptance of the task of revenge, even if somewhat reluctant, is the

key to entering Claudius’ world. Revenge in any context is morally wrong. Hamlet

himself realises this and is aware that the deeds he is charged to commit can

never bring about good, yet he knows he must complete them. "O, cursed

spite, That ever I was born to set it right." (Act2, Scene1) Hamlet’s

intent to revenge his father’s murder dooms him from the start because of his

wish to catch Claudius where bystanders may also be witness to his guilt,

therefore turning Hamlet from an assassin to an executioner. Although Hamlet

does get his wish the price he pays is far too dear, perhaps however the death

of those eight people was the only solution to correct the times that were

"out of joint". Some may say that the end justifies the means but

Hamlet does become an unwilling creature of Claudius’ world because as the

original seed of revenge took root Hamlet could do nothing but let it grow.

Hamlet’s plots to catch Claudius centre on his will to find out whether or not

the apparition he witnessed was telling the truth. In Shakespeare’s time a ghost

was often regarded as a misleading spirit so in this way Hamlet’s

procrastination coupled with his conscience makes it understandable that he does

not act quickly. The Mousetrap, the metatheatre used within the play is Hamlet’s

most cunning scheme. This shows us the treachery which Hamlet is capable of, in

stark contrast to his almost jovial mood at the thought of revenge on Claudius.

This orchestration of a play paralleling the murder and incest his uncle

commits, shows us how Hamlet has become part of the diseased world shown on the

stage. "The plays the thing, Wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the

King." (Act2, Scene2) We see in Hamlet a drastic change with the arrival of

the players. His mood lightens considerably and there is a hint that this may

have been more like the prince of Denmark before his father’s murder. However,

within this jovial and perhaps slightly too good-natured behaviour we see

Hamlet’s underlying malaise – he needs to prove his uncle’s guilt. "Had he

the motive and cue for passion, That I have?" (Act2, Scene2) This causes

his manner becomes vicious, paralleling with his existence in Claudius’ world.

The Mousetrap catches its prey just as Hamlet intends but instead of finishing

it there, Claudius is allowed to escape. Many view this as Hamlet’s most

grievous fault, in fact it is his saving grace. To have struck down his

unknowing uncle on his knees in prayer would have turned Hamlet from righteous

assassin to conscienceless villain. To murder Claudius then, Hamlet would have

had to go from being part of Denmark’s devious world to believing in it’s ideals

and ultimately no longer just act in it but actively belong to it. "A

villain kills my father, and for that I, his sole son, do this same villain send

to heaven." (Act3, Scene3) Hamlet is never a fully corrupt party but he has

to become creature as a matter of survival. Hamlet’s madness is one of his

strongest links to his uncle’s "unweeded garden". There are many

opinions on the nature of Hamlet’s madness, if it was real and what it was

caused by. Whilst we can never be certain of Shakespeare’s aim it seems most

likely that Hamlet’s madness was feigned in part, as a way for Hamlet to enter

and deal with the dark, impassive world of Denmark. At times, especially in the

presence of the two women in his life, Hamlet seems to have a true vein of

madness running through his character, brought on by despair, hatred or

jealousy. Perhaps Hamlet simply becomes neurotic rather than psychotic. It is

clearly shown, however, that Hamlet is aware he must put on an "antic

disposition" before he tries to take his revenge. It seems that this is his

way of preparing himself to deal with his Uncle’s brutal world. In Act Three,

Scene Four Hamlet’s manic conversation with his mother does at times bring him

close to madness through his mad rage this in turn causes him to lose his normal

self-control, stabbing Polonious believing it to be his uncle. "Nay, I know

not. Is it the King?" (Act3, Scene4) This is one of the only times when

Hamlet’s feigned madness oversteps the boundary to something far more serious.

It happens again to some extent in Act Three Scene One where Hamlet abuses

Ophelia under the pretense of madness believing her to be party to the plot

against him. "You should not have believed me………. ……I loved you

not." (Act3, Secne1) These occasions lend belief to the view that the

events that Hamlet experiences did cause him to lose control of his senses at

times. This indicates that if the events which sparked his revenge did indeed

also spark his madness, then the more desperate his revenge became, the worse

his madness became, showing how he was pulled deeper and deeper into rank weeds,

despite his originally passive behaviour. The murders Hamlet committed show how

through entering Claudius’ world he becomes an unwilling creature of it. One of

Hamlet’s biggest failings it would seem is his unwillingness to murder. He is

not rash or unthinking unlike Laertes who does not even think twice about

challenging the King as he does in Act Four Scene 5. "O thou vile King,

Give me my father." However, as the ripples of revenge spread Hamlet rashly

kills a hidden Polonius whilst in a rage, believing him to be Claudius. When his

error is revealed Hamlet’s sorrow is evident, even though this was a man he did

not trust or like. Hamlet is shocked that this "intruding fool" should

have come to such an end by his hand. Hamlet is excused for this murder , it

being done so passionately, however the two that follow it are so treacherous

and cold it seems Hamlet has lost his former compassion and truly begun to act

willingly in the brutal world that surrounds him. These two murders are of those

who would be murderers themselves; Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. On their way to

England, carrying letters from the King which include Hamlet’s death warrant,

Hamlet displays a villainous cunning matching that of his uncle. Whilst his old

school friends sleep Hamlet switches the original letters with counterfeits and

escapes back to Denmark. When Rosencrantz and Guildenstern arrive in England

they hand over their own death warrants. This act is one of the most interesting

as it portrays Hamlet as being without conscience or guilt, traits I which would

be more typical of Claudius. "Why, man, did they make love to this

employment. They are not near my conscience." (Act5, Scene2) However Hamlet

does not attempt to hide what he has done which shows that although he did

become a part of the "unweeded garden" he was never totally bound by

it. Hamlet’s two final murders were simply revenge. He slew Laertes or else be

slewn himself. Yet the tragedy unfolds, as the scratch he receives from Laertes

poisoned sword carries his own death sentence. His final murder of Claudius was

right in it’s wrongs. Hamlet achieved his wish of becoming executioner instead

of assassin. "Treachery! Seek it out." (Act5, Scene2) In this

near-final scene we see that Hamlet has indeed been caught and strangled by the

weeds that he had no choice but to exist among. Hamlet’s relationships with the

other characters in the play demonstrate how he begins to act differently as he

goes deeper into his uncle’s world. His relationships with Claudius, Gertrude

and Ophelia are all markedly different but all show symptoms of Hamlet himself

becoming an unwilling part of Denmark’s doom. It is understood that Hamlet

greatly dislikes his Uncle Claudius even before the ghost’s revelation. "A

little more than kin, and less than kind!" (Act1, Scene2) After Hamlet’s

acceptance of the command to revenge his father this dislike turns to hatred.

"O, villain, villain, smiling, damned villain!" (Act1, Scene5) He also

burns with a great shame and jealousy that his mother shares such

"incestuous sheets". However, Hamlet is careful to mask his feelings

from his enemy, mostly using the veil of madness. Whilst Claudius knows Hamlet

is a threat, especially after the "Mousetrap" incident he can only

hope to use his deceit to prevent the truth from coming out. Claudius is the

epitome of villainy yet Hamlet cannot bring himself to kill him. The irony is

that the longer Hamlet delays, the more he finds himself becoming part of

Claudius’ brutal world. Hamlet’s relationship with his mother, Gertrude is the

deepest and most complex of the play. Hamlet hates her and yet loves her at the

same time and judges all women by her actions. "Frailty, thy name is

woman." (Act1, Scene2) At the beginning of the play we are shown that she

is troubled by his melancholy and is frivolous at the same time. "Thou

knowest it common, all that lives must die," (Act1, Scene2) As the play

progresses it becomes clear that the mere fifteen year age difference between

the two has caused an unnatural bond to be built. From this comes Hamlet’s

intense but supressed jealousy and great shame that she would so quickly forget

the "wholesome" Old Hamlet for his "mildewed" brother. These

feelings which he does express to her in near madness are the driving force

behind his revenge, As Gertrude is undeniably a part of Claudius’ brutal world

Hamlet’s intense relationship with her only entangles him further. Ophelia,

Hamlet’s true love, is doomed in her relationship from the moment Hamlet takes

on the task of revenge. Whilst Hamlet only reveals at her death that, "I

loved Ophelia." his treatment of her immediately before shows how once

inside his uncle’s world he did become an unfortunate creature of it. From his

love letters to Ophelia, Hamlet has idealised the idea of perfect love and

Ophelia with it. "Doubt truth to be a liar, But never doubt I love."

(Act2, Scene2) This can be paralleled with Hamlet’s idea that his father’s and

mother’s love was perfect also. "So excellent a king………….so loving

to my mother." (Act1, Scene2) After Hamlet’s entrance into his uncle’s

world, Ophelia becomes an unknowing pawn to aid Claudius and Polonius, who are

under the false impression that Ophelia is the source of his madness. In Act

Three Scene One Ophelia is set up to meet with Hamlet so Polonius and Claudius

may observe. When Hamlet realises he is being watched he assumes Ophelia has

betrayed him and is part of the scheme. He proceeds to abuse her physically and

mentally under the act of feigned madness, causing her great confusion and

angst. Hamlet urges her "get thee to a nunnery" for he wishes her not

to be corrupted as his mother is and spawn something evil, such as he himself.

His soliloquised line spoken just before their meeting " Oh what a noble

mind is here o’erthrown" (Act3, Scene1) could be fairly applied to Ophelia

overthrown by Hamlet’s hand. Hamlet’s continued mistreatment of her coupled with

her father Polonius’ death, by his hand, cause Ophelia to go mad and drown,

perhaps in suicide whilst Hamlet is on his way to England. To blame Hamlet

entirely for Ophelia’s death would be unfair but as surely as Ophelia madly

handed out her herbs Hamlet strangled them within the garden of weeds. Never

intentionally did our tragic hero mean to cause those he loved harm but in his

quest for revenge all were entwined in the dark garden of Denmark. Throughout

the play, as Hamlet sinks deeper into the brutal world of his Uncle, he

experiences revelations on life and consequently death that he would never had

come by had he not entered into the brutal world. In Act 4, Scene5 Hamlet is

amazed by what little a man’s life can count for and how quickly it is lost in

death. He taunts the King about Polonius’ whereabouts while talking about the

degradation that comes equally with death. "Nothing but to show you how a

king may go a progress through the guts of a beggar." Act 5, Scene1; the

infamous grave scene Hamlet is shaken with the morbid fascination of finding the

skull of his fathers jester. Apon finding this abhorring thing coupled with the

lighheartedness that the grave-digger displays causes Hamlet to contemplate the

tragedy "that that earth which kept the world in awe should patch a wall

t’expel the winters flaw!" Hamlet becomes increasingly disturbed throughout

the play by the idea that life is but a mere prelude to death, which in turn is

forgotten. Without becoming a creature of Claudius’ world Hamlet could have

never have come to such baneful conclusions. Through his madness, his murders,

his plots his relationships with other character and his discoveries about life

and death, Hamlet becomes inevitably part of his uncle’s brutal world. Even

though he may never have been inclined to enter, his acceptance that he must to

achieve his revenge proves that however unwilling Hamlet did indeed become a

creature of the "unweeded garden, that grows to seed."