Hamlet Essay

Death by your own plan, that is the story of Hamlet. The unwavering questioning of motives and action build to create a sense of uncertainty. Thinking to know what comes next, but having no idea how to act. Hamlet by William Shakespeare is a play about uncertainty. The juxtaposition of knowing what is wanted and being caught in complete stillness is a theme for the character Hamlet. He knows what he wants but questions himself so much that he begins to question his own motives. "To be or not to be," something so cliche it lost its meaning; the meaning of the expectation you build inside and the reality of what you see. Hamlet is a character that builds the theme of the whole play. He embodies the course the play takes, from frustration to questioning to action of no action back to frustration and again. It is a cycle that repeats until it comes to an end in the final scene when "to be or not to be" becomes only one option; to be. As in the Performative Utterance, a cycle was made, but this one was made from no connection of the three forces. Hamlet could not connect the ability of thought with the ability of language with the ability of achievement contributing to his continual questioning. The theme of Hamlet is the difference between who you want to be and who you are; the ambiguous past to present to future.

"To be or not to be, that is the question whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune or to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing, end them." Who I want vs who I am. Should I be ignorant of the unjust around me or should I act against all that is unjust. These are the thoughts of Hamlet as he finds himself alone after so long of extending his revenge. Throughout his soliloquy, Hamlet reveals is distrust with himself and his urge to be something he is not. He beats himself up for being the kid that everyone pitied instead of the man everyone would fear. This reveals to the audience his uncertain nature and journey of self discovery. As a reader, the various emotions of Hamlet are shown in his diverse character. Sadness, anger, passion, commitment, self-loathing. His tone is characterized by change. First, passive. Second, aggravated. Third, outraged. Fourth, ashamed. Fifth, wrathful. Sixth, confident. Seventh, amused. Eighth, sorrowful. Ninth, grateful. Hamlet evolves throughout the story as an individual with no path to an individual with a purpose. Hamlet is the central tone of the play, it is unique in that it changes.

The definition of theme is the main idea or an underlying meaning of literary work. Hamlet embodies the theme of Hamlet through his constant uncertainty of action until the end. He is the change between who he wants to be and who he is. The definition of tone is an attitude the writer takes toward a subject. Hamlet embodies the tone of Hamlet through his constant changing. He is shaped from a boy to a man throughout the play and the audience can see the evolution from innocence to confidence. "To be or not to be," the uncertain action of change.