The story of Hamlet Prince of Denmark has seen many varied interpretations over the years. It is the behavior of his character that has caused much controversy, and is often misinterpreted. Hamlet was not a suicidal madman as he is often portrayed. He was a misanthropic cynic that acted on his passions when confronted by the ill-treatment and gullibility that he received from those around him. At some points in the play, Hamlet may have acted with selfish intent, but for the most part his actions were wholly justified.
The first signs of Hamlet's cynicism appear when the king and queen are inquiring about his melancholic disposition (1:2). King Claudius appears uneasy by Hamlet's attitude, probably for fear that Hamlet will find out that he was the one who murdered his father. He has good reason to be fearful, for Hamlet would find out soon enough. Claudius attempts to cheer the depressed prince up, but Hamlet would rather question life itself. Hamlets first soliloquy (1:2) sets the tone for the rest of the play. he is deeply suspicious of human behavior, and is even ambiguous of his mother's motive for marrying Claudius so soon after his father's death. he seems suspicious of everyone, even Horatio,his old friend,who appears before him shortly after the king and queen depart. Hamlet is glad to see Horatio,but assumes that there has to be a reason for Horatio's visit, and that visit is not merely to socialize. Hamlet is correct, and Horatio soon reveals his knowledge of the ghost.
Although Hamlet is a suspicious person by nature, he accepts Horatio's story of the ghost. He believes Horatio and Marcellus without having actually observed the ghost himself. this attitude gives compelling evidence to the fact that Hamlet is prey to the passions of things that he desires. it is probable that if Horatio had come in and told Hamlet that he had seen the ghost of Hannibal of Carthage instead of his father, that Hamlet would have derided him for being a fool. Misanthropy and cynicism seem to converge on Hamlet as he is suspicious of Polonius who he treats with contempt and disgust (2:2). Hamlet is asked by Polonius if he knows who he is, Hamlet replies, "Excellent well, you are a fishmonger." Hamlet has questioned the man's honesty. Polonius is too daft to understand Hamlet and is confused by his remarks. Indeed, it is obvious that the younger man is more sentimental and philosophical than the older Polonius, when he tells him "Ay sir. To be honest, as this world goes, is to be one man picked out of ten thousand." Hamlet's misanthropy and cynicism are plainly seen in this statement.
Hamlet's conversation with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern is another good example of his deep suspicion of the human motive (2:2). He talks of the world being a prison, and it is readily obvious that Hamlet is suspicious of both these courtiers. He finally calls them on his suspicion, and he is immediately told a lie. At first they deny that Claudius has sent them, but Hamlet persists and they eventually concede to his correct assumption. He then delivers a pessimistic view of humanity, and concludes with, "man delights not me no nor woman neither." Hamlet's famous soliloquy "to be or not to be" is often thought by scholars like Northrup Frye to be the "kernel of the play." It is also thought to be a speech on self destruction or suicide. However, Hamlet is not suicidal, and this is evidenced near the end of the play when he is dying. Hamlet is merely contemplating the state of death. Hamlet's cynicism runs deep in this soliloquy, and he questions life's motives and there seems to be a duality conflict in his mind. Samuel Johnson the great lexicographer and philosopher did not believe that Hamlet was mad or suicidal when he wrote:
"Of the feigned madness of Hamlet there appears no adequate cause, for he does nothing which he might not have done with the reputation of sanity. He plays the madman most, when he treats Ophelia with so much rudeness, which seems to be useless and wanton cruelty,"
Hamlet possess' a cynical outlook and at the same time a desire to meet his personal needs and wants. He is in no way mad. If anyone is mad in this play it is Claudius. He murders Hamlet's father for no other reason than the lust for power. Hamlet kills Polonius believing him to be Claudius, and it was therefore a murder of revenge. This is a natural response that even the most tame men in the world have sometimes contemplated. If someone were to murder a member of your family, after the initial period of grieving, the next natural step would be to seek revenge, or justice for the murder. In Hamlet's mind, the killing of Polonius, though not premeditated, was justified. Claudius, in murdering Hamlet's father had carefully planned this foul deed and, therefore was definitely an act of madness.
There are other instances of Hamlet's cynicism that have been falsely labeled for being suicidal tendencies, or acts of madness. G. Wilson Knight in his essay on Hamlet is one of those who believe that Hamlet is cruel. Hamlet is not cruel, he is only defending himself in the only way that he knows how. If it appears that Hamlet is cruel, and that cruelty borders on madness, it is only because of Hamlet's cool reactions to the way people are treating him. Claudius is attempting to control everybody by coercing people into believing that Hamlet is crazy. Claudius has convinced Gertrude that her son is mad, and has succeeded in manipulating Polonius into spreading this false notion. He has even subtly convinced Ophelia, through Laertes, and Polonius that he is mad. Knight says, "That Hamlet is cruel for he murders Polonius, though he did so thinking that he was Claudius." Knight also refers to Hamlet's misuse of his own mother when Hamlet says, "Ay, but to live. In the rank sweat of an enseamed bed, stewe'd in corruption, honeying and making love over the nasty sty." It is probable and extremely likely that given the same situation, a mother marrying an uncle a few days after a father's death, and then finding out that the uncle had killed the father, that most people would react the same way as Hamlet.
Hamlet's alleged madness is spread even further by Claudius through the two sycophants, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. (3:3) Claudius has drawn up orders that will send Hamlet to England. Hamlet is aware of Claudius' scheming and realizes that there is a conspiracy against him. it is at this point in the play that he breaks into a soliloquy. he affirms his cynicism and natural suspicion of human nature. However, we see another side of Hamlet, one that is sympathetic. He is about to approach his mother and reveal the news of his father's murder to her, when he says, "Let me be cruel, not unnatural, I will speak daggers to her, but use none. my tongue and soul in this be hypocrites." Here, Hamlet admits being cruel, but is he really being cruel? Or is he merely acting on his nature? He says, "Let me be cruel, not unnatural." Hamlet has every right in the world to be mad at his mother. He is full of suspicion and doubt. She is most certainly a gullible and naive queen. If Hamlet were really cruel and twisted by nature, it would surely show by his actions. He would kill his mother for betraying him, and kill Claudius outright for the murder of his father. Instead, Hamlet gives his mother a good tongue lashing, and the killing of Polonius is done in the heat of the moment. He has plenty of opportunities to kill Claudius, but he chose not to do so. Hamlets conscience bothers him throughout the play. While he is praying, Claudius is spared an ignominious end when Hamlet sneaks in and observes the hypocrite in meditation. Claudius is unaware that Hamlet is in the room, and confesses to his brother's murder. Hamlet could have killed him at this time, but instead lets him finish his prayer. This is convincing evidence that Hamlet is not mad, but in complete control of his faculties. If Hamlet was crazy, he would have killed the king on the spot. Instead, he rationalizes the folly of this would be impetuous act. Hamlet believed that by killing the king in prayer, he would send him straight to heaven, instead of the eternal bonfire that he hoped would be his fate. Let God be the judge!
Hamlet seems to have acted with unnecessary cruelty only once during the play. It is his treatment of Ophelia. (3:1) Hamlet tells her to place herself in a nunnery, after Ophelia has been cordial to him. There seems to be no rational explanations for his actions here. He does not believe himself to be acting with cruelty, only that he is once again acting on his passions. Hamlet can never be misconstrued for being reserved in his nature. He is definitely outspoken, and it seems that offending someone does not bother him in the least. Hamlet can be rightly accused of lacking tact. He even has the audacity to curse Ophelia by telling her, "If thou dost marry, I'll give thee this plague for thy dowry: be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow, thou shall not escape calumny, get thee to a nunnery." This seems to be an isolated incident, and can be seen as a quarrel between friends. Ophelia is the victim in this scene, while Hamlet shows the duality of his nature.
As the play nears it's end Hamlet seems to become more cynical of life in general. More than once he ponders it's purpose. A good example of this takes place in the graveyard, (5:1) wher Hamlet is shown the skull by the gravedigger. He is told that it is Yorick's skull, the king's old jester. Hamlet is fascinated by this, and breaks into a tirade about the futility of existence. Although he ponders over death, he is acutely aware of his own mortality, and seems to be resigned to this inevitability. Hamlet's obsession with death is more a fascinating curiosity than an actual longing for that eternal state. It took the death of his father to actually impress upon him the mortality of the human species. At this time in his life he is full of suspicion, which inevitably leads to misanthropy. He thinks nothing of dumping the corpse of Polonius in the hallway in the castle. To Hamlet, Polonius might well have been an animal's carcass rather than a human corpse. His disgust with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern leads to their demise on the open seas. hamlet regards these men as mere interlopers that get in the way of his means to reach an end. In these two scenes it might seem that hamlet lacks a conscience. he is portrayed as an unfeeling brute to the people around him. Hamlet's anger is what makes it seem so, and his anger is a direct result of his cynicism. Hamlet is a complicated individual. He is a misanthrope that becomes more skeptical of the human motive as the play nears it's end. Hamlet's story has been open to many interpretations in the four hundred years of it's existence. However, one thing is clear. Hamlet is no madman. Rather, he is a desperate man coming to terms with death and the issue of his own mortality. His behavior during the play is merely a response to the actions of others.
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