There has been a variety of moving and inspiring characters throughout literature, whether these characters are found in books and plays. The character Hamlet from The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, may not be the most moving and inspiring character, but he is possibly the most complex in English literature. Hamlet is depicted as being so complex because of his mind. While other characters were more prone to action,Hamlet was more intellectual in the sense that he was very active in his thoughts. He is also seen as being one of the most complex characters because he makes decisions but cannot keep with them. By examining Hamlet’s state of mind, one can understand the unfolding of the plot and the ultimate ending that makes Hamlet
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One way we can tell Hamlet’s mental state is complex is his love for Ophelia. At one point, Hamlet loved Ophelia and it was expected that the two would marry . Then in Act three Hamlet says,“Or, if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool, for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them”(3,1,139). When Hamlet says this he is upset, he is projecting because of his negative feelings towards his mother because of her marriage to his uncle two months after his dads murder. Hamlet is trying to protect Ophelia when he says this because he is telling her he does not want her to turn out like his mother, as he believes all women are awful and will be unfaithful. He said to marry a fool so they would not know when they are being deceived. He is convinced all women are manipulative and therefore believes that Ophelia cannot help but have this happen to her, hardly acknowledging her at all after this scene.This shows his complexity because it details his mental state. In the beginning he loved Ophelia, then he drove her to her breaking point, making her mad enough to commit suicide by drowning herself. After she kills herself, he is suddenly overcome with love for her, demonstrating the roller coaster that is Hamlet’s thought process. He is complicated and insane, making it impossible to make any concise …show more content…
In the play, both Fortinbras and Laertes were in the position of being the son whose father was killed, however they were not remembered as being complex characters because they were men of action. When both of the men learned of their fathers’ being killed, they quickly made a plan to carry out revenge. However, Hamlet’s intellectual side could not allow him to take revenge upon Claudius for his father’s death because Hamlet over-analyzes everything he does. He had the opportunities to kill Claudius, however he would not do it. He questioned if the ghost was really coming there as his father or if the ghost was from hell and was going to put Hamlet in eternal damnation if he killed his uncle. So Hamlet analyzed the details until he talked to the ghost of his father again to be sure he was really supposed to be killing Claudius. This decisiveness makes Hamlet complex and unable to make any concise decisions which will result in Hamlet’s
One way we can tell Hamlet’s mental state is complex is his love for Ophelia. At one point, Hamlet loved Ophelia and it was expected that the two would marry . Then in Act three Hamlet says,“Or, if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool, for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them”(3,1,139). When Hamlet says this he is upset, he is projecting because of his negative feelings towards his mother because of her marriage to his uncle two months after his dads murder. Hamlet is trying to protect Ophelia when he says this because he is telling her he does not want her to turn out like his mother, as he believes all women are awful and will be unfaithful. He said to marry a fool so they would not know when they are being deceived. He is convinced all women are manipulative and therefore believes that Ophelia cannot help but have this happen to her, hardly acknowledging her at all after this scene.This shows his complexity because it details his mental state. In the beginning he loved Ophelia, then he drove her to her breaking point, making her mad enough to commit suicide by drowning herself. After she kills herself, he is suddenly overcome with love for her, demonstrating the roller coaster that is Hamlet’s thought process. He is complicated and insane, making it impossible to make any concise …show more content…
In the play, both Fortinbras and Laertes were in the position of being the son whose father was killed, however they were not remembered as being complex characters because they were men of action. When both of the men learned of their fathers’ being killed, they quickly made a plan to carry out revenge. However, Hamlet’s intellectual side could not allow him to take revenge upon Claudius for his father’s death because Hamlet over-analyzes everything he does. He had the opportunities to kill Claudius, however he would not do it. He questioned if the ghost was really coming there as his father or if the ghost was from hell and was going to put Hamlet in eternal damnation if he killed his uncle. So Hamlet analyzed the details until he talked to the ghost of his father again to be sure he was really supposed to be killing Claudius. This decisiveness makes Hamlet complex and unable to make any concise decisions which will result in Hamlet’s