Hormiz 1 Goro Hormiz Mrs.

Dickson ENG 3U 7 May 2012 Inward and Outward Conflicts Throughout Hamlet In Hamlet, conflict is the key idea and is presented in many ways. Throughout the play, the feelings and thoughts of others are highly neglected, which sets off many problems. Hamlet, being one of the main characters in the play, encounters many struggles and does not know how to cope with all of them. By having so many corrupt people in his life him, he feels isolated from everyone because he does not know who to trust anymore. A result from this isolation leads Hamlet into depression and forces more issues to occur. Revenge is Hamlets main objective and from this, it leads him in encountering many conflicts between a lot of his friends and family. Both inward and outward conflicts are displayed in the play when, Hamlet wants to kill King Claudius, the untrusting relationship he has with his closest friends, and his struggles with suicidal thoughts. Initially, an outward conflict in Hamlet was when Hamlet wanted to kill his uncle, Claudius. The reason behind this was due to the fact that Claudius had murdered Hamlets father. Thinking to himself, Hamlet states: Now might I do it pat, nowa is a-praying. And now Ill dot. And soa goes to heaven; And so am I revendd. That would be scannd:

Hormiz 2 A villain kills my father, and for that I his sole son, do this same villain send To heaven. (III.iii. 91) Although Hamlet wanted to kill Claudius at that moment, he decided not to. Hamlet explains that he doesnt want to murder him while he is praying because hes afraid hell send Claudius soul straight to Heaven. Revenge to Hamlet is not so much about just killing Claudius; its about making sure he suffers in Hell. Also, the hasty marriage between Claudius and Gertrude was another reason which leads to Claudius death. Hamlet not only takes issue with his mothers quick remarriage after his fathers death, hes also disgusted by the fact that Gertrude is guilty of incest. The greed and lust that Gertrude had for Claudius, blinded her to see the type of person he really is which forced out more anger by Hamlet towards his uncle. Due to the selfishness of Claudius and Gertrude, this resulted in leading Claudius to his death. In addition, the untrusting friendship Hamlet has with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern also portrays conflict throughout the play. A lot of tension between Hamlet and his friends has risen ever since Hamlet was thought to be insane or not. Claudius uses Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to spy on Hamlet to find out if he is actually insane or faking it, which makes Hamlet feel un-trusted because they were working for Claudius behind his back. With Hamlet being mislead, he says to his friends, You were sent for, and there is a kind of confession in your looks, which your modesties have not craft enough to color: I know the good king and queen have sent for you"(II.ii. 52). Hamlets friends try to deceive him, which only makes him lose trust for them and causes Hamlet to be against them from that moment on. Moreover, with the anger that Hamlet has for his friends, he sets both of them up to be killed. Hamlet gladly admits to Horatio how he got revenge on Rosencrantz and Guildenstern by re-arranging Claudius previous letter for his death, and

Hormiz 3 forcing it on his friends. In result, by lying to and not trusting Hamlet, it caused many problems between their friendship and lead to Rosencrantz and Guildensterns death. Finally, Hamlet struggles with suicidal thoughts and shows an inward conflict with himself. His inner battles on whether to live or not are a result of many factors. With the death of his father, Hamlet has become terribly depressed. He questions himself on whether life is worth living when he says: 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. (III.i. 66) With all the troubles and heartaches life has to throw at him, Hamlet feels that if he commits suicide, everything will be better. Although, he questions himself on what will happen when he dies because in his Christian faith, taking your own life is a sin. Furthermore, the suicidal thoughts that Hamlet has encountered were also triggered by the feeling of betrayal from his own family. Not even two months after his fathers death, his mother re-married to his uncle without consulting Hamlet. In the beginning of the play, Hamlet wishes his flesh would melt because of his mothers betrayal of his father. This made the world seem like a completely corrupt place and he did not want to deal with it anymore. Ultimately, Hamlet couldnt bring himself to suicide due to the fact that he did not know what was waiting on the other side of death. In summary, the play Hamlet demonstrates many inward and outward types of conflicts. Hamlet, being one of the main characters, is generally the cause of all these problems. With his desire for revenge, it leads to the death of his uncle and many others. Also the untrusting

Hormiz 4 relationship Hamlet has with his friends causes them to be murdered. Lastly, his struggles with suicidal thoughts show the inner strife within himself. Overall, Hamlet shows how conflict is the essential theme of the play.

Works Cited Shakespeare, William.

Hormiz 5 Hamlet. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2002. Print.