William Shakespeares Hamlet Essays - Characters In Hamlet, Fiction

William Shakespeare's Hamlet Julian Goldblatt AP English Extra Credit In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, the protagonist exhibits a puzzling, duplicitous nature. Hamlet contradicts himself throughout the play, enduring both the virtues of acting a role and that of being true to one's self. He further supports both of these conflicting endorements with his actions. This ambiguity is demonstrated by his alleged madness, 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. 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 statement 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, I'll wipe away all trivial fond records, All saws of books, all forms, all pressures past, That youth and observation copied there, And thy commandment all alone shall live Within the book and volume of my brain (1.5.99-103). Hamlet is declaring that he will be committed to nothing else but the revenge of his father's death. In the next act, however, Hamlet's status and intentions suddenly, and with out demonstrated reason, become mired in confusion. When Hamlet appears again in act two, it seems he has lost the conviction that was present earlier. He has yet to take up the role assigned to him by the ghost. It is not until the very end of the act that he even mentions vengeance. If he had any of the conviction shown earlier he would have been contemplating his revenge. So, instead of playing the part of the vengeful son, he stays in the middle, 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 (2.2.298-299). Later he tells them that he is just feigning madness when he says, I am but mad north-north-west, when the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw (2.2.380-381). Admitting so blatantly that he is only feigning madness would imply that he is comfortable with it. It is puzzling that, at this point, Hamlet is comfortable with acting, but not with the role that he said he would play earlier. If he is to play a role, why not the one that his father assigned him? When the characters come in a short while later, his attitude changes. Hamlet is prompted to vengeance, again, by the moving speech that is given by one of the characters. He makes a big buildup of what he should have done and how he will be revenged. After all of his swearing and support of the value of acting and words, he backs out of it again. He can't decide whether or not to play the role. Words are a further condemned when he says, Must, like a whore, unpack my hart with Words (2.2.587). So, he is now condemning role playing. Being caught in the middle, he decides that he needs more proof of the Kings guilt when he says, The play is the thing? Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King (2.2.606-607). Before the mousetrap is to be played, Hamlet runs into Ophelia and makes the t elling statements. Upon the issue of Ophelia's beauty, Hamlet says, That if you be honest and fair, your honesty should admit no discourse to your beauty (3.1.109-110). He is saying that Ophelia can be honest and fair, but that, honesty being an inward trait, and fairness being an outward trait, but the two cannot be linked. He goes on further to say that Ay, truly, for the