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Example research essay topic: Honest And Fair Feigning Madness - 1,344 words

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In William Shakespeare's, Hamlet, the protagonist exhibits a puzzling, duplicitous nature. Hamlet contradicts himself throughout the play as he attempts to deal with his internal conflicts. He endorses both the virtues of acting a role and that of being true to one's self. He supports both of these conflicting endorsements with his actions.

This ambiguity is demonstrated by his alleged madness, for he does behave madly, only to become perfectly calm and rational an instant later. These inconsistencies are related with the internal dilemmas he faces. He struggles with the issue of revenging his father's death, vowing to kill Claudius and then backing out, several times. Hamlet stammers through the play continually hesitating. The reason for this teetering is directly related to his inability to form a solid opinion about role he is playing. This difficulty is not present, however, at the start of the play.

In the first act, Hamlet appears to be very straightforward in his actions and internally. When questioned by Gertrude about his melancholy appearance, Hamlet says, "Seems, madam? Nay it is. I know not 'seems (Bald, 8). This is to say, "I am what I appear to be. " Later In Act I, Hamlet makes a clear statement about his mental state when he commits himself to avenge his fathers death. This statement in the play is the turning point.

This shift consists of Hamlet giving up the role of a student and a mourning son. Hamlet says, "I'll wipe away all trivial fond records, All saws of books, all forms, all pressures past, That youth and observation copied there, And thy commandment all alone shall live Within the book and volume of my brain (Bald, 23). Hamlet is declaring that he will be committed to nothing else but the revenge of his father's death. There is no confusion about Hamlet's character. He has said earlier that he is what he appears to be, and there is no reason to doubt it.

In the next act, however, Hamlet's mental state and intentions suddenly, and with out demonstrated reason, become mired in confusion. When Hamlet appears again in act two, it seems that he has lost the conviction that was present earlier. He has yet to take up the part assigned to him by the ghost claiming to be his father. He spends the majority of the act walking around, reading, and talking with Polonius, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and the players. It is not until the very end of the second act that he even mentions vengeance. If he had any of the conviction shown earlier he would have been working to gain his vengeance.

So, instead of playing the part of a vengeful son, or dropping the issue entirely, he hangs out in the middle, pretending to be insane. This is shown when he says to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, "I know not-lost all my mirth, forgone all custom of exercise (Bald, 38). Later he tells them that he is just feigning madness when he says, "I am but mad north-north-west, when the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw (Bald, 40). Admitting so blatantly that he is only feigning madness would imply that he is comfortable with it. This is evident when he says; "there is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so (Bald, 36). Hamlet is saying that behavior shapes reality.

It is puzzling that, at this point, Hamlet is comfortable with acting, but not with the role that he said he would play earlier. When the players come in a short while later his attitude changes. Hamlet is prompted to vengeance, again, by the moving speech that is given by one of the players. About this speech he says, "What is Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba, That he should weep for her? What would he do Had he motive and cue for passion That I have? (Bald, 45). In this praise of this players ability to act, Hamlet is saying that, if he were such an actor, he would have killed Claudius by now.

This link between vengeance and acting that is present here is what Hamlet struggles with until very near the end. He is then moved to swear that he should kill Claudius when he says, " I should have fatted all the region kites With this slave is off. Bloody, bawdy villain! O, vengeance! Why, what an ass am I? (Bald, 45). He makes this big buildup of what he should have done and how he will be revenged and he shoots it down in the next line.

This passage is the model of Hamlet's cognitive dissonance. After all of this swearing and support of the value of acting and words, he backs out of it again. He can't decide whether or not to play the role. Words are further condemned when he says, "Must, like a whore, unpack my hart with Words (Bald, 45).

So, he is now condemning role-playing. Being caught in the middle, he decides that he needs more proof of the Kings guilt when he says, "The play is the thing / Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King (Bald, 45). Before the mousetrap is to be played, Hamlet runs into Ophelia and makes some rather ignorant statements. Upon the issue of Ophelias beauty, Hamlet says, "That if you be honest and fair, your honesty should admit no discourse to your beauty (Bald, 49). He is saying that Ophelia can be honest and fair, but that, honesty being an inward trait, and fairness being an outward trait, cannot be linked. He goes on further to say that "Ay, truly, for the power of beauty will sooner transform honesty from what it is to a bawd that the force of honesty can translate beauty into his likeness (Bald, 49) So not only can the inner and outer self not be linked, but the exterior will transform one's inner self to match the exterior.

He says this just after denying that words and acting are important. By what he says here, he would be able to act the part and he wouldn't have a problem taking action. Then, he contradicts himself, yet again, when he says, "God hath given you one face, and you go make yourselves another (Bald, 50). He has just said that appearance is all and now chastises women for changing it. He is bouncing back and forth between supporting acting and denouncing it.

Whenever he is in support of acting, he is also ready for vengeance. When he swings back to support acting again he says, "It hath made me mad. I say we will have no more marriages. Those that are married already-all but one-shall live" (Bald, 50). The "one" Hamlet is referring to must be the King.

So, it returns to vengeance and acting going together. In the next scene, the conflicting action is similar, but less obvious. When Hamlet is advising the player on how his lines should be read he says, Suit the action to the word, the word to the action" (Bald, 51). If Hamlet would follow his own advice, he would not have a conflict.

This shows that he is not consistent within himself. Hamlet is saying that one should not distinguish between words and actions, but he does maintain this separation. Yet, when Hamlet speaks with Horatio he praises him for being objective, levelheaded, and for having a pure character. He is praising Horatio for being true to himself and not being an actor. Hamlet says, "Give me that man That is not passion's slave, and I will wear him In my heart's core, ay, in my heart of heart, As I do thee (Bald, 53). Hamlet is saying this because he wants Horatio to watch the King at the play.

He is unsure of his uncle's guilt, and he wants proof. He wants it from someone whom he thinks is honest throughout. It comes back to acting and vengeance or, in this case, he has failed in his vengeance and needs Horatio...


Free research essays on topics related to: father death, feigning madness, honest and fair, kill claudius, hamlet appears

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