In “Hamlet” byWilliam Shakespeare, Hamlet experienced acts of betrayal by individuals in his inner circle and reciprocated with acts of revenge which ultimately resulted in his his death. In the novel, Hamlet, the main character was portrayed as an intelligent university student who returned home to attend his father’s funeral. The first incident of betrayal Hamlet experienced occurred when Claudius, Hamlet's uncle/stepfather /King, killed his father and took control effectively robbing Hamlet of the crown and the chance to be King. Hamlet adored his father and was devastated when his mother, Gertrude, had an incestuous relationship with his uncle who she married so quickly after his father’s death that ..the funeral baked meats…did furnish forth the marriage tables. 1.2.184-185.
The death of one’s father and a ghostly visitation thereafter are events that would challenge the sanity of anyone. The circumstances of King Hamlet’s death render it especially traumatic. The late King seemed to be an idol to his son; Hamlet looked up to him and aspired to have the same qualities. Hamlet doesn't like King Claudius and sees him as a swindling usurper who has stolen not only the dead King’s throne, but Hamlet’s as well(2.4). Hamlet shows Gertrude that she has lowered her standards by marrying Claudius, When he refers to old Hamlet as, “A combination and a form indeed / Where every god did seem to set his seal” (3.4.55-61).
In the soliloquy, Hamlet is at first upset with himself about finding ways to avoid avenging his Father’s murder, like his spirit in ghost form told him to. This complaining turns into self hatred and then Hamlet is insulting himself outright. The main reason for this is he has agreed to get revenge on Claudius so his father’s spirit can be at peace, but he hasn’t done it yet. The fact that the Player seems to be more able to get into the mindset of revenge than he can further discourages him. This on top of the fact that Hamlet’s dad is dead and his mother married that man he hates most in the world makes for a pretty melancholy fellow.
The second scene of Hamlet begins with conflict between uncle and nephew. This is coupled with awkwardness between mother and son, “Why seems it so particular to thee? /Seems? Madame. Nay it is.” Claudius speaks to Hamlet with warmth, “Tis sweet and commendable in your nature, Hamlet, /to give these mourning duties to your father.” And yet Hamlet’s responses are icy and abrasive, “a little more than kin and less than kind” Hamlet has no wish to be close with his uncle and sees his relinquishing role as king to be an insult to his father’s memory.
This is apparent through the appearance of his father. The apparition claims that “I am thy [Hamlet’s] father’s spirit” (I.v.14). This shows that the king’s physical body is dead but not his soul. But the king admits that he had done some bad things in his life therefore he is “doomed for a certain term to walk the night” (I.v.15). As hamlet figures it out that the husband of his mother is a murderer—Uncle Claudius—he realizes that his mother is at fault.
However, a tragic hero is a character who experiences conflict and suffers greatly as result of his/her choices. Despaired through the death of his father and his mother’s marriage to his uncle Hamlet then begins to possess feelings of grief, anger and frustration. With these flaws weighing on his conscience it contributes to the making of a tragic hero. This is due to the forced objective of avenging his father’s murder and his mother’s incestuous marriage, Hamlet’s lack of being able to dictate his own choices and his cowardly sense of committing suicide to avoid the suffering. Hamlets anger, which stems from his mother marrying Claudius, bears him serious thoughts of suicide.
This remark also implies that that he is still mourning the loss of his father and is not yet ready to move on. Hamlet also mentioned something rather peculiar: He claims to have seen his father, or rather a ghost of his father, “armed at point exactly.” (1.2.212) Hamlet spoke of the encounter with “oppressed and fear-surprised eyes” (1.2.215), suggesting that he does not fully believe it, yet he still wants to. The ghost allegedly told Hamlet that he must be prepared for revenge, for the new king, Claudius, poisoned his father in order to regain the throne. Both the resentment Hamlet holds towards his mother and uncle and his alleged encounter with the ghost of his father suggest that Hamlet has many family problems to work towards. Hamlet’s id speaks for him when he shows his
Madness is a vital plot element in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Both young Hamlet and his love Ophelia appear mad throughout the play’s duration, but only Ophelia has a genuine affliction of insanity. Although stricken with grief by his father’s death and the clamorous events that follow, Hamlet does not become truly mad because he is still able to distinguish right form wrong and maneuver logically in his plan to avenge his murdered father. Shakespeare surreptitiously places revelations of Hamlet’s sanity throughout the play. Though his planned maneuver to murder his uncle Claudius, the contrast between his feigned madness and Ophelia’s true madness, and his ability change behavior around different characters that possess his trust, Hamlet’s true, rational condition emerges from beneath his veil of insanity.
Hamlet is also very affectionate to Ophelia in the beginning of their private but romantic relationship. After his father is murdered, he becomes ferocious with Ophelia, taking his aggression out on her, when she is only trying to be there for her love. “I could interpret between you and your love, if I could see the puppets dallying”(3.1.229-230) The reasoning behind Hamlet’s anger is simply that he has built up anger for his mother, Gertrude. He is angry with his mother because she
John Wideman’s success was once measured by his ability to escape his brother, the author admits a number of times that he has gained his sense of self in contrast to the person Robby has become. Following Robby’s incarceration, John’s escape from Homewood is now superseded by his undeniable quest to find peace with his youngest sibling, “I want your forgiveness” (98). The author continuously notes the disappointment and guilt he feels for failing in somehow deterring Robby from