What Is Hamlet's Perception Of Character

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How are the perceptions of an individual reliant on their impressions on others in the circumstance in which they are seen? Through his play Hamlet, William Shakespeare approaches the question of how Hamlet fits into a character trait, demonstrating the importance of how he, as a character, can have different interpretations. Shakespeare shows that the enigma of a character which is Hamlet, is a man of radical contradictions by examining him through the antics which demonstrates his faults. Through the perceptions of others, Hamlet can be viewed to be respected, as expected by a prince, but can also be a polar opposite, acting the madman, demonstrating how he manipulates his impressions. Shakespeare shows how Hamlet can make himself viewed to be a melancholic character and discontent with current affairs. When his mother confronts him, …show more content…
Further on the idea of how Hamlet visibly acts sad in order to express his feelings, we can see how he acts mad just to mess around with the others around him. After the play within the play Hamlet, Hamlet meets with Guildenstern and begs him to play a recorder out of the blue, after insisting he cannot play, he snaps at him by calling him out on his other lies, then he proceeds to act normally (3.2.357-369). Hamlet seems to transition very easily into the role of a madman, behaving erratically and upsetting the other characters with his wild speech, which is out of character for him. The playwright illustrates how the perceptions of Hamlet are based on assumptions on his character; preconceptions of his personality aid in the development of his misdemeanors, demonstrating Shakespeare’s emphasis on character development throughout the