Cristina B. Cuevas Ms. M.

Domenech AP English 12 7 September 2011 Essay #3: Hamlets Dilemma and the 21st Century Shakespeare is almost certainly one of the worlds best known writers and through his numerous novels, exposes an astounding amount of ideas, concepts and critiques regarding his society. He, through his many characters demonstrates what he believes in and how things should be accomplished or regarded. Among his most renowned novels there is The Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark. In this tragedy we find the protagonist Hamlet crown prince of Denmark faced with a moral and personal dilemma brought forth by the sudden death of his late father King Hamlet of Denmark. All the way through Shakespeares tale our tragic hero, Hamlet, is forced to face the numerous conflicts that arise because of the kings death and face the dilemma of doing what his core beliefs dictate as moral, and what his relationship and loyalty to his king and father demand that he do. Thou perhaps not as dramatic or with the same circumstances, today in the twentieth century people still face dilemmas similar to Hamlets. To be, or not to be: that is the question:. 1 This is one of the most known quotes in english literature, and is also the central focus of Hamlets dilemma. It represents all the aspects that come into play throughout the novel before and after Hamlets speech. This is the question that Hamlet asks himself at a moment of dire confusion and emotional conflict. However this is also a question that modern day people ask themselves although not as poetically. Who am I? Is this right? What is right? What is moral? What is truth? All questions that ultimately create

Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark. New York: Penguin Group, 1963. Print. (p. 63-64)

more confusion and more questions. Every living being has an identity, and this identity is defined by what choices and forces impact the being. Positive and negative, easy and hard, regardless of the circumstance or ones desire for a specific outcome, these are forces that make the individual think and question. For Hamlet it was should he chose what was moral or what was required of him. But can this same situation be translated to different circumstances? Lets say that an individual is in dire need for a promotion at his work place to sustain his family, but to obtain this, said individual must carry out a task that will go against the values that drove the individual to be who he is. To be, or not to be: this is not just a poetic question, but a true question, should ones self and soul have precedence over what is demanded by others, or are we bound to fall from our moral standing to accommodate other circumstances? The unknown and lack of understanding leads to confusion and this was also an important aspect of what made Hamlet truly a tragic protagonist. Confusion makes people like Hamlet who are introverted and thinkers unable to act in the face of a conflict that would violate their core beliefs. And once again the topic of inaction arises. In Hamlets tale he is uncertain of what is really happening. His father died, and was quickly replaced by his uncle who married his mother. Is it not strange that the Kings brother was not grieving for his death and instead committed incest and married his former sister-in-law. So now his mother is his aunt, and his uncle his father and king, so what are they really? This is what perplexes Hamlet and ignites his own personal dilemma of duality, and leads to his questions and desire for understanding. After all, who is he really, whos son, and if not his fathers then where should his loyalty lie. Am I loyal to my father, to my new king, or to myselfdo I trust my insight or my impulses? This was part of the chaos and disorder that existed in Hamlets mind. This same complication also exists to this day, if something does not

affect a person directly are they really responsible for what happens? They have a choice to be involved or indifferent. But the lack of understanding or knowledge causes incertitude, and thus more internal conflict and introspection is needed for understanding. This is the point at which people begin to understand that things are not as clear or simple as they might seem, and that further awareness is required. This awareness can most easily be identified as masks. Shakespeare has used the concept of masks both literally and figuratively in other works to represent the concepts dealing with deception, pretenses, hypocrisy, and concealment. Most people would take for granted that these concepts are immoral and corrupt; but that is not always true. Hamlet who is the moral person in the novel has a mask of his own, through which he waits and analyses a way to accomplish his fathers will without losing himself to corruption. The irony of the situation is that by him taking a mask he opened himself to what he detested. Like his uncle and mother, among others, he became a hypocrite by doing exactly what he desired to do away with. Betrayal, deception, concealment, all reasons for which Claudius the uncle was destined to die, but because Shakespeare also allowed Hamlet to be influenced by these acts, he proved that we all have our own masks. When a student lies about an assignment, or a crime is committed, different mask appear. Not all as terrible as those mentioned, but a mask nonetheless. Shakespeare was a great writer, poet, and teacher. And the reason why his works are still analyzed and read today is because they still have relevance. Hamlet which is the tragic tale of a prince does have relevance and teachings that have meaning and importance for a student in 2011. Everybody questions themselves, everybody becomes confused, and everybody has

masks. All concepts from the past and concepts from the present, different but still similar.