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Hamlet


Finally in act 5, Hamlet meets his own death, as his obsession to know leads to the death of himself. .
             Hamlet's obsession with death also fuels his desire for revenge, for instance when he revisits the ghost and he explains how he died. Hamlet, saying, "O my prophetic soul! My uncle'" (1.5.48), realizes that Claudius, his uncle and the new King, is the one who killed his father. The ghost demands that Hamlet revenge his father's death and the treacherous acts of the murderer. The ghost already has an idea in his own mind about his revenge when he says, "But howsomever thou pursues this act, / taint not thy mind, nor let thy soul contrive / against thy mother aught" (1.5.91-93). Hamlet hides his desire for revenge by saying, "There's never a villain Dwelling in all Denmark but he's an arrant knave" (1.5.137-138). When Hamlet finds out that his friends had heard the whole conversation between the ghost and himself, he makes them swear not to say a thing, and intentionally pretends to be crazy. Hamlet's madness also allows him to avoid truth in his pursuit of revenge. Although Hamlet overtly wants to know the truth, his behavior is quite contradicting. By avoiding a confrontation with Claudius and accusing him directly of wrongdoing, Hamlet also avoids the possibility of truly knowing what happened. .
             In general, however, Hamlet is a man who needs to be in control of his actions and assured of the outcomes. Hamlet does not act rashly, but continuously delays his actions while he tries to obtain more accurate knowledge about what he should do. From Act 1 through Act 4, Hamlet carefully thinks through every detail. Finally he comes to the realization that revenge is not always the best solution. He then moves beyond his earlier need to settle the score and asks for forgiveness from Leartes. Hamlet's need to know is highlighted in his interaction with the ghost, but treated in an unusual way.


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