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Essay On Patternicity In Oresteia And Hamlet

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Michael Shermer introduces us to the idea of patternicity, the tendency to find meaningful patterns in both meaningful and meaningless noise (Shermer, 2010). There are said to be type I and type II errors in patternicty. Type I errors are when you believe a pattern is authentic when it really isn’t; you find a nonexistent pattern. Type II errors are when you do not believe in a pattern that is really there; not recognizing a real pattern. These errors are examples of self-deception. Our minds trick us into finding patterns that aren’t really there. Oresteia by Aeschylus and Hamlet by Shakespeare both display the self-deception of their main characters and ultimately that error costs them, however it helps future generations. Oresteia’s first play; Agamemnon, is heavily rooted in the theme of deception, but most importantly, self-deception. Before the play even begins Agamemnon tells himself that if he kills his daughter Iphigenia he will have a better fortune in his journey to Troy. His wife Clytemnestra is distraught over his decision and his decision ultimately leads to his demise at the hands of his wife. When Agamemnon returns home …show more content…

Hamlet does not believe that he is actually insane when he really is. He truly believes that his insanity is an act to gather evidence against Claudius. This insanity leads him to take Polonious’s life which he justifies by saying that Polonius was dishonestly spying. This self-deception leads Hamlet to believe that he is self-righteous and better than his uncle however he is hypocritical in this way as he leaves Ophelia and Laertes without a father in the same way that Claudius did to Hamlet. Hamlets obsession with proving Claudius guilty and killing him in the name of justice eventually leads to Hamlets own murder. By the end of the tragedy eight people including Laertes, Claudius, and Hamlet die for the sake of Hamlets obsession with

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Some may claim that he did feel “morally responsible for his actions” (D). Being morally responsible would be like not killing a brother because he is a family member. However, Hamlet did not feel upset at killing his father or his friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, so he is not feeling morally responsible for his actions. Therefore, he must be insane. However, in the case of Hamlet, his uncle killed his own father, the one who raised him.

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If Modern psychologists were involved in this, they would definitely see that there is a unstable mentality to Hamlet. With hamlet 's behavior and outburst for his age, you can see that inconsistent actions and speech are signs of emotional and mental distress, but it isn’t clear whether the inconsistency comes from going crazy or from the overwhelming stresses of his circumstances with the death of his father or the fact that he is living with a killer. Towards the last ask in the play when King Claudius is trying to get rid of hamlet he brings laertes back from school and the two of them plot to kill hamlet during a fencing match, Hamlet not knowing the two of them put poison on the fencing stick so when Hamlet was caught with it he would be poisoned and die , but before that the king had the idea while they were fencing to try and make hamlet drink the poison because he was Thursday but queen Gertrude ended up drinking the drink that was for Hamlet but because it was the poison she ended up dying first, after all was said and done at the conclusion of the play Hamlet tells laretes that he is the victim of his own madness, .

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Moreover, Hamlet wasn’t insane, he changed and was only focused on Claudius because of his desire to kill him for his father. He also let out such hurtful words to his mother from building up anger that spilled out, when he would never talk to his mother like that before. Hamlet and Claudius both lost themselves in having such a desire to kill, to feel they have accomplished their

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In the play Hamlet by Shakespeare, In the story, a character by the name of Hamlet, has a tough decision. Should Hamlet kill his uncle or should he let him live. This thought drives Hamlet crazy or into complete madness, or is he? This question has been asked by readers for hundreds of years. My personal opinion on if Hamlet slips into madness is yes, that he does actually go insane in the play.

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Throughout the play Hamlet continues to act insane and even dies with the act continuing. Even after Hamlet gathers all the evidence that proves Claudius is the murder, Hamlet continues to behave in a strange way. When he mistakenly murders Polonius he does not react as a sane person would. This act enrages Laertes, who then wants to avenge his father’s death. Driven to madness by the murder of his father, Laertes, with the help of Claudius conspires to kill Hamlet.

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Hamlet before his duel with Laertes begins to tell Laertes that at the time when he insulted Laertes and fought him it was due to his own mental illness which Hamlet proclaims was “madness” (V.ii.217-219). Hamlet 's mental state is sane because he tells Laertes that the reason for is actions back then was because he had become temporarily insane. Hamlet must be sane in order to identify whether he had gone insane because if someone was insane they would not care about the actions they had done. Hamlet’s actions are not those of sane person when he murders Claudius. When Hamlet realizes it was Claudius, who was at fault for his mother’s death, he becomes enraged and stabs him with the sword that had been poisoned at the tip.

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An insane person would not be able to think about the consequences of their actions or do not even know that they are insane themselves. At the end of the play when Hamlet murdered Claudius it is justified as an action of a sane person. The first reason is when his own mother, Gertrude, pointed out that “the drink” is “poisoned” and Claudius was the only person that told her to not drink it, which shows that Claudius knew something about the drink. Another strong piece of evidence to justify Hamlet’s action to murder Claudius is when Laertes points out that Hamlet’s “mother’s poisoned” and that “the king’s to blame”(V.ii.315-316). At the end of the play Hamlet had every reasons to kill Claudius and avenge his father’s death because Hamlet found a letter by Claudius to the king of England to execute Hamlet when he steps in England, and the most crucial evidence is from Gertrude and Laertes

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Although Shakespeare created Hamlet as a complex character with multiple traits in the book Hamlet, Hamlet portrays the character traits of insanity and procrastination due to the actions and accusations of being a madman and the hesitation for seeking vengeance. Hamlet's actions and impulsive behavior has led other characters to believe that he has gone insane. The ghost of his father has put him in an extraordinary position to commit murder and seek revenge on Claudius for killing Hamlet’s father. The request to kill Claudius is kept to himself leaving Claudius and his allies, such as Gertrude, clueless about his stressed attitude. Gertrude is a victim of this when she witnessed Hamlet talking to thin air when he was actually talking

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He practically confesses his insanity is all for show because he says so and because he tells his best friend, Horatio, not to worry about him whatsoever. Towards the end of act 5, Hamlet again admits his insanity caused his previous actions. Rather this time, it may have been more for saving his life rather than planning to end someone else’s. Before the deadly duel against Laertes, Hamlet decides he should apologize for his actions at Ophelia’s grave and for killing Polonius. “What I have done, That might your nature, honor, and exception Roughly awake, I here proclaim was madness,” he pleads.

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In this case, Hamlet is in the recovery phase; this comes after an active phase when the schizophrenic suffers from depression and other symptoms, including an inability to finish tasks, and less drive (camh.ca). Although Hamlet thinks it is better that he kills Claudius when he is not praying, he is just making excuses to put off avenging his father’s death once and for all. If Hamlet is ‘feigning madness’ like he claimed he is, all for the goal to kill Claudius, then he would have had the ambition and motivation to complete his task. In addition, Hamlet struggles with the meaning of his existence, and his suicidal thoughts also depict his lack of drive. An example that reveals his conflict of interest about life and death is when he says, “by a sleep to say we end /

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801 Words | 4 Pages

Madness is often a symptom, and in the case of Hamlet this may be the reason behind his actions. The death of Hamlet’s father is the catalyst for Hamlet, causing him to see the ghost and ultimately become obsessed with the idea of revenge. A common theme for shakespeare is to explore a character’s mind and reasonings, and Hamlet’s character being mad was a perfect opportunity to continue this theme. Hamlet’s debatable madness, Ophelia being truly mad and the death of every character involved with Hamlet or his father is a prime example of tragedy, which Shakespeare is known for. While Hamlet’s madness is not certain, it is indisputable that the play Hamlet was built off of the idea of what is madness, and how does it affect one’s

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If up until now our discussion portrayed Hamlet´s intellect and his brilliant manipulation of the other characters, now it is time to focus on his maniacal behavior and its justification. The Motif of Madness is simple as well as complicated: Hamlet knows his father was killed by Claudius, and he has to obtain retribution, “revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” (1.5.25). Yet, the King´s crime must at all cost be kept a secret in order for his plan to function, so Hamlet believes that he has no other choice but to keep his resettlement to himself as a mean to an end: to vindicate his father´s killing (”but break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue” (1.2.158)). Thus, Hamlet is assuming his “antic disposition” consciously and of set purpose, and by doing so he becomes a hero, the avenger of his father´s murder,

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504 Words | 3 Pages

He drove claudius into paranoidness because claudius was scared that he was going to kill him and hamlet did succeed but he also died too, an eye for an eye. Hamlet should have been placed in a mental hospital in todays day and age but that did not happen, he ended up hurting all of his peers. Hamlet is wrong because he thinks killing people will solve the issue which it will not so that is why he

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Hamlet was a very smart man who acted with a lot of thought. In an article called “Introduction to Hamlet” the author writes, “He is not incoherent or paranoid; his ferocity cannot be blamed on insanity… Hamlet is using Ophelia to further his facade of insanity,” (Mabillard “Introduction to Hamlet”). This shows that Hamlet’s “ferocity cannot be blamed on insanity.” He used his insanity to create a facade to trick Claudius. It was all a part of his plan.

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Orestes and Hamlet: Vengeance Hamlet and Orestes had duties on avenging their fathers. However whose vengeance was more rightfully so? By explaining the backstories and comparing Hamlet and Orestes we will conclude whose vengeance was more acceptable. Excerpts from Earl Showerman, a Shakespearean expert and excerpts from Aeschylus The Oresteia and Shakespeare's Hamlet will support who was more justified in avenging their father. Going over the characters stories is important in deciding on whose vengeance is more justified.

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