Hamlet 9 :: essays research papers

There have been many great thinkers in literature. Characters who examine themselves, others, and the world in a thoughtful and insightful way. One of these introspective and self-aware literary creations is Hamlet in Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. The play is one filled with and based on ideas and contemplation as opposed to the steady stream of action that fills many of his other plays. Not that there’s any lack of action in the play. On the contrary, it includes violent deaths, a vicious duel, and a vengeful ghost. There’s no lack of physical action after the thought processes are completed, either. The central character of Hamlet, however, is one who considers before he acts, and whose actions (and their consequences) are therefore not random acts of fate, but deliberately chosen resolutions. Hamlet proves himself to be a tragic figure as well as a sacrificial hero through his private thoughts and his determinations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  These major internal “events'; begin with Hamlet’s reaction to meeting and speaking with his father’s ghost. This meeting was the catalyst for a lot of silent contemplation and turmoil for the young prince. The movement of ideas here is rapid– the Ghost gives a clear, incriminating account of Claudius’s involvement in his death, and Hamlet immediately vows to avenge him. His reaction was passionate, and suitably so. After all, no character of integrity and honor could have refused the task given to him by the Ghost. In making the deliberate decision to avenge his father, Hamlet alerts the reader that he is the central character in the play. It also lets us know that he is a truly decent and loyal son as his quest for revenge consumes him. As he says in act one, scene five: I’ll wipe away all trivial, fond records, All saws of books, all forms, all pressures past, That youth and observation copied there, And thy commandment all alone shall live Within the book and volume of my brain, Unmixed with baser matter. Yes, by heaven! Here, Hamlet reveals through his decision a powerful will and overwhelming resolution as he declares that he will completely reject all other pastimes and priorities in order to fulfill his choice and oath. This steadfastness, though it later wavers, leads directly to all of Hamlet’s future actions, from his assumed madness to his rejection of Ophelia to his return from England. The scene shows us Hamlet’s motive for his future actions, and starts of his trend of silent brooding.