Hamlet and Fate - 1387 Words

Harold Bloom says the genius of Shakespeare is that â€Å"Characters develop rather than unfold, and they develop because they reconceive themselves† (The Invention of the Human XVII). Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet, shows the development of Hamlet within the land of Denmark. Hamlet goes through many changes throughout the five acts, but these changes are not entirely due to the events of the play, but rather to Hamlet’s confrontations with himself. He battles with his mind through soliloquys, he overhears himself speaking, and he always questions himself and the world because he is unable to accept any belief. It is not until the last act that he comes to any conclusion: an acceptance of fatalism, a philosophy that states that all events are†¦show more content†¦He never says that he believes in God or in good or evil because he always questions everything. He questions the ghost, death, choice, nihilism but he never believes in anything until the final a ct. After returning from his exile, Hamlet visits a cemetery. This is perhaps the most famous scene in all of literature: Hamlet holding up the skull of Yorick. Act 5 is strange because Hamlet seems to have become calmer, as if he transformed over his exile, and he is not so much at odds with the idea of death. Hamlet looks straight into death’s eyes and it does not frighten him. In fact, he tells a series of jokes. He speaks of other famous princes who have long since been dead and he recognizes his own fate. When Hamlet is preparing for the duel with Laertes, he tells Horatio of what he had discovered lying in bed the night before. He says â€Å"there’s a divinity that shapes our ends†(5.2.10). This quote is explicitly fatalistic and expresses a higher order that structures our lives, or at least our deaths. Horatio tells Hamlet that he should not fight because he believes Hamlet will lose and suspects it is a trap. Hamlet knows that it is a trap. He knows that he is to face death and he accepts his fate by accepting the duel. He is resolute on fighting and not thinking. No longer does he call himself a coward or question the role that he plays in these events; in this final scene he says: There isShow MoreRelatedHamlet essay on emotion, fate and reason1241 Words   |  5 Pagesof mind. In the Shakespearian play Hamlet, the death of Hamlets father caused many problems, all of which eventually lead up to the tragic death of Hamlet. Each event that happens in the play is imp acted by reason, fate and emotion. The events throughout the play that lead to hamlets downfall are determined by the roles of reason, fate and emotion. These three roles are key factors of the play. Reason plays the role of advancing the plot, especially when hamlet devises a plan to reassure the predicationRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Hamlet - Deciding Fate949 Words   |  4 Pages2/14/16 Deciding Fate In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet is a prince, who has been tasked to avenge his murdered father. As the ghost of his dead father assigns him this deed, Hamlet assumes it is now his fate to murder the king and cut the corruption out of the kingdom. As the play progresses, Hamlet does not actively attempt to assassinate the King, revealing his hope that he has free-will in the matter. Near the end of the play, Hamlet experiences a transformation, believing that fate in inevitableRead MoreHamlet vs. Oedipus1493 Words   |  6 PagesHamlet vs Oedipus Hamlet by William Shakespeare and Oedipus the King by Sophocles are both tragic stories which contain many elements of which are similar and different. Although both Hamlet and Oedipus suffer from fate, Hamlet’s father is murdered by his brother Claudius, while Oedipus kills his own father. Both Hamlet and Oedipus have the opportunity to shun their fate, but the two men believe themselves to be the only individual who can resolve the predicament which they are faced with. TheRead MoreRosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead And Hamlet Analysis1294 Words   |  6 Pagesmost well known playwrights during their respective centuries they lived in. Shakespeare’s publication of Hamlet became a very popular play to read and watch. In Hamlet, the main character, Prince Hamlet, is in a great dilemma. His father is killed by his uncle Claudius, so then Claudius is able to take the throne and become the King of Denmark. Hamlet finds this out from the ghost, and Hamlet is not s ure how to avenge his father’s death or whether he should even attempt to. In Rosencrantz and GuildensternRead MoreHarold Bloom Says The Genius Of Shakespeare Is That â€Å"Characters1325 Words   |  6 PagesHarold Bloom says the genius of Shakespeare is that â€Å"Characters develop rather than unfold, and they develop because they reconceive themselves† (The Invention of the Human XVII). Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet, shows the development of Hamlet within the land of Denmark. Hamlet goes through many changes throughout the five acts, but these changes are not entirely due to the events of the play, but rather to Hamlet’s confrontations with himself. He battles with his mind through soliloquys, he overhearsRead MoreA Pleasant Demise in Shakespeares Hamlet1081 Words   |  4 PagesShakespeare’s The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark embodies a different, more accepted role. As the tragic aspect of the play comes to fruition with the death of Hamlet, death becomes accepted. With his confidence in fate, his desensitization to death, and the completion of his goals, Hamlet dies satisfied with himself. One of the strongest coping methods for the inevitable reality of death today is religion, where the idea of God’s plan closely aligns with the concept of fate. The evolution of Hamlet’sRead MoreRosencrantz Guildenstern Are Dead, A Satirical Piece That Parodies Hamle921 Words   |  4 PagesGuildenstern Are Dead is a satirical piece of work that parodies Hamlet, especially in terms of death, a common theme in both. These two plays take different views on death portrayed by the protagonists of each: either Hamlet or Rosencrantz Guildenstern. Hamlet is a tragedy with comedy elements in it. It is about a prince who seeks revenge for his father’s assassination, but in the end, he dies. Throughout the entire play, Hamlet is in constant conflict within his mind. He doesn’t know whatRead MoreMorality And Redemption : An Admirable Treatise On The Nature Of Guilt And Individual Fate1640 Words   |  7 Pagesdeserves a certain fate, no matter how grave? Do guilt or remorse mitigate one’s deserving whatever fate befalls them, or does someone’s deserving whatever fate befalls them depend solely on what they have done? These are questions as old as humanity, but, fortunately, individuals like Shakespeare seek to respond to them through their works. Shakespeare’s Hamlet provides an admirable treatise on the nature of guilt and individual fate, especially with regard to the eponymous Hamlet, his father, hisRead MoreHamlet and The Desire-Destiny Paradox872 Words   |  3 Pagesquoted line of Ham let, of Shakespeare’s works, possibly of all Elizabethan literature, presents a philosophical Hamlet who questions â€Å"Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer, The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,† Shakespeare does indeed explore the individual’s enduring need to define one’s role or identity within society, but presents the paradox of whether to embrace one’s fortune OR to ‘carve for himself’ a fate and identity. Hamlet spends muchRead MoreExamining the Tragic Protagonists of Oedipus Rex and Hamlet657 Words   |  3 Pagestragedies, â€Å"Oedipus Rex† and â€Å"Hamlet†, both main characters are generally good. In either play, both Hamlet and Oedipus make a flaw that will cost them an extreme suffering, and in â€Å"Hamlet†, that concludes in many deaths. A tragic protagonist is usually one of noble authority, who upholds a position high in society. In a tragedy, the protagonist falls from high to low, through the suffering they endure. During his fall from high to low, the protagonist is unable to escape his fate, though he may try so