Hamlet's Many Doubts CS Lewis once said that "Hamlet's world is a world of losing your way." This statement holds many truths because the show begins at midnight, which represents a world where man is essentially lost and full of doubts. According to Lewis, doubt, along with terror and loneliness, are the feelings that Hamlet's world makes us think about. These feelings are best expressed by none other than Hamlet, who is an emotional human being who feels guilt, remorse, and a sense of responsibility to take revenge for Claudius' murder of his father. Much of the information we know about Hamlet comes from his soliloquies. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay A soliloquy is a device often used in drama by which one character reveals his or her thoughts and feelings to the audience, but not to the other characters in the play. It often creates dramatic irony because the audience is given insight into a character's thoughts and intentions, all hidden from others. Hamlet's soliloquies particularly stand out as key pillars of the play itself. Towards the end of the first act, Hamlet encounters the supposed ghost of his recently deceased father. It is in Hamlet's second soliloquy that it is revealed to the audience that they have a number of doubts, one concerns the identity of this spirit. Adhering to his Christian faith, he must determine whether the ghost was sent by the devil or by the spirit of his father returned from purgatory. “…The spirit I saw / Could be a devil…” (2.2.529-530). How the ghost tells Hamlet to avenge his death is questionable; makes it seem like it's an easy task to do. Without comforting him and understanding the difficulty of such a task, the ghost may mistakenly appear as an evil spirit. This soliloquy also indicates that Hamlet doubts whether taking revenge on his uncle is the correct course of action. Hamlet is well aware that murder is considered a sin in Christianity, which is a key factor in delaying Claudius' execution. He then stages a play in the hope that guilt will push the king to confess his terrible deed. The play is a success and Claudius reveals his guilt, although Hamlet still has doubts about his mother. Gertrude marries so quickly after her husband's death that Hamlet jokes that "The meats cooked at the funeral / Coldly furnished the wedding tables." (1.2.180-181). One could easily think that Gertrude knew of Claudius' plan or even took part in it. His fearful doubts lead him to be sarcastic towards his mother and to develop a poor view of women, exclaiming "Fragility, thy name is woman!" (1. 2. 146) during his first soliloquy. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay It goes without saying that Hamlet's doubt does more than question the ghost's motives and the innocence of Claudius and his mother. His reluctance to act on the tasks presented to him indicates that he does not understand what he is fighting for. Hamlet's father knew why he was fighting Fortinbras senior; acquire the land of Fortebraccio. Claudius knew why he killed Hamlet's father; become the new king of Denmark and win Gertrude's heart. However, Hamlet does not know why he should kill Claudius and what benefit will come out of this act. He sees the bigger picture in everything that is happening, which reflects his intelligence and morality. Hamlet's doubts push us to think and to..
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