One of the things I have always loved about Steve is his ability to write. He is a very fluid writer and very intellectual. Enjoy one of his essays he had to write for foundations.
The play, Hamlet, is a sad tale that deals with the struggle of mortality and immortality. In the beginning, Hamlet is mourning the untimely death of his father, the King. Whatever the happy and carefree person he was before his death no longer exists. He seems to be contemplating man’s purpose on the earth and the prospects of an afterlife. Hamlet is trying to make the best of his life. Fortunately he has a good friend to help keep his spirits high.
Hamlet’s soliloquy is giving us a glimpse into his mind and his thoughts concerning death. He asks whether it is better to live or die and gives the advantages for both. By living we endure trials, heart ache, and suffering but death, in Hamlet’s mind, will bring peace and tranquility. However, Hamlet is not sure if an afterlife even exists. It is as if he is considering suicide but is not sure of the eternal consequences. His life is empty and meaningless and his soul is in anguish.
But as with Hamlet, there comes a point in everyone’s lives where we question our purpose on the earth. Who am I? What I am to become? What happens after death? For some people, these thoughts may come when their lives seem to have hit rock bottom just like Hamlet. For others these thoughts may come during a period of great inspiration or a turning point in their lives. No matter how it comes a person can only derive one of two answers from these questions. A cynical man would conclude that man is alone and that death is the end of all things. The wise man would conclude that life is meaningful, full of purpose, and that things perpetuate in the eternal realm. This is the same philosophy that was reflected in Homer’s Odyssey. The wise man tends to look for a higher power or a higher meaning in life and learns through his life experiences. Sadly for Hamlet his world was closing in on him and he was surrounded by gloom and despair.
Upon seeing his father as a ghost Hamlet learns that there is an afterlife but that his father was doomed to roam the earth because of his misdeeds. After telling Hamlet about his murder by the hand of his brother Hamlet’s heavy heart now turns to anger and vengeance. He swears to his father’s ghost that he will avenge his death. Hamlet immediately puts a plan into action whereby to make all those who betrayed his father suffer. He openly accuses his mother’s immorality because of her marriage to his uncle. He kills Polonius and calls him a ‘rat’. He acts crazy in front of Claudius, his uncle, to make him confused. Ophelia is also driven to madness and suicide.
Instead of the motivation of living a good life so that he is not doomed like his father, Hamlet is now driven by the need for justice and vindication. People now days struggle with this same issue. Most want to live a good life in hopes of some grand eternal reward, but when something bad happens we are driven by vengeance and personal gain. -Hence the great moral dilemma. We can either claim our revenge in this life and damn our souls in the process or we can forgive and love our enemies and keep our souls in the afterlife. People who consume themselves with hatred are often met with a sticky end as in Hamlet’s case. Had he left matters alone and forgave his uncle then the lives of his self, his mother, Laertes, Polonius, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, Ophelia, and the king would have been spared. Hamlet’s downfall had a domino effect upon everyone around him. Even though he swore to avenge his father’s death, there could possibly have been other ways where he could have peaceably coerced the truth of the murder from Claudius.
The story of Hamlet in some ways epitomizes man’s journey through life and causes us to reflect upon ourselves and what we are destined for. Even though this play was meant to be a tragedy, it can also be an eye-opener for someone to better his life. Of course not everyone experiences Hamlet’s situation but the feelings and intentions he had are similar to what we experience throughout our lives. However, as afore mentioned, it takes a wise man to know how to deal with these feelings so that his life and soul do not become corrupt. Hamlet gives us a perfect example of how a person’s actions affect more than just themselves. He shows us the need to live a good life and strive for perfection even though the play portrays Hamlet’s death as tragic but noble, it is still tragic nonetheless and could have been avoided had he chose to forgive. But that wouldn’t have made Hamlet a very good play!
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