Hamlet 4

A detailed Summary of Hamlet 4

In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, the protagonist exhibits a puzzling, duplicitous nature. Hamlet contradicts himself throughout the play. He endorses both the virtues of acting a role and that of being true to one's self. He further supports both of these conflicting endorsements with his actions. This ambiguity is demonstrated by his alleged madness, for he does behave madly,only to become perfectly calm and rational an instant later. These inconsistencies are related with the internal dilemmas he faces. He struggles with the issue of revenging his father's death-vowing to kill Claudius and then backing out, several times. Upon this point Hamlet stammers through the play. The reason for this teetering is directly related to his inability to form a solid

opinion about role playing. This difficulty is not present, however, at the start of the play.

In the first act, Hamlet appears to be very straightforward in his actions and inner state. When questioned by Gertrude about his melancholy appearance, Hamlet says, "Seems, madam? Nay it is. I know not 'seems.' (1.2.76). This is to say "I am what I

appear to be." Later In Act I, Hamlet makes a clear statement about his state when he commits himself to revenge. In this stateme

In reaction to Ophelia's death, he is again behaving as he should have. She was his love interest, and as such he should have loved her more than her brother. This is shown when Hamlet says "I loved Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers /Could not, with their quantity of love,/ Make up my sum" (5.1.256-258). Hamlet should have loved her, but he did not. Had he loved her he would not have treated her so poorly earlier. He is now committed to acting, and loving Ophelia fits the role.

After Hamlet backs out of killing Claudius, Hamlet says to his mother, "O shame, where is thy blush?"(3.4.72). He is voicing his distaste for Gertrude, not only for marrying his uncle, but for not being true to herself. Hamlet believes that she should show some shame for her sins, but she does not. Hamlet is contradicting himself in this. He has been duplicitous and untrue for two thirds of the play. At this point, he is still not sure as how he is to proceed. Hamlet is caught in the middle of acting and objectivity. Hamlet finally gets his act together, and decides to act the part his father had given him, after he sees the soldiers going off to war to die.

dammed ghost we have seen" (3.2.77-80). Proof, however, does not have any thing to do with the role Hamlet is supposed to play, but there is more to it than that. The interesting thing is that his uncle will be judged by how he acts during the play. If the King is a good actor, and does not show his guilt, he will most likely not be killed. However, the King is not a good actor and when he rises Hamlet responds with, "What, frighted with false fire?"(3.2.254). It's as if Hamlet is saying 'it's only a play, it is not real.' He does say something to this effect a few lines before: "Your majesty, and we that have free souls, it touches us not"(3.2.229-230). This new proof drives Hamlet to use more words. He is again to talk of killing, and he says, "Now I could drink hot blood" (3.2.379). He again associates this with a role, that of Nero. "The soul of Nero enter this firm bosom" (3.2.383). Later, Hamlet again talks himself out of character and does not kill the King. He puts it off until later and says, "When he is drunk asleep, or in his rage, At gaming, swearing, or about some act That has no relish of salvation init, Then trip him that his heels may kick at heaven, And that his soul may be dammed and black" (3.3.89-94) He is waiting until Claudius fits the part of a villain. His action is paralyzed whenever something does not fit the part. He needs his revenge to be dramatic, so that he may get into it and finally play it out, and it takes him the next scene and an act to finally do this.

nt the play makes an easy to follow shift. This shift consists of Hamlet giving up the role of a student and mourning son. Hamlet says,

"The imminent death of twenty thousand men continent To hide the slain. O, from this time forth My thoughts be bloody or be nothing worth! That, for fantasy and a trick of fame, Go to their graves like beds, fight for a plot Whereon the numbers cannot try the cause, Which is not tomb enough and Those soldiers fight and die for an insignificant plot of land, and they do it because they are soldiers, no other reason." (4.4.51-57)

Whenever he is in support of acting, he is also ready for vengeance. When he swings back to support acting again he says,

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Approximate Word count = 2267
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English