Hamlet is portrayed as a cynic and as a bitter human in his first line, which in turn gives him the image of being pathetic. He carries a sarcastic tone “Not so my lord” which enforces the idea that he is unable to process the drastic changes in his life. This can be seen from when he says “A little more than kin, and less than kind” as his tone reflects his feeling toward his uncle taking on the role as his Father, and his Mother’s hasty acceptance to this. The fact that Shakespeare makes it so clear that Hamlet is in this mindset, brings forward the argument that he has the inability to act and to hide his true intentions from people surrounding him, inclusive of the audience. Thus meaning his downfall was inevitable. However, others may argue that Hamlet was being clever and the above line was a signal to show that he was weary of Claudius, as the sentence structure is cleverly arranged, perhaps to represent the wittiness of Hamlet.
To further justify the idea that Hamlet is a ‘pathetic’ individual Shakespeare introduces the conflict between religion and faith with honour and duty. This is shown through Hamlet’s ability to contradict his own decisions without realising it. An example of this is when he says “His canon ‘gainst self-slaughter. O God, God,” in this he is referring to suicide, which is seen as a sacrilegious thing to do, meaning he is forbidden from doing so. The repetition of “God” creates the feeling of desperation in Hamlet, thus enforcing the view that he is dismal. In contradiction to his prior decision to not practise blasphemy, Hamlet vows to avenge his father in act one scene five, “May sweep to my revenge” which immediately tells us he puts honour and duty before his religious obligations. In doing so Hamlet is portrayed as a weak minded individual who is easily swayed by the wants and requests of others. Alternatively, it can be suggested that Hamlet is an honourable man as it is possible he turned down suicide in order to follow through with his suspicions of Claudius and fulfil his duties as the son of a murdered king.
An in depth analysis of Hamlet’s character, brings out the vital factor of assessing the importance of structuralism in comparison to Hamlet’s nature. Firstly Hamlet commits himself to his fate by constantly repeating the fact that he was willing to “follow” the ghost. This can be seen as a pitiable choice as he makes the naïve decision to accept the fate of a tragic hero, where he being an actor is fully aware of the inevitable ending of the protagonist. In the end of his conversation with the ghost he says “I have sworn’t” this carries the same effect as ‘selling your soul’ as he has fully committed himself to firstly vengeance of his Father and lastly the foreseeable death of a tragic hero. An alternative viewpoint may suggest that Hamlet, instead of being forced into his decision, made the noble choice to avenge his Father on his own. This can be justified from his constant repetition of the phrase “I’ll follow thee” and his final words to his Father of “I have sworn’t” as they carry a sense of willingness to put his life on the line in honour of his Father.
In conclusion to this, it is clear to see that Hamlet is a confused individual who has been greatly affected by the events in his life that led him up to the point where he has to usurp a role that is clearly unfit for him. Thus making it unfair to refer to him as a ‘pathetic’ character as he is a victim of his shortcomings and the traumatic events that occur. However, it can be suggested that Hamlet is a grown man and should be able to deal with such issues without being held back or put into danger by hasty and naïve decisions. This relates to the idea that he should be fully aware of the fate he has devoted himself to, as he is an actor with the full knowledge of the story of the tragic hero. Finally, labelling Hamlet as a “pathetic character” or a “noble hero” is completely dependent on whether the audience or readers sympathise with Hamlet out of pity or genuine sorrow.
