Hamlet's Subverted Heroic Journey William Essay

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(II.ii.627-32)

Here we see that Hamlet recognizes his weaknesses and his depression and blames them o the ghost. It is also significant to realize that Hamlet is practically resigning himself to a damned life with this assumption. He goes on to consider life and death and considers each. He states:

To be, or not to be, -- that is the question:

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune

or to take arms against a sea of troubles,

And by opposing end them? -- to die, -- to sleep,

No more; and by a sleep to say we end

The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks

That flesh is heir to. (III.i.56-63).

This passage reveals hamlet's deteriorating state of mind as well as his fatigue. He is simply mentally and physically exhausted and there is no way for him to escape the conflict in his own mind.

Hamlet's mental instability only forces him more off course on his heroic journey. In a fit of rage, he kills Polonius, thinking that he has finally achieved his goal only to realize that he has killed Ophelia's father. The thrill of thinking he has finally achieved followed immediately by realizing he has not proves to be insufferable. The following scene is reckless because it seems to drive Hamlet into a fit of emotion that he unleashes upon his mother. He refers to Polonius as an "intruding fool" (III.iv.38) and then launches into a tirade with Gertrude. Hamlet is cruel and heartless with her. When she accuses him of committing a "rash and bloody deed" (III.iv.33), he tells her that his actions are "almost as bad, good mother.

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/ as kill a king and marry with his brother" (III.iv.34-5). He attacks Gertrude's good sense by attacking her decision to remarry, stating:

You cannot call it love for at your age

The heyday in the blood is tame, it's humble

And waits upon the judgment; and what judgment

Would step from this to this? (III.iv.78-81).

This scene demonstrates just how far Hamlet has veered of course on his journey to becoming a hero. He could have avoided most, if not all, of his emotional distress had he only acted when the ghost first advised him to. Instead, Hamlet let indecision paralyze him to the point of no return.

Hamlet swerves of the oath to becoming a hero when he refuses to accept certain things as they are. His initial reaction to Gertrude's quick remarriage sets him on a path of negativity that bleeds into all aspects of his life. Instead of dealing with his emotions as he should have, he repressed them, only compounding things. These things are worsened when Hamlet cannot make heads or tails of the ghost. Hamlet also makes things more difficult for himself when he does not act when he knows he should. By not killing Claudius when he has the chance, Hamlet only makes his own life worse because he cannot escape the turmoil in his mind. Finally, when Hamlet accidentally kills Polonius, thinking he is finally rising to the occasion, things spiral out of control quickly. He verbally attacks Gertrude and reveals he is incapable of any rational thought. Hamlet blocked his own path by over thinking every conceivable aspect of his life.

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