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Hamlet Self Consciousness and Its Significance Paper

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Mason Holgate

Prof. Lavinia

Literature 302

6/9/2020

Hamlet’s Self-consciousness and its Significance

Introduction

Hamlet is considered one of the best plays by Shakespeare. It is also the longest of his works

telling the tale of Prince Hamlet's, the protagonist, quest to avenge his father's murder by Claudius.

Claudius murders his brother King Hamlet and succeeds as the King of Denmark after marrying

the late king's widow Gertrude, Hamlet's mother. The play has many signature Shakespeare styles

like a play within a play, but it differs from other Shakespeare's play through the creation of a

powerful character of Hamlet (Cohen). Shakespeare moves away from Aristotle's belief that drama

should emphasize on action rather than the characters. Negating this notion, Shakespeare creates

a character whom the audience learns more about not from the actions in the play but from his

soliloquies (Cohen). The self-conscious representation of Hamlet in the play underscores the

importance of self-reflection and conscious thought in the human life while also acknowledging

the complexity of human experiences that make perfect and faultless decisions and actions almost

impossible.

Hamlet’s Representation and its Significance

Many scholars have recognized Hamlet as the most self-conscious ever created.

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This is true in many rights because his character is significant in advancing the Shakespeare's

masterpiece. Hamlet, who has a habit of thinking over various matters perhaps too much and

similarly delays many of his actions, delays the end of the play giving Shakespeare room to

develop both the plot and Characters. This purpose is achieved and goes hand in hand with the

intention to highlight the importance of self-consciousness in guiding people in making decisions

(Belsey). Hamlet asks, "What is a human being if he just eats and sleeps?” and goes on to reason

that “God didn’t create us with such a huge power of thought and a divine capacity for reason in

order for us not to use them” (Shakespeare 4.4.35). Hamlet, however, seems to recognize that

thinking too much and his procrastination tendencies do not always reflect wisdom but some aspect

of cowardice and fear. "…thinking thoughts are one part wisdom, three parts cowardice"

(Shakespeare 4.4.40).

Hamlet’s insistence on first proving beyond reasonable doubt that indeed his uncle Claudius was

responsible for his father’s death is the epitome of his self-conscious nature. The ghost of his late

father appears to him and tells Hamlet that Claudius had killed him to take the throne for himself.

“Upon my secure hour thy uncle stole / With juice of cursed hebenon in a vial, / And in the porches

of my ears did pour” (Shakespeare 1.5.65). The ghost of his father makes Hamlet promise to

avenge him, which Hamlet does before it disappears.

However, the ever contemplative Hamlet cannot simply accept this piece of troubling news. He

often wonders how real the encounter with his father's ghost was, and how reliable was this

information, how sure was his father about the events surrounding his death? Hamlet is also faced

with the dilemma of believing facts about the incident that had no other witnesses. In his thoughts,

Hamlet decides not to do anything until he is sure that Claudius really did murder his father, but

further faces the problem of how to determine this.

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Surname 1 Mason Holgate Prof. Lavinia Literature 302 6/9/2020 Hamlet’s Self-consciousness and its Significance Introduction Hamlet is considered one of the best plays by Shakespeare. It is also the longest of his works telling the tale of Prince Hamlet's, the protagonist, quest to avenge his father's murder by Claudius. Claudius murders his brother King Hamlet and succeeds as the King of Denmark after marrying the late king's widow Gertrude, Hamlet's mother. The play has many signature Shakespeare styles like a play within a play, but it differs from other Shakespeare's play through the creation of a powerful character of Hamlet (Cohen). Shakespeare moves away from Aristotle's belief that drama should emphasize on action rather than the characters. Negating this notion, Shakespeare creates a character whom the audience learns more about not from the actions in the play but from his soliloquies (Cohen). The self-conscious representation of Hamlet in the play underscores the importance of self-reflection and conscious thought in the human life while also acknowledging the complexity of human experiences that make perfect and faultless decisions and actions almost impossible. Hamlet’s Representation and its Significance Many scholars have recognized Hamlet as the most self-conscious ever created. Surname 2 This is true in many rights because his character is significant in advancing the Shakespeare's masterpiece. Hamlet, who has a habit of thinking over various matters per ...
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