Complexities of Human Condition in Shakespeare's Hamlet
The Complex Human Condition as Portrayed in Hamlet
Many thoughts, actions, and experiences fuse and influence each other,
creating various sets of characteristics in a person that make it
impossible to understand the individual. Boudry et al. (2015) say
that adaptive rationality, that is, the thinking processes directing people's immediate actions,
do not always align with personal rationality—the individual's perception of right and wrong. This concept applies
to characters in Hamlet (Shakespeare, trans. 2012). Shakespeare employs the themes of
societal expectations, mortality, and situational irony, alongside the
characterizations of selfishness and craftiness to explore human
complexities in Hamlet.
Firstly, societal expectations cause behavioral changes in the
protagonist that manifest in either conformity or rebellion. Hamlet seems
to have developed the belief that everyone is innocent until proven guilty
(Shakespeare, 2012, 3.2.144 – 145). Consequently, the protagonist delays
punishing Claudius until he ascertains the king's crimes. The concept of
justice, according to Kendall and Nouwen (2012), is subjectively created
and defined by society; the protagonist is merely conforming to societal
rules. In another instance, however, Hamlet rebels against laws forbidding
monarchs from sharing affection with people from other social classes when
he says that, if Ophelia had forty thousand brothers, his love for her
would surpass theirs combined (Shakespeare, 2012, 4.7.185 – 186).
Therefore, by imposing expectations on Hamlet, society has caused him to
react by either conforming to or rebelling against it.
Secondly, mortality as a theme reveals complexities in the life of the
protagonist, who worries about death. According to the ghost, Hamlet's
father, who died before atonement, suffers in hell every day. Hamlet wants
to kill the man who murdered his father, but he fears the villain will
skip hell if he dies while praying, thereby failing to get punished
(Shakespeare, 2012, 3.3.146 – 147). Moreover, Hamlet wonders why men value
their miserable lives but fear death, which they know nothing about.
Having developed contempt for life, Hamlet becomes more courageous; he
resolves to conclude his mission (Shakespeare, 2012, 3.1.128 – 129).
Concerns about mortality, therefore, shape Hamlet's character and
situation.
Shakespeare also uses situational irony to portray human complexities.
For instance, it is contradictory that Hamlet seems to respect and love
his mother, yet she adores his father's murderer. Similarly, the people
Hamlet trusts with his secrets—Bernardo and Marcellus—are the same who
guard the kingdom that he detests (Shakespeare, 2012, 1.5.101 – 102). It
is also ironic that Hamlet constantly thinks about killing the king, but
whenever he finds the opportunity, he decides against it. These and other
contradictory instances in the play make it difficult to understand the
protagonist.
Also, the author explores self-centeredness in Hamlet that reveals
imperfections, thereby complicating the character's condition. For
example, it is selfish of Hamlet to speak rudely to Ophelia when he knows
that the girl's father decides everything for her. It is also selfish that
Hamlet leads innocent actors to recite lines that inflict guilt upon
Claudius (Shakespeare, 2012, 3.2.138 – 139). Using powerless people to
anger a king is selfish as he might decide to punish the actors. Hamlet's
selfishness, therefore, displays his complex personality, which is neither
wholly good nor entirely evil.
Lastly, Shakespeare presents Hamlet as a crafty character, thereby making
him difficult to predict. When he tells Claudius that he is too much in the sun, for instance, it is easy to interpret the statement literally, yet he
may be using the sun to refer to his father (Shakespeare, 2012, 1.2.63 –
64). Furthermore, Hamlet successfully leads everyone—except his loyal
friends—into believing that he is insane. Due to these tricks, the
protagonist completes the vital mission of proving Claudius's guilt.
Therefore, by making Hamlet unpredictable, Shakespeare presents the
complexity of the human condition.
In conclusion, Hamlet's situation reflects the multifaceted nature of
human life. Using the themes of societal expectations, situational irony,
and mortality, Shakespeare explores these intricacies. He further does
this by characterizing the protagonist as selfish and crafty. These
methods combine to create situations and reactions that propel the
play.
References
Boudry, M., Vlerick, M., & McKay, R. (2015). Can Evolution get us off
the Hook? Evaluating the Ecological Defence of Human Rationality. Consciousness and Cognition, 33, 524-535.
Kendall, S., & Nouwen, S. (2013). Representational practices at the
International Criminal Court: The Gap between Juridified and Abstract
Victimhood. Law & Contemp. Probs., 76, 235.
Shakespeare, W. (2012). The Tragedy of Hamlet: Prince of Denmark. J. Tobin
(Ed.). Boston, Massachusetts: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning. 1 – 199.
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