Hamlet, a renowned classic by William Shakespeare, is among his most dramatic plays, covering a broad range of topics from personal anxiety to state-level plots. However, some of the most profound discoveries of the human condition that Shakespeare makes in the play relate to the intimate experience of the main character, young Prince Hamlet, and his relationships with the people around him. The idea of understanding and willingness to discard long-standing and hurting grudges to revive good relationships with a close person penetrates the play’s plot. It manifests in Hamlet’s internal turmoil when dealing with his feelings and attitudes towards those close to him, including Ophelia, Laertes, Claudius, and his late father.
Some of the most prominent themes in the story are the ideas of mutual forgiveness, people’s motivation to be proactive and take risks, and their willingness to forgive and ask for forgiveness. This theme particularly resonates with me due to a difficult period in my mother’s relationship with her father. After nearly twenty years of being completely absent from each other’s life, her father suddenly gave her a call and invited her for lunch. Why would a person wait two decades to approach a close person like that? Shakespeare gives one possible answer in Act 3, Scene 1. When the young prince is instructed by his father’s ghost to avenge his death by killing Claudius, he finds himself lacking the inner strength to do the ghost’s bidding. He contemplates his condition by reflecting on a human’s motivation and ability to take responsibility for difficult decisions: “To be, or not to be, that is the question” (Shakespeare 3.1.57). Shortly after, Hamlet arrives at a profound conclusion, “Thus conscience does make cowards of us all” (Shakespeare 3.1.84). In other words, contemplations lead to indecisiveness, which causes procrastination.
Hamlet further reflects on how conscience is simultaneously a boon and a burden. He addresses his indecisiveness in whether to forgive and ask for forgiveness, describing his thoughts as “but one part wisdom / And ever three parts coward” (Shakespeare 4.4.43). For my mother’s father, it took many years to overpower the inner coward and to explain his absence from her life and his prior attitude towards her caused by PTSD from Vietnam. For her, it took just as much time and effort to show a bit of wisdom and forgive him. Hamlet, in turn, manages to reach the pinnacle of his moral development in the culmination of Act 5, Scene 2. He sincerely asks Laertes for forgiveness, “Let my disclaiming from a purposed evil / Free me so far in your most generous thoughts / That I have shot my arrow o’er the house / And hurt my brother” (Shakespeare 5.2.180– 183a). Nevertheless, only in the face of easily avoidable death does noble Laertes exclaim, “Exchange forgiveness with me, noble Hamlet” (Shakespeare 5.2.272). These words mark the satisfaction of Hamlet’s greatest trouble: finding inner peace through mutual forgiveness.
Hamlet’s character is one of Shakespeare’s most relatable, primarily thanks to his emotionality in discussing simple but profound topics that are present in almost everyone’s life. It is impossible to live a life without wronging someone at some point. Hamlet demonstrates that the most important thing is being ready to face one’s guilt, find the strength to ask for forgiveness, and, most importantly, forgive those who are genuinely repentant. My mother’s and her father’s shared cup of poison was lifelong anxiety and uncertainty. However, luckily, they managed to find an antidote through mutual understanding and absolution. The story of young and troubled Prince Hamlet’s emotional growth and development is a remarkable narrative supporting the importance of forgiveness in every person’s life.
Works Cited
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Edited by Philip Edwards, Cambridge University Press, 2003.