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Examples Of Nihilism In Hamlet

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In Hamlet, Shakespeare has presented a widespread demonstration of nihilism. Nihilism is depicted as an existential hollowness that occurs as a response to life that persistently evades opportunities for meaning. The paradox of Hamlet’s character moves between pessimism and desperate hopefulness. John Bell describes Hamlet as having ‘lots of dark corners. He is a mass of contradictions’ (Bell, 190). Upon learning of his father's murder Hamlet's first thoughts thereafter are of pursuing a burning, violent revenge unto Claudius. However, his subsequent actions do not replicate these undertakings. As a result of Hamlet’s shortcomings, the world appears purposeless and Hamlet evokes imagery of sickness, corruption and imprisonment as a reflection
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This leaves Hamlet conflicted about what his mind tells him he has to do and what his conscience prohibits him to carry out. The character Hamlet is faced with a conflicting decision whether or not he should take an act of vengeance against his uncle for his crime to appease his father's ghost or remain inactive and keep the peace. Hamlet utilizes rhetorical devices such as metaphors, hyperboles, and rhetorical questions to appear “mad” in hopes of achieving revenge, his manipulation of the idea of facade results in the downfall of characters around him and ultimately leads to his tragic ending. In the

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Hamlet embodies the conflict between medieval notions of blood revenge, and rapidly popularising Renaissance Humanist beliefs which promoted individualism, critical thought and the value of human life. Claudius’ corrupt murder of Hamlet’s father is the catalyst for Hamlet’s vengeful motivations, and his unscrupulousness as a character is reflected in his opening monologue through balanced antithesis, “with one auspicious and one dropping eye, with mirth in funeral and with dirge in marriage”. Shakespeare carefully constructs this to intensify Hamlet’s antic disposition as he attempts to reconcile his Renaissance humanist thinking with his duty and adherence to the Medieval code. He then reflects how this corruption catalyses his inner struggle to be an avenging son by personifying the Ghost’s instruction for vengeance as his sole intention; “thy commandment all alone shall live within the book and volume of my brain”. However, he also expresses emotional frustration at being unable to reconcile vengeance with his Humanist beliefs by juxtaposing a hyperbolic assertion of man’s glory over animals, “What a piece of work is a man!

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It is or is it not true that Hamlet was faking his insanity? I’m not saying Hamlet was faking the whole thing. The meaning for insanity on Dictionary.com is “a permanent disorder of the mind.” I don 't think Hamlet had a permanent disorder of the mind he knew what he was doing and even planned the majority of the events that happened. Most of the time anyway.

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289 Words | 2 Pages

Hamlet is a character of contradictions; at times he is hesitant, therefore indecisive, but also acts in haste with purpose and confirmation. For instance, when Hamlet unhesitatingly states, “How now, a rat? Dead for a ducat, dead!” (Act 3, Scene 4, Line 24), he is thoughtful and philosophical to the point of obsession. Importantly, a dominating thought controls Hamlet; therefore his mind is his own worst enemy.

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659 Words | 3 Pages

Experiencing so many different situations in so little time is something that Hamlet is going through. His feelings have been toyed with from the beginning, making him vulnerable and paranoid on who to trust. Hamlet learns from his father’s ghost about the true murderer and feels disgusted by this discovery. His emotions become overwhelming and a strong desire of revenge starts to inhabit in Hamlet’s mind. Since the audience is always aware of the facts, Hamlet’s state of mind becomes the object of dramatic irony.

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The murderer: Hamlet’s uncle, King Claudius. “A serpent stung me... the serpent that did sting my father’s life now wears his crown” (Ghost Hamlet, 59). The lack of trust Hamlet now has for Claudius constructs an untrustworthy bond that insinuates his irrational disposition. While others vilify that Hamlet’s complexion is motivated by eagerness, students like myself do not hesitate to reproach Shakespeare's use of grief for Hamlet.

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Like many things, Hamlet is intelligent and honorable, but his indecisiveness is the cause of his tragic downfall. In the play Hamlet, William Shakespeare portrays that Hamlet is very incapable of finishing the task at hand. Throughout the drama Hamlet faces many trials and tribulations due to his late father Hamlet, who was murderously killed by Claudius. His inability to kill Claudius and himself is one grand flaw of an epic hero. After King Hamlets passing, Hamlet entered an unknown state of mind that not only feared others for his wellbeing, but also feared himself.

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Hamlet is torn between his desire for revenge and his fear of the consequences of his actions. He sees himself as "unpregnant of [his] cause," suggesting that he feels unable to take action or make a difference in the world. He is paralyzed by his own conscience, by his fear of doing wrong. This tension between action and inaction, between desire and fear, is a central conflict of the play.

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Hamlet and The Rollercoaster of Emotions Death isn’t a simple subject to handle. Most of the time, those who experience the loss of a loved one goes through a set course of emotions called the five stages of grief. The stages include denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and finally acceptance. In William Shakespeare’s play, “Hamlet”, the titular character goes through five stages of grief before he can get his revenge.

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As the story begins, Shakespeare portrays Hamlet as a grieving prince with little problems. “He is beloved by the common people of Denmark(IV,III). Hamlet's character is popular, ambitious, and intellectual as he lives his stable life but with a false identity. These remarks regarding Hamlet are spoken before he discovers any real difficulties. Shakespeare shows hamlets opportunities to discover himself and devople who he is, are trapped behind grief and

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Hamlet: The Original Rebellious Teenager “Melancholy accounts for Hamlet’s inaction. Its immediate cause is simply that his habitual feeling is one of disgust at life and everything in it—himself included. Such a state of feeling is inevitably adverse to any kind of decided action.” - A.C. Bradley

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Hamlet goes through passive nihilistic views in most of the play and shows this through his lack of motivation to live. Hamlet says, “How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable seem to me all the uses of this world,” (I,2). Hamlet talks on how that everything in this world is useless. This suggests that he really does not have a reason to live. Hamlet shows random signs of powerful emotions and those result in nihilistic traits.

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1510 Words | 7 Pages

In the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, the title character Hamlet’s mind is violently pulled in divergent directions about the morals of murder. He feels an obligation to avenge his father’s death and thinks that it may be excused, since it is a case of “an eye of an eye.” But he is conflicted because the Bible has also taught him that murder is a sin and revenge should be left to God. Hamlet’s struggle to interpret this moral dilemma and his indecision, together are the ultimate cause of all the tragedy in the play; this internal conflict illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole: that murder, greed, and revenge are sins, no matter the reason, and procrastination is very detrimental.

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1013 Words | 5 Pages

In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the antagonist Hamlet finds himself lost and confused. His father is dead, his mother marries is uncle, and to add even more confusion, his father’s ghost asks him to avenge his death by murdering Hamlet’s uncle. With his life losing meaning, Hamlet must figure out his place in the complex world of Denmark. Also, he must weigh his religious beliefs against his own personal morals. To discover these, Hamlet begins a journey of self understanding.

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