The Flaw of Excessive Thought in Shakespeares Hamlet Essay -- GCSE C

The Flaw of Excessive Thought in Hamlet In Hamlet, Shakespeare has his troubled title character dejectedly sigh the words, in that location is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so (II.ii.255). With this line, Hamlet unwittingly defines the underlying theme of the play. The tragedy of Hamlet is ground on conflicts produced when Hamlet and another character have conflicting feelings of what is good or bad. Ophelia dies for the conflict between Hamlets romantic love and Polonius and Laertess protective caution. Hamlet himself is snap between whether to consider his fathers ghost as an angel or a demon. The princes final decision rests on the very basic necessity of life itself, and whether inveterate to live is worth the pain of living. Ophelia dies because of the conflict between Hamlets love and Poloniuss paternal concern for his daughter. The young lovers can find nothing bad at every about their relationship, and in fact, Hamlets mother would love nothing be tter than to see the two wed (V.i.267-269). Polonius and Laertes, on the other hand, have observed Hamlets brooding, pensive inclination after the elder Hamlets death, and are wary of his uncertain motivations. Laertes tells Ophelia that Hamlets love for her is merely a violet in the youth of primy nature, forward, not permanent -- sweet, not indestructible the perfume and suppliance of a minute, no more (I.iii.7-10). Both father and brother warn Ophelia that Hamlets motivation for wooing her are solely, or at least mostly, political, not romantic. He may not, as unvalued persons do, crave for himself, for on his choice depends the safety and health of this whole state (I.iii.19-21). Between the opposition from Polonius and the matters of revenge... ...life itself, is good or bad. It is the conflict in Hamlets soul between good and bad that causes the outward conflicts with other characters which lead to his eventual downfall in Act V. No event in itself would have triggered such a devastating shock to young Hamlet without his pondering its implications as he does. Nothing would have been so good or bad, had it not been for Hamlets thinking which made it so. Works Cited and Consulted Berkeley, George. A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge. 1710. Ed. Kenneth Winkler. Indianapolis Hackett, 1982. Berman, Allison. We Only Find Ourselves. Hamlet reaction papers. Wynnewood FCS, 2000. Lugo, Michael. Thus sense of right and wrong Does Make Cowards of Us All. Hamlet reaction papers. Wynnewood FCS, 2000. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. Sylvan Barnet. New York Signet Classic, 1998.