Essay on Hamlet’s Pride in Shakespeare’s Hamlet - 1459 Words

In William Shakespeare’s tragic drama Hamlet, the hero, Hamlet, appears to be guilty of hubris, an overstepping of the bounds of both his and humanity’s destinies, which ultimately leads to his downfall. Reading the play with a consideration as to how Hamlet’s hubris manifests itself sheds light on why he performs certain actions, and simultaneously enlightens the reader to the dangers of attempting to overstep the confines of humanity. In this essay, I will prove that Hamlet has extreme pride, and is therefore guilty of hubris; in accordance with Harold Skulsky’s assertion in his article, â€Å"â€Å"I Know My Course†: Hamlet’s Confidence,† Hamlet is hubristic because while he believes that his own soul is impenetrable based on his external†¦show more content†¦Yet, despite Hamlet’s initial implication that it is humanly impossible to decipher another’s inner nature based on his or her external actions, it qui ckly becomes apparent that Hamlet feels that doing so is not outside of his ability. When his father’s ghost reveals that Claudius murdered Old Hamlet, Hamlet declares, â€Å"O my prophetic soul!† as if he knew, based on Claudius’ exterior, that Claudius killed Old Hamlet (1.5.40). A prophetic soul â€Å"dreams on things to come and inspires a man with second sight,† and Hamlet’s claim implies that he feels he has abilities beyond those of humanity (Skulsky 479). From this point on, the pride Hamlet displays in this scene begins to swell. One of the first instances in which Hamlet proudly attempts to discover the nature of others based on their external actions is when he is talking with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern upon their arrival at Elsinore (2.2.250-282). In an attempt to decide whether they will â€Å"deal justly† with him, he asks broad, â€Å"throwaway† questions to test how â€Å"spontaneous or hesitant† their con fession that the King sent for them will be (Skulsky 481). Based on their external appearances, Hamlet confidently determines that he cannot trust them, and in doing so, oversteps the boundaries of humanity, because â€Å"God alone can compel [people] . . . to give [them]selves awayShow MoreRelatedThe Value and Consequences of Women as Property876 Words   |  4 Pagesthis stereotype, and women have made great strides, but women’s roles in society have not come as far as we may think. 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