One such example occurs near the beginning of the tome. In Act One, Hamlet appears to be very straightforward in his actions, inner state, and

If the King is a good actor, and does not show his guilt, he will most likely not be killed. Once again, the whole resolution of the play comes back to acting. Whichever role the king decides to play is the role in turn Hamlet decides to play. Unfortunately for Claudius, he is not a good actor and when he rises Hamlet responds with, "What, frighted with false fire?"(Act 3 Scene 2). It is as if Hamlet is saying it is 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"(Act 3 Scene 2).

These two acts are crucial because they show Hamlet's dire duplicity, and how tragedy results. With certain people, Hamlet is resolved to avenge his father's death. With others, that seems to be the last thought in his mind. If he had any of the resolve he had showed earlier, his act of revenge should have already been completed. So instead of playing the part of the vengeful son, or dropping the issue entirely, he spends the entire act "slacking off," avoiding the decision he has to make, and pretending to be mad. This is shown when he says to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, "I know not-lost all my mirth, forgone all custom of exercise." (Act 2 Scene 2). Later he tells them that he is just faking his madness when he says, "I am but mad north-north-west, when the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw." (Act 2 Scene 2). I feel that by admitting he is faking madness, he is ultimately saying that is comfortable with it.

The idea of feigning or faking madness has a lot to do with acting. Faking, or in other words, playing a role, is at its root a way of acting. It is ironic how in a play, something entirely composed of acting, the theory of acting is brought up so much. By "faking madness," Hamlet is, definitely acting. It is strange that Hamlet is comfortable with playing at this point, but the crucial concept here is that he is not acting out the role that he so resolved in act one.

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" (Act 3 Scene 2). Later Hamlet again talks himself out of character and does not kill the King. He puts it off until later, once again and says, "When he is drunk asleep, or in his rage, at gaming, swearing, or about some act that has no relish of salvation in it, then trip him that his heels may kick at heaven, and that his soul may be dammed and black" (Act 3 Scene 3). He is waiting until Claudius fits the part of a villain. His action is paralyzed whenever something does not fit the part. For Hamlet, everything needs to be perfect in order for him to carry out his actions. 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.

Hamlet realizes that he should do what his role dictates strictly because it is his role. He does not falter in his after he returns and fully embraces the act. 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" (Act 5 Scene 1). Hamlet should have loved her, but he did not. Had he loved her he would not have not treated her so poorly earlier. He is now committed to actin

Some common words found in the essay are:
King Act, Rosencrantz Guildenstern, Claudius Hamlet, William Shakespeare, Unfortunately Claudius, Hamlet Hamlet, Hamlet Gertrude, Hecuba Hecuba, Ophelia Forty, Horatio Observe, scene 2, 3 scene, act 3 scene, 3 scene 2, act 3, act 2 scene, 2 hamlet, act 2, 2 scene, 2 scene 2, scene 2 hamlet, faking madness, hamlet saying, act hamlet, scene 1,
Approximate Word count = 2316
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)