Hamlet's Deliberation: A Portrayal of a Son's Love for His Mother Introduction -- Great Books II

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Date Posted: 19:10:25 05/04/08 Sun
Author: athistleton
Subject: Hamlet's Deliberation: A Portrayal of a Son's Love for His Mother Introduction

William Shakespeare created many of literature's most memorable characters. While many have been adopted into the hearts of his readers with love, Shakespeare also created many characters that, as they developed, only instilled criticism and sometimes even hatred in the minds of his readers. Hamlet, in particular, has been picked to pieces and thrown out by many literary critics as a weak character, lacking the guts to perform the ugly task of revenge. It is undeniable that Hamlet has certain flaws, but weakness, as most critics see it, is not one of them. His deliberation results, not from intimidation or fear of the task at hand, but rather from the fact that killing Claudius is what he had to do, and not what he wanted to do. Throughout the play, Hamlet's anger and emotion stems from his mother. All of his frustration and angst flow from his disappointment in Gertrude, whom he loves and cares for as any son should his mother. Avenging the death of his father was not as important to him as convicting his mother of her sin and saving her from �what [was] to come� (3.4.154). This is not to say that he never planned to kill Claudius. He understood that it was his duty, but because other desires conflicted with this end, he hesitated in fulfilling his promise. In the end, Hamlet finally kills Claudius, but not to avenge his father's death. When he kills Claudius, he is, in fact, avenging the death of his mother, and not his father. If avenging the death of his father was his primary concern, Hamlet would have killed Claudius long before the end of the play. But Hamlet's concern was for his mother. His primary goal was to protect Gertrude and to set her back in the right direction. His deliberation throughout the play can be traced to the fact that he was called to exact a perfect revenge. His father's ghost commanded him to �Taint not thy mind, nor let thy soul contrive / Against thy mother aught. Leave her to heaven / And to those thorns that in her bosom lodge / To prick and sting her� (1.585-88). His deliberation is simply a sign of the magnitude of the task he was commanded to perform. Once Gertrude is murdered by Claudius, nothing remains standing in the way of Hamlet killing his uncle. His deliberation is not a sign of intimidation or fear, but simply serves to demonstrate his main purpose throughout the story which is to protect his mother, Gertrude.

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Re: Hamlet's Deliberation: A Portrayal of a Son's Love for His Mother Introduction -- Molly M, 21:52:15 05/04/08 Sun