Internalization of Play
Shakespeare’s play Hamlet was first and foremost a pleasure to read. It is by far, and unquestionably my favorite work of Shakespeare that I’ve read in highschool (this is including Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and Midsummer Night’s Dream) and even my favorite play so far in my literary career. What perhaps makes Hamlet so unique in its own right and what sets it apart of Shakespeare’s other works, is the fullness and development of the characters within the play. The plots of his plays, and what is reoccurent with many older plays, including Oedipus, is that they are rather flat and lack depth in sophistication or in providing real sustenance. The old “bloody revenge tragedy” where everyone ends up killing eachother is something expected from a play set in the medieval times and thus, falls short dues to its predictability. This same simplicity and frivolousness is something that has plagued Shakespeare’s other plays, particularly Romeo and Juliet and Midsummer Nights Dream. I’m getting off track here but Hamlet’s plot is actually more mature, profound, and serious in comparison to Shakespeare’s earlier works. It involves a quest of vengeance and retribution rather than love, and rather than having 3 metaphysical beings like Macbath, it only has the 1 ghost (a tad silly but acceptable). However, what I liked so much about Hamlet is the complexity of its Protagonist, Hamlet. What sets apart Hamlet from the rest of Shakespeare’s, more straightforward and single-aimed characters, is that he is an intellectual, he is deeply introspective and contemplative, and as a member of the audience, he is difficult to read or even portray as an actor. What’s more, is that Hamlet is an unreliable narrator, the audience sees the world mostly in the perspective of Hamlet and thus we may be clouded by what he perceives to be true (The ghost in Gertrude’s bedroom for example). Literary scholars have argued for years and it continues to be a heated debate as to whether Hamlet actually became crazy through the course of the play, or had he always been crazy, or is it all just an act? Did he truly love Ophelia? Does he possess an Oedipus complex? All these questions remain unanswered and perhaps that is what is so great about Hamlet and even Macbeth to a certain extent. Shakespeare does not simply set the answers in stone, and we will never be able to discover exactly what Shakespeare intended by his plays. And I think this to be honestly for the better, as we are able to delve, discuss, and prove our theories as to symbols, meanings, and characters motivations in the play. All the soliloquies, motifs, etc are open for individual interpretation and the many allusions within the play exemplify Shakespeare’s brilliance and add depth to the play. With this in mind, I am able to appreciate the play and its meaning to a whole other level. Likewise, it’s not just Hamlet but what makes Shakespeare great is he is able to give all characters a certain fullness without leaving any out or prolonging the play to the point the characters have to explain to the audience at every step, what their thoughts are. Each of the characters in the play are distinct in their own regard - Ophelia the innocent lover - Hamlet the confused and tortured soul - Claudius the guilty but nonetheless sinister King - Polonius the conniving self-seeking advisor - Gertrude the lost sensual wife, etc. The themes in Hamlet are likewise more somber in their regard but interesting; death, treachery, incest, love, gender, and revenge.
Although, something I rather dislike about the plays, and this is not to the fault of the play itself in any regard, but rather what people have done with them. I don’t like necessarily when the play is overanalyzed and extensively deciphered to the most smallest of details. It is with this that literary scholars and critics take the liberty of proposing rather far-fetched theories based on the most insignificant details and slandering the details in a way the suits their purpose. Similarly, although I enjoy reading the plays and even writing about them, I find the overall significance and relevance of the plays to be exaggerated. It’s a play, nothing more, nothing less. I do not find that the plays provide life lessons or real value to the world as some may try to argue.
All in all, I enjoyed reading Hamlet. Hamlet is actually my favorite protagonist in any play I’ve read thus far and I found myself rooting for his cause. Hamlet has greatly heightened my appreciation in literature, my respect for Shakespeare and his works, and I enjoyed analyzing the play and arguing for my personal interpretations.
Although, something I rather dislike about the plays, and this is not to the fault of the play itself in any regard, but rather what people have done with them. I don’t like necessarily when the play is overanalyzed and extensively deciphered to the most smallest of details. It is with this that literary scholars and critics take the liberty of proposing rather far-fetched theories based on the most insignificant details and slandering the details in a way the suits their purpose. Similarly, although I enjoy reading the plays and even writing about them, I find the overall significance and relevance of the plays to be exaggerated. It’s a play, nothing more, nothing less. I do not find that the plays provide life lessons or real value to the world as some may try to argue.
All in all, I enjoyed reading Hamlet. Hamlet is actually my favorite protagonist in any play I’ve read thus far and I found myself rooting for his cause. Hamlet has greatly heightened my appreciation in literature, my respect for Shakespeare and his works, and I enjoyed analyzing the play and arguing for my personal interpretations.