This past week in class we discussed Hamlet’s possible insanity and his thoughts of suicide. The majority of the class seemed to believe that Hamlet is somewhat crazy, but I think his actions are an outcome from stress and anxiety. Over the course of only a few days, Hamlet lost his father, discovered his uncle was the killer, and was betrayed by his mother. On top of that, Hamlet believes the woman he loves, Ophelia, does not have to same feelings for him. It takes a very strong person to be able to remain stable when all of this stress is piled onto their lives. It does not surprise me that Hamlet questions whether he wants to live or not, and I think that if Hamlet is too depressed to live, it is okay for him to take his own life.
When Hamlet sees his father as a ghost, he is told to kill his uncle to avenge his father’s death. At this point Hamlet himself could be questioning his sanity, but despite a possible sense that the ghost may not truly be his father, Hamlet feels he has an obligation to avenge his father’s death. The thought of murdering someone I feel has shaken Hamlet. He does not seem like a violent man, and when Hamlet has an opportunity to kill his uncle, he stops because he thinks that if he kills his uncle while his uncle is praying, his uncle could go to heaven. In class, some people suggested that he was just a coward, but I think he wants to make sure that if he kills his uncle, it is done at the right time and is the right thing to do. Murdering his uncle may be too difficult of a task for Hamlet to fulfill. He may not have the strength to murder a man, and the responsibility he feels toward his father may be too much for him to bear. At this point, I feel that Hamlet feels too weak to live, but after Hamlet discovers Ophelia has killed herself, he seems to realize the finality of death, and steers somewhat away from the thought of taking his own life.
Overall, I do not think that Hamlet is crazy, and I think his thoughts of suicide are justified. Even though Hamlet questions whether his life is worth living, and he seems to be ready to give up, I think that he is too scared to kill himself. Once Ophelia is dead, he seems to realize there is more to live for, and life shouldn’t end so suddenly. I believe this will keep Hamlet from killing himself, and he will become a stronger man.
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3 comments:
First off, I have to give you props for picking a more controversial blog to write. I think you did an excellent job at working through Hamlet's views on suicide, insanity, and murder. I don't agree that it would be okay for Hamlet to take his own life, but then again, that is the kind of discussion you raise with a controversial idea. Interesting blog.
Karen,
You chose a very interesting topic to write about, and you dealt with it well. I definitely agree that it is very hard to judge Hamlet in his current situation considering all of the horrible things that have befell him recently. I'm not so sure if it justifies suicide, but I certainly think that Shakespeare has put Hamlet in a lose-lose situation in which no form of action is much better than another. Congratulations on a thought-provoking blog!
KJ--I second the comments you've received already. You always take seriously whatever topic you decide to address in your blog, and choosing to follow up our in-class conversation on suicide with a post on the relationship between Hamlet's perhaps false insanity and his perhaps real suicidal tendencies was a bold and good choice.
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