Isolation as the Root of Hamlets Torment Essay -- Essays on Shakespear

closing off as the Root of Hamlets Torment Does Hamlet stand alone? Does this world-beater of English literature hold any bond of fellowship with those or so him, or does he forge through his quandaries of indecision, inaction and retribution in solitude? Though the young Dane interacts with Shakespeares stainless slate of characters, most of his converse lies beneath a cloud of sarcasm, double meaning and contempt. As severally member of Claudius royal court offers their thickly veiled and highly move speech Hamlet retreats further and further into the muddled depths of his conflict-stricken mind. Death by a father, betrayal by a mother, scorn by a lover and abhorrence by an uncle leave the hero with no pasture to turn, perhaps creating a sense of isolation painful enough to crowd him towards the brink of madness. With the supporting cast of detractors circled around him, Claudius clearly constitutes the core of Hamlets opposition. The kings fury towards Hamlet spreads to the rest of his entourage in the same way that his refusal to lament his brothers passing left only the prince in black attire and dark-eyed grief. Claudius and the others each make weakly shrouded attempts to gain Hamlets support, but the deafening falsity of their gestures leaves lowly doubt about their true sentiments. The first appearance of King and nephew together begins with the disingenuous greeting, But now, my cousin Hamlet, and my son- (1.2, 64) to which Hamlet sardonically retorts, A teeny more than kin, and less than kind (1.2, 65). This initial encounter between the ii men reveals a sea of mutual hostilities and as a agent of the kings will, Polonius parallels such an antagonism. The advisors first meeting with Haml... ...is inaction. The tragic hero walks a truly lonely role, and this seclusion probably deserves a mention in literatures fadeless search for the roots of his torment. With words more sage than he realizes, Polonius condenses Hamlets entire stru ggle into a single poignant idea The origin and start of his grief / Sprung from neglected love (3.1, 180-181). Polonius and Laertes derail Ophelias tenderness, and Claudius persuasion steals the heart of Gertrude. A unanimous lack of mourning scoffs at Hamlets deep esteem for his locomote father and even the companionship of his childhood friends succumbs to Claudius menacing demands. The end allow for is a huge disconnectedness between ally and adversary, a gulf that ultimately plummeted Hamlet to the depths of psychological torment. Works CitedShakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. David Bevington. New York Longman,1997.