Analysis of Hamlet’s Morality Essay

hamlet is one of the greatest dramatic characters created. Throughout the play, we ack straightwayledge the complexity of his persona. Even without Shakespeare providing an elaborated description of hamlets characteristics, we instantly perceive him as contradictory. At the beginning of the play, Hamlet is presented to us as a cautious and courteous man however, due to the negative share he has to face, we see how his moral character becomes reckless and uncivil. Shakespeare uses antithesis, allusion, and irony, to show the demoralization of Hamlets character. Throughout the play, Hamlet is overwhelmed by a lifeing of strike back but hesitates in the murder of Claudius due to his fear of making the wrong decision. Hamlet is held back by his consideration of religious morals and beliefs.This is clearly shown good after Hamlet stages the play. Claudius rises in guilty startlement at The Mousetraps revelations (Essays on Values in Literature). After this point, Hamlet is fairly ce rtain that Claudius is guilty, and comes crosswise Claudius in the chapel. Hamlet is given the perfect opportunity to kill Claudius, but he decides that he doesnt want to kill him while he is praying. Hamlet feels that if he murdered him during prayer, he would dishonor his catch by sending Claudius to heaven. Instead, Hamlet wants to kill him while he is doing something horrific, ensuring Claudius goes to hell, where Hamlet feels he deserves to go. Hamlet says right off might I do it pat, now he is prayingand now Ill dot. And so he goes to heaven,and so am I revenged. That would be scanndA villain kills my father and for that,I, his sole son, do this same villain sendTo heaven.No.Up sword, and know thou a more repulsive hent.(3.3.77-83, 93)A very significant component to Hamlets loss of morality is his decision to act insanity. It is a major risk he is will to take in order to accomplish his fathers request. Hamlet realizes this is the only way he will be able to investigate his fathers death without being perceived as a threat. However, for this plan to work he has to unchain a group of new personality traits that pass on to the deterioration of his morality. Hamlet puts into practice his new role with Ophelia, whom along with her father, believes his madness is a result of his rejection of her.This display takes Ophelias father Polonius to Claudius, and together they set a plan to spy on Hamlet, using Ophelia as the lure. Nevertheless, Hamlet is a clever man, and rapidly finds out what is happening. This is a devastating point in Hamlets life as he comes to the conclusion that he has lost everything he once loved. The terrible realization that his last source of hope is now lost takes Hamlet to a new stage. The last sense of respect he had towards the people around him is now gone. Hamlet starts to exceed his rely on his madness to tell the truth about his thoughts. First to Polonius Slanders, sir for the satirical rogue says here that old men have grey beards, that their faces arewrinkled, their eyes purifying thick amber andplum-tree gum and that they have a plentiful lack ofwit, together with most weak hams all which, sir,though I most strongly and potently believe, yetI hold it not honesty to have it thus set down, foryourself, sir, should be old as I am, if like a crabyou could go backward.(2.2.214-222)And later to Ophelia and his drawO God, your only jig-maker.What should a man do but be merry? for, look you, how cheerfully my mother looks, and my father died within these two hours.(3.2.130-135) Hamlet exhibits a new change in attitude after he returns from his uncompleted trip to England. He starts to feel a consuming anger against Claudius for his fathers death. He recognizes that his indecisiveness has been preventing him from action. Hamlet makes it clear that he wants to end his indecisiveness when he claims, O, from this time forward/ my thoughts be bloody ore be nothing worth (4.4.68-69) With this proclamation, Ha mlet shows his deep desire to focus on the death of his uncle. This change makes Hamlet able to hear full revenge for his fathers death no matter the consequences. Hamlet is then completely transformed into a man that acts out of virgin revenge. This is clearly demonstrated when Hamlet thinks Claudius is spying on him again and kills Polonius by accident. At this moment, it is evident that this is not the same cautious man we met before.Eventually, Hamlets new characteristics lead him to the achievement of his main and primary goal. In this play, the moral component is there in Hamlets thinking (Corruption in William Shakespeares Hamlet, 70). His use of reason was his only tie to morality, and once this connection was broken, so was his moral character. However, Shakespeare plays with the idea of what circumstances might justify an individual taking the truth into his own hands (Corruption in William Shakespeares Hamlet, 69) leaving us with the question of whether Hamlet had lost his morality, or he was the only moral man in an immoral world. The complexity and contradictions expressed in this play and in Hamlets character make this work exceptional.Works CitedGrace, Tiffany. Hamlet, reconciliation, and the just state. Renascence Essays on Values in Literature 58.2 (2005) Johnson, Vernon Elso. Corruption in William Shakespeares Hamlet. Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. New York Simon & Schuster, 1992. Print.