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Post by ETypeRegymon on Feb 28, 2016 13:11:02 GMT
This is something that always bothered me throughout the story. Yes, Claudius maybe an awful, father-poisoning throne and wife stealer who got away with it, but the people on his side aren't that bad. Laertes acted reasonably when he heard his dad was killed (and was reasonable enough to listen to Claudius/any other human being, unlike a certain pig-named prince), Gertrude still cares for Hamlet (she even warned him that the drink was poisoned right before she died), Rosencrantz and Guildenstern worked under the uncoolumption they're helping Hamlet (bringing him to England would keep Hamlet and the kingdom safe, they had no idea about Claudius' true plans), and Polonius... okay, he might be the worst since he was Claudius' right hand man, but at least he's a decent father.
Now, why does Hamlet go out to hate (and in the case of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, kill) these people? They don't know Claudius killed Hamlet Sr.. Getrude is Claudius' wife so it's natural for her to be by his side, and everyone else is loyal to him because he's the freaking King of Denmark. It's their job and duty to follow the king. And as mentioned above, they're not awful people, just following a person who is secretly awful. Is Hamlet reasonable for resenting those who side with Claudius? Obviously no for me, but eh.
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Post by juliaj on Mar 5, 2016 8:51:23 GMT
I don't think Hamlet is reasonable either. I think he was insane from the beginning, but it just progressed as the play went on to show us how insane he was. We don't even know if the ghost spoke to him in the first place, and then we see how he has huge trust issues immediately after. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were his friends and Hamlet didn't trust them at all and even got them killed just because they were working for someone who they didn't even know Hamlet was against and they thought they were just looking out for their friend. I think he is insane in his desire for revenge to the point where his ability to see other people as people was very low.
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Post by mohahaha on Mar 5, 2016 11:21:00 GMT
It wasn't reasonable for Hamlet to hate people and even kill Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, his friends. Sure that they betrayed him, but it doesn't mean that as a punishment to take their lives. His insanity was due to anyone being "siding" with Claudius, driving him into hating everyone, and adding into his depression that they are with a liar and a traitor. As a result he is mistrusting everyone of who to listen to.
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Post by anniee on Mar 5, 2016 14:57:10 GMT
I think Hamlet became emotionally unstable after his father's murder. With evidence pointing to betrayal by his own mother and uncle, of course he would have started to question those close to him as well. His father's own family killed him, so why wouldn't it be possible for anyone else in the kingdom to suddenly turn to a different side? With his madness coming on, he probably started blowing matters out of proportion, thinking that those linked to Claudius would have had a hand in the murder of the king. Nevertheless, I do agree that Hamlet was overreacting, as the actual issue was most likely limited to only a couple people (Claudius, Gertrude, and maybe Polonius?)
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Post by christopher on Mar 6, 2016 11:52:09 GMT
It feels like Hamlet is making bad judgments or even he's actually mad. He expressed anger towards people who were on Claudius's side. Yes, they are not awful people. Except for Claudius and Gertrude, no one knows about the truth behind King Hamlet's death. The uncertainty made Hamlet to think that everyone who is on Claudius's side are somehow involved in a plot to go against Hamlet.
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Post by Jonathan on Mar 6, 2016 12:58:08 GMT
I think that Hamlet was just really angry with anyone who was affiliated with Claudius at all, especially since he let Claudius live for such a long time and kept delaying his death, and that just made him angrier. Since Claudius was the one who employed Hamlet's two friends to spy on him, Hamlet must have been really angry that two of his closest friends betrayed him for a murderer uncle, so thought that they deserved death. Ever since the ghost appeared, Hamlet began to be very doubtful of everyone, especially Claudius, and hated anyone who was close to him.
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