Jacob Vore
Advanced Poetry
Mr. Dranginis
2/15/16
Hamlet; An Existential Character
One of the most common and cliche questions you hear people ask is, “What is the meaning of life?”. This question has never been answered and has been pondered by philosophers such as Immanuel Kant and Jeremy Bentham. Philosophers have also contemplated over the value of life, as is seen in ethical theories such as utilitarianism, to help answer existential questions. Merriam-Webster defines existentialism as a “philosophical movement… centering on analysis of individual existence in an unfathomable universe and the plight of the individual who must assume ultimate responsibility for acts of free”. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, we see Hamlet struggle to answer questions regarding the true meaning of humanity, the meaning and value of life, and who Hamlet is as a person.
Hamlet was a student of the university in Wittenberg who seems to take pleasure in contemplating philosophical issues. When Hamlet returns to the kingdom after the death of his father, he converses with the Ghost of his father who tells Hamlet that it was Claudius who murdered him. From this point on, Hamlet wants to find evidence that …show more content…
O, from this time forth/ My thoughts be bloody or be nothing worth!” (Gao, Personal Communication, 2/15/16. 4.4.60-61, 68-69). While Hamlet’s inspiration for action came from Fortinbras, Laertes also was a pivotal figure in Hamlet’s life exemplifying how to take Fortinbras’s ability to act and applying it to avenging his father. Laertes does not hesitate for a minute and immediately begins his quest to avenge his father. As Hamlet’s want for the ability to act seen in Fortinbras and Laertes increases, Hamlet’s self-reflection and inner conflicts decrease and Hamlet begins to act progressively more existential than he has
Advanced Poetry
Mr. Dranginis
2/15/16
Hamlet; An Existential Character
One of the most common and cliche questions you hear people ask is, “What is the meaning of life?”. This question has never been answered and has been pondered by philosophers such as Immanuel Kant and Jeremy Bentham. Philosophers have also contemplated over the value of life, as is seen in ethical theories such as utilitarianism, to help answer existential questions. Merriam-Webster defines existentialism as a “philosophical movement… centering on analysis of individual existence in an unfathomable universe and the plight of the individual who must assume ultimate responsibility for acts of free”. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, we see Hamlet struggle to answer questions regarding the true meaning of humanity, the meaning and value of life, and who Hamlet is as a person.
Hamlet was a student of the university in Wittenberg who seems to take pleasure in contemplating philosophical issues. When Hamlet returns to the kingdom after the death of his father, he converses with the Ghost of his father who tells Hamlet that it was Claudius who murdered him. From this point on, Hamlet wants to find evidence that …show more content…
O, from this time forth/ My thoughts be bloody or be nothing worth!” (Gao, Personal Communication, 2/15/16. 4.4.60-61, 68-69). While Hamlet’s inspiration for action came from Fortinbras, Laertes also was a pivotal figure in Hamlet’s life exemplifying how to take Fortinbras’s ability to act and applying it to avenging his father. Laertes does not hesitate for a minute and immediately begins his quest to avenge his father. As Hamlet’s want for the ability to act seen in Fortinbras and Laertes increases, Hamlet’s self-reflection and inner conflicts decrease and Hamlet begins to act progressively more existential than he has