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“Hamlet” Has Been Read by Various Critics As Dramatically Presenting a Man with a Fatal Flaw, a Misfit in a Treacherous World Or a Weak Revenger

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“Hamlet” Has Been Read by Various Critics As Dramatically Presenting a Man with a Fatal Flaw, a Misfit in a Treacherous World Or a Weak Revenger Stephan Amaranath Candidate No. 4204 Centre No. 13156 “Hamlet” has been read by various critics as dramatically presenting a man with a fatal flaw, a misfit in a treacherous world or a weak revenger. In light of this, and using the soliloquies as a starting point, examine how an Elizabethan audience might have understood Hamlet and how that compares with your reading. Revenge Tragedy was a popular form of 16th/17th Century Drama (Elizabethan Era). The best known revenge tragedies are Thomas Kyd's The Spanish Tragedy and William Shakespeare's Hamlet. Thomas Kyd, the author of The Spanish Tragedy was one of the most important dramatists in the development of Elizabethan drama. Hamlet follows almost every aspect of Thomas Kyd’s formula for a revenge tragedy. Revenge tragedies usually involved vengeance, dread and often darkly comic violence, which was a traditional structure understood by Elizabethan audiences, conversely Shakespeare’s Hamlet is unusual in probing this approach, as the Elizabethan audience were very used to revenge stories full of action, Hamlet probably went against their expectations. In the Early Modern period (1500 to 1750), revenge changed as people believed personal wrongs were offences against King and State. On stage, feelings are usually on the side of the avenger who attracts our attention, capturing our sympathy however during the 16th century a shift occurred from the Old Testament to the New, the understandings of revenge as the importance moves from Mosaic Law of previous generations to New Testament, meaning that only God has the right to exact revenge. According to Elizabethans, avengers strip themselves of God's protection; from their view, revenge brought disgrace not honour because it reflected anger, hatred, jealousy, envy, pride, and ambition. Shakespeare uses soliloquies, a theatrical device enabling the protagonist Hamlet to reveal his feelings and thoughts to the audience. A soliloquy is “a speech in which a person speaks his or her thoughts aloud without addressing anyone.”1 Shakespeare manipulates the audience to see and understand the play through Hamlet however it doesn’t necessarily mean the audience would sympathise with him more. The soliloquies therefore make the distinction between Hamlet’s ‘antic disposition’ and his true nature clearer to the audience however, since the soliloquies are meant for no other ears than the audience’s they become more truthful as there are no social barriers dividing any characters on stage. The audience’s relationship with Hamlet becomes that of a confessor, to which the protagonist reveals his inner thoughts, therefore ensuring that the distinction between Hamlet’s true nature and his ‘acting’ around other characters is emphasised. Hamlet’s character is purposefully lonely and lives in a world of solitude. The soliloquies are therefore vital for the audience to get to know the character Hamlet and, according to the revenge tragedy conventions, sympathise with him and recognise his fatal flaw. Hamlet’s first soliloquy occurs early in Act I, Scene 2 here Hamlet cannot confide his feelings in anyone around him. Throughout the soliloquy Hamlet’s feelings quickly change from one to another. Shakespeare presents a very isolated character in Hamlet; in Kenneth Branagh’s film version2 someone who stands in a corner still dressed in black signifying that he is still grieving the death of his father. This is evident in the use of the soliloquy rather than dialogue with the other characters on stage. 1 Oxford Dictionary Definition 2 Hamlet (1996) film version of Shakespeare’s Hamlet adapted and directed by Kenneth Branagh. - 1 - Stephan Amaranath Candidate No. 4204 Centre No. 13156 In the beginning of the soliloquy Shakespeare demonstrates a very depressed and suicidal Hamlet. From the words “gainst self-slaughter” the audience may assume that Hamlet is contemplating suicide and from his view of the world as “weary, stale, flat and unprofitable” we can clearly see that he is depressed, seeing a world around him that appears to be worth nothing. As the soliloquy progresses Hamlet works himself up into anger. Shakespeare conveys the impression that Hamlet feels that he must suffer in silence however Roth Steve3 argues that the audience would have speculated that this would not be the case so Hamlet’s words are a little ironic. Hamlet’s first soliloquy is important as it gives the audience an idea of what has happened and how he is reacting to it; Hamlet expresses his melancholy and his disgust with the state of affairs, as well as expressing despair, anger and loathing suggesting he is emotional and a thinker. In Hamlet’s soliloquy in Act II Scene 2 we see Hamlet going through several changes of mood. These are self-criticism “O what a rogue and peasant slave am I?” imagining someone’s reaction to real grievance, self-disgust, rage and self- reproach for his emotional outburst. Shakespeare presents Hamlet as a complex individual portraying the ability to think about a situation carefully, proving that he is a rational thinker in most cases, which is actually his flaw. This can also be seen in his plan to catch the King with the actors’ play. The Act II Scene 2 soliloquy also shows the audience that Hamlet is capable of feeling emotions like anger and rage. In this soliloquy Shakespeare allows Hamlet to get rid of a lot of emotion, leading to the cunning, intelligent Hamlet that devises the plan to catch his uncle; a plan that a traditional hero would not need as a traditional hero would not require proof to take revenge; this is one way that Hamlet is presented as a weak revenger. However, Shakespeare also uses this soliloquy to present Hamlet’s major flaw to the audience: his procrastination. In the soliloquy Hamlet becomes clearly angry at his inability to act, it is here Hamlet recognises his flaw. Hamlet’s procrastination suggests to the audience that he is thinking deeply about the consequences that his actions might bring. Goethe Johann Wolfgang von4 has argued that it is this that makes Hamlet one of most identified with character in English Literature. The soliloquy ends with elation at the thought he will prove his uncle’s guilt. He decides that a play of his father’s murder will test the words of the spirit that visited him. Hamlet hopes that the play “…Wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king.” will give him some confirmation that the Ghost was telling the truth and it will provoke Claudius into revealing his guilt. Hamlet’s complexity of character is presented very effectively to an audience in this scene. Hamlet is again presented as an intellectual in Act III Scene 1; he is seen to be thinking about suicide and life after death. “To be or not to be, that is the question…” What Hamlet is asking is ‘is it better to live or die, to endure suffering or to fight against it?’ The metaphor at the start of the soliloquy, “take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them” is purposely confused. It captures Hamlet’s emotions of being unable to do the huge responsibility that has been given to him. Though in this soliloquy, there is no word about his father, his mother, his uncle, or any plans for revenge; this links to Shakespeare’s purpose to explore the nature of man. 3 Hamlet as The Christmas Prince: Certain Speculations on Hamlet, the Calendar, Revels, and Misrule. - Roth Steve. (EMLS 7.3.) 4 Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship - Goethe Johann Wolfgang von. The discussion of Hamlet in chapter XIII is, in the words of Stephen Greenblatt "...what is probably the most influential of all readings of Hamlet..." (Hamlet in Purgatory, p. 229). - 2 - Stephan Amaranath Candidate No. 4204 Centre No. 13156 It seems as if Hamlet has completely forgotten that not long ago the ghost of his dead father visited him. An Elizabethan audience may believe that Hamlet is a coward since Hamlet contemplates suicide; they may have thought that Hamlet saw suicide as a more attractive option than his revenge task. Hamlet looks forward to death as an end to all emotional and physical pain this is one other way Hamlet is presented as a weak revenger. Hamlet is worried that if he commits suicide and “shuffles off this mortal coil” he will not be able to control what comes after death. He compares death to sleep; when we sleep and dream we are not in control of our bodies or thoughts. However the argument that Hamlet has with himself is clear-cut and its conclusion logical that why should we suffer in life when we could find peace in death because it might not be peace and no one has returned from death to set the record straight “The undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveller returns…” therefore we “bear those ills we have”. In the end the audience hear “conscience does make cowards of us all…” The audience realises that Hamlet has decided that thinking stops people from acting which is certainly true of him. The audience can relate what Hamlet is saying to his present situation and have an image of him thinking, which is preventing him “the pale cast of thought…” from committing, not suicide, but the act of revenge “enterprises of great pitch and moment…” Hamlet’s final soliloquy in Act IV Scene 4 is similar emotionally for Hamlet to the soliloquy in Act I Scene 2. Yet Shakespeare gives us a much more penetrating insight into the processes of Hamlet’s tortured thinking. The audience has seen that Hamlet has been spurred to commit revenge, but he still hasn’t acted presenting him as a weak revenger.
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