Hamlet – Character Analysis

Hamlet is a tragic text written by William Shakespeare, belonging to the dramatic genre,
consisting of five acts. The incident is based on the attempts of Hamlet, prince of Denmark, to
discover the cause of his father's death, which will result in revenge. The action begins with the
death of King Hamlet, the father of the main character who bears his name and his appearance
as a ghost. He tells his son that he was killed by Claudius, the king's brother, by pouring poison
on his ear. The former king wants Hamlet to avenge his father, but in order to be able to resort
to this action, the young prince must prove himself that the ghost was right. After a play
depicting the death of his father, Claudius seems to be on the run and stops the play, hamlet
convincing himself that the ghost was right. He has several failed attempts to kill his uncle,
including the murder of Polonius, the father of his girlfriend, Ophelia. This killing caused
powerful conflicts, including sending Hamlet to England and then being killed, but the work
ends with the death of all but Horatio, who is asked by Hamlet to continue to tell their story.

Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, is the main and eponymous character of the opera. He
is presented as a young model, with a chosen education, an exemplary person, Ophelia, his
lover considering him intelligent, thrifty : ,, Oh, what a noble mind is here o'erthrown ! The
couture, scholar's, scholar's eye, tongue, sword, Th' expectation and rose of the fair state." (Act
3, Scene 1). On the other hand, this is at the beginning of the action deeply saddened by the
death of his father and crushed by a feeling of disappointment and sadness, because of the
marriage between his mother and uncle Claudius. He felt that the two did not pay a necessary
tribute, but his mother comforted him, telling him that life must go on.

The feeling of disappointment and hatred, however, is accentuated by the arrival of King
Hamlet's ghost. He tells him that he was killed by Claudius and tells his son to promise to kill
him. Hamlet is deeply affected by the words of that ghost, but because of his ability to analyze
the facts, to act thrifty, not violently, and to want to find out the truth, he is in no hurry to seek
revenge. Because of the strong thoughts that were diverting him, Hamlet manifested himself
differently with the others. For example, Claudius and Polonius believed that Hamlet was
dejected, even went mad because of his passionate love for Ophelia : ,,He is far gone. And truly,
in my youth, I suffered much extremity for love, very near this.”- Polonius. Hamlet's rejection of
Ophelia and his desire for solitude puzzled the new king who did not understand the reason for
this pressing sadness, but did not suspect the true cause of these feelings. His father's words,
however, brought him a powerful inner, existential conlict, using the famous quote "To be or
not to be". This dilemma has brought Hamlet a real debate about the meaning of life and how
he can go after a conflict with destiny. Hamlet even thinks about suicide, but the fear of death
and its effects accentuates his suffering: "The undiscovered country, from those who bourn/ No
traveller returns, puzzles the will, / And makes us rather bear those we have/ Than fly to others
that we know not of?" (Act 3, Scene 1).

The intelligence of the Hamlet character can also be demonstrated by his unique way of
proving the truth. During a play, Hamlet talks to the actors to perform a scene very similar to
the way his father died. This scene visibly affected Claudius, the alleged suspect, who got up
furiously and left the play. This was the ultimate proof for Hamlet to be able to take revenge, so
that he went after his uncle to kill him. But he surprised Claudius during the prayer, while
apologizing for his deed. Being rational and thrifty, Hamlet stopped and did not kill Claudius
during prayer, because he believed that if he killed him while apologizing for his actions,

Claudius would go to heaven. ,, Now might I do it pat, now he is praying/ And now I’ll do’t.And
so he goes to heaven”(Act 3, Scene 3).

In conclusion, Hamlet is a complex character, one of the most prominent in theatrical

literature. Despite his limited ability to make a quick decision, he is a role model, thanks to his
intelligence and thrift, a symbol character of Shakespeare's literature.