Hamlet’s Development as Hero
Hamlet’s Development as Hero
Introduction
One might wonder how the character Hamlet is developed as a hero in the work of Shakespeare. The problem with this character is that he lacks concept balance in matters of reality something that makes the reader view him as confused element. Hamlet is caught between reality and thoughts of contemplation in his life, and this is something that entirely affects how people see him. The character develops a lot of reasoning something that creates and develops conditions that trap him in difficult thoughts. This aspect helps the character develop the aspect of hero as the play continues. The author develops this character as despair person who should change to a person of faith in order to realize his true characters.
It is clear that Shakespeare creates this character in different ways until the person becomes a hero. In the first place, Hamlet is seen as a great thinker later acting in a manner that does not resemble him and finally a hero. This essay will focus on how the author develops hamlet from someone who seems confused due to reasoning and thoughts to a great tragic hero.
Discussion
Hamlet is a character who is seen having two sides. He leaves the audience wonder the type of person they are watching simply because his actions are inaction in different ways. Helmet is not like most heroes of his period simply because of his characters. Every audience of the book has tinge feelings of this character because of what he acts, wants, feels, and behaves in the process of play development. In the first place, hamlet is seen as somebody confused full of thoughts and portrays some aspects of being a coward. Although his heart desires, Hamlet is coward to a point where he lacks the courage to revenge over the death of his father. Out of this situation, no one would ever accept that he is a hero character. He realizes that his father’s murderer’s guilty helps he look like a hero simply because he decides for revenge. He acts as a mad person especially when he hears the murder of his father. Why, right; you are I’ the right; and so, without more circumstance at all, I hold it fit that we shake hands and part… [Act I, scene V, lines 127-134].
In a critical analysis of Hamlet’s behavior, his cowardly actions help him become a hero character in the play. Although as a coward as he is, Hamlet accepts the ghost of his father, which helps him do the revenge. In the first place, he refuses to do revenge simply because of his coward behaviors. This is an act of torment which drives the young Hamlets to a courageous person who overcomes that situation of coward. In front of court, this character develops a lot of reasoning which causes doubts on why revenge. He also wonders why his mother wants to get married to his uncle. The corruption of the court makes Hamlets develops courage which drives him to vengeful actions something that was not in his mind. This aspect does not clearly define Hamlet simply because he does not accept the situation of revenge, (Cantor, 2004).
Evidence shows that when Hamlet accepts to go on a revenge mission, the entire environment coward changes. This is the point when Hamlet aspect of heroism develops and later continues in the whole play. Apart from accepting the revenge mission given by his father’s ghost, it is seen that Hamlet wants to change the court system. Despite his confusion of thoughts on what to do, Hamlet believes that the mission of revenge would not affect Claudius alone, but will sweep the aspect of corruption that exists in the society. He plans to kill Claudius as mission revenge, but on top of that the revenge mission would target the corruption aspect that affects the society. Although this character does not announce his mission of killing corruption in the society, it could be seen in his reactions. This character portrayed different character traits simply because he has a mission to eradicate corruption, but instead of putting it forward he does it in a secretive manner, (Claire, 2011).
Hamlet heroism grows slowly by slowly simply because he was somebody who was not sure of his actions. In some instances, the character behaved as though he knew what he was doing and at some point his behavior translated him as a coward person. In developing his courageous aspect, Hamlet kills Claudius, Guildenstern, and Rosencrantz. When he killed Polonius, this is the point when it was noted that he had changed from a coward person to someone who has the authority to make decisions. Instead of developing regret on his actions, Hamlet called for farewell on his actions. This is another way that Shakespeare tries to develop the heroism nature of this character, (Tingle 2004). The main agenda of Hamlet killings were not to show lack of mercy, but he had a mission to complete. The court system was full of corruption something he felt with few strategies the entire thing would end. His main reasoning of killing was to purify the court and individuals who were corrupt. Hamlet did the killings without mercy simply because that was his mission apart from the revenge he conducted in killing Claudius, (William, 2012).
Apart from other people, Hamlet realized that he was weak and given a chance would react with emotions. This is an aspect that would prevent him from realizing the reality in his life. Having this in mind assisted Hamlet in becoming a hero. He did not allow his weakens affect him or even forsake his mission of cleaning what he believed was a mess and required appropriate action. He called himself muddy Mettle rascal someone who lived a life of john dreams. Initially he believed he had no power and had no opportunity to take any form of revenge. Hamlet is seen as a hero simply because he does not allow these assumptions affect his life. By remarking his own inability to respond to the situations, Hamlet realizes that a lot weighted him. This converted him to a hero simply because he managed to emerge as someone with a vision to reform what had gone wrong, (Cantor, 2004).
Hamlet is a character who has mood swings and changes whenever he wants. This aspect of moods prevents the audience or fellow characters in the play clearly understand the type of person Hamlet played. Apart from mood swings behaviors this character does not seem consistence of what he was doing especially to Ophelia. When Ophelia was alive Hamlet did not like her to an extend he returned some of the gifts bought for him. When Ophelia dies, the character changes his argument simply because he goes to the grave and says how he loved Ophelia. The author of this play tries to develop the aspect of heroism in this character where he first refuses to love the lady, but later in life he claims and even fighting with Laertes in the grave of the lady. Although most audience may see this character as a mad person, his behaviors contributed a lot in making him a tragic hero. The play contains a lot of senses that shows the sanity level of Hamlets, (Stockton, 2011).
With his weakness and sanity aspects, the author of the play develops Hamlets in a way that he eventually becomes a hero. It is even seen that Hamlet helps develop his aspect of heroism in the play. Conscience is what creates coward in the society. The aspect of consciousness in doing something in most cases tends to become more oriented. Although to some point conscience affected Hamlet in different ways, it has allowed the reasoning capacity improve Hamlet’s decision making process. In evaluating his actions, Hamlet becomes a hero by cleaning up what was as a form of corruption. Although this play shows the character as an insane person in some instances, this helps simply because he was able to achieve his mission. The author has developed two sides of this person where one side is the sane and the other side is the insane. Without proper analysis, it would be difficult to tell whether Hamlet was a hero or was a coward, (Bynum, 2012).
Hamlet acts bravery when facing challenges in the grave of Ophelia. This is a clear indication that he had transformed from a weaker character into a heroic character. The aspect of braveness in this situation adds a lot of weight in describing him at the end of the play. At the time of his father’s death, Hamlet was not mature enough, and that affected the entire process of revenge. Although the ghost reveals to him the truth, the aspect of noble affects him simply because instead of killing Claudius for the first time he gives him benefit of the doubt.
Conclusion
Difficult thoughts and reasoning capacity of Hamlet does not give him the initial character of a true hero. The author develops his heroism slowly by slowly as situation happens. At the time of his father’s death, Hamlet was not mature enough, and that affected the entire process of revenge. He becomes a hero when he accepts revenge and wants to clean up the mess of corruption. It was an ideal decision that made the audience become confused on the true picture of Hamlet. We can say that this character finally developed to become a hero something that was not seen in the initial stages of the play.
Work Cited:
Bynum, W. F. hamlet on the Couch. Retrieved from, http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.wichita.edu/ehost/detail?sid=d671d1ba-7398-4874-8dcd-361ab68a9824%40sessionmgr12&vid=1&hid=8&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=11386261, On December 6, 2012
Cantor, P. A. Shakespeare: Hamlet: Cambridge University Press, 2004
Claire, W. Hamlet: The New Action Hero. 2011. Retrieved from, http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.wichita.edu/ehost/detail?sid=89f1a357-7079-4c5d-8473-309f6edbc406%40sessionmgr4&vid=1&hid=8&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=57419958, On December 6, 2012
Stockton, C. L. CliffsNotes on Shakespeare’s Hamlet: John Wiley & Sons, 2011
Tingle, N. SelfDevelopment and College Writing: SIU Press, 2004
William, O. Doing and Performing in Hamlet. 2012. Retrieved from, http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.wichita.edu/ehost/detail?vid=4&hid=8&sid=7e20105d-0f7b-4e83-9f49-0b6a05984868%40sessionmgr11&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=70557397, On December 6, 2012
Is this your assignment or some part of it?
We can do it for you! Click to Order!
