Hamlet A Juvenile Delinquent? Essay, Research Paper

Hamlet: The tragedy of a man who could not make up his mind. So begins the Olivier version of Shakespeare s Hamlet , and many others follow suit.

Hamlet to many is portrayed as a weak-minded individual because he is juvenile. Many have the opinion that he led seven unnecessary deaths because he was a delinquent. It is the understanding that Hamlet is a juvenile delinquent and that he is mixed up in the horrible teen years of his time.

Hamlet identifies more so to an adolescent than an adult. His inability to overcome his sadness is a major factor. A perfect example of this is the to be or not to be soliloquy. When someone is grown up they have experienced how to deal with their emotions. Hamlet does not know how to deal with his melancholy and therefore instead of solving his problems he thinks suicide is the only way out. So, it is now known that Hamlet is juvenile or immature, and so he should. He is young and trying to find out who he is. Hamlet is a delinquent in many ways and being a juvenile this makes him a juvenile delinquent.

When someone is secretive and does not tell anyone what is going on in his life, one may start to wonder. After Hamlet talks to the ghost he is approached by his friends. He tells them a lie about what the ghost has said. He does not truly believe the ghost is his father at this point and he does not inform his friends. The ghost has asked him to commit murder and he decides to keep this to himself. Which can only mean that he now realizes that this is his chance to get rid Claudius.

Hamlet s second set of actions, which categorizes him as a delinquent, is how he plots Claudius death. When someone plots something, no matter what it is, that is called intent. When someone intends to kill another human being that is a serious crime, which was what Hamlet organized.

Not only does Hamlet plan Claudius death but also he kills Polonius along the way. Hamlet thought that Claudius was behind the curtain, but in fact it was Polonius. Now even without intent he has committed murder.

Lastly, Hamlet could have just wanted attention at first, but then this issue just got out of control. Some believe that Hamlet was upset that Claudius married his mother because Hamlet really wanted to. This is called the Oedipus complex. Hamlet loved his mother and he was feeling left out. By showing his mother some attitude he is receiving some attention.

The Queen tells Hamlet:

Hamlet, thou hast thy father much offended. (III. iv. l. 9)

Mother, you have my father much offended. (III. iv. l. 10) remarks Hamlet.

He could have just started being bad to receive some attention from his mother. The only problem is that Hamlet went to an extreme.

Hamlet resembles an ordinary teen growing up, faced with adult problems. Due to the factors in the novel, Hamlet turns to delinquency to try to win back his mother. In doing so he ruins 7 peoples lives and his own.