Examples Of External Conflict In Hamlet

In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the character Hamlet must deal with both external and internal conflict. Hamlet encounters many struggles and does not know how to cope with all of them. By having so many corrupt people in his life, he feels isolated from everyone because he does not know who to trust anymore. A result from this isolation leads Hamlet into depression and forces more issues to occur. Both inward and outward conflicts are displayed in the play when, Hamlet struggles with suicidal thoughts, wants to kill King Claudius, and is distraught over his mother’s hasty marriage with his uncle Claudius. Hamlets contemplation of ending his life shows an inward conflict within himself. In his first soliloquy, he ponders suicide.

This confrontation with the ghost confirms Hamlet’s suspicion that Claudius killed his father, and “the advent of the ghost into Hamlet’s life influenced his artistic temperament and disarranged his mind” (Radner Par 6). Hamlet’s mind becomes consumed with the thoughts of revenge “and thy commandment all alone shall live within the book and volume of my brain” (i.v. lines 103-104). Hamlet’s short-lived outburst and his assurance to sweep to revenge for his father is not followed by action; the attempt to take on the role of a determined avenger quickly fails and is restored by an oath to forget everything and remember only the ghost’s command. Thinking to himself, Hamlet states: “Now might I do it pat, now’a is a-praying. And now I’ll do’t.And so’a goes to heaven; And so am I revend’d. That would be scann’d: A villain kills my father, and for that I his sole son, do this same villain send to heaven” (iii.iii. lines 74-79). Although, his first instinct is to seek revenge, Hamlet’s character at this time “is extremely indecisive causing him to spend a lot of time over thinking the situation instead of acting on impulse” (States 42). Hamlet wanted to kill Claudius at that moment, but decided not to because he felt that the timing was not right. “Hamlet is a believer and through his faith tries to control his

In his havoc, Hamlet analyzes himself as a coward, with such insults as, “what a rogue and pleasant slave am I” (ii.ii.line 577), and “why, what an ass am I” (ii.ii.line 611). He is self-abusive in his words and expresses deep depression by comparing himself to the lowest and most worthless thing he can think of. Entering Act 4, Hamlet is closer to reaching a resolution. Prompted by Fortinbra’s ruthlessness, Hamlet begins to realize his excessive over-thinking. It occurs to him that he has been thinking too much and acting too little: “Now, whether it be Bestial oblivion, or some craven scruple Of thinking too precisely on th' event— A thought which, quartered, hath but one part wisdom And ever three parts coward—I do not know Why yet I live to say “This thing’s to do,” (iv.iv lines 41-47). At this point Hamlet has finally realized that the reason he can never take action is because he wastes so much of his time analyzing everything and then ends up doubting himself and not going off of his instinct but rather his conscience. The battle Hamlet is fighting between his conscience and his instincts cause a greater deal of problems for him in the play. The fact that Hamlet decides to “hold his tongue” about how he feels towards his mother and that fact that she has married his uncle causes him to bottle up more