Hamlet Frailty Thy Name Is Woman

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The play begins with Hamlet seemingly mourning more for his mother’s premature wedding than for his father’s passing. His mother’s lack of faith to his father’s memory upsets him greatly, leading him into a state of disenchantment towards all women. His exclamation “frailty, thy name is woman” mirrors this sentiment (Hamlet 1.2).
Hamlet acts upon this sentiment when Ophelia confronts him in the lobby of the castle. In this anger fuelled rant, Hamlet expresses his disenchantment with marriage. He first denies that he ever loved her, in saying “I did love you once,” to which she responds, “indeed my lord, you made me believe so,” which he denies in saying, “you should not have believed me, I loved you not!” (Hamlet 3.1). Despite this, he reveals his very human desire to love and be loved as he exclaims in several iterations that she should not marry.
His desire that she not marry is a reflection of his love for her, albeit in a twisted and unorthodox manner. The essence of this desire is that he …show more content…

Hamlet finds Claudius kneeling at the altar of a chapel, overcome with guilt. Claudius had not yet noticed Hamlet, thus making him an easy target. Hamlet draws his sword with the intent to avenge his father, but he falters. He sheathes his sword after a short delay, deciding not to kill Claudius while he is in prayer, as he would thus ascend into Heaven instead of descending into Hell. But Hamlet’s decision to forego revenge seems as if a façade for his indecision. Hamlet’s strong moral compass conflicts with his desire to avenge his father, and thus presents the audience with the question: would it be the right course of action to kill a killer? The immediate reaction is to say yes. But as the question is given more thought, the answer becomes clouded by layers of complication and doubt. Would avenging murder with murder not make Hamlet the same as

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