The Message of Hamlet

Hamlet shows a lot of sadness and also contemplates suicide. He is very confused with his feelings and his depression has brought down his spirits, but Hamlet uses a mask of pride to hide all of this from the naked eye. The many event’s which have occurred, has made thinking straight for Hamlet difficult. His plans of avenging his fathers death are unraveling beforehis eyes; and he is not in the right state of mind to fix things.

Hamlet may be very proud; but it is obvious he is very depressed and confused with life; "O God, God, How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable seem to me all the uses of this world!" (I; ii; 32-34) First of all, Hamlet comes home to a dead father and the re-marriage of his mother to his uncle, Claudius; "We pray you throw to earth This unprevailing woe, and think of us as a father, for let the world take note you are the most immediate to our throne." (I; ii, 106-109) All of this has been a huge negative shock to Hamlet. He does not understand the event’s which have taken place. Hamlet’s mother re-marring makes mourning his father’s death all the more difficult. He does not understand why his mother would re-marry so soon after the death of her husband; especially the fact that it’s to his uncle, Claudius. All of this has caused a lot of anger and sadness inside of Hamlet. All of his feelings have become unbearable and bottled up. He begins to lose control of his life. It has also caused him to feel a lot of hatred towards his mother. He also feels hatred towards Claudius and blames him, for their marriage. Hamlet’s hatred does not stop with his mother and Claudius; he begins to see women as less due to his mothers’ actions. When Hamlet thought things could not get any worse, the ghost of his father appears, revealing his murderer; "The serpent that did sting thy father’s life now wears his crown" (I; v; 39-40) Hamlet was not at all surprised to find that his father’s murderer was his own uncle; "O my prophetic soul!" (I; v; 41) Although Hamlet and two others saw the ghost with their own eyes, Hamlet was still reluctant to believing. Hamlet was the only one to hear the words of his father’s ghost. Hamlet had no problem helping his father by avenging his death, but in the back of his mind he could not get the thought that maybe that was not his father out of his head; but the devil trying to mislead him while he is in a vulnerable state. Hamlet is now confused, angry, and afraid. Afraid that the ghost claiming to be his father’s spirit is nothing more than evil.

Hamlet is beginning to lose full control. Although he feels many different emotions he still believes he is not mad, but subconsciously he knows he is going crazy. Hamlet going crazy is why he uses his pride and status to hide his true feelings from those around. No one but Hamlet’s family of orientation and his new father know exactly how angry, depressed, and mad Hamlet is getting. Consciously, Hamlet believes he is in a normal state of mind and because of this he decides to put on an antic disposition; "As I perchance hereafter shall think meet to put an antic disposition on." (I; v; 171-172)