Yanli Jin Mrs.

Gaudion 11/08/2011 Hamlets downfallegocentricity and revenge In Williams Shakespeares tragic play, Hamlet, the main character Hamlet appears to be a noble prince, who is thoughtful and a devout Christian. His grace, wit, and strength have won him a good reputation among his people. However, throughout the whole play, Hamlet dwells on his own misery often without considering the situations of others in his life, and causing them to suffer. He takes the lives of blameless people without repentance, and insults his mother without putting himself in her situation. Hamlet is selfish by taking revenge on others causing many unnecessary deaths. The first three killings of Polonius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are all attributed to Hamlet. As a normal person, he should at least feel guilty and be responsible for his behaviors; however, Hamlet never shows any regret for his evil actions, nor any concern for those lives he took. For example, Hamlet doesnt feel sorry for Polonius death; instead, he accredits the death on Polonius himself, saying Thou wretched, rash, intruding fool, farewell. I took thee for thy better. Take thy fortune(III.IV). Hamlet leaves little time for himself to grieve over this loss and the mistake he had made. On the contrary, he turns to his mother, bringing up her quick marriage to Claudius right after he accidently kills Polonius. The same situation happens to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Hamlet replaced the sealed letter carried by the unsuspecting Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (which called for Hamlets execution), with one calling for the execution of the

bearers of the letter (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern themselves). Hamlet could avoid the unnecessary deaths by cutting those sentences in the letter, which mention the execution. However, he chooses to put them into a very dangerous situation and shows no remorse for doing it. He acts with perfect assurance, saying, Their defeat does by their own insinuation grow(V. II). He tells Horatio that he has no sympathy for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, because he thinks that they have betrayed him and catered to Claudius. Nevertheless, Claudius is the king of the country and everybody needs to listen to the king. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have no choice when Claudius asks them to spy on Hamlet. Moreover, they dont know the truth that it was Claudius who killed the old Hamlet. If they knew the facts, they would have stood by Hamlets side. Hamlet has never placed himself in their situation to consider their circumstances. It seems that the only things Hamlet cares about are his own problems, regardless of the damages his actions may cause to others. Regarding the relationship with his mother, Hamlet is tough on her. His rage towards Gertrude shocks her several times throughout the play, especially in Act Three, Scene Four, where Hamlet compares Claudius to his father and says harsh remarks regarding Gertrudes remarriage. She is the kind of woman who has been well protected by the old Hamlet, which is illustrated by the Ghosts words. Throughout the entire play, Gertrude doesnt even have inkling that it is Claudius who killed his brother. She too is a victim, who has been cheated by Claudius. If Hamlet had told her the truth, the outcome might have been much different. However, Hamlet judges his mother as evil subconsciously, and treats her rudely without thinking about

her circumstances. As a woman who has just lost her beloved husband and sole support, Gertrude needs someone whom she can rely on and help her recover from the trauma she has endured. It is Claudius who gives her hope of life. If Hamlet could somehow consider his mothers feeling more, and show his love and care for her, Gertrude might not have betrayed Hamlet and would have rethought her remarriage. By putting blame on his mothers second marriage, Hamlet convinces himself that it is the right thing to do to take revenge, but he doesnt realize how deeply he has hurt his mother. In this play, it is Hamlets actions which directly or indirectly determine the fates of most of the characters. The unnecessary slaughters of Polonius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and hateful attitude towards his mother, well demonstrate Hamlets egotistical nature. However, the blame should not be placed entirely on Hamlets shoulders. Selfishness is part of human nature and Hamlet is a pitiful creature who has faced far more than he could endure. It is often hard for a young man to control his thoughts and behaviors. When he focuses too much on the revenge, he unconsciously exposes his egocentricity and draws more attention to his emotionally fueled actions. If Hamlet were mature enough to control his selfishness, the conclusion of this play Hamlet may have had a different outcome.

Works Cited Shakespeare, William . Hamlet. New York: Spark Publishing, 2003.