VLAD ȘTEFANIA-LARISA

Hamlet's duty between death and marriage

The duty that Hamlet faces throughout the play is an important narrative plan, from the
perspective of a double script. First of all, he is frustrated that his mother has married his uncle,
and secondly, the revenge of his father who was killed by Claudius. But which is stronger, the
death of his father or the infidelity of his mother? Why is Hamlet on the verge to kill Claudius,
because of a death or a marriage?
In addition to the duty of Hamlet, which is imposed by his father's ghost in Act 1 Scene
5. There is also a question mark over the predominant motive for influencing Hamlet to kill
Claudius. He was confronted with two scenarios during the play, one by his mother and the other
by his father. But it is not clear what made Hamlet kill his uncle, because the prince was often
hesitant in his mission, and this will be explained in the following paragraphs. It will also explain
the choices Hamlet had, his relationship with his father after his death and whether this revenge
was just a simple duty for Hamlet.
First of all, from the very beginning Hamlet, in Act 1, Scene 2, even though he is
disturbed by his mother's marriage, he puts his frustrations aside and continues to submit to her 'I
shall in all my best obey you madam' [Shakespeare, line 120]. He is already experiencing the
first prospect of duty, but finds himself avenging, only more disappointed. However, once in
scene 5 of the same act, the appearance of the ghost that gives Hamlet the second perspective of
his father which visibly ignites his desire for revenge and sums up his mission to take revenge on
Claudius. He marked this state with his words of farewell to his father 'So uncle, there you are.
Now to my word: / It is 'Adieu, adieu, remember me.' [Shakespare, 110-111] concluding the
second perspective of the story. By these two comparisons, it is quite visible that Hamlet has a
duty to kill Claudius in order to avenge his father. This is also stated in Hamlet's words after the
murder of his uncle, by which his connection with his father and his death is far more important
to him and his mission than the infidelity of his mother which provoked him during his
experience: 'That I, the son of the dear murdered / Prompted to revenge by heaven and hell
'[Shakespeare, 535-536]. Even if his father had a much greater effect on the prince, his mother's
gestures, which practically laid the foundations of this desire for revenge against Claudius,
should not be neglected either. Hamlet's duty was a clear one that he often avoided, but it is
noteworthy for his development as a character that in the end he managed to take revenge on his
own uncle.
Speaking of Hamlet's choices about his uncle. His hesitation in Act 3, Scene 1: 'Thus
Consciousness Does Make Cowards of Us All / And Thus the Native Hue of Resolution'
[Shakespeare, 83-84] proves a certain fear for Hamlet of killing his uncle, This decision may
have consequences that will completely change the life of the prince. What proves an evolution
of the character is the way in which his opinion gradually changes, and the fear diminishes
because the thought of his father presses Hamlet harder and harder. Afterwards, the prince in his
soliloquy begins to express his fearlessness and anger, in act 3, scene 2, which he has in himself,
due to the actions committed by his uncle: 'Let me be cruel, not unnatural; I will speak daggers to
her, but use none '[Shakespeare, 355-356]. Looking at the options he would have had, he would
not have put himself in the avenger's position or offered this duty to anyone else or left his uncle
in God's hands, just as he did. with his mother. But these things would not have reconciled
Hamlet, for the vengeance she had in him had become personal for too long, and the truth about
her father had made her unbearable. The evolution of the character Hamlet provides an
explanation of how anger and a desire for revenge can affect a person and why he is limited to
himself, without the intervention and help of anyone else.
Hamlet's relationship with his father, indirectly, can be found in various passages, but the
direct one is only exposed to the appearance of the ghost in act 1, scene 5. Hamlet's father ends
his presence with: 'Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye. Remember me. ' [Shakespeare, line 90], by
which Hamlet, mentally, is constrained by his thoughts by commemorating his father and
strengthening his feelings of hatred and frustration over his uncle. The revenge that Hamlet
desires becomes a duty to both himself and his father as he obeys his parents. It also shows that
Hamlet supports his father, and the relationship between the two is much stronger than the
prince's relationship with Gertude, because when it comes to his mother, Hamlet respects his
father's words: 'Against thy mother aught. Leave her to heaven' [Shakespeare, line 86] and
decides that his only concern is the murder of Claudius, the ghost killer.
The last question is whether this revenge of Hamlet was merely a duty that the prince
owed to his father. Fortinbras' final words from act 5, scene 2: 'Bear Hamlet like a soldier to the
stage / For he was likely, had he been put on / To have proved most royal' [Shakespare, 375-377]
which Hamlet completed. The prince is speechless in the end, but the prosperity he has shown
gives an impression of gain for all who took part in these actions. The death of Claudius and the
revenge of Hamlet's father represented a moral advance for all present in the play, living or dead.
The prince who showed loyalty completed his duty to all, especially to himself and to the ghost.
In the end, Hamlet's duty was not just a simple mission that he wanted to accomplish, but an
opening to change and a calm and successful bringing. Hamlet morally protected those he
wanted to do, most importantly, himself.
In conclusion, Hamlet's duty between death and marriage was an experience that gave
importance to the play as well as the development of the character. The prince followed his own
destiny and took revenge on those who supported him and removed the evil that was around him.
The way in which this duty was exposed, represented the apogee of the character Hamlet that
brought him to a change both as a man and as a soul.