'Hamlet is an element of evil in the state of Denmark... a living death in the midst of life

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Will Nolan        

English Lit. AS 2005-03

‘Hamlet is an element of evil in the state of Denmark… a living death in the midst of life.’ Do you agree that this accurately describes Hamlet and his role in the play?

In claiming that Hamlet is 'a living death in the midst of life', Knight depicts Hamlet as a character who is entirely a corrupting force in the lives of others, rather than a morally superior character attempting to orchestrate justice. In that Hamlet is secluded and absolutely isolated from those who experience 'life', Knight condemns Hamlet to the title of being an emotionless element of malevolence. It is important however to consider Hamlet’s circumstance before labelling him as an ‘element of evil’. This title portrays a being that has no conscience and feels little, if any, emotion; it could be argued however, that the corruption Hamlet brings to the lives of the other characters in the play is not a manifestation of his evil ways, but of a sensitive man whose despair drives him to the edge of insanity, and inevitably causes chaos.

Hamlet is presented as an outsider from the very beginning of the play; he rejects the events of the court by denying Claudius’ attempts at calling Hamlet his son, [Aside]‘A little more than kin, and less than kind.’ Hamlet is portrayed as an almost ominous, sinister presence from the beginning, whereas Claudius is illustrated as an eloquent extravagant man of power by his complex and elegant language; ‘Here is a field open for talent; and here… industry is graced with its due reward.’ Hamlet is dressed in black and elaborates on his feelings, those which accompany and mirror his dark garments, ‘’Tis not alone my inky cloak’.

The Danish court is a royal place where people celebrate contentedly with each other, and in the Branagh film, under handsomely royal architecture where the court is decorated with gold and accompanied by a rich, lavish atmosphere. Knight focuses on the contrast between Hamlet and the court and its guests in the opening scene, as it is clear to see that Hamlet in comparison can be seen as a morbid figure, and the crowd a mass figure of 'life'. The court is a joyful place, it is full of exhilaration, however Hamlet is brooding, contemplative and in such grief and despair that he does not want to celebrate. In this seclusion, Shakespeare makes Hamlet a different element altogether, and in comparison with the court, could be perceived as a living death by those perhaps less sympathetic to Hamlet's dilemma.

Claudius is clearly a well-organized man, and he has sensible ideas about not letting recollections of the past obstruct the promise of the future; ‘So much for him. - / Now for ourself, and for this time of meeting.’ The requirement for a leader to be strong, is a preoccupation present not only in an Elizabethan society, but of any society; Claudius, as a politician, can not afford to be scrupulous, and it is through this obligation of emotional detachment and public reputation in Claudius that the audience is able to associate more with Hamlet and his dilemma than with Claudius and his. Another such example of this would be Machiavelli; it was a focus on practical success and public image, even at the expense of traditional moral values, that earned Machiavelli's schemes a reputation for deception, ruthlessness, and cruelty.

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Hamlet, by contrast to Claudius, is a figure of bereavement and nihilism. He has empathized with the dead, and been instructed never to let the past be forgotten. As a 'sick soul commanded to heal', he can be perceived as a poison in the veins of the surrounding characters in the play. But Knight went to extremes in saying that 'Hamlet is an element of evil in the state of Denmark, a living death in the midst of life'. He describes Hamlet as 'inhuman - or superhuman ... a creature of another world', hinting that Hamlet is a manifestation of ...

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