Hamlet

“Hamlet struggles with two opposing forces; moral integrity and the need to avenge his father’s murder”

Hamlet, as the son of the late King Hamlet and as the Prince of Denmark has the duty and honour to his admired father to avenge his death. From the very beginning of the play, we see Hamlet experiencing a crisis in his life. The sudden death of his father followed by the immediate marriage of his mother to his uncle is all too much for the young Prince to handle. Hamlet’s inability to carry out such an act of revenge according to the expected code appears to be the real struggle in his life. The question of moral integrity does not seem to have a major impact on his actions in the play. The fact that Hamlet is able to kill with impunity suggests that his sense of right and wrong is not a force that opposes the young scholar. However Hamlet struggles with other forces which impede him from implementing revenge; His melancholic and unhealthy view of the world, his cowardly nature and an act of deception which stems from his “antic disposition”. Ultimately It is Hamlet’s inability to carry out an act of revenge according to the expected code appears to be the real struggle in his life.

Revenge, as a feature of the code of honour in the 1600s, adds to Hamlet’s dilemma. While Laertes and Fortinbras are capable of acting decisively in their quest to seek revenge, this does not seem to be the case with Hamlet. Once Laertes receives the news of Hamlet’s murder of Polonius, and understands Hamlet to be the cause of his sister’s madness, Laertes is willing to take action almost immediately. We see this when Laertes states, “To cut his throat i’th’ church.” Similarly, Fortinbras of Norway prepares to seek revenge on Denmark for the “land” lost to the old king Hamlet. Upon the news of a new king to the throne, Fortinbras thinking Denmark to be “disjoint and out of frame” sends a message “importing the surrender of those lands.” Such valiant and sharp action is in contrast to Hamlet. Clearly Hamlet is unable to live by those particular expectations.

Hamlet, often seen as a sympathetic character, seems to lack the ability to deal with the expectations placed to him as the betrayed prince. From early in the play, Hamlet is portrayed as a weak character, unable to carry out acts as he indulges himself in despairing the reflection. In Hamlet’s first soliloquy – “O that this too sullied flesh would melt, /Thaw and resolve itself into a dew.” – signifies Hamlet’s “grief” is of “unmanly” proportions. Hamlet’s lack of self confidence and weakness is shown when he compares Claudius to being “no more like my father/Than I to Hercules.” Furthermore, the appearance and the declaration of Hamlet’s duty are too much for the scholar Prince to handle. “O cursed spite/That ever I was born to set it right.” This symbolises Hamlet’s resistance in avenging his father’s death. The sudden burden on Hamlet makes him believe that the world, or more importantly, God has turned on him. We see this when Hamlet states “How all occasions do inform against me...” The inability to accept the truth and act quickly causes him to postpone his duty upon all evidence that Claudius is to blame. “I’ll take the ghost’s word for a thousand pound” further suggests that Claudius is the culprit. Inspite of such damning evidence, For a character with such instability and lack of decisiveness, revenge is not possibility.

Furthermore, Hamlet does not struggle with the immorality of murder. The two instances where he commits murder, moral integrity appears to be the least of his qualms. First, hamlet stabs Polonius – “The unseen good old man” - to death in a “rash and bloody deed”. Additionally, Hamlet continues his spree of “madness” and decides to “lug the guts into the neighbour room.” Hamlet does not appear to have the minute amount of sorrow for the murder and Gertrude sees him as “Mad as the sea and wind when both contend...” .Likewise, Hamlet who is to blame in the cold blooded murder of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Hamlet substitutes the letters to the King of England, “Folded the writ up in the form of th’other...” with the misleading message to kill Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. This act of “horrible” murder is not followed with any compassion. Instead Hamlet states, “They are not near my conscience...” which suggests that the young Prince has little sorrow for the death of his close friends. Although he is aware of the corrupt world of Denmark, he ironically does not see himself as part of it.

Nonetheless, it may be argued that Hamlet’s integrity is undermined by the “unweeded garden”. The suspicion about Hamlet’s stability by Claudius, Gertrude and Polonius, damages Hamlet’s trust and makes him doubt everyone around him. To some extent it is arguable, that the suspicion is what causes his lack of self confidence in the young scholar. The initial permission for Laertes to depart to France and for Hamlet to stay back in Wittenberg is an example of the lack in trust the court has on the young Prince. It is the after effects of such unfair disadvantages that results in his lack of integrity. We see the frustration shared by Hamlet when he states “how all occasions do inform against me/And spur my dull revenge”. While talking to Ophelia, Hamlet finds it hard to believe in her. This is shown when he asks, “Are you honest?” suggesting the inability of Hamlet to trust anyone. This is furthermore fuelled by the devastating betrayal of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in whom Hamlet had great faith. Such distrust in the “state of Denmark” is a major catalyst in damaging Hamlet’s integrity. However hamlet’s real struggle is his inability to be decisive.

Whilst Hamlet lacks “Moral integrity” and could be blamed on the “unweeded garden”, it is mainly the need- and his inability- to avenge his father’s death that poses a struggle in Hamlet’s life. Thus hamlet’s tendency to remain “sicklied o’er the pale cast of thought” adds to his struggle.