Morality is a remarkable dispute of a person’s actions within one’s own mind. Typically, everyone in the human species possesses a sense of their own regards to the matter of positive or negative outcomes. In William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, the main character faces a vast majority of internal struggles throughout his story. Hamlet is surrounded by tragedy and betrayal. Hamlet’s endeavors in the play coincide with those of a modern day soldier. Hamlet’s character relates to a soldier on the aspects of honor and murder, but they differ in their sense of morality. Honor is a respectable fulfillment to acquire and uphold. In the play, Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, is respected by the people of the city for his family lineage in royalty. People that surround Hamlet refer to him as Lord and treat him with respect. When Hamlet …show more content…
Hamlet acts upon initial feelings of vengeance without a sense of self-condemnation for his encounters. After he kills Polonius, he immediately makes a comparison of his bloody deed to his mother’s actions of infidelity (Shakespeare 1461). Along with ignoring the feelings of others, Hamlet has no regards for the consequences of his rash behavior. The murder that he committed in turn drove Ophelia, his true love, to lose her mind, resulting in the loss of her life in addition (Shakespeare 1484). She could not bear the grievance of the death of her father. In contrast, soldiers not only care about themselves and their dignity, they fight to try to protect their fellow soldiers in the midst of war. Their main goals consist of making sure all of the men come home alive (“The Good Soldier”). Additionally, soldiers lose sleep with memories of pain permanently etched in their minds when they accidentally kill an innocent civilian (“The Good Soldier”). Soldiers follow orders without hesitation, and occasionally orders are given to shoot mysterious targets that may end up being innocent
The morality of the hero also plays a key role in the nature of his heroism. Hamlet holds himself to high moral standards and ethics. “We, the ...
Hamlet in the beginning of the play finds out about how his father truly died and begins to devise a plan to avenge his father. Just so happen his plan is to be crazy. Hamlet first begins acting crazy when he goes into Ophelia’s sewing rooms and starts sniffing her, this little act of crazy has Polonius thinking hamlet is mad with love for Ophelia and began occasionally spying on Hamlet. Hamlets friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are sent so spy on him by the king but hamlet sees through the cleaver plan and just continues to act mad around his school friends, and tells them that he is "I am but mad north-north-west" (BOOK). Polonius, the Queen, and the king come up with a plan to try and see how hamlet feels about Ophelia. They all watch while Ophelia waits for hamlet to pass by Hamlet and Ophelia speak about their relationship but hamlet say he never loved Ophelia because he knows someone is listening so he must act mad. Hamlets has rewritten a scene in a play that was being preformed in the castle to match the way King Hamlet tells hamlet he was killed. While watching the play hamlet sees that the kings reactions is just what he wants it to be. Guilt. But its at this moment in the play hamlet tries to warn someone about all the things happening. Hamlet goes up to Ophelia after the play and says "believe none of this"(BOOK). While a lot of things could have been
In every society throughout history, there has been a common fear of the disastrous collapse of the world around them, resulting. This “fear” has resulted in numerous stories and religious beliefs surrounding the apocalyptic fall of man’s corrupted society, including the Book of Revelation, the final book of the Christian Bible. William Shakespeare’s tragedies, especially the tragedies written in the early 1600s, all display this collapse of authority in one way or another. Shakespeare’s Hamlet is the classic example of this prevalent break down of society. Prince Hamlet learns that his uncle-father King Claudius murdered his father and, thus, assumed the throne and gained his mother’s hand in marriage. The revelation is then followed by even more treacherous acts of hatred, vengeance, conspiracy, and murder,
Does Hamlet actually trust the Judgement of the actors who will be in the play that he is hosting? Reference Lines (3.2.17-37)
What is honor? Honor coins an individual’s nature. A principle that exists on the purpose of perception, a martyr willing to conform and accomplish. In the case of Shakespeare's play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Brutus was the most honorable of men. A brother to Caesar, but a father to Rome, he persist and perish for the future of his child. The idea of ignorance, and the belief of a false faith, turns this noble man toward a vulgar grave, with virtuous notions.
In the play, Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the protagonist Hamlet is in a persistent mental battle between his religious, moral values and his desire to take revenge on the one who murdered his innocent father. Throughout the play, the actions that are taken by characters in Hamlet 's life ultimately lead to the demise and dismissal of each person who not only get in the way of Hamlet but go against the actions he takes. As the ghost of the late dead king appears to Hamlet and informs him of the truth behind what occurred that night Denmark lost a king and Hamlet lost a father, you see him embark on a journey of devotion to the father who was murdered by his uncle and everyone who has been caught up in the uncle’s web of lies. The philosophy of commitment and beauty are shown throughout the play through Hamlets vengeful task of revenge and deceit, King Claudius’s task to keep his murder a secret, Laertes commitment to murdering Hamlet, and the failed preservation of God made beauty.
This again, reflects the fact that he is guilty for not avenging his father’s death. Like Dunstable, Hamlet lets his guilt take over his life, as he is invariably thinking about revenge. He pretends to be mad, so Claudius would not raise suspicion of him. He allows this sense of guilt and urgency to take revenge to take over his life, and be the reason for his actions. For example Hamlet befriends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and eventually causes their deaths, as he makes changes to the letter. In a series of events, Hamlet kills Polonius and feels no remorse for it. This shows how destructive and evil minded he has become. Hamlet feels no guilt for Polonius’ murder, and this is why karma hits him back. By killing Polonius, he causes Ophelia to go mad and that is eventually the reason for her demise. Hamlet returns to Denmark and discovers that Ophelia has died, and this is when the reader realizes Hamlet’s true feelings towards Ophelia. He says “I lov’d Ophelia: forty thousand brothers could not, with all their quantity of love, make up my sum…” (5.1.270-73) Hamlet feels guilty because he has not expressed his love lately for Ophelia due to his “fake madness.” He feels guilty for not loving Ophelia and realizes it is his fault that she has died. Seemingly, both Dunstable and Ramsay are very similar characters as they both do not try to cope with their guilt, but instead, they let the
Self-image plays a big role in how people act. Hamlet’s inability to know himself or to understand his own motives leads to the restless battles between right and wrong in his conscience, which is the reason for his unpredictable tragic actions, and behaviors. Hamlets’ confusion is clearly shown in his soliloquies. His confused mind can be broken into five categories. Hamlet suffers from his own moral standards, the desperate need to seek the truth, lack of confidence and trust in his own impulses, self-hatred, and melancholy. Each of these categories contribute to Hamlet’s troubled mind.
Perhaps deep-seeded in the flesh that is humankind, lies a poison, villous and infected, whose venom devastates that which is humanity. Indeed, it is a serpent, reducing its victim’s soul to a pathetic shamble of indignity and wrath. Gently caressing its prey’s bones, it slithers here and there, clenching and compressing, ignoring any pleas for mercy. Gradually, it tightens, smothering and slaughtering the purity of human. Indecency plays no mind for the serpent, for it does not act from courage, but rather for authority. Truly, evil has taken the body that once was. Corruption of the mind and soul, however, does not stand unchallenged. Indeed, and quite possibly the miracle that is as equally a part of humankind, stands a fender of evil: There stands conscience. A concrete state of the mind that demands attention; conscience makes room for a moral compass, fighting the powers of inner-barbarity. Conscience may in fact be the humanizing factor, as it makes room for choice. Quite evidently, human would crumble without the freewill that is choice. It tempts us with morality and the freedom of benevolence, while reminding us of the serpent, praying patiently, waiting to strike. This curious balance of wickedness and conscience is no new concept to humankind. As creatures infatuated by our own existence, humans crave knowledge of our own reality. Consequently, countless magnificent literary pieces have been devoted to the study of actuality; most recognizably Shakespeare’s sixteenth century play Hamlet. The play cements itself as a fundamental and relevant piece of literary work in modern study because of its enticing themes, strong entertainment value and intricate characterization. At large, the play draws insight into the depths of...
truths, a just society, and redemption. Moral truths are cultural and religious traditions, where people are expected to have proper behavior. Moral means concerned with the principles of right and wrong behavior and the goodness or badness of human character. Of the three themes, I believe moral truths is the most common in Hamlet because it is shown throughout the whole tragedy, mainly through murder as a form of revenge and whether suicide is justified or not. The ghost, King Hamlet, appeared to Hamlet and informed him that Claudius was the one that murdered him, then took over
Throughout the play, Hamlet thinks about the moral consequences of revenge, and as a result his revenge is delayed. Morality is the quality of being in accord with the standards of right or good conduct. In Hamlet, Hamlet struggles morally to accomplish his fathers’ ghost demand of revenging for him. A great example of Hamlet acting morally, is when as he was heading to his mother, who asked for him, he sees the king in church praying to God for forgiveness. When he sees the king praying, he thought it will be better if he killed him now in order to end his struggle. But as he was approaching the king to revenge his fathers’ death, he is he...
In the play, Hamlet, Shakespeare has shown that the loss of relationships, death, and betrayal are some of the outcomes of a person’s hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is a main factor that has driven the a lot because almost the characters are hypocritical.
Hamlet’s obsession with taking revenge destroys the relationships in his life. His furiousness with his mother’s marriage causes him to lose respect for her and wish for no more marriages in Denmark (III. i. 144-152). Hamlet’s loss of respect for women affects his relationship with his girlfriend, Ophelia. He slowly begins to drive her away. Hamlet becomes impetuous and consequently kills Ophelia’s father, which permanently destroys their relationship. Another instance of obsession to revenge is Laertes. He becomes so bent upon avenging his family, that he does not think clearly. Claudius deceives Laertes by persuading him into killing Hamlet so that he remains out of harm’s way. However, their obsession to revenge becomes the foundation of their
“Hamlet” is a play, compose by William Shakespeare, one of the greatest writers for drama. This play is centered on the young Norwegian prince named Hamlet. The exact age of Hamlet is not noted in the play, but it can be deduced from the clues presented in the play, like Hamlet goes to school away from his home country and Hamlet knowledge of fighting with swords. In the play Hamlet father died, however it is not until Hamlet finds out how his father died that the plot start to gain momentum. Hamlet’s father spirit claims his death, a “foul and most unnatural murder” (Shakespeare, Act I, scene v, line 25). This lead Hamlet to be roused into taking revenge for his father. The killer of Hamlet’s father is revealed
Morality is the next big challenge that Hamlet faces. Hamlet needs to morally justify the murder of the king to himself before he can go through with it, "Hamlet was restrained by conscience or a moral scruple; he could not satisfy himself that it was right to avenge his father"(Bradley 80). This idea connects directly with the idea that Hamlet thinks too much.