Hamlet Tagic Hero or Insane Madman Essays - Characters In Hamlet

Hamlet: Tagic Hero or Insane Madman Professor Owens English 2410 11 April 2014 Hamlet: Tragic Hero or Insane Madman William Shakespeares Hamlet is a complicated and intriguing play. Hamlet has returned home to Denmark to mourn the death of his father, who he deeply admired. Upon his arrival he finds his people in celebration and revelry, because his uncle, who had assumed his fathers throne, had also married Hamlets mother. Frailty, thy name is woman!/ A little month, ere those shoes were old/ With which she followed my poor fathers body,/ Like Niobe, all tears:--why she, even she,,/ O God!......She married. O, most wicked speed, to post/ With such dexterity to incestuous sheets!/ It is not, nor it cannot come to good:/ But break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue (1.2.146-159)! Hamlet seemed to be acting accordingly with the situation. While everyone else celebrated, he gave way to mourning his late father. After the party has ended, Horatio, a friend of Hamlets takes me to see a ghost. Others have seen this apparition, some guards and Horatio himself have laid eyes upon it. The guards and Horatio take Hamlet to the platform where the ghost, was last sited. The ghost, who was a vision of his father, appeared to Hamlet and told him of his murder at the hands of his brother, Claudius. He asks Hamlet to spare the queen and leave her to heaven (1.5.86). He told Hamlet to kill Claudius and avenge his murder. This sets the stage for the Hamlets descent into madness, or did he really go mad? Hamlet had been away for some time at college where he was training in philosophy and other studies which would allow him to assume his fathers throne. He was training to be a statesman not a murderer. Hamlet is a very intelligent and reasonable person. He is torn as to what to do in this situation and given his background and his training, he sets about trying to prove Claudius is guilty, to assuage his c onscience. Two school buddies come to visit Hamlet at the king and queens request. They are long- time friends of Hamlet and have come to take him away before he causes any more trouble. Hamlet is astute to their ramblings as to why they are there. They question Hamlet as to his madness, to which Hamlet replies I am mad north-north-west: when the wind is southerly/ I know a hawk from a handsaw (2.2.145-146). After hearing of a troupe of players coming into town, Hamlet enlists the group to perform a play in which an old king is murdered at the hands of his brother. Ill have the players/ play something like the murder of my father/ before mine uncle: Ill observe his looks:The spirit that I have seen/ May be the devil; Hamlet is extra careful not judge Claudius too soon, so he enlists Horatio to observe Claudius from a different vantage point to assess the kings guilt. After the play is done and Horatio verifies the reaction that the king went according to plan, Hamlet goes in search of Claudius to take is his revenge. He finds Claudius in prayer. The only thing that was holding Hamlet back was the Claudius might go to heaven if he killed him while in prayer. Hamlet wants Claudius soul to suffer the consequences of his actions (3.3.74-97). One may ask why didnt Hamlet take that opportune moment to avenge his father and kill his murderer. He could have claimed insanity in his grief. Hamlet left Claudius there and went to find his mother and confront her. Needless to say, he was sick with grief and anger and needed her to hear him out. When he got to her room, she was afraid of him and called out for help. Hamlet saw the form behind the curtain, and assumed it was Claudius and proceeded to stab him. Hamlet showed no remorse because he felt that he was justified in killing the kings rat. The king then ordered Guildenstern and Rosencrantz to take Hamlet away to England where he had asked the King of England to behead him. Hamlet got wind of the news and his late fathers seal to