Pessimistic View In Hamlet

Andrew Foley states in his article Heaven or Havoc that there are two perspectives to how the end of Hamlet can be viewed, one views the play as the play as working out of divine purpose, or justice finally being served as hamlet avenges his father. The other opinion that is typically brought up is a darker more pessimistic ending claiming that Hamlet is a true tragedy perspective in that everyone including innocent people die. Foleys essay is on that these two ideas of Hamlet are both wrong and that “Hamlet represents the blackest of all Shakespeare’s tragedies and expresses a vision of life that is unrelentingly bleak and pessimistic” (Foley 45). Foley farther believes that Hamlet suggests a world of chaos and of mere havoc. Throughout this essay Foley’s pessimistic view of the ending of Hamlet will be evaluated looking at how he views the play and Hamlet as a …show more content…
This is disputed by Foley as he argues Hamlet shows no change throughout the play, as before his return he is still pessimistic and does not see the point in life or death, farther he still shows rage and rash decisions that he made throughout the whole play (46), the main examples Foley uses as rash decisions or behaviors is the killing of Polonius and agreeing to the fencing match against a man who wanted him dead in Laertes, organized by Claudius who also wanted Hamlet dead. Foley brings Hamlets fear of death forward when the gravedigger shows him Yoricks skull in act 5 scene 1. Showing that “Hamlet continues instead to view life and death as sickening and pointless” (Foley 46), Foley farther states that Hamlets final words are incomplete and that as he is dying he is fearful. (Foley 46). This author refutes Foley’s perspective of Hamlets final words later in the