Reasoning in Hamlet Essay Example

Hamlet’s primal cause of reasoning is emotion and that leads him to make rash decisions. After his father's death he decided to seek revenge, he proposed that “haste {him} to know ‘t that {he}, with wings as swift As meditation or the thoughts of love, may sweep to {his} revenge”  (1.5 29-30). Hamlet urges his companions to explain so he can exact his revenge faster than one can fall in love. His haste, and what some would claim to be recklessness is a result of his emotion, his father’s murder has clouded his vision and he can only think about the direness of this situation and how he needs to get his payback. 

Contrary to Claudius’s people-pleasing actions, Hamlet drove people away with his actions. Hamlet decided to act crazy and drive everyone away “{he acted}  mad north-north-west. When the wind is southerly, {he} knows a hawk from a handsaw.” (II.ii.312–13). Claudius tried to get the peoples approval. He tried to make friends and have a collection of close companions. Hamlet, on the other hand, attempts to drive people away and to push away all that knew and loved him, such as Ophelia. Their sense of companionship and need is skewed and substantially different. 

Hamlet and Claudius are both highly manipulative and will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. Hamlet seeks revenge and “Though this is madness, yet there is a method isn't” (2.2). Hamlet is willingly to pretend to be crazy to achieve his revenge, similarly to how Claudius uses other people to gain his power. Claudius pretends to love Hamlet in front of Gertrude (when he said ``This mad young man but so much our love”… (Act 4 Scene 1)) to gain her trust and in return power via kingship. This response is in part a response to the corrupt world. The corrupt world is changing them.

Destruction of relationships is primarily a cause of betrayal. Hamlet and Claudius both betray people. Claudius betrayed his brother, his nephew, and nearly all of Denmark with his lying and abusing, whereas Hamlet betrayed Ophelia by telling her that “{he} loved {her} not” (Act 3, Scene 1, 126-128). Hamlet betrayed Ophelia’s love, and that is a clear example of how living in a corrupt world can corrupt an individual. Claudius’s acts of betrayal are also an example of the environment, unfortunately, his continuing the cycle of betrayal teaches Hamlet, hence furthering the cycle.  

Betrayal is an example of how the corrupt world shines its path onto innocent people. In short, if the world was pure and civil, pure and civil people would not be tempted by corruption. 

Worldly corruption leads to the selfish actions of both men. They find their similarities in their selfishness, Hamlet is selfish as he Ambition is a driving factor for both of the men, the corruption of the world pushes the men to act solely on ambition, regardless of what it takes. Hamlet was willing to go to the end to get revenge on Claudius for his father death, highlighting his ambition, and Claudius was driven by power and that ambition lead him to commit “A {his} brother’s murder” (III.iii.).  Claudius’s main driving force is his need for power, and due to his ambition he is willing to kill for his power, similarly, Hamlet is willing to kill to avenge his father. The view of corruption can change their paths, hence leading them to be ambitious and overall morally corrupt. 

Lovelessness is a present and apparent role in the play and is caused Hamlet lied about his love to Ophelia when in reality it is not there as he would not treat her (lie to her, use her) the way he did if he truly loved her, and Claudius lied about his love for “{his} crown… and {his} queen (3.3.56-57). In a corrupt world, moral people often fall into damnation. People are easily tempted and in such a corrupt world, it is bound to rub off on individuals, hence the cause of lovelessness with Hamlet and Claudius.