Hamlet: Suicide and Hamlet’s Character Essay

Submitted By wrighto
Words: 762
Pages: 4
Open Document
Hamlet

Throughout the puzzling tragedy of Hamlet, William Shakespeare proposes the tragic hero of Hamlet as an intellectual, yet hesitant individual as he debates his uncle’s murder. The characters of Fortinbras and Ophelia constantly alter the perception of Hamlet from cowardly and weak to sane and rational, thus creating a mixed perspective of the tragic hero; without the presence of these character foils, Hamlet’s demise would be seemingly weak and underdeveloped. The contrasts between Hamlet and the secondary characters of Fortinbras and Ophelia emphasize the altering persona of Hamlet and each contribute to Hamlet’s character development in that they portray him as a wise and intellectual, yet timid and spineless individual.
Fortinbras, an impetuous and headstrong individual, reacts impulsively as he fights for a meaningless piece of land, and thus portrays Hamlet negatively as a cowardly and timid character. Because Fortinbras has rare and scatter appearances throughout the play, his presence within the tragedy is solely for purpose of a character foil to Hamlet. Fortinbras readily takes action with an “army of mass and charge” only for a worthless and barren fragment of land. Hamlet appears cowardly and greatly hesitant compared to the impulsive Fortinbras, as he must take revenge against his uncle and continually procrastinates and fails to do so. Fortinbras eagerly fights for an insignificant reason-a worthless piece of land-whereas Hamlet, who has the opportunity to exact revenge upon his uncle for his father’s murder, consistently thinks “too precisely on th’ event” (IV, iv, 40) and fails to take action. Fortinbras’ drastic and spontaneous actions for merely a small, irrelevant fragment of land juxtapose Hamlet’s procrastinated attempts of murder, thus revealing a cowardly and indecisive characterization of Hamlet. Without the character foil of Fortinbras, Hamlet would appear rational and intellectual in the constant withdrawal of the consequential murder of his uncle. However, because Fortinbras eagerly uses force to take control of such an insignificant reason and disregards any consequence of his actions, Hamlet appears cowardly and timid in that he continually over thinks and unceasingly withdraws from murdering his uncle.
After the murder of her over protective father, Ophelia, the perfect obedient Elizabethan woman, contrasts to Hamlet by loosing all mental stability and sanity and giving into the compulsion of suicide, and therefore depicts Hamlet, who abstained from suicide, as a sane and lucid individual. Ophelia, the perfect submissive daughter of Polonius, never engages in any activity without her father’s consent; however, disoriented after her father’s death, she deliriously sings throughout the castle, sends her sanity away “after the thing it loves” (IV, v, 164), and is no longer able to think coherently. Contrary to Hamlet, who merely is putting on an “antic disposition” (I, v, 173), Ophelia actually turns incoherent and insane which ultimately leads to her choice to commit suicide. Hamlet, too, considers “to die, to sleep” (III, i, 61), however, he, unlike Ophelia, overcomes this pressure and chooses to live. Because Ophelia takes no time to recover after her father’s death and, instead, fails to
Show More

Related Documents: Hamlet: Suicide and Hamlet’s Character Essay

Quarto In Hamlet

In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, there are several textual differences between the First Folio and Second Quarto texts, which often affect the reading of a character or the play. One example of this phenomenon is in Hamlet’s first soliloquy. After being confronted by the Ghost of his father and hearing about the circumstances of King Hamlet’s murder, Prince Hamlet laments his own existence. He says that he wishes he could “melt” (Q2, 1.2.129), and then bemoans “Or that the Everlasting had not fixed…

Words 1688 - Pages 7

Hamlet: Hamlet and Hamlet Shakespeare Essay

introduce the setting and direct the audience’s attention to the source of the dramatic tension. The second act contains the majority of the plays complications. The main characters course of action becomes much more complicated, and events head towards a definite direction. The third act generally contains the climax, where the main character stands at a crossroads and debates a crucial situation. The fourth act exhibits the direct consequences the character’s choices. In the final act contains the conflict…

Words 1258 - Pages 6

Essay on The Authenticity of Shakespearean Characterisation – Hamlet

Shakespearean Characterisation – Hamlet Madeline Calcagno The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark was written by William Shakespeare between 1599 and 1602. The play is set in the kingdom of Denmark, and it dramatizes the revenge Prince Hamlet takes on his uncle Claudius, who has murdered the King Hamlet, and succeeded to the throne by marrying the old king’s widow Gertrude. King Hamlet is Prince Hamlet’s father, and Claudius’s brother, Gertrude is Prince Hamlet’s mother. The play explores many…

Words 1178 - Pages 5

Theme Of Suicide In Hamlet

Throughout Act One of Hamlet written by Shakespeare, there were many interesting characters and themes. One topic that had me really fascinated was the topic of suicide. One thing that really interested me while I was reading act one, was when Hamlet was referencing to talks of suicide. After King Hamlet's death, Hamlet was having a really tough time adjusting to life without him. Then when his mother married King Hamlet's brother Claudius, Hamlet was even more mad. Hamlet's mother and Claudius were…

Words 392 - Pages 2

The Major Themes in Hamlet Essay

The Major Themes in Hamlet Hamlet is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare and is believed to be one of the most powerful and influential tragedies in the English language. The play takes place in Denmark where Prince Hamlet seeks revenge on his uncle Claudius for murdering his father King Hamlet Claudius's brother. The ghost of Hamlet's father appears to him and tells him that Claudius has poisoned him. He kills the eavesdropping Polonius in the court chamberlain. Polonius's son Laertes returns…

Words 1620 - Pages 7

Essay on Hamlet: Characters in Hamlet and Violence

which leads to gaining respect and creating heroic characters. It is needed to advance the plot and strengthen the symbolic meaning of work. Violence is used as a means of creating and maintaining people's world, which is shown in literatures Beowulf, Hamlet, and Clockwork Orange, where violence is necessary to their way of life and is used in quest for respect and success. In the play Hamlet, violence is mainly used for revenge. After Hamlet’s conversation with the Ghost, his behavior changed and…

Words 435 - Pages 2

Hamlet Interpretation Essay

begins with Hamlet’s famous quote “To be or not to be.” Hamlet enters, speaking thoughtfully and agonizingly to himself about the question of whether to commit suicide to end the pain of experience: “To be, or not to be: that is the question.” He says that the miseries of life are such that no one would willingly bear them, except that they are afraid of “something after death.” Because we do not know what to expect in the afterlife, we would rather “bear those ills we have,” Hamlet says, “than…

Words 425 - Pages 2

The Insanity Of Ophelia In Shakespeare's Hamlet

Ophelia is one of William Shakespeare’s few three-dimensional female characters, showcased in his masterpiece, Hamlet. The character herself is astonishingly tragic. She faces emotional abuse, societal restrictions, and loss; eventually committing suicide. People today still question if Ophelia is insane, or perhaps just depressed. The very definition of insanity is so abstract philosophically, that it's impossible to know. By a scientific standpoint, however, Ophelia is insane. Her actions and circumstances…

Words 898 - Pages 4

Hamlet Character Essay

Analysis of Hamlet “To be, or not to be: That is the question”(3.1.58). This is probably the most famous quote in all of Shakespearean literature and was uttered by the main character, Hamlet, of the play “Hamlet” written by Shakespeare. It demonstrates his instability and suicidal thoughts. Throughout the play he comes off as a very unpredictable and complex character. He makes many rash decisions, but at the same time often takes a lot of time to contemplate many of his choices. Through Hamlet’s language…

Words 1185 - Pages 5

Pain In Hamlet Research Paper

Ferkel, Lindsey English 2 PreAP 3 Mrs. Johnson 26 October 2015 Hamlet SAR Project What brings the character pain? In Hamlet, Act One Scene 2, the marriage of Claudius and Gertrude bring Hamlet pain because it is so soon after his father’s death. Hamlet thinks the marriage of his own uncle and mother is, “rank and gross” and is very disturbed by it. Not even two months ago that his father has been dead and his mother is already getting remarried. The mother remarried so quickly that “those shoes…

Words 613 - Pages 3