Hamlet's Doubt Essay

Hamlets Doubt: Helpful or Harmful?

The revenge theory is a theme used in many Elizabethan plays. Some would even say its a hackneyed theme since it seems to call for the same characters: the ghost who wants revenge, the hero who disguises himself to fulfill the ghosts wishes, a fragile female, and so on. The end of all revenge plays also have the hero die in his attempt to seek revenge. But Shakespeares Hamlet transcends the archetypal guideline. Hamlet is and will always remain a unique revenge story because the protagonist has an internal struggle with an emotion that most revenge heroes dont: uncertainty. Hamlets, the hero in Hamlet, doubt revolves around the authenticity of the ghost of his late father, his uncles part in his fathers death, and his mothers knowledge of his uncles wrongdoing.

Not to be perceived as a result of being too effete or delicate, Hamlets doubt is a result of a more noble and philosophical mind (Jorgensen 48) than the typical militant hero. He even speaks of the struggle between his mind and his duty when he tells Laertes to Give me that man/That is not passions slave (3.2.68-69). Hamlets dilemmas start towards the end of Act 1, when the ghost of Hamlets father comes to tell Hamlet to Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder(1.5.26). Hamlet asks who he is supposed to seek revenge upon, and the Ghost tells him The serpent that did sting thy fathers life/Now wears his crown (1.5.40-41). As Hamlet immediately realizes that the murderer cannot be anyone other than his uncle Claudius, the Ghost recalls his brothers method, revealing that Upon my secure hour thy uncle stole,/With juice of cursd hebona in a vial,/And in the porches of my ear did pour (1.5.62-64). The Ghost also warns Hamlet not to hurt his mother Gertrude, to Leave her to heaven (1.5.87). Although Hamlet quickly promises that hell wipe away all trivial fond records (1.5.100) and set his sights on killing Claudius, his better judgment leads him to wonder whether the Ghost is real or if he is the devil taking the shape of his late father. The way the Ghost tells Hamlet to avenge his death is questionable; he almost makes it seem as if it is very simple to do (since Hamlet is his fathers son) and shouldnt cause mental strain (Edwards 67). To not try and comfort him and understand that the task may be hard could be an indication that the Ghost was indeed an evil spirit. He also comes right after Hamlet kills Polonius to whet thy almost blunted purpose (3.4.115), which might be another implication of his treacherous nature. His uncertainty also has something to do with the Elizabethan belief that it is very dangerous to communicate with the spiritual world (Edwards 70). However, the key factor that helps to reject the demon theory is the fact that he doesnt want Hamlet to kill Gertrude; it shows that the Ghosts wishes indicate not the pursuit of personal satisfaction (Edwards 67) but instead true justice as he sees fit in his eyes.

Although Hamlets doubt is at first justified, it soon becomes obvious that the Ghost is truly his late father. Hamlet gives Claudius the benefit of the doubt because it does not seem normal that a man would kill his own brother. Also, Claudius has a passive and peacekeeping nature, which brings excessive softness (Jorgensen 51) to Denmark. He is such a pacifist that he doesnt even want to start war with young Fortinbras (who wants Claudius to return the lands Hamlets father took away from Fortinbras); instead, he writes a letter to the King of Norway to try and settle the dispute. Yet everything seems to fit perfectly; Claudius married his late brothers wife Gertrude in a matter of months, he becomes the king of Denmark, and doesnt ever seem to lament over his brothers death. Additionally, Claudius actually mocks Hamlet as he grieves over his fathers death, telling him to cast they knighted color(1.2.68) and that to persever/In obstinate condolement is a course/Of impious stubbornness. Tis unmanly grief. (1.2.92-94). Still, Hamlet doesnt have solid proof, so despite the chances he had to kill Claudius, he decides not to commit regicide until hes sure. Although Hamlet finally succeeds in making Claudius show guilt through his play The Mousetrap, he still has doubts about one more person: his mother. Gertrude marries Claudius so quickly that Hamlet jokes that The funeral baked meats/Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables.(1.2.180-181). The Ghost calls Gertrude his most seeming-virtuous queen(1.5.47) and rants about how she downgraded from marrying a man of honor to a coward. Thus, it wouldnt take much common sense to think that Gertrude knew very well about Claudius plan, or even more, had a part in the plan. His qualms cause him to be sardonic towards his mother and to have a sour outlook on women in general, saying that frailty, they name is woman! (1.2.146) in his first soliloquy. Hamlets rude behavior may also be partly because of obsession with his mothers life, from her innocent and ignorant attitude to her incestuous sex life with Claudius. Hamlet finally discovers Gertrudes true innocence (in respects to his fathers death) in Act 3 Scene 4, when she is very shocked and disturbed by all of Hamlets accusations of her having a part in the late Kings death, and decides that she will defend Hamlet and says that the reason why he kills Polonius is because hes insane.

Why does Hamlet experience such excessive doubt? Why does he have such a contemplative and intellectual mindset? The best explanation is his Christianity, which is a huge contrast to the normally pagan hero. From the beginning of the play, when Hamlet wants to commit suicide because of his misfortunes, he refrains from suicide because Christianity teaches him that it is a grave sin, and he wishes that the Everlasting had not fixd/His canon gainst self-slaughter (1.2.131-132). On the other hand, most protagonists in Shakespeares stories usually opt to kill themselves if it means to die with their honor intact. One main scene that blatantly displays his spirituality is when Hamlet finds Claudius trying to pray for forgiveness. Although the reader knows that Claudius isnt truly praying, Hamlet believes it so and chooses not to kill him because he doesnt want the Lord to grant him forgiveness, which is what happens if someone dies while repenting. Ironically, Hamlet in turn prevents killings that occur later from being avoided because of his Christianity. On the whole, Hamlet believes in everlasting life and retribution for sins, so he knows that if he has to think his actions and its consequences through because he could suffer in his after life for them (Cantor 119).

Hamlets doubt does much more than question the veracity of the Ghost, and the innocence of Claudius and Gertrude. His reluctance to act also shows his lack of understanding about what he is truly fighting for. Hamlets father knew why he is fighting Fortinbras Sr.: to get Fortinbras properties. Claudius knew why he kills Hamlets father: to become the King of Denmark and to get Gertrude. However, Hamlet doesnt really know why hes going to kill Claudius and what good will come out of his deeds. He is one of the few heroes who see the bigger picture and not the simple cause-and-effect view that is shared by many other protagonists. Its this display of intelligence and morality that makes Hamlet a story that has remained a classic for more than three centuries.