Hamlet’s Contradicting Traits Essay

William Shakespe atomic number 18 created many a(prenominal) complex characters in his play Hamlet. One of these complex characters being the protagonist, Prince Hamlet. Hamlet has many contradictory traits, ii of them being that Hamlet some sequences thinks sagaciously, and that being overcome by the command left-hand(a) hand by the suggestion of his belligerent fuss, King Hamlet, he tends to make ir keen-witted decisions. When Hamlet is first introduced to the mites commands in scene one, act 5, they begin to consume him with thoughts of vengeance, to murder Claudius, his fathers murderer. end-to-end the play, Hamlet acts in such a way to provide evidence supporting both traits. Conflicted by these two opposing traits, Prince Hamlet has a war of two spirits in his take care, deciding which billet is right. During the length of the play, Hamlet frequently argues with himself. Many of his soliloquies are debates between Hamlet and the warring side of his mind that believes he should listen to the vengeful plan of his fathers ghost. At the beginning of the play, Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, is a rational scholar from Wittenberg.When he returns from Wittenberg, his mother, Queen Gertrude confronts him concerning his melancholy. He replies Seems, madam? Nay it is. I k at one cartridge clip non seems (1. 2. 76) He is very straightforward with her and speaks in a sensible and rational manner. This conversation happened before Hamlet encountered the ghost therefor the militant and vengeful spirit has non yet influenced him.When Hamlet is preparing to rig the play to second a reaction from Claudius to prove he is guilty of murdering his father, he is thinking rationally. Ill have these players/ solve something like the murder of my father/Before mine uncle Ill observe his looks /Ill tent him to the strong if he but blench, /I know my course. (2. 2. 601-605) it takes and intelligent, sensible, and rational person to develop such a skillful and functi oning plan, therefor proving Hamlet is able to think rationally. Once Hamlet has met and been influenced to his fathers ghost, he becomes consumed with the thought of avenging his father. Hamlet is not a violent person therefor the thought of murdering Claudius causes a litter of internal conflict for Hamlet.As Hamlet and Laertes fight in Ophelias grave, Hamlet says to Laertes For, though I am not splenitive and rash, /Yet have I something in me suicidal, /Which let thy wiseness fear (5. 1. 265-267). This summons proves that Hamlet is informed that though he is not generally a violent person, he now possesses something dangerous in him due to his dead fathers command. Later, Hamlet claims to Laertes that he is mad. Roughly awake, I here proclaim was madness. / Who does it, then? His madness ift be so, /Hamlet is of the faction that is wrongd /His madness is poor Hamlets enemy (5. . 224-233) according to Hamlet it was not him who killed Polonius it was his madness. Again, Hamlet is aware that avenging his father has driven him to be something he is not, and to do irrational things such as murdering Polonius. Hamlet had stabbed Polonius done a curtain simply because there was a slight chance it would have been Claudius hiding. Before checking, he quickly stabbed Polonius, this is completely irrational and risky on Hamlets part. This dramatic turn of events caused nix repercussions towards Hamlet.By killing Polonius, Hamlet pushed Laertes to decide to strike back his own father and in the end, he murders Hamlet. The overpower urge to avenge his father caused Hamlet to act without thinking, putting Hamlet in a dangerous situation. Due to Hamlets strongly contradicting traits, he frequently argues with himself, usually in his soliloquies. Hamlets soliloquy To be or not to be is a literal debate between scholarly, rational Hamlet and Prince Hamlet as the soldier-son, seeking revenge for his pugnacious father.In this soliloquy, Hamlet questions his motives an d morals. To be, or not to be that is the question/Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer/The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, /Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, /And by opposing end them? (3. 1. 56-60) he is debating with himself on whether or not it is price it to avenge his father. This way of making a decision is a rational and logical thought process in which Hamlet is evaluating all of his options and their repercussions. However, had Hamlet not had irrational thoughts to begin with, he would not have to go through with this process.Eventually Hamlets irrational urge to avenge his father consumes him. Most of his ground has vanished and all of his thoughts concern revenge, or are not fully thought through. In his My thoughts be all-fired soliloquy, the irrational part of Hamlets divided soul is convincing him that if he does not avenge his father essentially he has no purpose What is a man,/If his chief good and market of his time /Be but to sleep and fee d? a beast, no more (4. 4. 36-38) Hamlet says if he has no purpose, he is nothing. At the end of the soliloquy Hamlet decides My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth (4. 4. 68) this is him saying that if his thoughts are not concerning violent actions towards Claudius, they are worthless. These thoughts are completely irrational, and the benefits and downfalls of this decision have not been taken into consideration. Later when Hamlet is asked whether he would prefer to battle Laertes now, or give himself some time to prepare, he quickly responds that he will fight him now, leading to Hamlets death. Again, Hamlet has irrationally made a decision without considering each side of the argument.The command left by the ghost of his father has completely overcome his mind leaving him not thinking logically or rationally as he was at the beginning of the play. Hamlet is an irrational rationalist. Before the ghost confronts him, Hamlet is a rational scholar from Wittenberg, however afterw ards, the ghosts vengeful thoughts consumes him, giving Hamlet an irrational and violent mindset. During the play, these two combative traits are warring in his mind, and expressed through soliloquies. Many of Hamlets soliloquies are debates between these two opposing traits.Eventually, the vengeful thoughts consume Hamlet and he becomes highly irrational. He does not plan or think anything through as he did at the beginning of the play. Hamlets irrationality is potentially the cause of his madness, and death. Had Hamlet not been so irrational whilst making decisions and allowing the vengeful thoughts left by his father to consume him, Claudius would not be seeking to murder him. Though Hamlet is genuinely a rationalist, his need to avenge his fathers death consumes him, causing him to make irrational and nonrational decisions.