The play, Hamlet and the Prince of Denmark, can be described as a witty tragedy characterized by extreme indecisiveness devoid of sympathy. Hamlet is a mysterious person, seen as a strange and dramatic character in the play. He is an unsympathetic wavering individual whose indecisiveness leads to his death. At the outset, we see him as a college student who halts his education to mourn his father. His father’s death makes him outrageous to the point that he sees no value in friends or family members. Hamlet’s unsympathetic wavering character and lack of strong values cloud his judgment and elicits self-destructive vengeance for his father’s demise.
His weaker beliefs and the associated doubt made him vulnerable to indecision. For example, Hamlet believed that his mother was loyal to his father and to the kingdom, but he felt unhappy with how events unfolded when grieving. According to Puchner et al. (2018), the act of his mother remarrying within a month of her husband’s death filled him with fury. His bitterness intensified when his father’s ghost appeared to Hamlet in a dream and revealed a secret about a serpent that stung his life. Hamlet believed that the traitor was his uncle, who had inherited the queen and the king’s throne. Thereafter, Prince Hamlet’s character and behavior changed drastically in the play.
His resolve to avenge his father also illustrates a lack of strong values and beliefs. Unable to control the bitterness of his father’s demise, Hamlet stayed around the palace longer than expected, looking pale, carelessly dressed, and with unkempt hair. Without proof, he believed that Claudius (his uncle) planned the king’s death to take the throne, blocking him as the heir apparent. Faced with these rumors, he hesitated in avenging his father by first seeking to prove him guilty before acting. For example, he required a group of actors visiting the palace to re-enact a scene similar to the sequence of events surrounding the murder (Puchner et al., 2018). He believed that he could prove Claudius’s guilt this way and act. In the theater, when the murder scene arrives, Hamlet’s uncle exits the room immediately. He concludes, along with Horatio, that Claudius’s action is proof that he is guilty (Puchner et al., 2018). Hamlet then conspires to avenge his father’s demise.
His wandering in the palace dressed in black clothes and preoccupation with family betrayal strengthen his resolve to revenge. In the end, Hamlet is not able to cope with everyday life and becomes a lost soul. He acts insanely by moving around the palace and shouting. His unsympathetic wavering character prevents him from experiencing any affection for Ophelia. For instance, when Hamlet meets her, he pours out his bitterness and anger on her (Puchner et al., 2018). This fury was meant for his mother; thus, he cannot stabilize his feelings. He goes through intense sorrow, trying to deal with his mood swings and revenge plot for his father’s murder.
In conclusion, a common saying goes, ‘when plotting a revenge dig two graves simultaneously’. It means that retaliation affects not only the target person but also the avenger. As the play ends, Hamlet, in the process of seeking revenge, shows no sympathy. He not only kills Claudius but also other individuals, including his mother, Ophelia, and Laertes. He dies in the process; thus, his indecision claims his life too.
Reference
Puchner, M., Akbari, S. C., Denecke, W., Fuchs, B., Levine, C., Lewis, P., & Wilson, E. R. (2018). The Norton anthology of world literature. W. W. Norton.