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Hamlet Dionyian Man Essay

817 Words4 Pages

Delight— not the first word that comes to mind when thinking of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The tragedy is well known for its dark humor and brooding tone. Nevertheless, famed philosopher Nietzsche, in “The Birth of Tragedy,” asserts that his Dionysian man resembles Hamlet (39). Upon first glance, this assertion appears incongruous, lacking in thought, and even absurd. Dionysus, the Greek god of pleasure, is typically depicted as mirthful; Hamlet is anything but. However, this inconsistency only stems from semantics: Nietzsche redefines delight as the sublimity of truth, which, in actuality, produces tormented intellectuals. Plagued by their knowledge, such individuals are driven into artistic realms—music, sport, theatre, art, and comedy—wherein …show more content…

Dionysian characters are highly motivated to transform their tragic knowledge into art and expose truth, as it aids in coping with reality (Levin 59). Accordingly, the prospect of Claudius’ murder paralyzes Hamlet, but he continues to enjoy theater, comedy, and sport. Upon the arrival of the players, he shows interest in dramatic performance, wishing to translate his human issues into an aesthetic spectacle (Turner 48-49). Perhaps his only accomplishment throughout the tragedy is his play within a play, which successfully dramatizes and exposes truth (Levin 59). Constantly punning, Hamlet also remains motivated by the comedy of wordplay. Such joking has two purposes: to share mirth and to mock the foolish (ex. Polonius). The latter also drives his interest in fencing. Considering that he practices even after attaining tragic knowledge and nearly beats Laertes in their match, sport remains a passion (Turner 51-52). Ultimately, Hamlet does not lose all motivation. Rather, his focus becomes expressing and exposing his knowledge, meaning the Dionysian activities—theater, comedy, and sport—remain

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