How does an individual react when he develops an obsession with destroying the powerful force ruling his country, yet risks experiencing psychological estrangement, occurring at multiple levels within himself, if he attempts to destroy that force? This is the central question that Shakespeare explores in his play Hamlet, which is a character study of an individual harboring just such an obsession, entailing just such a risk. .
Introduction.
That Hamlet is obsessed with destroying the powerful force ruling his country (Claudius) is plainly evident in the play. But while this obsession initiates Hamlet's behavior, it is his additional realization, that he risks psychological estrangement occurring on multiple levels as a result of trying to carry out his obsession, that shapes his behavior into the form that the audience sees, one that seems bizarre and incomprehensible. .
The Nature of Hamlet's Obsession.
The reasons for Hamlet's obsession with exacting revenge against Claudius are fairly straightforward. The ghost of Hamlet Sr. informed Hamlet that Claudius killed Hamlet Sr. and thus usurped him from his throne. In doing so, he emasculated Hamlet by robbing him of his central role model of masculinity, namely his father. He also committed the moral and political sin of regicide, and the familial sin of killing his brother and subsequently sleeping with his wife. Claudius also deprived Hamlet of his rightful kingship, since Hamlet was second in line after Hamlet Sr. In addition, Hamlet now knows that his love of his mother is corrupted since she is affectionate towards his emasculating enemy. .
The Nature of Hamlet's Risk of Psychological Estrangement.
In attempting to kill Claudius, Hamlet risks enduring estrangement occurring within his self at multiple psychological levels. There are primarily five such levels of estrangement: .
Religious estrangement: Hamlet feels self-actualized from following basic religious principles of living.
A Criticism on Hamlet Among the works of William Shakespeare, Hamlet stands out as a paradigm of human fault through the focus on the inability to control human emotion. ... Religion pervades all aspects of Hamlet. ... Many critics note the Oedipal conflicts within the verse of Hamlet. ... Hamlet invokes these and other sins as he describes his family. ... Hamlet's treatment of his beloved undermines her own love for him. ...
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In Hamlet and one or two of Shakespeare's other plays, many find it difficult to even identify the so- called tragic flaw ar as Shakespeare labels it, "the vicious mole in nature. ... Othello and Hamlet are alos very entertaining, but there are great lessons to be learned from them. For, example, several scenes in O thello show that one has to watch who he trusts, one also can see that paradigms are not good and see how they affect ones thought process. Hamlet also contains some lessons that will help many people in life. ... Hamlet and Othello also follow a similar format, even t...
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Epic and biblical heroes will serve Dante as models; Prufrock, who pales in comparison even to Hamletic Guido, sees himself as a caricature of both. ... Manganiello states that Prufrocks Hell is a mental Hell, not a place gradated by degrees of vice according to a theological paradigm as in the Divine Comedy, but rather a state of mind which constitutes its own place (19). ...
Many critics regard "King Lear" as the greatest, and most tragic, of William Shakespeare's plays; indeed, some claim that it is the most tragic play ever written. And yet, it is difficult to see why we should regard "King Lear" as a tragedy for the King is basically a pathetic old man, vain and foolish, rash in his judgment and incapable of controlling his emotions. This characterization seems to preclude viewing Lear on the Aristotelian model of a tragic hero, as someone raised above the ordinary level of humanity, except in the most conventional sense of his social status. Moreover, in ...
