Melancholic Hamlet Essay -- Essays on Shakespeare Hamlet

Melancholic Hamlet  Ã‚   Hamlet is a melancholic young man who does not value human life; however, he will do anything it takes to accomplish his main goal: revenge on Claudius for the death of his father. In his seven soliloquies we learn that Hamlet has become melancholic, violent, and suicidal. There are several incidences where these emotions are expressed. His melancholic attitude is very apparent in the second scene of Act I, when he suggests that his mother, in mourning his fathers death, is simply acting the part of a grief stricken widow, while he is a truly heart broken son. Another example from his first soliloquy of his melancholic state occurs when he discovers the rapid marriage of his mother and his uncle, where he finds himself both sad and mad at the fact that his mother could move on so quickly. Hamlet’s violent attitude can be blamed on the fact that his father was murdered and he wants revenge. An example of his violent attitude is in his sixth soliloquy where he sees the king pray ing in the church. Hamlet feels as though he should just kill him in that same instance, but then decides not to. Another instance of his violent behavior is when he sends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to their deaths and feels no remorse in doing so. Hamlet’s suicidal state can be accounted for because he is a confused young man. Throughout the play his father had been murdered, his mother almost instantly re-married, he himself had gone mad, and thus he is confused because he has so many negative feelings towards himself and the easiest way out is suicide. Another example occurs in his forth soliloquy when he reasons whether suicide would be the better and quicker solution. All of Hamlet’s emotions cause him to have a clo... ... not commit suicide because he realizes that it would be best to accomplish his goal and kill the king so he could avenge his fathers death. Hamlet is a melancholic, violent, and suicidal character, as a result of the events that have occurred in his life. Such events as the murder of his father, the quick marriage of his mother, and the ghost’s insistence on revenge caused Hamlet to have these emotions. The murder of his father caused Hamlet’s melancholic and violent state. The quick marriage caused more violence and confusion in his life. The ghost’s insistence on revenge caused more violent behavior. As a result of all the events that occurred Hamlet became extremely suicidal because he was confused with how he should solve his problem. Everyday people are faced with similar situations and it helps us to relate to the same pain that Hamlet felt.