Hamlets Change of Character

Hamlets change of character

In Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, some of his characters go through major changes. One of these characters happens to be Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark. Due to the recent evidence Hamlet has gained which shows that Claudius whom is Hamlet’s uncle murdered Hamlets father King Hamlet, Hamlet starts to change. Hamlet changes his personal characteristics in many ways throughout the play. Some of the ways that he changed were his patience, impulsiveness, and indecisiveness.

In the beginning of the play when Hamlet first comes to learn that his uncle and now step-father Claudius murdered his father, King Hamlet, Hamlet begins to slowly lose his mental stability and his state of mind is questioned. Throughout the play Hamlet puts on an act of madness in hopes that the people in the play will feel freely to take about him and he may gain a confession or some evidence that King Claudius murdered King Hamlet. The already depressed Hamlet starts to spiral into an uncontrollable downfall that later result in thoughts of suicide. Hamlets character is however, a very smart young man and he is able to think things through before making a rash decision of life or death. In the beginning of the play when Hamlet comes to the realization of his father’s death he feels that it has become his duty to kill his uncle in order to avenge the death of his father. Hamlet learns from what is believed to be the ghost of his deceased father that Claudius killed him while he was asleep and Hamlet becomes bombarded with the want of revenge and is overcome with pure hate. (Shakespeare I. v 39-40). Ghost “The serpent that did sting thy father’s life/Now wears his crown.” Hamlet “O my prophetic soul! My uncle?” He realizes that he must wait and get any evidence out of his uncle Claudius in order to show his Mother, the Royal Court and the people of Denmark that it was Claudius who murdered Old Hamlet and that he did not simply die mysteriously from a random snake bite (Shakespeare I. v 35-41). Ghost “’Tis given out that, sleeping in my orchard, /A serpent stung me. So the whole ear of Denmark/is by a forged process of my death/Rankly abused. But know, thou noble youth, /The serpent that did sting thy father’s life/Now wears his crown” and this way Hamlet will be justified by killing the new King. Although the want for revenge is so demanding Hamlet knows that he cannot kill King Claudius immediately or without having any evidence, because if he does so he will be tried and put to death without a doubt. However, due to Hamlets lack of patience he does not always take his time when it comes to getting his revenge for his father’s murder. Many times Hamlet does not think things through for example when he kills Polonius. Hamlets character becomes very impatient and careless, we see this later on in the play as we see Hamlet losing his patience when he kills Polonius without looking behind the curtain to see who was actually behind it. Hamlet has made the assumption that the one who he is stabbing with his sword was King Claudius when really it was none other that Polonius. If Hamlet is to be justified for killing Claudius he will need to learn to be more patient and know that all things come with time.

Hamlet also knows that there is no way that he will feel morally right in following through his vengeance until he knows for sure that the so-called Ghost of King Hamlet is telling the truth and must assure himself that the Ghost is in fact his Father’s spirit and not some kind