Is Hamlet Reasonable? Term Paper

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Hamlet

Is Hamlet reasonable?: Murder and death in "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare

In the play "Hamlet," playwright William Shakespeare portrayed the character of Prince Hamlet as a trusting individual who later changed to become a vengeful man when he learned that his stepfather had murdered King Hamlet, his father. Considered a classic tragedy, "Hamlet" highlights the metamorphosis of Hamlet from being an indecisive leader of the kingdom to being a vengeful, wise, and ultimately, reasonable individual. This change in character had occurred towards the climax of the play, wherein it was revealed to him through the ghost of Old Hamlet who the real murderer of his father was.

In the course of metamorphosis, Hamlet is already portrayed as a reasonable individual. Despite Shakespeare's apparent infusion of an emotional being in Hamlet's character, his was a character that was initially molded from a leader's rational personality, then later into being an emotional, feeling individual. This was manifested in Act 3, Scene 3 of the play, wherein Hamlet was supposed to kill Claudius after learning from his father's ghost that he (Claudius) had murdered Old Hamlet.

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Following is an excerpt of Hamlet's contemplation on whether to kill Claudius or not after witnessing his stepfather praying just before Hamlet intended to kill him:

Now might I do it pat, now he is praying;

And now I'll do't. And so he goes to heaven;

And so am I revenged. That would be scann'd:

A villain kills my father; and for that,

I, his sole son, do this same villain send

To heaven.

O, this is hire and salary, not revenge.

... And am I then revenged,

To take him in the purging of his soul,

When he is fit and season'd for his passage?

No!

This passage from the play reflects the rational-mindedness of Hamlet: even a passionate action such as vengeful killing was….....

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