Loss In Hamlet

"’Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother, / nor customary suits of solemn black / [ . . . ] but I have that within which passeth show; / these but the trappings and the suits of woe” (Shakespeare 1.2.76-73, 85-86) says Hamlet when confronted about his way of grieving over his father’s recent death. Shakespeare’s play Hamlet is a remarkable tale that is centered on the idea of death and grief. While death is a universal occurrence, meaning every person will deal with it, how we grieve after a loss is completely individual. To look at a formula of grief, most turn to the five stages of grief developed by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, a psychiatrist, who studied the topic in her book On Death and Dying. This model consists of denial, anger,

Hamlet is as much a story of emotional conflict, paranoia, and self-doubt as it is one of revenge and tragedy. The protagonist, Prince Hamlet of Denmark, is instructed by his slain father’s ghost to enact vengeance upon his uncle Claudius, whose treacherous murder of Hamlet’s father gave way to his rise to power. Overcome by anguish and obligation to avenge his father’s death, Hamlet ultimately commits a number of killings throughout the story. However, we are not to view the character Hamlet as a sick individual, but rather one who has been victimized by his own circumstances.

“Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness ‘’, a quote by Martin Luther King. This quote relates to one of the principal themes in Hamlet. As a synonym for selfishness, greed also ties in to the theme of the play. The egocentricity of the character Claudius and his brother King Hamlet had a very large impact on several lives. He is the perfect example of ‘’one must do whatever it takes ‘’.

Shakespeare’s play tells of how Hamlet’s need for revenge affected his relationships.  Hamlet’s revenge has put his relationships with Polonius, Ophelia, Laertes, Gertrude and even Claudius in very dangerous positions. Hamlet feels that what he has done justifies him being   right to achieve vengeance, but in reality what he has done to justify his revenge is not an act of honor for his ruthlessness.  Hamlet has not taken into consideration what pain it has caused for his family and the people he knows. Hamlet does not know what the ending of all his situations will cause for the future to come.

Loss in Life: Grief and its Effects on Man Grief is something everyone goes through at least once in their life. It is a powerful emotional response that people undergo after experiencing the loss of a loved one. Everyone reacts differently when faced with grief, and the Shakespearean play Hamlet portrays the different ways that grief is dealt with. Most people get the support they need from their friends or family as they undergo the feeling of grief, which helps them recover and move on. However, some people do not get the support they need, which results in the tragic outcome in the play Hamlet.

These restrictions could be seen when Hamlet hastily murdered Polonius in Act III, due to the fear that it might be King Claudius spying after him. Hamlet, after his erratic behavior, even realized his own action, saying, "I do repent, but heaven hath pleased it so to punish me and this with me that I must be their scourge and minister. I must be cruel only to be kind" (Shakespeare 308). Hamlet knows that he regrets killing Polonius, but due to the conflicting circumstances, he really had no choice in this scenario. His desire for revenge has hazed his morality, preventing him to think rationally.

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.

Losing a loved one can take a harsh hit on one’s frame of mind. In the Shakespearian play Hamlet, the death of Hamlets father caused many problems, all of which eventually lead up to the tragic death of Hamlet. Each event that happens in the play is impacted by reason, fate and emotion. The events throughout the play that lead to hamlets downfall are determined by the roles of reason, fate and emotion. These three roles are key factors of the play.

In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the need to protect one’s own interests becomes the one “fatal flaw” which leads to the obliviousness of the inadvertent effect of their actions. In this, the duality of human nature is illustrated; in an attempt to uphold his own morals, Hamlet becomes blind to the excess violence that he causes in doing so and therefore is portrayed as a hero and a villain. In the endeavour to revenge his father’s murder, Hamlet finds himself stranded between the morality of revenge and the immorality of violence. This idea is immediately apparent in the scene where Hamlet is about to kill Claudius: “A villain kills my father, and, for that,/ I, his sole son, do this same villain send/ To heaven” (Act 3.

Everyone is going to lose someone they love at some point in life. It is simply the way life works, and how each individual handles the loss can change everything. If a person doesn’t handle the loss well it can ruin everything, tearing their life apart. On the opposite end of that a death could just be a small set back in life before moving forward. The grief is too much for some to bear; they go mad, unable to operate without this person in their life.

In William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet, there is one character whom may not act how he wishes he could, but above all else is true to himself, Hamlet. In order to attempt to get his revenge against the regicide who killed his father by acting mad to divert attention, but while acting mad he doesn’t lose himself in it. Then when it comes to the girl that he has fallen for even amidst this charade he writes a letter to her with his true feelings. Then when all is lost to him he sees the truth of what he isn’t and leaves the throne to a man he wishes he could have been. So while Hamlet goes through a fair deal of debauchery he still is himself at the end of things.

Shakespeare’s great tragedy Hamlet is categorized as a tragedy for many reasons, the first being Hamlet’s identity based on his family and himself.  Hamlet’s life is set for a tragedy from the beginning of the play where it is displayed that he is an orphan and he does not have parental figures to support him.   The following quote displays the height at which Hamlet grieves the loss of his father.  “Together with all forms, moods, shapes of grief, that can denote me truly. These indeed 'seem,' 

The death of King Hamlet effected many individuals lives to the point where great changes were made. Especially in regards to his son, Hamlet, who took the death – murder- of his father personally in both mental and emotional ways. By doing so, Hamlet portrays and experiences the death and loss of his father by acting out in manners in which magnify his isolation and alienated actions. These would include excluding and distancing himself, turning on those closest, and taking on measures one would never do so when thinking rationally or clearly.

“We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play them” (Pausch, Randy). In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Shakespeare connects the character’s tragic deaths with their personal lives. From the first act, we are propelled into Hamlet’s world, where a great deal of misfortunate events have occurred. Ophelia has always been under pressure by her father, Polonius, and her lover Hamlet which was the result of her death. Polonius lived his life as Claudius’ spy and to do his dirty work for him, Polonius’ behaviour happened to be his reason for his death. Claudius’ performance of acting innocent, happened to be a manipulation which resulted to his brother’s tragic death. By examining William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Shakespeare associates Ophelia, Polonius and Claudius’ ironic day-to-day events as a connectivity to their deaths.

Troubled by his father's death, Hamlet, prince of Denmark wants revenge. He is motivated to kill, with his friend Horatio by his side he has the confidence and courage to overcome any obstacles he faces. Hamlet's circumstances cause him to go insane, leading to the deaths of Polonius, Laertes, Claudius; also he indirectly causes the deaths of his girlfriend, Ophelia; his mother, Gertrude;and the messengers, Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern. Amidst all this chaos and death, he is also responsible for the fall of Denmark. Hamlet's motivations, madness, depression and mental state contribute to his demise.