Sunday, March 1, 2009
Inability to take action...
The action that we expect Hamlet to take is continually postponed while he tries to find other ways of doing what he wants to do, or even a better way. For example, when he is going to kill Claudius as he is in the confessional, Hamlet realizes that although he has Claudius in the palm of his hands right now, there is a yet a better way to kill him. He says that he would rather kill him when he is in the middle of his sins rather than in the middle of repenting them so that he will go down the same path King Hamlet did when his life was unexpectedly taken away. Everything must be right for Hamlet to take action and he takes everything in consideration. However, the fact that he analyzes everything about taking action causes him to never take action the way he planned and be forced to do it in a rash manner. Is it better to think things through or act on impulse? Acting on impulse allows you to get things done that you may not otherwise have the courage to do. However when one acts on impulse, the reprecussions are not always realized, and therefore it may not always be the best way to go about accomplishing things. When you think things out as Hamlet does, you can get the best outcome from your actions.
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4 comments:
Alei,
Your prior familiarity with the play is evident in this post (which shows a greater sensitivity to the subtle nuances of meaning than most--good!). I think that you are wise to focus on Hamlet's inaction, and his speech while contemplating stabbing Claudius at prayer could provide a very appropriate passage to analyze in your upcoming essay!
It is a good thought to bring up his inaction in the confession booth. What does this suggest about his character. Maybe you could use that to prove a general point
Your last line "when you think things out as Hamlet does, you can get the best outcome from your actions" I find extremely ironic. The hesitation and delay of Hamlet's actions, even though he was thinking them through, led to the worst of the worst at the end of the tragedy. You were correct in saying "he analyzes eerything about taking action causes him to never take action the way he planned" and this supports the irony of your last line. Of course, in some situations taking time to think things through will be benefit the actions of the person but through out the play do you think it would have been better if Hamlet had simply been hasty and decisive with his actions?
Wow so you're getting a lot of commments! Also, maybe you could compare Hamlet's hesitation and somewhat indecisiveness with Fortinbras' blatant and firm decisive manner. At the end, when Fortinbras comes in and claims the throne, there is no hint of delay or consideration, just action. It might be interesting to compare the "consequences" that both Hamlet and Fortinbras face as a result of their contrasting manners.
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