Monday, March 2, 2009
The Mind
"Frailty, thy name is woman." I absolutely love that line. Though I disagree with it, as it stands there, completely alone. The reason humans can be "frail" or strong is the mind. The essence of thought is what can make a person waver; thoughts can be the poison that slowly kill us. Hamlet had no intention of going mad. (Then again, who does?) Then again, it is almost like telling yourself a lie so much that you begin to believe that it is true! I truly do believe that Hamlet does go mad, because he is allowing his mind to corrupt every situation. A man of thought, his actions are consequently insane! Without the power of thought, we would be nothing. Civilization would not exist. I am not ridiculing the power of the mind, but I am asking if Shakespeare was aware of how fragile the mind could be. Under certain stress -the loss of a loved one, the desire for revenge, the images of ghosts appearing to you and only you- there are limitations that the mind can and cannot handle. Because the mind is so capable of brilliance, do we often overlook the fragile qualities? Action is a result of thinking, and, in Hamlet's case, hesitation is the result of over-thinking. Do we bring madness upon ourselves? Is this tragedy the idea of human psychology and the result of trauma being insanity, always? Do we not see Laertes go mad with the want of revenge? Polonius mad with a twisted jealousy? (In the sense that he could not fathom Hamlet taking Ophelia to his bed, because he was an overprotective father.) Do we see a hint of remorse in Gertrude at the end, when she can quite clearly hear the despair in Claudius' voice yet she still drinks the poisoned drink, and this remorse causes severe action of suicide? Is Ophelia not mad with anger and betrayal? Who in the play does not give into the weakness of their own mind?
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7 comments:
Totally agree.
All of the characters kind of start going mad (if in varying degress of madness): the distress of their own situation is what causes the insanity to manifest. Do you think that there's an underlying cause for it all? Just something broad that makes all of them go insane in their own way?
Is it the mind that serves to drive a person mad or their obsession with certain aspects of life? Of course the mind is what obsesses over things so they go hand in hand but is it Hamlet's mental weakness that is his downfall or his obsessive belief that Claudius murdered his father? Was it Palonius' persistent attempts at preserving his daughter's virginity that forced him off the deep end? I tend to think the mind chooses what to obsess over and those obsessions eventually serve as the vehicle that propel people to lunacy.
I completely take offense to the line "Frailty, thy name is woman." This line is only one of the many that Shakespeare uses to stab woman at. Your post discusses madness and what causes the breakout of insanity, but for me I wonder how to interpret "frailty, thy name is woman." Is Shakespeare further proving that women aren't as strong, good, and equal as men are? Is he saying that because Ophelia is a woman she can't handle the stress of her father's death and goes mad instead of taking revenge like Hamlet a real man?
I don't know but this play continuously reaps women for not being as strong as men and for being too frail...
Whoah, deep stuff here. Your line "Because the mind is so capable of brilliance, do we often overlook the fragile qualities?" is dead on! As for "I am asking if Shakespeare was aware of how fragile the mind could be," I say, of course! Look at what happened to the love-struck and pure Ophelia - she literally DID go insane, do the circumstances she was in. If Shakespeare was unaware of the fragility of our minds, why would he write a whole play seemingly dedicated to the idea?
Sir BlogMastah OwnZalot,
I am really sorry I don't know which classmate I am responding to. Thanks for the insight! I actually have to agree that it is obsession. Ophelia's madness revolves around the loss she suffers -something that she becomes obsessed with. Hamlet's feigned madness is his obsession with the desire to have revenge. Polonius' obsession is just as blatent. I hadn't thought about it though. Do our everyday situations cause us to become obsessed, or is it our agency to choose what we think about? That is a great aspect to think about! Thanks!
"Who in the play does not give into the weakness of their own mind?" My question in return then is who in the world does not give into SOME weakness of their own mind. Hamlet though he committed some atrocious acts that do seem those of an insane man was to the end a man of eloquent wit, quick body, and sharp mind. Who hasn't lashed out in anger and hurt someone close, or suffered tears at the agony of defeat or loss? But for the purpose of your essay you should work on finding a good passage? Do you feel the frailty thy name is woman really captures the essence of madness? Perhaps you could draw on the speech where Hamlet talks of how he sent Rosencrantz and Guldenstern to their deaths, as this seems the most insane of his actions and the most unexpected.
Kirk,
no, I don't think the passage where Hamlet says "frailty thy name is woman" is actually a good speech for my argument. I am looking at the scene where he is speaking of death, and the ability to think, which distinguishes human beings. I just really love the line that spurred the thought: what really is the most frail part of our society??? Anyways, thanks for your comment!
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