Wednesday, November 11, 2009

The Tragic Man- Hamlet

A Belief in His Own Freedom:
Hamlet knows that he is alone in his life. Everyone he has cared about in his life has died except Horatio. He knows he must meet life head on. He must be read for anything and be willing to do anything that comes his way. He is willing to do this and accepts that he must deal with life all on his own.
A Supreme Pride:
Even though Hamlet has no one left in his life you are drawn to him throughout the book. You are interested in what he is going to do next. He thinks he is much better than most people. He knows that his mother could have done better with her second marriage. He believes he should know who lives and dies. He respects the Gods and religion in his life and other peoples.
Capacity for Suffering:
Hamlet shows a lot of suffering in this play. He believes in what he is doing is the right thing to do. He wants to help his father but also help himself by getting rid of Claudius. He feels some guilt because he is not a crazy person to begin with. He isn't a killer until the end. Even though he has to lie to Ophelia he knows it was the right thing to do. He really does love her but he knows the king is watching him and he has to lie to stay on track with his plan to kill Claudius. In the end he doesn't fear death. He knows what he has to do and if that means dying than so be it. He is willing to help his father.
A Sense of Commitment:
Once Hamlet decides that Claudius is really the murder of his father and knows that the ghost is right he sets out to accomplish his goal. He commits to killing Claudius and doesn't give up until that is done. He knows that this can't be left alone. Something has to happen to get even. He could forgive Claudius and be happy for his mother but then it wouldn't help his father so he knows he has to stick to the plan.
Vigorous Protest:
Hamlet has had so much pain in the last part of his life. He wonders when it is all going to stop. The bad thing is, it never does. His father dies and his mother marries within the next month. His love kills herself and he has to kill his uncle. He doesn't like that he has to carry out this action but he want to help his father out. He wishes the Gods would take away some of his pain and suffering.
Transfiguration:
Hamlet has always understood life very well. He understands that he must fight for himself and make the most of his life because he has no one left. He knows that he might also die in this revenge but he is willing to do that in order to help someone else that was very important to him. To the people left behind him he leaves a sense of pride. He was well respected and will be well respected after he leaves.
Impact:
Hamlet leaves behind his story. He asks Horatio to tell everyone what really happened and how everyone died. Hamlet has finally become the hero, and is was able to kill Claudius. In the end everyone in the play living knows how great he really was. Hamlet shows so much dedication and is does so much to help someone out. You realize how much pain he went through to just end up dying. He is a great hero and you as a reader are able to relate to his pain in at a personal level.

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