Hamlet's State of Mind in Acts 1-3

Hamlet's State of Mind in Acts 1-3

  • Submitted By: Jingers
  • Date Submitted: 07/13/2008 5:43 AM
  • Category: Book Reports
  • Words: 1060
  • Page: 5
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Referring to acts 1 to 3, consider Hamlet’s states of mind and his feelings towards:
a) His father
b) Claudius
c) His mother
d) Ophelia

During acts 1 to 3, Hamlet’s state of mind fluctuates when expressing feelings for his father, his uncle Claudius, his mother Gertrude and Ophelia. Each person that Hamlet refers to is treated differently by Hamlet. It is evident that Hamlet idolises his father but explicitly hates his uncle Claudius for killing his father in order to become king. His attitude to his mother is also very negative but leaves her alone upon instruction of the ghost of his father. Hamlet’s attitude to Ophelia is less clear than his feelings for the other characters: he feigns madness when speaking to Ophelia, thus leaving his real feelings for her ambiguous.
Hamlet is very clear in expressing his feelings for Old Hamlet: Hamlet respects and idolises his father even in death. Hamlet states that, as a result of his father’s death, the world is ‘[weary], stale, flat and unprofitable’, thus illustrating how much he valued his father in his life. A more definitive example of his veneration for his father is when Hamlet states that Old Hamlet was ‘so excellent a king’, and refers to his father as being a ‘hyperion’. This use of imagery of divinity of the king being like a dazzling sun god illustrates how much Hamlet revered his father. Hamlet believes his father to have been a great warrior and protector: “so loving to my mother / That he might not beteem the winds of heaven / Visit her face too roughly”. In saying that his father’s immense love for his mother would result in her face not even being blown by the wind suggests his great protective qualities. This hyperbolic expression clearly conveys Hamlet’s admiration for his father. In his father’s death, Hamlet is still dedicated and committed to Old Hamlet. In reference to his father’s command for vengeance, Hamlet states, “thy commandement all alone shall live/ Within the book and volume of...

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