The second point is Hamlets delay to act in private in contrast to his impulsive actions in public. Hamlet appears to be, in private, uncertain and slow to act on what he is meant to do, especially about the killing of Claudius to avenge his father. This is shown in 3, IV, 106 where he apologises to his fathers ghost for being so slow to act and do anything. This shows two things, one Hamlet knows he is slow and uncertain and secondly the ghost is aware of his ‘almost blunted purpose’. Hamlet is hesitant to kill, as it is his uncle, who he loved or at least used to love, and whatever the reason murder was still a big step to take. Shakespeare shows Hamlets hesitation by his constant soliloquies and self-doubts, as well as his apologetic attitude towards his father’s ghost and the use of ‘almost blunted purpose’ suggesting Hamlet was close to stopping what he was supposed to do. In comparison to this, Hamlet is brave and courageous in public, unhesitant to do anything as shown in his letter to horatio where he says (4, VI, 15) that when his ship was attacked by pirates, he alone boarded them and fought till he was captured. This is Shakespeare way of showing Hamlets courage and bravery by putting him in a stereotypical hero position, fighting pirates and then captured, before being released like a hero should. A modern audience would be understanding about Hamlets delay to kill his uncle, and would be admiring and impressed by his bravery against the pirates, as would an audience from Shakespeare time, as Shakespeare probably intended. An audience from Shakespeare time would probably be less understanding about the delay from revenge, as they came from a time where honour and vengeance meant a lot more then it does today.
The third point is how the contrast in Hamlets public and private personalities that are reflected in his manner of speech. Hamlet in private is calm and reflective with the way he speaks, never losing his temper or control of himself in private. This is shown in all his soliloquies and one example is 1, II, 129-158 where he is saying how much greater his father is compared to his uncle. His reflectiveness happens because his mother marrying his uncle so soon after his fathers death. Hamlet is either taking an outsider view because he feels it is the best way to show his emotions, or he is so upset he refuses to think of the present. Shakespeare shows his calm reflective ness by using words like ‘Hyperion’ to describe Hamlets father in comparison to a ‘satyr,’ his uncle, and how his father and uncle are like Hamlet and Hercules. Shakespeare does this to show how differently Hamlet sees his father and uncle. It is important to note that at this point in the play Hamlet didn’t know his father had been murdered. An audience from any time would probably consider the calm language in private proof that Hamlet is sane, or still holds some semblance of sanity still in him. By comparison, Hamlet is very shocking and violent with his language, and like his actions he is impulsive with words as in 2, II, 209-210 where he tells Polonius that he wants to take his life. We can see this is impulsive as he does not really wish for Polonius to kill him, and has already decided to kill Claudius. We see this in the play when Polonius confronts Hamlet to see if he is mad, and is tricked by Hamlet into believing so. The exchange occurs, as Claudius is worried about Hamlet, for the future of Denmark and out of fear of discovery. Shakespeare shows Hamlets shocking and violent language by talking of death and ‘taking of life’ as well as repletion of the same sentence ‘except my life’ to let it sink into the audience. He also uses strange and irrelevant comparisons that would be found offensive to the person they are directed at. A modern audience would possibly be confused at the constant change in nature of Hamlet, as would a traditional audience.
Finally comes the issue of Hamlets attitude towards Ophelia. In private, Hamlet seems to genuinely love Ophelia, as we can see throughout the play, as even though they do not meet very often, there is much talk about their love. An obvious example of them actually meeting is in 3, I, 87-89 where he calms himself as she approaches ‘soft you now/ the fair Ophelia’ It occurs as he is finishing the famous ‘to be or not to be’ soliloquy and sees her approaching, unaware that they are being watched. Shakespeare shows Hamlets love for her by him using words like ‘soft’ to himself instead of something like quite, almost as if her presence is calming towards him. He also describes her as ‘fair’ or beautiful, which shows how he feels about her beauty. An audience from any time would see the love he feels for her, and would also be worried about the fact she has been sent by Polonius and they are being watched. In public, especially after act 3 scene 1, we see a large change in Hamlets attitude toward Ophelia and women in general. He is openly cruel to her and does anything he can to upset her. We see an example of this in 3, II, 99-107 where he constantly has jibes at her expense, asking to ‘lie in her lap’ and ‘fair thought to lie between maid’s legs’. There are many possible reasons for this behaviour. One is that he could be angry with her for spying on him, he could hate all women because of his mother and Ophelia’s behaviour, believing that they are all weak, or he may be trying to protect her from what he has to do, by distancing himself from her. An audience could react in many ways, no matter what time period. They might pity Ophelia, or believe she deserves what happened to her, though after her death they would probably soften their views.
In conclusion, Hamlet is a play, and a person, in two halves. In private, he is a reasonable man, uncertain to act because of too much self-conflict. He is calm and reflective, and loving towards Ophelia and his mother. In public however, he takes on a very different personality. He is impulsive, shocking, violent and cruel with words and actions, which causes eventually the death of two innocents. In my view the reason for his change in public are obvious. His uncle murdered his father, and Hamlets mission was revenge. His cruelty to those he loves are either to get them out of his way and protect them, or because he is indecisive and needs to vent his frustration out on someone. Ophelia’s treatment in particular is probably a direct result of his mother’s weakness and he believes all women are like her (1,II, 146 ‘frailty, thy name is woman’). The main question that needs to be asked of course is: Was Hamlet sane? The answer to this is very much up to the individual, and if he wasn’t, then not all his actions were rational. His actions may have been justified, but they may have not been, the choice is entirely up to the audience, as Shakespeare intended. It is this intrigue that provides much of the dramatic tension in the play. Hamlet is a play about a murder. We know from the beginning that it will be a tragedy, and we see how this tragedy unfolds. The fact there is so much to be seen in this play, so many depths of plot, is the reason it appeals to everyone and it is still being shown today.
