Free Sample Essays > Shakespeare
How well do you feel the character of Hamlet suits the stereotype of a protagonist in a revenge play
find this very intriguing and would look forward to how he plans to use this form of masking to eventually avenge the death of his father. An audience of that era would believe that because of the ghost link, Hamlet is not choosing to act in this manner; he is being controlled to act in that manner.
The idea of a significant character feigning madness is not a rare thing within some of the great literary works; it’s surprising to know that many authors in fact use it to prove the opposite of its intention, its used to prove ones innocence. In Homer’s The Iliad, Odysseus feigns his sanity by pretending to be mad, if this had been successful then he would have stayed safe away from the danger of war.
Hamlet warns his friends that it is possible he may start to pretend to be mad; he will put on an antic disposition to help him carry out the Ghost’s instructions. The behavior of Hamlet that’s described by Ophelia in Act2 Scene 1 sounds very much like play-acting. It seems that Hamlet is trying to convince Ophelia that he is a harmless madman, this will make it far easier for him to carry out his instructions (from the Ghost); this is a natural characteristic for all revenge heroes. In Act 4 Scene 5, Ophelia’s madness is portrayed as ‘pretty’ nonsense but yet is presented as charming or disturbing. This allows the audience to get a bearing on Hamlet’s madness by comparing it to Ophelia’s. Ophelia was badly treated by her lover and now parted from her father’s protection, a lack of maturity and ability to cope with her losses; she can only cause pain on herself and eventually lose control of her mind. The difference between Hamlet’s madness compared to Opheliea’s is that Ophelia’s is brought on by two existing figures, where as Hamlet’s is brought on by an alleged paranormal figure. The audience of the time would feel sympathetic for Ophelia, but split in two ways by Hamlet’s madness because of the link with the ghost whom further links forward to demonic possession, but also the possible sympathy evoked for him because his madness may come because of pure grief over his father’s death.
The critic Maynard Mack believes that in the final act of the play, Hamlet is a different character. A change of clothes would indicate he is no longer wearing the costume of his antic disposition, more importantly though, Hamlet displays a significant change in mood. Mack believes Hamlet was too fast to take on the weight of the world’s problems upon himself, Hamlet sought to play God. Hamlet decides Claudius’s salvation, whether to save him from a more damnable occasion. I agree with Mack in the sense that in the final act, Hamlet is a new character; but I feel this is down to Hamlet finally knowing what his actions shall be and also knowing that these actions will most likely result in his inevitable formidable death:
"Let Hercules [next page]