Hamlet God S Hand At Work Essay, Research Paper

William Shakespeare s Hamlet confronts many metaphysical issues through out the novel. It was written in 1604 during the English Renaissance. After King Hamlet suspicious death, his brother, King Claudius took over the thrown of Denmark. Queen Gertrude, Prince Hamlet s mother and the late King Hamlet s wife, married Claudius and now shares his bed. During the novel Hamlet s behavior becomes very erratic and many people believe he has become insane. When his lover, Aphelia commits suicide, Laertes, Ophelia s brother, blames Hamlet and both Laertes and Claudius conspire to take Hamlet out of the picture. The novel focuses on the theme if there is a all powerful being out there ruling over our lives or is it just coincidence that the events of our lives occur. Although it may seem like many of the events in Hamlet occur out of coincidence, it is just only God will and ultimate plan he set up for us, taking its course.

In the novel Hamlet God is referred as the all mighty powerful being, who watches over everything and controls each and everyone s destinies. When Ophelia comes enters the room when Claudius and Laertes are speaking among each other. She speaks of death and sorrow insanely. After she leaves Laertes speaks to God asking him Do you this, O God? (Ham 4.5.225) He is asking God if he knows what is happening to Ophelia and wonders if God letting this occur for some reason or if he doesn t care about it. Laertes is concerned that God is not taking Ophelia s condition seriously and trying to get him to notice what is happening to Aphelia and change her condition for the better. Laertes see God as the only one who is in control and above everyone else, controlling our lives.

There is a strong belief in the novel that there is an all power being controlling the universe and the faith of the characters. Hamlet see this when he is talking to himself after the actors leave and so does Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. He speaks of what is becoming of him and how his destiny Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell (Ham. 2.2.613) is to kill Claudius for his fathers death. He mentions how the powers of heaven and hell, God and the demons or devil, wished him to take this course of action against Claudius. And by doing so Hamlet has fulfilled part of his destiny, that God sets up for him. This also occurs with the death of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. When they tired to deliver Hamlet to England with a letter telling the King to kill Hamlet but because of the divinity that shapes our ends (Ham. 5.2.11) justice is served back unto Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Every thing has is destiny already set up for them and Rough-hew them how we will (Ham. 5.2.12) their destiny is already set up an nothing can change it. In the end it is God who holds our destiny in his hands.

Even when it comes to the judgment of the characters actions, they believe that God plays a hand of what will become of them base on that judgment. In the last scene of the play when many of the characters meet their death Laertes tells everyone how God has condemned him and Claudius for their dirty deeds. He mentions how a higher being caused him to be justly killed with (Ham. 5.2.337) his own treachery (Ham. 5.2.337). He believed that someone or something (perhaps God) used his own evilness against him to teach him a lesson with justice, and not by accident. This relevance can also be seen again when Hamlet forces Claudius to drink the poisoned drink that Gertrude dies from. Laertes again mentions how in the grand scheme of the universe that He (Claudius) is justly served / It is a poison tempered by himself. (Ham. 5.2.359-360). Laertes states that in Gods eyes those who do unto others with get what they deserve and this is God punishment to Claudius and not by some coincidence. The ghost that appears before Hamlet tells Hamlet that what Claudius and the Queen is doing is morally wrong. He tells Hamlet that Leave her to heaven (Ham. 1.2.93) as way to inform him that heaven and God has set up her judgment and what is to become of her. Her destiny is already sealed by God and everyone else should just leave it at that. God judgment for each person s destiny is already set up by him and he will take actions against accordingly.

Hamlet is based on a universe where everyone s destiny is in the hands of God and his alone. Everything in this world is there for a reason and every event that takes places is God s action. Many of the horrors and tragic events of today are under God actions. He has the power to control and manipulate our destiny. No what we do or how we try to change it, God has is all ready and set up for us to follow. It many be one of sorrow and pain, or one of greatness and joy, but nothing will change his final word on the course of our lives. God may work in strange and mysterious ways, but everything the does, there is a reason for. One many of us do not comprehend.