I chose this picture because it reminded me of Hamlet and the fact that every time he realizes something or gets something in his head he gets more confused.
From the very beginning of Hamlet, Shakespeare has prepared us for Hamlet to delay. I believe that Hamlet's reluctance for killing Claudius is very reasonable. Hamlet has been faced with many challenges not only his father being killed by his uncle, but then his mother marrying his uncle a few months later. In act two scene 2 hamlet has a soliloquy, he's reflecting upon the amazing acting of the first player. It allows us to see how hamlet is likely to ponder ideas from many different angles before proceeding through with any plans, and this generally takes quite a bit of time. Which is one of the many reasons that prove why Hamlet becomes so confused.
When the ghost, who is presumed to be hamlets father comes into play, Hamlets friends attempt to warn him that getting involved with this ghost could cause him to go crazy and maybe lead him to suicide. “What if it tempt you toward the flood, my lord? / Or to the dreadful summit of the cliff / . . . And there assume some other horrible form / Which might deprive your sovereignty of reason?"(1.4,69-73). Horatio and the others find the ghost very questionable, but hamlet decides not to listen to them. I believe that Hamlet thought it was an obligation that he owed his father to kill Claudius and get revenger. We begin to see later on that Hamlet might be starting to doubt his judgement from before and maybe he should do some further researching into Claudius. This is where the "mouse trap" comes into play, to see Claudius's reaction and if he really is behind the death of his father.
There are many more reasons that could lead to why Hamlet decided to delay , because of reasons like the consequences of killing, his religious beliefs and not wanting to hurt his mother along with the reasons that were stated above.These are all very valid reasons that prove that Hamlets reluctance for killing Claudius is very reasonable.
Hi Laura, here is some quick feedback: you need to clean up the punctuation in your post. Also, you were asked for a hyper link that showed some depth of research, as well as a photo or video that displayed a creative link. Explain that link. Finally, add more depth to your response, and try to include some specific references or quotes to support your answer. Hope this helps! check out the blog rubric that I also posted. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteLaura, I completely agree with you. I think the main reason why Hamlet is struggling to kill Claudius is because he is torn between what his father expects of him and what is the right thing to do. By nature, Hamlet is not a violent person, but rather introverted and thoughtful. When his father reappears in the form of a ghost and tells Hamlet he was killed by his brother, Hamlet is in shock. He wants nothing more but to get revenge for his beloved father, but he somehow can't and he isn't quite sure himself why he hesitates.There are two occasions that prove that Hamlet curses himself for not being able to pursue his plan. One of them is his soliloquy after he talks with the first player. The other occasion is after he talks to Fortinbras. He admires both of them, for being so emotional and strong.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Hamlet doesn't want to be a murderer or maybe he isn't convinced the ghost told him the truth yet?!
I agree with you, that Hamlet isn't in a good place and everything that is happening around him is brain washing him; His mother remarrying, Ophelia, the death of his father and Claudius... It's not wonder that he is confused and can't make up his mind.
I think you could expand on your two points and provide a little more evidence, for example maybe include a quote to back up your argument, but overall you did a great job!!
I completely agree with you. I believe that there are many reasons why Hamlet delays. When the supernatural ghost comes into play, Hamlet is confused and unsure of what to believe. Like you said, he decides to believe the ghost and disregard his friend’s opinions. In my outlook I believe that Hamlet should have thought more about the decision that he made to believe the ghost. I know that he started to question his decision later in the play, but he should have done it much earlier. The mousetrap is Hamlets plan to reassure himself that the ghost did tell the truth. So well done on getting the information right!
ReplyDeleteRegarding the fact that Hamlet envies the first players ability to act, I do not think that that that is a reason why Hamlet delays...Although that is a true fact. Also, I believe that you should have discussed hamlets ties to religion a little but more. All throughout the play, Hamlet talks about his belief in religion. An example is when he is contemplating suicide; religion is partly want stops him from killing himself. When hamlet has the chance to kill Claudius, it is in the church and Claudius is praying. Hamlet does not want to kill Claudius while he is praying because he doesn't want him to go to heaven. I believe that this is a HUGE reason why he delays.
Overall, Hamlet is a very confused man due to many reasons, including the ghost, his father’s death, his mother’s 'incest' marriage and his religious ties. Although we have a few different opinions, I believe that you did a very good job! Well done.