"Hamlet's
character is a dramatic study in melancholy". Discuss.
Or,
What
are the causes of Hamlet's melancholy?
Ans. There are ample
evidences in the play that before the murder of his father, Hamlet was of a
cheerful, frank and free disposition. He was neither weak, nor a one-sided
scholar given to vain speculation. He was not only a keen student given to
reflection but also a man of action, given to fencing and other martial
exercises—Had he lived,
he would, "have proved most royally," and
that is why Fortinbras has his body borne away "like a soldier." Such
was the young Hamlet, who under ordinary circumstances would have lived a happy
life and proved a popular King. But the rude shocks, caused by the sudden death
of his father and the hasty remarriage of his mother to his uncle Claudius,
transformed his whole being. Further his melancholy intensifies when he learns
from the Ghost that his uncle Claudius, the present King is the murderer of his
father.
It is in a state of
weariness and disgust with life that we find Hamlet in the beginning of the
play. He appears first in the drama with, "dejected behavior of visage"
mourning his father's death. His uncle, addressing him as his son, bids him,
"throw to earth this unrevealing woe" and the Queen advises him to
cast his, "nighted colour bf'. But Hamlet in his first soliloquy gives an
indication of the depths of depression and gloom into which he has already
sunk, "O that this too too solid flesh would melt, / Thaw and resolve
itself into
He is disgusted with
life and longs for death.
All the characters in the play notice his sudden
transformation and give their own interpretations of it. He broods incessantly
on the death of his father and the
remarriage of his mother till his whole being is exhausted and weakened. And
the cruel fate chooses the hour of his weakness for the revelations of the
Ghost. In the hour when his whole being is sinking towards annihilation there
comes on him with a shock of astonishment and terror the revelation of his
mother's adultery—a dishonor which he had not even dreamed of—and his father's
murder. With this shattering blow a demand is made upon him in the name of
everything sacred and dearest, to arise and act. Though his brain reels and
totters under the impact of the severe blow, yet for a moment his soul leaps up
to answer the demand: "The time is out of joint, O cursed spite, / That
ever I was born to set it right."
Henceforth, Hamlet is a
melancholic figure.
The rest of the play exhibits the effect of melancholy on
his character and its consequences. He grows sarcastic, callous and bitter,
insensitive even to the feelings of those he loved. He is-unable to fulfil his
duty, and indulges in vain self-excuses and unavailing self-reproaches,
hesitates and delays, and his inaction results in tragedy for all. But Hamlet's
melancholy is totally different from the madness that he feigns; he is still-
in some way removed from insanity. Hamlet's melancholy is the central point in
the play.
1 Comments
Looking for love? These dating tips will help you find the right person and build a satisfying relationship. Call and WhatsApp Pt. Bhawani Shankar Ji +91-9116423593
ReplyDeleteBlack Magic Specialists
Love Spells Specialists
Husband Wife Problem Solutions
Love Problem Solutions
Love Vashikaran Specialists
Vashikaran Specialists
Love Marriage Specialists