Hamlet The Essential Man

In life, one goes through different experiences which makes and shapes us into the person who we become. Whether something as little as a "hello" by a crush or a death in a family, they contribute to the difference, as they are all equal in importance. In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the protagonist Hamlet struggles throughout his life as he is in search of his true identity. The Webster's dictionary, under the second definition, defines identity as "The set of behavioral or personal characteristics by which an individual is recognizable as a member of a group." As life only moves forward for Hamlet, he struggles to find his place in life, nonetheless to revenge the murder of his father.

Annotated Bibliography - Hamlet Foley, Andrew. " Heaven or Havoc? The End of Hamlet. " Shakespeare in Southern Africa Vol.

Dearest friends, family and the people of Denmark. We gather here today to mourn the loss of the noble prince, loyal son and true friend, Prince Hamlet. But we are not here only to mourn, but to reminisce the times we have spent with him, both the good and the bad and to remember him as the person he was. Prince Hamlet did not live a very fortunate, on the contrary his final weeks were filled with a tragedy none of us should have to bear, but he lived his life to the full and I am sure that he has, in some way touched the lives of all of us here today.

In conclusion, the human condition and the events that unfolded in the play directly impacted the choices that Hamlet made. His character was shaped by the struggles that he faced, such as grief, betrayal, love, and existential questioning of everything. The events that shaped his choices included the numerous deaths of loved ones, the corruption of the king, and the burden of avenging his father’s murder. These events placed an immense amount of pressure on Hamlet throughout the play. These circumstances, combined with his inner dilemmas, drove Hamlet to make the choices that he did.

As Hamlet finishes his conversation with his deceased father there is only one thing on his mind, revenge. As a result, he vows to avenge his father’s murder, by his uncle’s hand, no matter the cost. With full confidence in the actions he is going to take, Hamlet blindly begins his quest fueled by grief, hate, and rage. However, as the story progress Hamlet begins to doubt himself and think through every action he takes when he comes to regret his rash actions and their consequences. Nevertheless, at this point his actions have already caused a chain of events that can only end in one way.

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark has been performed thousands of times since it was “written in 1599–1601 and published in a quarto edition in 1603” (Britannica.com). It’s popularity stems from its themes that translate across time. These themes, are seen to be relatable even to this day with the ever growing audience. Readers and viewers are able to find similarities between the current state and or even relate to one of the characters or events taking place over the course of Shakespeare’s five act masterpiece. Shakespeare's, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark remains a viable text for contemporary readers in that it functions as a mirror.

Hamlet is dealing with multiply burdening events and mainly dealing with them on his own. This has caused him to lose respect and desire for his own life. He no longer yearns to live the way he is living and will often participate in dangerous acts, knowing the risks and potential fatality, yet continuing to engage in them. Doing so, it proves that Hamlet is in a depressed-like mental state and is no longer mentally healthy. Hamlet often questions the purpose of staying alive, and if there even is a purpose.

He is internally reflecting on the morality of revenge. In existentialism, it is believed that the best way to live is for man to accept disorder and nothingness because ignoring it would mean settling into a delusional security blanket. If this blanket is torn off, we are forced to face it abruptly. Hamlet becomes conflicted in this way during the play. His father’s death, learning about the murder and adultery, and facing the morality of revenge all quake his previous orderly life.Now, he must figure out what is right and wrong and what to do as he contemplates the noble idea of avenging his father’s death versus his own misanthropic view of human nature.

His thoughts and actions are very inconsistent. His goal is to get revenge for his father’s death but cannot bring himself to follow through with his plan. The constant indecisiveness Hamlet shows throughout the whole story shape Hamlet’s character and essentially his whole life. Hamlet is constantly struggling within with his issues of revenge. Hamlet is constantly having battles of internal conflict rage and hate.

“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”(Act 2, Scene 2, 239-251) Hamlet by William Shakespeare is one of the most famous plays written that conveys a multitude theme. But most predominant is the presence of Hamlet 's obsession with philosophy of life, throughout the play Hamlet philosophy reviles his point of view love, loyalty, the importance of family and friends and last the pain that comes with losing a loved one. That said his action throughout the play reflects his philosophical virtues which helped with the understanding of the character.

In a critical piece titled “Hamlet: Overview” Holger Klein explores how Hamlet’s intensity and complexity evokes a series of responses which says as much about their authors and periods as they do about the play itself. Klein states that the very text of Hamlet introduces problems. Three different prints, differing in hundreds of details apart from major divergences exist. The first Quarto of 1603 was a pirated version based on memorial reconstruction. The second Quart, of 1604, was based on Shakespeare’s first rough copy. The third version are the collected First Folios of 1623. The first Quarto contains about half the lines of the second. The second Quarto is the longest, which contains 230 lines not present in the First Folios. However even

Coleridge states in his criticism of Hamlet that it is one of the most dynamic plays in all of Shakespeare's creations. The character of Hamlet is unlike any of Shakespeare's protagonist in that he is slow and methodical about his thinking and being. The author believes Hamlet is so caught up in his own thoughts he is unable to carry out any plan efficiently. Coleridge compare Hamlet's character to that of Macbeth to show the different contrast between the two plays. Macbeth represents many of Shakespeare's protagonist in his tragedies whereas hamlet brings in a new dynamic. Hamlet himself is confused on exactly what is right or wrong. He is constantly questioning himself and the life around him. Macbeth on the other hand knows exactly what he's doing. He is wrongly motivated which makes him proceed with haste. Hamlet brings in the character unknown to Shakespeare's tragedies that actually thinks before he/she acts. This type of thinking introduces a whole new type of tragedy that shows how slow action causes many more problems than the alternative. In conclusion, Coleridge perceives hamlet to be the most relatable character in all of Shakespeare's plays because he embodies a rational yet insane person.

Often, pieces of literature have been analyzed and made into a motion picture in the hopes of further developing the themes presented in the work. Though the Shakespearian play, Hamlet, has been interpreted and converted into a film numerous times by different directors, Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation particularly captured the essence of Hamlet and helped the audience truly understand the events that transpired in Act Three Scene Two of Hamlet. It is in this act, Hamlet plan to reveal King Claudius’ treachery is played out. Hamlet exposes the king through adding an extra sixteen lines to the play which depicts him killing Hamlet’s father. With the directions Hamlet gave to the actors, Hamlet is able to make the audience recognize the king’s

In a shocking turn of events, by the grace of God, director and actor Kenneth Branagh made a two hundred and forty-two minute Shakespeare movie watchable.

“Hamlet, Prince of Denmark” written by William Shakespeare illustrates that once a tragic hero is empowered by a tragic flaw is bound to face a tragic dilemma. In Hamlet’s case his tragic flaw caused chaos and conflict between himself and those around him resulting in many casualties. Since “Hamlet, Prince of Denmark” is a drama, that means it holds up a mirror to society about some of the issues that we face in life. This play reflects how one’s conscience and sensitivity can have an effect on how you deal with certain situations around you. This seemed to be Hamlet’s main issue. Throughout this whole play Hamlet can be seen as an enigma because you never knew what his next move would have been. The reason as to why Hamlet dealt with situations