Hamlet’s Search for a Purpose in Life

            William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” explores the idea of whether life has an overall purpose.  On many occasions throughout the play Hamlet questions the meaning of life and questions whether or not life is even worth living.  As the play progresses Hamlet begins to feel as though his life has taken on a purpose, and as a result his thoughts of suicide become less frequent.  Act 1. Scene 2, lines 129-257 are important to the play because these lines introduce the audience to the fact that Hamlet feels that life is useless and has no meaning.  These lines explain the source of Hamlet’s anguish.  They also mark the beginning of the journey that Hamlet will go on to gain purpose in his life. 

            “O that this too too sallied flesh would melt, / Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew!” (I.ii.129-30)  Hamlet begins his first soliloquy by wishing that he were dead.  He states that if it weren’t against God’s will to commit suicide then he would kill himself.  He says that the world is useless and that life is flat and melancholy.  Hamlet has deep feelings of hopelessness and feels that now that his father is dead, he might as well be dead also.  Hamlet is full of self-pity, and has a low opinion of himself.  This low opinion is a result of the high regard in which he holds his father.  He feels that no man, including himself is as great as his father was.  The fact that he cannot do anything about that, which is troubling him, makes him feel even more worthless.

            The imagery presented by Hamlet’s comparison of the world to an “unweeded garden” is important because it symbolizes the disorder that has come with the reign of Claudius as king.  The garden archetype is representative of the Garden of Eden; there was a general sense of peace and harmony when Hamlet’s father was king.  Claudius’ reign as king marks the beginning of the fall of the garden of Eden.  This is shown through the fact that the rank and gross things in nature that Hamlet is describing when he compares the world to an unweeded garden are his father’s death and mother’s remarriage.  These tow things are both caused by Claudius, therefore Claudius is the cause of the fall from a state of perfection.

            The source of Hamlet’s anguish is his mother’s marriage to Claudius so quickly after his father’s death.  He is deeply troubled by this marriage but is unable to express this to anyone.  Hamlet develops a morbid outlook on life because he feels that only in an unfair world, could his mother remarry his father’s brother less than two months after his father’s death.  Hamlet views the marriage as being incestuous, and suspicious, and hates the fact that everyone is so accepting of it. 

Hamlet’s mood changes from a state of melancholy to a state of bitterness and anger as he continues to reflect upon his mother’s marriage to Claudius.  He shows his bitterness over the fact that comparing his father to Hyperion, a Greek god, and Claudius to a satyr, which is half man, half goat.    Hamlet expresses feelings of bitterness over the fact that Claudius who cannot even begin to compare with his father, has now taken his father’s place as King.  Hamlet then goes on to analyze the relationship between his mother and father.  He says that his father loved his mother more than anything or anyone, and that when he first died his mother, showed signs of mourning.  His tone then changes to one of anger when he thinks of how quickly his mother got over her mourning and married another man.  “…Frailty, thy name is woman!”(I.ii.146)  He becomes even more angry towards the end of the soliloquy over the fact that on top of everything else, the wedding is incestuous.

            The lines in the end of Act 1 scene 2 are also important because they introduce the idea of the ghost of his father to Hamlet.  After learning that the ghost that the guards have been seeing may be the ghost of his father, Hamlet’s mood changes.  He goes from a state of melancholy to a state of eager anticipation.  He looks forward to seeing the ghost for himself and hopes that the ghost will confirm his suspicions of foul play.  One thing that causes Hamlet’s excessive melancholy is his inability to speak of his suspicions about the marriage between Gertrude and Claudius.  He feels that this marriage is incestuous and that no good can come from it, and from the lines “...But break my heart, for I must hold my tongue,”(I.ii.156), it is obvious that he wishes that he could express his feelings on the subject.  His tone changes when he learns of the ghost because if the ghost confirms his suspicions, Hamlet will be able to bring everyone’s attention the fact that the hasty remarriage of the queen after his father’s death is suspicious.

            This idea of the ghost of Hamlet’s father coming to confirm his suspicions is important because it is this confirmation that begins to give Hamlet’s life a purpose.  It is important to note that hamlet is the only person in the play who ever hears the ghost speak.  This could suggest that Hamlet’s mind hears what it wants to hear from the ghost in order to give life a purpose.  The words that Hamlet hears the ghost speak could be just a projection of Hamlet’s own suspicions. Once the ghost tells Hamlet that Claudius murdered him, Hamlet sets out to get revenge.  His plot to avenge his father’s death takes over Hamlet’s entire life, and everything that Hamlet does or says from that point on is in some way related to his revenge plot.  Hamlet’s desire for meaning and purpose in life after his father’s death is fulfilled through the words of this ghost.

            One source of Hamlet’s depression was the fact that he felt that he could never be the man that his father was.  If this is taken into consideration, then it is understandable why avenging his father’s death becomes so important to Hamlet, and gives his life a new meaning.  Hamlet feels that if he kills his father’s murderer, then he will in some way begin to measure up to his father’s level.

            The fact that this plot for revenge gives meaning to Hamlet’s life can provide an explanation as to why Hamlet prolongs the plot for vengeance against Claudius and does not act on it right away.  This quest for vengeance gives him something to do other than wallow in self-pity.  Hamlet, therefore, clings to that which gives his life meaning.  He doesn’t want to get it over with right away because of a fear that his life will once again become meaningless once he has exacted his revenge.   This makes Hamlet different than most sons who seek to avenge their fathers’ deaths because Hamlet overanalyzes everything instead of acting in the heat of the moment.  He draws out his plot to kill Claudius until it cannot be drawn out any longer.  This is what leads to Hamlet’s downfall.  Had Hamlet killed Claudius right away, then Claudius would be the only one dead.  Polonius, Laertes, Gertrude, Ophelia, and Hamlet himself were all casualties that could have been prevented had it not been for Hamlet’s over analytical mind.

In conclusion, throughout the play Hamlet struggles to find, and hold onto meaning in his life.  The fact that the ghost only speaks to Hamlet, and confirms Hamlet’s suspicions when he speaks, is important because it could signify that Hamlet is just using the ghost as an excuse to act on his own desires.  It is apparent that Hamlet has feelings of bitterness and resentment towards Claudius.  Hamlet’s life is given meaning through the words of the ghost, because these words give Hamlet an excuse to act on his feelings towards Claudius, and also give Hamlet the opportunity to prove himself worthy of taking his father’s place.

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