Hamlet is really a study in class conflict english literature essay

Student’s NameCourseInstructor’s NameHamlet is really a study in class conflictI think that Hamlet portrays a high level of internal and also human conflicts. Some of these conflicts include: confusion and anger at his mother’s quick remarriage, horror at the ghost’s request to avenge the homicide of his father, and a general hatred with life as he contemplates suicide. Hamlet, being the son of the king of Denmark, experiences the trauma of having his father’s murderer marry his mother Gertrude and consequently denying him the opportunity of ascending to the throne. Hamlet is angry and furious as he is of the opinion that his mother did not sufficiently mourn her husband but instead rushed into marriage to Claudius, who is his uncle. In the first Act of his monologue, Second Scene, Hamlet complains that even a beast would have mourned longer than his mother did. In addition, he reveals his disgust with both her and Claudius when he calls their hasty marriage both wicked and incestuous. Hamlet is also mad at the court’s coronation of Claudius and his royal marriage to Queen Gertrude, his mother. Throughout the play, this becomes his cause of pain. ” How stand I then that have a father killed, a mother stained, excitements of my reason and my blood, and let all sleep.” (Atiar, 2005) And it is from the quote we get to understand that Hamlet’s tragic flaw is his inability to take action. He desires to seek revenge for his father’s murder but cannot bring himself to do so. Constantly, within his mind, Hamlet has a struggle that revolves around revenge. There are constant storms of internal conflict that rage steadily as he begins to question his motives, his bravery, and even his manhood. He does not understand why only he and his friend Horatio continue to mourn his father’s death. The ghost of Hamlet’s father appears to him and informs him that is was Claudius who killed his father. He is brought to the ghost Horatio and some other friends who have also seen it but he is wary of the information given to him by a ghost and therefore decides to look for proof. When Hamlet first encounters the ghost, he asks whether the ghost is a spirit of health or goblin dammed. He is also not really sure whether to trust the ghost as his father’s spirit. He has to know the truth before granting the ghost’s command to take vengeance. He wants to do it for the right reason, and not for ambition. The inability of Hamlet to make a decision whether it was actually right to kill Claudius led to death and more death of those close to him including Ophelia who was the woman he loved. Ophelia sees him as a coward as seen in the play. Hamlet pretends to be mad as he strategizes on how to take revenge. Polonius the king’s adviser thinks that it was because he had forbidden his daughter Ophelia from seeing him. When Hamlet finds out, he wants to avenge Claudius, he is however caught with the conflict whether it’s good for him to kill Claudius just for selfish revenge or whether he will be able to control himself and handle the urge to revenge. Hamlet like any other human struggles internally, on the cardinal question of right or wrong. He even contemplates taking his own life in order to prevent himself from killing his offender. He kills Polonius believing it was Claudius as he was angry. He escapes death from his uncle by collaborating with the pirates, and later he travels to England. His uncle, Claudius, learns that Hamlet knows about his actions so he is ready for him, but Hamlet manages to escape this with the pirates and makes his way back to Denmark. Hamlet shows that he has great skill of dealing with people including pirates, but this is not enough to obscure him from the conflicts that arise with mingling with people. Upon arrival home he realizes that Ophelia drowned. He is heavily grieved and is seen at the grave scene mourning her demise. Finally, after discovering that he himself was dying from a poison-tipped sword and that it was Claudius who commanded Tybalt to poison the sword, so Hamlet kills Claudius. Shakespeare in his play shows that no human being is above human conflict, whether king or queen, the king finally dies as well as the queen and Hamlet in his pursuit of revenge. This shows that justice is served and the society’s misdeeds are confronted. Hamlet had a difficult fight within him on how to conquer the evil deeds but is finally able to do it when he decides that he would rather die avenging his father’s death. Hamlet, as the play ends, tells his friend Horatio to narrate to the people of the world that after his retributions and the many tributaries that he faced, that he was able to avenge his father’s death. However, many think that Hamlet killed Claudius not really as vengeance for his father but because of his hatred towards him. In conclusion, it is clear that Hamlet faced both internal and external conflicts. He also faced a great deal of alienation since there was almost no one he could trust except Horatio, his friend. Her father used even Ophelia, the woman he loved as a spy. Hamlet, though was at first confused and indecisive, finally managed to make a decision to avenge his father and thus justice triumphs. Moreover, we see that it is better to make a wrong decision than to make none at all. All in all, all human beings are subject to conflicts both internal and external. In addition, our decisions rely heavily on these conflicts from the people around us and our own selves. Moreover, it is how we deal with these conflicts that we are able to achieve self-freedom as seen by Hamlet. Hamlet clearly shows all the sides that arise from these conflicts. It is apparent that humans are prone to both voluntary and non-voluntary human conflicts.