Humanity in Hamlet Essay

In William Shakespeares play Hamlet, the concept of humanity is explored through Hamlets isolation which is created by the conflict between his duty to his father, and his duties to the monarchy and society. Hamlet is isolated from his society due to his turbulent emotions which result from his indecision on how to respond to his fathers murder. Hamlets duty as a son is to avenge his fathers death and he would be supported in his actions by society if the murderer was believed to be guilty. Hamlets duty as a citizen and a Prince is to protect the King and to ensure stability in the monarchy. In order for Hamlet to revenge his father he would have to kill the King which creates a conflict between his two primary duties. Because of this, Hamlet finds it difficult to decide how to proceed and which duty takes precedence, and Hamlet decides to gather evidence as proof of Claudius guilt so that his revenge is justified to society and to himself. The unholiness of murdering a king who is also a close relative is highlighted by Claudius and this allows the audience to better understand the conflict and the indecision facing Hamlet.

Hamlets duty as a son, in his social context and circumstances, is one which encourages him to seek revenge for his murdered father. For Hamlet to be perceived as a noble and worthy son, he would have to kill his fathers murderer, and his actions would be supported by society as long as the murderer was believed to be guilty. In Hamlets first soliloquy after the encounter with the ghost early in the play, when the ghost tells him that he must seek revenge, Hamlet quickly acknowledges his duty as a son.

Hamlet: Ill wipe away all trivial fond records,

All saws of books, all forms, all pressures past

And thy commandment all alone shall live Within the book and volume of my brain Unmixed with baser matter. (I.5.99-104)

Hamlet seems to decide with determination that he will wipe away all of his memories of youth and all past pressures so that the ghosts commandment to seek revenge would be his only focus, without the distraction of guilt. Hamlets duty as a son is shown clearly at this point where he accepts the ghosts words, be it from fear or loyalty, and he appears to decide that he must fulfill his duty and kill Claudius. If he were to do otherwise, Hamlet knows that the values he believes in, and therefore the values of the society which raised him, would not permit him to live as a noble and worthy son and citizen. Hamlets duty to the monarchy and his role in society are in direct conflict with his duty as a son. Hamlets duty to the monarchy is to protect the King and Hamlets role in society as a Prince is to show leadership, live an honorable life and ensure stability in the kingdom. It is socially expected of Hamlet to protect the King and his position as Prince determines his need to obey societys moral values to remain a noble and worthy person. A direct conflict would occur if Hamlet were to kill Claudius because he would fulfill his duties as a son but society would view his actions as betraying the society and the monarchy. He would be acting against his own socially enforced values and in the opinion of society, and perhaps in his own mind, he would be committing the highest act of treachery. This is very important with respect to Hamlets indecision and resulting isolation since his duty to the monarchy and to society is in direct conflict with his duty to his dead father.

Societys view of murdering a king as the most sacrilegious crime of all is illustrated by Claudius when he reflects on his own actions in killing his brother, King Hamlet. An understanding of the conflict facing Hamlet that leads to his isolation occurs because there is a direct link between Claudius murder of King Hamlet and Hamlets planned murder of Claudius. In both situations, a man kills a king, who is also a close relative, albeit for different reasons. This intensifies the moral dilemma and horror concerning these murders. Claudius highlights the unholiness of these crimes in his first private speech:

King: O, my offence is rank. It smells to heaven.

It hath the primal eldest curse upont,

A brothers murder. Pray can I not,

Though inclination be as sharp as will.

My stronger guilt defeats my strong intent. (III.3.36-40)

Claudius is unable to pray even though his inclination is as sharp as will, and his determination is overpowered by his stronger guilt which defeats his strong intent to find peace with God. This illustrates societys view of this crime as being unholy. The horror of murdering a brother is emphasized by Claudius who describes the offence as rank and as having the primal eldest curse upont. He means that this is the oldest curse placed upon humanity. This links with Hamlets planned murder of Claudius which would also have the eldest curse upon it since he would be killing his uncle. Through Claudius words this societys views on murdering a king and a close relative become clear, and this leads to a better understanding of the conflict facing Hamlet and of his hesitation to act, which ultimately leads to his isolation and death. Hamlets uncertainty concerning Claudius guilt and the importance he places on gathering evidence against Claudius is illustrated by Hamlet when he plans to organize a trap for the king in his soliloquy at the end of Act II. Hamlet knows that society would not tolerate him murdering Claudius as an act of revenge if there was no evidence to prove that Claudius killed Hamlets father. Hamlet realizes that the only proof he has of Claudius guilt is the words of the ghost who cannot be relied upon to appear to justify Hamlets actions. He also needs to be sure of Claudius guilt to reassure him that what he is doing is right. Hamlet: Ill have the ground more relative than this; the plays the thing wherein Ill catch the conscience of the King. (III.2.601-end). the grounds more relative than this which Hamlet refers to are primarily the ghosts promptings for Hamlet to seek revenge. Even though Hamlet uses the lack of evidence to justify his own previous inaction in this soliloquy, he also realizes that he needs proof for society to believe that Claudius is guilty in order to keep his status as a noble Prince

Hamlets isolation occurs in this play because of his constantly changing emotions, which are caused, among other things, by his conflicting duties. Hamlets uncertainty of how to proceed after his encounter with the ghost provides the basis of the cause of his turbulent emotions. Frequently in the play Hamlet feels depressed about his previous inaction in not obeying the ghosts request .Because of his conflicting duties Hamlet is uncertain how to proceed with the immediate future and his emotional turmoil does nothing to boost his confidence and self-respect. The social expectations of him in his role as a noble son and his role as a worthy Prince cause Hamlet to feel turbulent emotions throughout the play. On one hand his adoption of an antic disposition creates an impression of him being mad and therefore he is isolated from society, and on the other hand the confusion he feels results in him withdrawing so as to not show his shame and anger to others. The differing values which he upholds and which society expects him to uphold lead to his isolation and eventual death which is a result of his useless attempt to achieve revenge in a manner with which he is comfortable.

In William Shakespeares play Hamlet, humanity is explored through Hamlets isolation which results from the indecision he feels. Hamlets indecision results from his conflicting duties as a son and as a Prince and citizen. His duty as a son is to avenge his fathers murder and kill Claudius, but his duty as a Prince and a citizen is to protect the King and ensure stability in the monarchy. In order for Hamlets revenge to be justified to society and to him, Claudius guilt must be proven. Hamlet decides to attempt to gather evidence against Claudius so that Hamlets actions are regarded as being honorable, and so that he can come to terms with his revenge. The unholiness of killing a king and a close relative is highlighted by Claudius when he reflects on his own crime of killing King Hamlet. Hamlet dies at the end, fulfilling his duty as a son and his duty to society, by purging the corrupt from the monarchy and avenging his fathers death.