Intensity and inertia in Hamlet

Thèmes abordés

Intensity and inertia, Hamlet, Shakespeare

Résumé du document

Hamlet is well-known for being one of the most popular plays by Shakespeare (1564-1616), the famous English playwright and moreover his only revenge play. To understand plainly his work, we must focus on some dimension such as the main themes he underlines in the play. It is easy to notice that Shakespeare has an original way to deal with revenge in his tragedy and especially with all the behaviours that seeking for revenge implies. These behaviours and especially intensity and inertia are the concept on which we will focus our study. To be able to comprehend the whole terms of intensity and inertia, we have to define them. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, intensity is "The quality of being intense; a strained or very high degree (of a quality, condition, or action, or of the characteristic quality of something); extreme force, strength, depth, brightness, etc.", in other words, a kind of peak that can be reached, or "High-strung quality of personal feeling or emotion; strenuous energy of action." which is linked to something really powerful that a human being can experience.

According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, inertia is the "lack of movement or activity especially when movement or activity is wanted or needed", in other words, a kind of incapacity, or "a feeling of not having the energy or desire that is needed to move, change, etc.." which is related this time to the lack of resources to act. It can also be for the Oxford English Dictionary "Inactivity; disinclination to act or exert oneself; inertness, sloth, apathy." which is linked to the willpower not to act in a way or another. Thus, these two terms include very different meaning which seem hard to link to each other. But it seems that in Shakespeare's play they are closely related to each other all along the story throughout the writing of Shakespeare; these motives being broached by character's behaviours, the story's plot or the way characters use the language, the words, the meaning to be understood.

Extraits

[...] And it questions the necessity and the moral legitimation of revenge and this questioning provokes the tragedy: instead of acting directly, the reflection causes a delay for the other characters to act and it ends with the death of several characters (Claudius, Hamlet, Ophelia, Polonius, Laertes . ) instead of only Claudius. If the reflective dimension was not there then the tragic dimension would not be present and the play would be an epic play rather than a tragedy. So the intensity and the inertia by making Hamlet and the reader wondering about the human condition are making the tragic dimension of the play. [...]

[...] To be able to comprehend the whole terms of intensity and inertia, we have to define them. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, intensity is quality of being intense; a strained or very high degree (of a quality, condition, or action, or of the characteristic quality of something); extreme force, strength, depth, brightness, in other words, a kind of peak that can be reached, or “High-strung quality of personal feeling or emotion; strenuous energy of action.” which is linked to something really powerful that a human being can experience. [...]

[...] By reading this, the reader has no choice except being totally hypnotised by Hamlet's meditation and questioning and it incites readers to do the same. Intensity and inertia are essential to the dimension of tragedy even if it is difficult to understand for the reader. At the first sight, as we notice it previously, a revenge tragedy is not focused on meditation, questioning about human's condition or philosophic topics but rather on bloody actions and plotting (even if in Hamlet the game of plotting and eavesdropping is really present.) So, we can wonder if Hamlet is really a representation of a revenge tragedy. [...]

[...] It brings intensity in Hamlet's speeches and in all the action or inaction of the characters. So inertia is provoked by obstacles and that provokes intensity at the end. For instance we can say that because of Hamlet's melancholy which is facing the political disorder, other characters have to take decisive initiatives in order to act and to find a solution to the kingdom's issues. Claudius appears in the play as a strong character who can take strong decisions unlike Hamlet who is always delaying. [...]

[...] The entire play is based on the fact that because of the high degree that the dilemma takes in Hamlet's mind, he fails to act in order to achieve what the ghost asks him to do. Actually there are two reasons for Hamlet to delay his revenge more than uncertainty and the dilemma between necessity and impossibility: these two reasons relay on Hamlet's personality and on the obstacles Hamlet will meet during the play. But first we will focus on Hamlet's personality. Actually, unlike other revenge tragedy such as the Spanish Tragedy by Thomas Kyd, Hamlet is more focused on moral questions about the moral of the action than on murderous' actions. [...]