A Beast, No More Curing Doubt - 2549 Words

Tina Root Period 5 Mr. Honda AP English Literature Hamlet Paper 1/06/15 A Beast, No More: Curing Doubt With Action in Shakespeare’s Hamlet Who am I? What is the meaning of life? What happens after death? Since the beginning of time, humans have pondered these and other grand questions of life. Some of the most significant attempts at explaining life were undertaken by philosophers in ancient Greece during the 6th century BCE. Two key figures contributing to Greek philosophy were Socrates and Aristotle who both developed fundamental ideals: idealism and materialism. Socrates explained through idealist logic that the truth of life is relative to each individual’s ideas and reasoning, while Aristotle believed through materialism that life is†¦show more content†¦Several years after the death of his son, Hamnet, Shakespeare moved to London without his family and gained recognition as an actor and playwright. From 1594 to 1611, Shakespeare produced around 2 plays a year, which contributed to his worldwide acclaim and title as the greatest playwright in history. In his tragedy, Hamlet, Prince Hamlet’s w orld is turned upside down when his uncle, Claudius, replaces his deceased father’s role as King of Denmark and shortly marries his overly-eager, widowed mother, Gertrude. Adding to his confusion, Hamlet meets the ghost of his dead father who claims that Claudius and Gertrude were responsible for his death. Over the course of Hamlet, Shakespeare demonstrates the transition of Hamlet’s Descartian mindset to a period of contemplation concerning his own existence. After vocalizing his understanding of the need for action, Hamlet executes his plans in order to suggest that the antidote to doubt is through action. As the play begins, Hamlet’s core belief structure is shaken by unexpected events, causing him to doubt what meets the eye and therefore develop a skeptic mindset. Hamlet first faces mental turmoil because of his father’s death and the speedy marriage between his mother and uncle, Claudius, which occurred â€Å"Within a month / Ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears / Had left the flushing in her galled eyes† (1.2.158-160). Hamlet is baffled by the unorthodox and incestuous event, and is frustrated by