There’s Something Rotten in the State of Denmark
Denmark wasn’t always so corrupt. Most of the chaos occurs after Old King Hamlet’s mysterious death; King Claudius comes to the throne by quickly marrying Hamlet’s mother, Queen Gertrude. Young Hamlet has an eerie encounter with the ghost of his father, he learns the truth about his father’s death; he was murdered by his own brother, Claudius. Hamlet’s disgusted with his mother’s marriage, for he feels most utterly betrayed that his “virtuous” mother would give up her devotion to his father as if it had no emotional burden on her. Hamlet decides he needs to avenge his father, but he hesitates. His Christian outlook on the afterlife holds him back and causes his hesitation. As his thoughts progress, …show more content…
His beliefs cause him to delay his actions, despite his desire for revenge. While an actor cries during his reenactment of the sacking of Troy and Hamlet is perplexed at how easily it is for the actor to feign emotion. “Is it not monstrous that this player …show more content…
This is not the mindset of a devout Christian. This is the mindset of a pagan warrior. He is becoming more obsessed with the idea of revenge, and it’s now become the most important part of his life; so important he is now abandoning everything that has nothing to do with revenge. He admires how the soldiers fight for basically nothing, just to defend their honor. It’s his duty to defend the honor of his father, which is interesting he would take a look at it from that perspective. The Greek idea of kleios is becoming prominent here, which is typically not the main priority of a Christian -- his pagan warrior ethos is developing at this stage. He’s consciously choosing to think in this way, because it will allow him to be able to kill Claudius without the heart wrenching guilt a Christian would feel; they don 't kill for honor or anything that glorifies man, they would only kill for self-defense. Hamlet’s mindset is changing and he’s starting to become more proactive and hostile towards the topic of his uncle, and he’s planning his revenge-- completely neglecting most of his Christian morals. Everything Hamlet has ever known or believed in changes. His friends, his stepfather, and his mother have all betrayed him, so he really can’t rely or trust on a lot of people, just him and his friend, Horatio. He also he’s completely disregarding Christianity. He has a cynical
Denmark wasn’t always so corrupt. Most of the chaos occurs after Old King Hamlet’s mysterious death; King Claudius comes to the throne by quickly marrying Hamlet’s mother, Queen Gertrude. Young Hamlet has an eerie encounter with the ghost of his father, he learns the truth about his father’s death; he was murdered by his own brother, Claudius. Hamlet’s disgusted with his mother’s marriage, for he feels most utterly betrayed that his “virtuous” mother would give up her devotion to his father as if it had no emotional burden on her. Hamlet decides he needs to avenge his father, but he hesitates. His Christian outlook on the afterlife holds him back and causes his hesitation. As his thoughts progress, …show more content…
His beliefs cause him to delay his actions, despite his desire for revenge. While an actor cries during his reenactment of the sacking of Troy and Hamlet is perplexed at how easily it is for the actor to feign emotion. “Is it not monstrous that this player …show more content…
This is not the mindset of a devout Christian. This is the mindset of a pagan warrior. He is becoming more obsessed with the idea of revenge, and it’s now become the most important part of his life; so important he is now abandoning everything that has nothing to do with revenge. He admires how the soldiers fight for basically nothing, just to defend their honor. It’s his duty to defend the honor of his father, which is interesting he would take a look at it from that perspective. The Greek idea of kleios is becoming prominent here, which is typically not the main priority of a Christian -- his pagan warrior ethos is developing at this stage. He’s consciously choosing to think in this way, because it will allow him to be able to kill Claudius without the heart wrenching guilt a Christian would feel; they don 't kill for honor or anything that glorifies man, they would only kill for self-defense. Hamlet’s mindset is changing and he’s starting to become more proactive and hostile towards the topic of his uncle, and he’s planning his revenge-- completely neglecting most of his Christian morals. Everything Hamlet has ever known or believed in changes. His friends, his stepfather, and his mother have all betrayed him, so he really can’t rely or trust on a lot of people, just him and his friend, Horatio. He also he’s completely disregarding Christianity. He has a cynical