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Hope Cody

Dr. McCarthy

UHON 1020

28 April 2018

Hamlet and the Cycle of Violence

Hamlet is a timeless masterwork that brings to light many issues that not only posed

problems in Hamlet’s time, but also in contemporary society. Violence within the family is a

dangerous epidemic in modern America, exposing many young children to violence at a young

age, and the same is true with Hamlet. As a young man, he is exposed to death through the

murder of his father, King Hamlet. This violence can cause children to react in a rash manner,

impacting their judgment of right and wrong and inhibiting their ability to properly handle a

situation. These reactions can be seen again in Hamlet through the way he copes with his father’s

death, acting mad and violent. This impacts children and young people in a way that encourages

the cycle of violence to continue, meaning that because they have been exposed to violence, they

in turn are violent, causing more people, possibly more children, to be exposed to such violence.

Hamlet is a prime example of how being exposed to violence can cause a young person to feed

into the cycle of violence. Through researching modern American violence within the family, one

can easily trace how and why Hamlet reacts in the way he does, through a process of grief,

premature maturation, and eventual violence.

Prince Hamlet’s age is often taken for granted. Hamlet is a young man, an adolescent,

which complicates both his place in society and his reaction to trauma. Research shows that

“adolescents exposed to violence… tend to show high levels of aggression and acting out,

accompanied by anxiety, behavioral problems, school problems, truancy, and revenge seeking”
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(Osofsky). Hamlet being a young man complicates the entire plot. He is not a child, but also not

yet an adult. Readers get hints at Hamlet’s age throughout the play when other characters refer to

him as “young” or mention his “youth.” However, the clearest reference to a numerical age

comes in Act 3, Scene 2, through the Player King and Queen. Player king states “Full thirty times

hath Phoebus’ cart gone round / …Since love our hearts and Hymen did our hands / Unite

commutual in most sacred bands” (3.2.176, 180-181). The Player King and Queen, symbolic of

Hamlet’s own parents, have been married thirty years. This insinuates that Hamlet is less than

thirty years old. At this age, he has already had the taste of what it could be like to be king,

experienced unexplainable grief due to the loss of his father, and lost his own life as a result of

the grave offense committed against his father. This could be a lot for any one person, but

realizing Hamlet’s young age can help readers gain a different, more accurate understanding of

the text. His youth complicates his response to grief and his actions taken as a result of his

father’s death. Hamlet scholar Richard Corum states, “If you went to the Globe and watched this

new play, you would soon recognize that Hamlet is a play about adolescents and, more

particularly, what adolescents do when they lose a powerful and commanding father” (Corum

xvii). Corm argues that at its core, Hamlet is about adolescent loss. Through research, it is easy

to see that this very well could be the case.

Hamlet is utterly devastated at the loss of his father. Hamlet is still relatively young,

looking up to his father figure, and having this role model and loved one taken away from him in

an untimely death takes a lasting toll on Hamlet’s mental health. Hamlet has a conversation with

Horatio regarding his father, and states, “He was a man. Take him for all in all / I shall not look

upon his like again” (1.2.195-196). Prince Hamlet shows readers that he obviously highly

revered his father, a good man whose like would not be looked on again. King Hamlet was an
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idol for Prince Hamlet, making the loss all the more unbearable. Obviously Hamlet would grieve

his father’s death. Sadly, though, grief is not as simple as mourning and moving on. The

beginning of the play paints Prince Hamlet as discouraged, confused, and angry due to his

father’s passing. He feels these emotions in light of looming attack on Denmark from Fortinbras,

as well as thinking about his duty to his people and family in this time of mourning. In addition

to all these emotions, he also is battling his mother, who gets married shortly after King Hamlet’s

death and is apathetic to Hamlet’s grief. Gertrude’s marriage to Claudius only exacerbates

Hamlet’s sorrow, making the wound sting even more. Gertrude does not mourn alongside

Hamlet, but dismisses his emotion saying, “Do not forever with thy vailed lids / Seek for thy

noble father in the dust. / Thou know’st ‘tis common; all that lives must die, / Passing through

nature to eternity” (1.2.72-75). Gertrude of all people should be able to relate to Hamlet’s

suffering and anguish, but instead pushes it off, leaving Hamlet to physically lose one parent and

metaphorically lose another. Prince Hamlet has lost all of his sense of support through this

traumatic event, leaving him to his own vices to cope.

Through all of this, Prince Hamlet is unaware his father has not died naturally, but was

indeed murdered. The fact of the murder is revealed in Act 1 Scene 5 when King Hamlet’s ghost

appears to Prince Hamlet, “Murder most foul, as in the best it is, / But this most foul, strange,

and unnatural” (1.5.33-34). This encounter uncovers the truth regarding the King’s death, and

complicates Hamlet’s grief further. No longer is he only sad and confused, but incredibly angry

and vengeful. He says that he is ready to act, “…with wings as swift / As meditation or the

thoughts of love / May sweep to my revenge” (1.5.35-37). Hamlet’s attitude changes from

depressed and melancholy to confused and turbulent, causing him to make rash, questionable

decisions. Knowing that his father was murdered, not having died naturally, this begs Hamlet to
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at least consider revenge. His thoughts are deeply impacted with the knowledge that his father

was killed.

Young people influenced by violence are often unprepared for handling the grief that

comes along with being affected by said violence. Children are more likely to let this effect their

daily lives, resulting in either an internalization or externalization of grief responses.

“Internalizing behaviors include depression, anxiety, and withdrawal; externalizing behaviors

include aggressive and delinquent behaviors” (Yoon). Susan Yoon describes two ways in which

grief affects young people’s daily lives. This can deeply impact both young people’s mental

health and interpersonal relationships. Internally, children are more likely to struggle with mental

health issues. Studies have found that “approximately one quarter of immediate family members

of homicide victims met the criteria for homicide-related posttraumatic stress during their

lifetime” (Englebrecht). Outwardly, young people may express their grief as aggression,

becoming agitated more quickly, exhibiting physical aggression, and lower performance in

school. Research shows that “local homicides have strong impacts on preschoolers' attention and

impulse control and on their performance on vocabulary assessments” (Sharkey). For a child to

be behind developmentally as young as preschool can set them back by years by the time they

graduate high school. Violence has countless negative effects on young people, and coping can

often be even harder. To cope, adolescents are largely dependent on a strong parental figure.

“The most important protective resource to enable a child to cope with exposure to violence is a

strong relationship with a competent, caring, positive adult, most often a parent” (Osofsky).

However, many children exposed to violence do not have strong bonds with their parents.

Whether they have lost a parent (or parents) to violence, are being passed from foster home to

foster home, or are stuck in a situation with apathetic parents, not all children receive the parental
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love and support that is necessary for coping with grief. When these strong parental relationships

deteriorate, there is an even higher likelihood of a more severe internalization or externalization

of such grief. This grief as a result of being exposed to violence has major impacts on young

people, affecting both their mental health and outward actions. The same is true of Hamlet’s

situation. Exposed to violence as a young person, Hamlet’s internal and external thoughts and

actions are affected by his violent loss. Hamlet, as a young man experiencing grief, is an

excellent example of what it looks like to internalize and externalize grief. He has lost his father

and throughout the play his relationship with his mother has deteriorated. Without these parental

bonds, Hamlet is left on his own to grapple with the crippling grief he is experiencing. He

internalizes his grief through his falling into madness, and his presumably suffering from some

form of mental illness. He also externalizes his grief by seeking revenge, slowly becoming more

verbally and physically aggressive as the play progresses. Hamlet’s aggression is easily seen

through his encounters with Ophelia, Gertrude, Polonius, and Claudius.

Prince Hamlet matures much more quickly as a result of the events transpiring in his life.

He is young, but also next in line for the throne; he is upset, but feels the need to take action and

avenge his father. He should be becoming the man of his household and the King of Denmark,

but instead is wrestling with his mother’s new marriage and his father’s murder. This swift

change in the life of Prince Hamlet causes a hastening in his rate of maturity. He improperly

handles instances with Ophelia and Polonius, as well as Gertrude and Polonius. Hamlet speaks

madly to his supposed ‘love,’ embarrassing her as well as himself in front of a crowd saying,

“Get thee to a nunnery. Why wouldst thou be / a breeder of sinners?” (3.1.131-132). Another

example of Hamlet’s vast unpreparedness is shown through his encounter with Gertrude and

Polonius. Hamlet speaks wildly and without respect for his mother saying, “Mother, you have
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my father much offended” as well as “and (would it were not so) you are my mother” (3.4.13 &

21). He is speaking badly of the Queen of Denmark herself. Gertrude then begins to fear being

murdered by her own son, causing Polonius to speak from his hiding place behind the curtain.

Hamlet acts wildly and stabs at the curtain, instantly killing Polonius. Gertrude refers to this

action as a “rash and bloody deed,” only further proving that Hamlet is struggling deeply with

problems coinciding with the premature maturation forced upon him by the untimely death of the

King (3.4.33).

Hamlet’s supposed madness could very well be a manifestation of grief and suffering he

has experienced in the death of his father. “Exposure to violence can have significant effects on

children during their development and as they form their own intimate relationships in childhood

and adulthood” (Osofsky). Because they have fallen victim to violence, many children find that

their interpersonal relationships are negatively affected. Hamlet is struggling though this internal

battle, and it is beginning to take shape outwardly, affecting his relationships with those he cares

for most. He insults the girl he loves multiple times, driving her to insanity and, ultimately,

suicide. Though Hamlet repeatedly affirms that he still loves Ophelia, he treats her horribly,

telling her to “get thee to a nunnery,” and teasing her with words of mad love that he did not

mean (3.1. 131). This only adds to the notion that his intimate relationships are being degraded as

a result of his enhanced rate of maturation due to the violence he has become victim to. Hamlet

also speaks madly to Gertrude, his mother. Though Gertrude is not the best for Hamlet during

these times, she remains his mother, and queen, therefore should be treated with the utmost

respect. Besides that, one would assume Hamlet wants to maintain a good relationship with the

sole parent he has remaining. His blatant disrespect for his mother shows how Hamlet’s

interpersonal relationships are being affected as a result of grief.

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Hamlet, supposedly ready to avenge King Hamlet’s death, comes up with a plan to

murder Claudius. However, Hamlet is sloppy and ends up not only causing the death of

Claudius, but is either directly or indirectly responsible for the deaths of Polonius, Laertes,

Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, Ophelia, Gertrude, as well as himself. What starts off as one murder

ends in the loss of eight lives. Hamlet contributes to the very cycle of violence he is fighting

against. Though he is hurt by heinous murder, he finds this same action to be an acceptable thing

to impose upon others and their families. This also exposes the entire kingdom to attack by

Fortinbras. He states, “For me, with sorrow I embrace my fortune. / I have some rights of

memory in this kingdom, / Which now to claim my vantage doth invite me” (5.2.431-433).

Though his attack has been on the horizon, the entire royal family dead certainly opens up an

excellent opportunity for his attack, meaning the citizens of Denmark are added victims of

Hamlet’s violence and rash decision making. Though Hamlet may not realize what he is doing,

he is feeding back into the very cycle of violence that affected him at the beginning of the play.

As stated before, children who have been exposed to violence are at an increased risk for

having mental health issues, and externalizing hostile or aggressive behavior. Adolescents in this

situation are likely to be violent to others as a result of violence they have experienced. This can

be deeply problematic. As a young person, there might not be ample thought put into actions

before they are done. There also may be cognitive holes in reasoning regarding who they chose

to hurt and how. Children put into these situations likely do not fully comprehend the

consequences of their actions. Though some may argue that adolescents should be held to the

same consequences and standards as adults who commit the same heinous crimes, this is simply

not the case. Juvenile justice itself is an entity to be “applicable to persons not old enough to be

held responsible for criminal acts” (Juvenile). The federal government recognizes that the kids
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ending up in juvenile court oftentimes cannot be held accountable for their actions. Oftentimes,

these children are products of violence, unsupportive homes, and poverty. Evident in the very

existence of a juvenile justice system, it is obvious that the United States makes a clear

distinction in what children are and are not capable of dealing with. According to the Cornell

Law School, “The main goal of the juvenile justice system is rehabilitation rather than

punishment” (Juvenile). The government is trying to correct these children before they have to be

punished for serious crimes that could happen in the future if they go uncorrected in the present.

Children committing crimes are put into juvenile justice facilities because they are not always

fully aware of the consequences of their action, and are oftentimes victims of circumstance they

were born into. The same can be said of Hamlet. Though often painted as a bad guy in the story,

one who acts rashly and without reason, he is a victim of circumstance, and does not know how

to best deal with the problem he faces at such a young age. When viewed through this lens,

Hamlet becomes a character one should pity, not disdain.

All this being said, violence occurs in a cycle. Once an act of violence is done, it is hard

to correct. Whether a direct victim or a secondary one, the effects on victims of violence cause

more violence to occur. Whether this is an internal battle, where one is harsh on themselves, or

an external battle, where this harshness and violence is reflected onto others, the violence

nonetheless continues to be manifested within the victim. Again, this succession is evident in

Hamlet. Prince Hamlet is ultimately a victim of the vicious cycle of violence. Physically losing

his father and metaphorically losing his mother, Hamlet has lost those most important to him.

Hamlet falls into madness and eventually becomes violent himself, all as a reaction to grief. He,

a secondary victim of homicide, both internalizes and externalizes his grief, causing mental

suffering within himself, and the physical suffering of those around him. He continues the cycle
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by causing the deaths of multiple people in the play; therefore creating more victims and

secondary victims to trauma.

Hamlet is a masterwork that is not a far reach from modern America. The grief that

Hamlet felt as a result of being exposed to violence is one that permeates communities all

throughout the country. This grief causes both internal and external problems for Hamlet,

including hastened maturation and madness. Eventually, Hamlet turns to violence as a means to

cope with the death of his father, playing into the cycle of violence that initially hurt him.

Likewise, adolescents exposed to violence often suffer with mental health issues and strained

interpersonal relationships. This can often result in these children also feeding into the cycle they

are a victim of. Hamlet ultimately is a victim, one who is placed in the most unfortunate of

circumstances and who lacks the support to help him cope through this process. Through tracing

his grief, premature maturation, and eventual violence, one can learn to pity Hamlet, as a victim

instead of a mad man.

Works Cited

Corum, Richard. Understanding Hamlet: A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical
Documents. Greenwood Press, 1998.

Englebrecht C, Mason D, Adams P. “Responding to Homicide: An Exploration of the Ways in

Which Family Members React to and Cope With the Death of a Loved One.” Journal of
Death and Dying, vol. 73, no. 4, 2016, pp. 355-373, SAGE,
https://doi.org/10.1177/0030222815590708.

“Juvenile Justice.” Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute,

https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/juvenile_justice.

Osofsky, Joy D. “The Impact of Violence on Children.” The Future of Children, vol. 9, no. 3,
1999, pp. 33–49. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1602780.

Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Simon and Schuster, New York. 2012.

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Sharkey, Patrick T., PhD., et al. "The Effect of Local Violence on Children's Attention and
Impulse Control." American Journal of Public Health, vol. 102, no. 12, 2012, pp. 2287-
2293, ProQuest, https://proxy.lib.utc.edu/login?
url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1265601795?accountid=14767.

Yoon, S. , Steigerwald, S. , Holmes, M. R. and Perzynski, A. T. “Children's Exposure to

Violence: The Underlying Effect of Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms on Behavior
Problems.” Journal of Traumatic Stress, vol. 29, 2016, pp. 72-79. doi:10.1002/jts.22063.