Hamlet Essay, Research Paper

Hamlet

Hamlet is a man of many different qualities and he reveals only certain qualities to certain people. Hamlet draws his audience, the reader, into noticing the different qualities that he has. His qualities are shown through his conversations with other characters as well as through his soliloquies. These words of wisdom and relevance help to distinguish how Hamlet feels about each other character that he encounters. The phrases and speeches that Hamlet addresses are both poetic and piercing. So when Hamlet is speaking, he is constantly revealing his qualities which range from love, to respect, to hate. Hamlet’s most powerful qualities seem to be revealed through his conversation with the people that he cares about, namely his family and friends.

The queen, Gertrude, is hamlet’s mother and she is probably the living being that he cares about the most. Unfortunately, one of Hamlet’s qualities, which is revealed in conversation with his mother, is a negative one and that is anger. His quality is displayed through Hamlet’s soliloquy in Act 1, Scene 2, Lines 131-161. Hamlet is angry at his mother for marrying a new husband, his uncle, Claudius, so quickly after his father’s death. At the end of his soliloquy, Hamlet switches qualities from one of anger to one of fear. Hamlet expresses his fear for his mother’s hasty marriage. Hamlet realizes that his mother marrying his uncle can have no good result. Respect is another quality that Hamlet displays in conversation with his mother. This occurs when his mother asks him to remain at home rather than return to school (Act1, Sc2, L20-121), which he agrees to do. This shows that although he disagrees with his mother and her marriage, after such little mourning for her husband, Old Hamlet, he still respects his mother and will do what she asks.

Later in the act, Hamlet encounters another character named of Horatio. Horatio is a good friend, as stated in Act 1, Sc 2, L163, and the first quality which Hamlet reveals is his respect for Horatio. In line 176 of Act 1, Sc 2, Hamlet states “I know you are no truant.” This shows that Hamlet knows that Horatio is well educated and takes note of that and gives him respect. This is respect for Horatio’s intelligence and decision making. Hamlet reveals trust as a quality within his character towards Horatio. This occurs in two places; the first is when he believes Horatio when Horatio says that he has seen Hamlet’s father in the form of a ghost (Act 1, Sc 2, L193-226). If Horatio were not a good friend, Hamlet might be angered because he might think that Horatio was mocking him in his mourning. Since Horatio is a good friend, Hamlet seeks all the information about his ghost story. In faith of Horatio’s honesty. The second occurrence of trust takes place at the end of Act 1, Sc 5, L129-201. After speaking with his father’s ghost, Hamlet meets up with Horatio again and asks for him to swear to secrecy, as well as to be aware of his plan of revenge. This shows that Hamlet has trust in Horatio, that he need not worry about the news of his father’s ghostly visit in Denmark.

Loyalty, love and respect are the three main qualities which Hamlet reveals of his father’s ghost. Respect is shown when Hamlet decides to follow his father’s ghost even with the pressure of his friends not to follow (Act 1, Sc 2, L64-88). Even though his father is dead, Hamlet still respects him… dead or alive. If his father’s ghost has come back to talk to him, Hamlet is going to respect his wishes. Love, which occurs throughout Act 1, Sc 5, is simply the willingness of Hamlet to listen to what his father’s ghost has to say. Rather than letting the words that the ghost of his father spoke, go in one ear and out the other, Hamlet listened carefully and will do anything for him, such as the revenge Hamlet seeked throughout the play. This shows love towards his father because he’ll do anything to honor his father. Hamlet reveals probably the best quality of the whole play as for which is loyalty. This loyalty is towards, of course, his deceased father, and it occurs in the vow to seek revenge on his uncle, the murderer of his beloved father (Act 1, Sc 5, L32-34& 113-115). Hamlet’s father wants revenge on his brother and since he cannot do it himself he has asked his son, Hamlet, to do it for him. Hamlet agreed to this request and in doing so, he has showed his loyalty to his hero, his father. Hamlet’s qualities of love and loyalty have shown that the barriers between the living and the dead and indeed be broken with a little spiritual help.

It is said that actions speak louder than words but in Hamlet’s case, words speak louder than actions, for it is the words of Hamlet that reflect the qualities bestowed on him. In conclusion, it has been shown that Hamlet has displayed different qualities with different characters. There seems to be one common quality which was revealed with each character encounterment, respect. Hamlet seems to respect his family and friends through the thick and thin of things because he knows them for who they are and he knows that mistakes can be made. Most importantly, Hamlet feels it necessary to respect the people he is close to in following the choice question of ” To Be or Not To Be… “. Without character qualities to boost Hamlet’s character, Hamlet would drown in the sea of Shakespeare’s many character’s and would eventually become “Not to be.” Words and phrases make qualities and qualities are what make great characters.