Idealism in Hamlet
Idealism in Hamlet
In the Shakespearean play Hamlet, the character of Hamlet goes through a great ordeal. His father has been killed and to make matters worse it was by the hands of his uncle Claudius. On top of all this his mother, marries his uncle Claudius for unknown reasons. It is hard to imagine how one would deal with such a catastrophe. Hamlet however does so in a very unique fashion, instead of mourning his father like most would, he dreams about revenge and it becomes his whole life conquest. Hate and revenge fully consume him. Hamlet does not act on these feelings right away. He plans to do something but never does. Hamlet’s actions prove him to be very idealistic and non-impulsive by nature.
At the beginning of the play when Hamlet finds out about his father’s murder, he is angered and wants to take immediate action. Hamlet however seems to be all talk and no action. He goes through this big speech on revenge and how sweet it will be. “O cursed spite, That ever I was born to set it right"”(Act I,sc iv, ll, 184-185). He does not take action until he is perfectly sure of the crime and when his own life is in danger. This shows Hamlet’s non impulsiveness or cowardliness to the situation. He probably was not a coward because he obviously does not care about his life which he mentions throughout the play, he was just waiting for the right plan and the right time.
Throughout the play Hamlet has many chances to kill Claudius but does not. He makes the excuses as to why he should not. This happens when Claudius is praying. Hamlet assumes that he is praying for forgiveness when in fact Claudius really is trying to but can not “Now might I do it pat, now he is praying; and now I’ll do’t. and so he goes to heaven;” (Act II,sc iii, ll, 67-68). If Hamlet had stuck around to see what Claudius was realy doing he could have killed him right then and there. Hamlet decides that killing him after he repents is not true revenge. Instead he will wait until he can catch Claudius in a sinful act and then take his life while his soul is...