Hamlet Essay, Research Paper

Should I or should I not?

How to think or to act is a good question. I ask myself the same the same thing when I don’t know what to do. Hamlet takes this to a whole new level. As we look at the play we see that the young prince is under a great deal of stress, which makes him act in an odd manner. During this play he has major issues to face as a young adult. First we have to decide whether he thinks too much or not.

We have to look deeply into the character and try and find what Hamlet is really thinking. Throughout this play he has several opportunities to carry through his thoughts, but his mind is to busy contemplating whether to kill or not to kill. This question hinderers him from making any kind of quick action. What should he do? In this story Hamlet too much thought leads to slow action. Lets look deeply into his thoughts, and see if he reacts to them.

Hamlet is not comfortable with his surroundings, he comes home to find his father dead and his mother re-married. He starts feeling that he is all alone in his feelings of loss. When the ghost appears he is suspicious of the ghosts because, he believes the ghost is the devil, trying to persuade him to sin by killing Claudius.

Hamlet’s second guess is that maybe the ghost is telling the truth. However, Hamlet does not act with his gut until the end.

Angels and ministers of grace, defend us!

Be thou a spirit of health or goblin damned,

Bring with thee airs from heaven or blast from

Hell,

Be thy intents wicked or charitable,

Thou com’st in such a questionable shape that

I will speak to thee.

(Hamlet lines43-49 page (51).

In his surroundings after the visit the ghost he becomes untrusting of everyone in it. His friends from school come by and he starts to get suspicious of his friends appearance.

Anything, but to the purpose. You were sent for; and there is a kind of confession in your looks which your modesties have not craft enough to colour: I know the good king and queen have sent for you (101).

He thinks Claudius is putting them up to following him around to find out what Hamlet is think and what he is up to. Right now he cannot trust anyone. He cannot trust Polonius, because he knows Polonius is one of the king’s number one advisors, and anything Polonius says or does he feels Polonium is acting on the king’s behalf. So there is no one into which Hamlet can put his trust, not even his girlfriend.

The character Hamlet has serious issues with women. He finds it hard that his mother has moved on to another lover or so quickly after his father’s death. In manner in which Hamlet refers to his father, is in such high esteem, that its almost ” God like’. He wonders why Gertrude would betray such a great man, with that of a man who pales in comparison. This makes Hamlet think about whether all women will forget about their husbands at the drop of the hat to love someone else. This is what makes Hamlet not trust the women in his life. Ophelia finds it hard to love a person who shows no love back. Right now Hamlet can’t love a woman now, not after his father’s death and his mother wedding Claudius so quickly without mourning. Because of this situation Hamlet’s mind is sent reeling. Should he trust women? I don’t think so.

One think that sticks out in this play is the hasty action Hamlet exerts with Polonius, killing Polonius without one thought. This brings up one point to mind. Why did he react so fast to a spy who did not kill his father? This would have been a good time for him to think before acting. All through the play he thinks so much he pushes the lady he loves away and a better time to get revenge. “Get thee to a nunnery. Why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners”(131)

This play has a very fine line between thinking and action. Basically sometimes there is not a good way to go about doing things. Hamlet had to revenge his father’s death. You can sit and evaluate it dissect it, but when it comes down to doing. The outcome probably would have been messy either way he did it. The point that needs to be brought out is should he have killed Claudius earlier? Why did he not? He thought way too much.