The Sociological Hamlet
In William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, cultural identity is explored through Hamlet's isolation which is created by the conflict between his duty to his father, and his duties to the throne and society. Hamlet is isolated from his society due to his turbulent emotions, which result from his indecision on how to respond to his father's murder. Hamlet's duty as a son is to avenge the death of his father and he would be supported by society if the murderer was believed to be guilty. Hamlet's duty as a citizen and a Prince is to protect the King and to ensure the stability of the throne. In order for Hamlet to revenge his father he would have to kill the King, which creates a conflict between his two main responsibilities. Because of this, Hamlet has a hard time in deciding how to move forward and which responsibility to focus on. However, Hamlet decides to gather evidence as proof of Claudius' guilt so that his revenge is justified to society and to himself. Hamlet's duty as a son, in his social situation and circumstances, is one which encourages him to seek revenge for his murdered father. For Hamlet to be perceived as a noble and faithful son, he would have to kill his father's murderer. In Hamlet's first soliloquy af
The uncertainty of Claudius' guilt and the importance Hamlet places on gathering evidence against the King is demonstrated when Hamlet plans to organize a trap for the King in his soliloquy at the end of Act II when he says, "I'll have grounds / More relative than this. The plays the thing / Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King." (II.ii.615ff) Hamlet knows that society would not tolerate him murdering Claudius as an act of revenge if there was no corroborating evidence to prove the King's guilt. Hamlet also wants to be positive of Claudius' guilt to reassure himself that what he is doing is right. Claudius' reaction to the play is the "more relative" evidence that Hamlet is looking for. An important part of Hamlet's revenge is for Claudius to be perceived as the killer he really is. Even though Hamlet uses the lack of evidence to justify his own previous inaction in this soliloquy , he also realizes that he needs proof for society to believe that Claudius is guilty in order to keep his noble status as Prince. The plan to use Horatio as a witness to any possible reaction of the King shows Hamlet's awareness that proof will be necessary to justify his revenge. Hamlet's duty to the kingdom and his role in society are in direct conflict with his duty as a son. Hamlet's responsibility to the throne is to protect the King and his role in society as a Prince is to live an honorable and exemplary life, and ensure the stability of the kingdom. Socially, Hamlet
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Approximate Word count = 998
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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