Article Correction

Annotation/Description: Write a well-developed essay categorizing Hamlet into one of the

several interpretations scholars have argued him to represent, using specific evidence from
Hamlet to justify your argument. You may say he falls under one interpretation, or that he is a
combination of two of them.
Reflective Paragraph: All in all, I am pretty proud of this essay. It was well researched, well
phrased, and provided a sound explanation for my opinion on the Prince of Denmarks
intentions. The only thing I noticed was that there were small instances where language was
choppy, or a sentence simply didnt flow as well as it could have. This was probably just because
I didnt catch it in my weariness after writing a long essay. Still, I would polish up the little
blemishes on my paper and make it just that much better in the process.
Self-Revision:
Michael Hals
Mrs. Carter
AP LIT
9 February 2015
Hamlet Interpretation Essay
Ever since the Bard first scripted The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
centuries ago, the world has been enthralled by the prolific tale, with nothing
fascinating it more than the storys titular character himself, Prince Hamlet. This
singular character has been studied and scrutinized with such intensity that the
literary world has conjured several different interpretations of Hamlets persona,
each proposing different theories behind the motivations of the tragic prince. And
while many would argue Hamlet adheres strictly to one of these theories, in truth,
he is composed out of a combination of several. Hamlet starts out the play as the
Dreamer, unable to commit to his plan for justice, until he morphs into the
Revenger, out for his Uncles blood at any cost, as can be plainly seen from the
soliloquies in Act II scene ii, Act III scene i, and Act III scene iii.

In the events prior to Act 2 scene 2, Hamlet is called upon by the ghost of his
father to avenge his murder by killing the newly crowned King Claudius. At first,
Hamlet is more than eager to accept this challenge, but as the story progresses, he
doesnt make good on his word, simply drifting on by as if in a dream without taking
any action against his Uncle. Finally, after witnessing an actor bring himself to tears
in a simple monologue, Hamlet bursts, saying, This is most brave / That I, the son
of a dear father murtherd / Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell, / Must
(like a whore) unpack my heart with words (H II. ii.). He openly admits that he has
been incapable to do anything to bring justice for his father. To the contrary, hes
been moping about, wallowing in his own self-pity, complaining about how terrible
and awful his situation is in while doing nothing to actively change anything. Hamlet
is beside himself with his own inaction, unable to understand why he has not been
able to do what is necessary to avenge his father. And it is because, in this point of
the play, Hamlet is still but the Dreamer, physically incapable of making any
positive action towards solving the problem he is presented with.
Though the majority of this speech is spent lamenting about his own
incompetence, Hamlet does make up for it by vowing to make a change. He
concocts a well-reasoned plan to deduce the innocence of Claudius before doing
anything that he might regret, and it seems as if Hamlets dreaming days are over.
But the very next time he is seen in the play, it becomes clear that he has taken
one step forward and two steps backward, as he moans and groans about the woe
that is his life, saying To be or not to be that is the question and Tis a
consummation / Devoutly to be wishd (H III. i.). Even in spite of a plan that could
possibly bring an end to his sorrows, Hamlet still insists on wasting away. He has
everything at his arsenal to bring his pain to an end, yet he is incapable of putting it

to good use. Hamlet even fails to bring an end to his own life, as enterprises of
great pith and moment / With this regard their currents turn awry / And lose the
name of action (H III. i.). Hamlet does not bring an end to his Uncles reign, nor
does he bring an end to his own life, and instead, he commits himself only to a
miserable limbo in between, unable to make headway in either direction.
Finally, as the climax of Act III approaches, Hamlet is awoken from his passive
slumber and fully sets the whole of his faculties to having recompense for his
fathers murder. He becomes the Revenger, doing everything in his power to murder
his father once and for all, promising that When he is drunk asleep; or in his rage; /
Or in th incestuous pleasure of his bed; / at gaming, swearing, or about some act /
That has no relish of salvation int- / Then trip himAnd that his soul may be as
damnd and black / As hell, whereto it goes (H III. Iii.). But in so doing, Hamlet
plants the seed of his own demise. By devoting to such savagery, Hamlet passes up
on an opportunity to slay Claudius while he prays, for fear his soul will go to heaven,
and instead swears to put him down after his sins have built up enough to weigh
him down to Hell. If Hamlet had simply gotten it over with right then and there,
there would have been no more conflict, and the play would have come to a neat
and tidy end after three Acts. But by waiting to do it later, Hamlet inevitably casts
judgment upon himself, and, by his own actions, seals his fate with tragedy.
As proven by these three soliloquies, Hamlets character goes through a
metamorphosis, shifting from a passive Dreamer in the plays beginning to a ragefilled Revenger by its end. Hamlet is too dynamic a character to be forced into
singular stereotypes governing the whole of his countenance and actions. But by
showing the progression of his character through several of these stages, his true

nature is revealed, providing a sound explanation for Hamlets motivations from

when the stage is set at the plays start to the curtains call at the plays end.