Free Will In Hamlet

Consequently, this idea of human free will and self determination is another tenet shared by seemingly all Existentialists. Upon concluding that the world has no natural purpose or meaning, that humans have no destiny, and no fate, the Existentialist makes their next discovery, free will. Or in some cases, like Nietzsche’s, it happens in reverse; the realization of free will exposes life’s meaninglessness. If one were to once again look to the story of the young prince of Denmark, Hamlet, they would see this shown when the his father’s ghost tasks Hamlet with the avenging of his death. Hamlet struggles with this, feeling it is his destiny to avenge his father and therefore condemn himself by murdering the new king, but as seen earlier, he has

However, Hamlet hasn’t taken his next step in his Existential transformation, he hasn’t realized that he is free to choose the reality he desires. The beginning of the end of his struggle with this idea becomes apparent to the reader when Hamlet asks, “Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them.” (Ham.3.1.64-67). At this culmination of angst, Hamlet questions whether his troubles could be avoided by ending his own life. The key to this is that he realizes he has a choice in the matter, because if it were his destiny to obey his father he wouldn’t have wanted to escape, for it would of been his moment of finding his life’s purpose. But Hamlet does pose the question of whether he wants to commit the act his father has asked of him, or commit suicide and no longer be

Which causes him to come to the conclusion that, “The undiscovered country, from whose bourn no traveler returns, puzzles the will, and makes us rather bear those ills we have, than fly to those that we know not of? Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,” (Ham.3.1.86-90). And thus the young prince of Denmark has made his transformation; for that decision that death is more frightening than living with knowing his father wishes to be avenged, frees Hamlet. This is because subliminally he now knows that he has a choice in the matter, that his life is not destined to end with the avenging of his father, but rather whether it ends this way is entirely up to him. There is no other entity that can force his course of action. That is not to say he cannot be influenced, just that he cannot be forced. No matter how hard it would be to disobey his father, he could do it, just as he chose not to kill himself. Nevertheless, Hamlet, as with Nietzsche, finds that he is to create his own reality, is free to chose, and must apply his own meaning to his