A Moral Compass Pointing South
Psychologist Philip Zimbardo once said, “The line between good and evil is permeable and almost anyone can be induced to cross it when pressured by situational forces.” The play Hamlet by William Shakespeare explores this permeability of what it means to be good or evil. The play surround a young man named Hamlet who discovers that his father, the king of Denmark, has been murdered by Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius. Hamlet decides to exact revenge upon Claudius, creating a plan to incriminate and murder the king. While, many may view Hamlet as a protagonist or “good guy”, his actions tell a very different story. Based upon his interactions with those he cares about and his plot to kill Claudius, Hamlet’s character is …show more content…
Though the two of them genuinely care about Hamlet, their allegiances to certain Polonius and Claudius make him feel betrayed. Hamlet viciously attacks Ophelia saying, “If thou dost marry, I’ll give thee this plague for thy dowry. Be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow, thou shalt not escape calumny. Get thee to a nunnery, go. Farewell. Or, if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool, for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them. To a nunnery, go, and quickly too. Farewell.”(3.1.36-42) Hamlet states that even if Ophelia acts piously in her marriage she will “not escape calumny”, meaning her reputation will be tarnished. Within his tirade, he often demands that Ophelia go to a “nunnery”. This is an indication that Hamlet believes Ophelia is a sinner and must go to a convent to redeem herself. The barrage of insults is unwarranted from Hamlet; Ophelia obeying Polonius is to be expected considering he is her father. Hamlet exhibits the actions of morally flawed individual by verbally abusing someone who truly loves and cares about him. Hamlet even goes as far as to attack his own mother saying, “HAMLET ‘Now mother, what’s the matter?’ GERTRUDE ‘Hamlet, thou hast thy father much offended. HAMLET Mother, you have my father much offended.’ GERTRUDE ‘Come, come, you answer with an idle tongue.’ HAMLET ‘Go, go, you question with a wicked tongue. GERTRUDE Why, …show more content…
Hamlet displays that his decision to kill Claudius is not intrinsically tied to the ghost’s request by saying, “‘GHOST Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder.’ HAMLET ‘Murder?’ GHOST ‘Murder most foul, as in the best it is, But this most foul, strange, and unnatural.’ HAMLET ‘Haste me to know 't, that I, with wings as swift As meditation or the thoughts of love, May sweep to my revenge.’”(1.5.31-37) The ghost contradicts himself by condemning the murder of King Hamlet initially and then proceeding to ask Hamlet to murder Claudius. Furthermore, Hamlet seems very eager to kill Claudius saying “As meditation or the thoughts of love,May sweep to my revenge.”. Hamlets states that he wants to kill Claudius faster than lovers fall in love. Hamlet, an intellectually gifted individual, completely trusts this ghost despite there being no proof for it being his father except its image. Though he and Horatio are both intelligent, he is quick to believe the ghost is telling the truth;This could be because Hamlet wants to believe the ghost is his father, therefore giving him an excuse to kill Claudius. The desire to murder shows that Hamlet stoops to the same level of Claudius, in that he is committing the same sin. Furthermore, Hamlet never questions whether murdering Claudius is the right decision;Hamlet only questions why he cannot exact revenge. This sentiment is displayed in his soliloquy
Psychologist Philip Zimbardo once said, “The line between good and evil is permeable and almost anyone can be induced to cross it when pressured by situational forces.” The play Hamlet by William Shakespeare explores this permeability of what it means to be good or evil. The play surround a young man named Hamlet who discovers that his father, the king of Denmark, has been murdered by Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius. Hamlet decides to exact revenge upon Claudius, creating a plan to incriminate and murder the king. While, many may view Hamlet as a protagonist or “good guy”, his actions tell a very different story. Based upon his interactions with those he cares about and his plot to kill Claudius, Hamlet’s character is …show more content…
Though the two of them genuinely care about Hamlet, their allegiances to certain Polonius and Claudius make him feel betrayed. Hamlet viciously attacks Ophelia saying, “If thou dost marry, I’ll give thee this plague for thy dowry. Be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow, thou shalt not escape calumny. Get thee to a nunnery, go. Farewell. Or, if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool, for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them. To a nunnery, go, and quickly too. Farewell.”(3.1.36-42) Hamlet states that even if Ophelia acts piously in her marriage she will “not escape calumny”, meaning her reputation will be tarnished. Within his tirade, he often demands that Ophelia go to a “nunnery”. This is an indication that Hamlet believes Ophelia is a sinner and must go to a convent to redeem herself. The barrage of insults is unwarranted from Hamlet; Ophelia obeying Polonius is to be expected considering he is her father. Hamlet exhibits the actions of morally flawed individual by verbally abusing someone who truly loves and cares about him. Hamlet even goes as far as to attack his own mother saying, “HAMLET ‘Now mother, what’s the matter?’ GERTRUDE ‘Hamlet, thou hast thy father much offended. HAMLET Mother, you have my father much offended.’ GERTRUDE ‘Come, come, you answer with an idle tongue.’ HAMLET ‘Go, go, you question with a wicked tongue. GERTRUDE Why, …show more content…
Hamlet displays that his decision to kill Claudius is not intrinsically tied to the ghost’s request by saying, “‘GHOST Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder.’ HAMLET ‘Murder?’ GHOST ‘Murder most foul, as in the best it is, But this most foul, strange, and unnatural.’ HAMLET ‘Haste me to know 't, that I, with wings as swift As meditation or the thoughts of love, May sweep to my revenge.’”(1.5.31-37) The ghost contradicts himself by condemning the murder of King Hamlet initially and then proceeding to ask Hamlet to murder Claudius. Furthermore, Hamlet seems very eager to kill Claudius saying “As meditation or the thoughts of love,May sweep to my revenge.”. Hamlets states that he wants to kill Claudius faster than lovers fall in love. Hamlet, an intellectually gifted individual, completely trusts this ghost despite there being no proof for it being his father except its image. Though he and Horatio are both intelligent, he is quick to believe the ghost is telling the truth;This could be because Hamlet wants to believe the ghost is his father, therefore giving him an excuse to kill Claudius. The desire to murder shows that Hamlet stoops to the same level of Claudius, in that he is committing the same sin. Furthermore, Hamlet never questions whether murdering Claudius is the right decision;Hamlet only questions why he cannot exact revenge. This sentiment is displayed in his soliloquy