Saturday, November 18, 2017

Hamlet Looking In

One thing that I was continuously impressed with in Hamlet is how introspective Hamlet is. If you think about the time period, and Hamlet's position, you wouldn't necessarily expect a character like that to be so open about his thoughts and emotions. From the very beginning, Hamlet speaks honestly about the grief he feels, end is able to easily identify it in himself and express it to others. He is equally as insightful into the resulting depression, and he expresses all of this despite maintaining a position that may have been seen as requiring a certain amount of stoicism.

I think that Hamlet's knowledge and expression of his emotions makes Hamlet distinct in that it offers a portrayal of a human experience from a very intimate perspective. Not only is this important today, but at the time Hamlet was written it may have been pioneering.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Although I don't think that Hamlet is always expressive of his feelings to others, I absolutely agree that he is very introspective, which I think is his tragic flaw. Hamlet is a man on a mission, but his overthinking stops him from action. To be honest, I am also guilty of overthinking sometimes (second-guessing myself in tests, etc.), so I kind of feel for Hamlet.

In addition to being introspective, I also think that Hamlet is not able to carry on his revenge quickly because of his intellectual power. At times, he becomes too philosophical ("to be or not to be") and compares himself to others like the actor and Fortinbras's army.

I think simplifying our thoughts is very useful at times.