True Colors
The Real Personalities Show Through
Kristen
Heydt
British
Literature A
Ms.
Wilson
3
March 2013
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in the Student Handbook regarding Mason High School's Honesty/Cheating Policy.
By affixing this statement to the title page of my paper, I am certifying that
I have not cheated or plagiarized in the process of completing this assignment.
If it is found that cheating and/or plagiarism did take place in the writing of
this paper, I understand the possible consequences of the act, which could
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grade in the course.
Kristen Heydt
Kristen Heydt
Ms. Wilson
British Literature
3 March 2013
True Colors: The Real Personalities Show Through
To show the cantankerous side, or not to show the
cantankerous side - that is the question.
In Hamlet, this question is not
very hard for anyone to answer. Because
of one tragic event, so many other terrible events occur; one after the other,
like a domino effect that can’t stop. Hamlet’s
recent past was very rough; as a result of the tragedies in Hamlet’s life, all
the true colors of Hamlet and Ophelia
are very apparent. This causes a lot of
traits that have never been seen before, to be seen; and most of the sides now
being seen, are appalling. Hamlet and Ophelia are going crazy,
becoming disappointed with life, and becoming more disgruntled over time so
heads are clashing and fights are occurring, which pulls their relationship
apart.
If it weren’t for Hamlet’s many soliloquies, readers may
not have known exactly how Hamlet was really feeling. He didn’t exactly act all bubbly around
everyone, but he sure enough didn’t act like he was on suicide watch. Hamlet really doesn’t know what would be
better, “To be, or not to be – that is the question…” (Hamlet 3.1.56) After the death of his father he really isn’t
sure if he wants to remain in this “weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable”
(1.2.133) world. Hamlet thinks to
himself many times that if “the Everlasting had not fixed / His canon ‘gainst
self-slaughter.” (1.2.131-132) then he would’ve already taken his own
life. It’s only because of Hamlet’s
religion and faith that he hasn’t committed suicide yet. Not everyone knows that he wants to do this
to himself, so when he’s around other people he tries to act okay with everything
that has occurred and everything that is going on. The weird thing is that Gertrude and Claudius
like to act confused as to why Hamlet is acting a little sad or why he is a
little quiet. It is very obvious and
everyone knows why Hamlet is poignant but they act like the fact that his
father, “but two months dead” (1.2.138) isn’t a big deal and the fact that his
mother moved on so quickly, with his uncle, isn’t a big deal at all. Gertrude and Claudius ask stupid questions, “How
is it that the clouds still hang on you?” (1.2.66). Others are acting as if Hamlets father didn’t
just die two months ago and as if he should have gotten over it already. His sorrow definitely shows through. He tries to hide it but because of his father’s
death, and his mother’s marriage to his uncle, he can’t seem to be himself and get
back to normal.
Ophelia is a completely different story and is showing
her somewhat crazy side. She feels that
because of Hamlet’s past she is being affected.
Hamlet’s father was killed which eventually led up to Hamlet killing
Polonius, Ophelia’s father. Even though it
was an accident, it did occur and impacted Ophelia a great deal. This series of events is what led up to Ophelia’s
insanity showing through. She acted out
her craziness through ballads that really scared the other characters when she
would go on and on with the intense singing:
By Gis
and by Saint Charity,
/ Alack, and fie, for shame! / Young men will do ’t, if they come to ’t.
/ By Cock, they are to blame. /
Quoth she, “Before you tumbled me,
/ You promised me to wed. (4.5.58-63)
Through her ballads, she
made it very clear that she was missing her father and was mad about many other
situations. The ballads also show how
passionate she is about all the past events.
The past didn’t just pass her by; the past grabbed a hold of her
emotions and brought out a side of her that no one necessarily knew she has nor
wanted to see. She
wanted to share her feelings and not let any of it go. When Gertrude asked her, “Alas, sweet lady,
what imports this song?” (4.5.27), Ophelia did not appreciate the interruption
and wanted to finish her thoughts and replied with, “Say you? Nay, pray you mark.” (4.5.28). The state of
mind that Ophelia was in was crazy. She
was in the zone, she was selfish, and
she wanted everyone to listen to what she had to say. She was not in the mindset of her normal
being. She was somewhat deranged and sadly,
because of her deranged state, she was not connected with Hamlet on the level
that she once was. This is when her
crazy side came through and became evident to those around her.
Many of the events that occurred later in the story were results
of the death of Hamlet’s father, which mainly affected Hamlet which in turn
affected Ophelia. Because of the trickle
effect, many people were affected. This
caused Hamlet and Ophelia’s relationship to dissipate. Because Hamlet was so upset about the death of
his father and Ophelia was so upset about the death of her father, they grew
apart and sadly did not stay together. Ophelia
starts to break away from Hamlet when he starts going crazy and screaming like
a mad man, so she tells him, “My lord, I have remembrances of yours / That I
have longed long to redeliver. / I pray you, now receive them.”
(3.1.93-96) She wants to give him his
gifts back and she wants the “Heavenly powers, restore him!” (3.1.141) This was then set in stone when Ophelia died and
Gertrude stated:
There
is a willow grows aslant a brook / That shows his hoar leaves in the glassy
stream. / There with fantastic garlands
did she come / Of crowflowers, nettles, daisies, and long purples, / That liberal shepherds
give a grosser name, / But our cold maids do “dead men’s fingers” call them. / There, on the pendant boughs her coronet
weeds / Clambering to hang, an envious
sliver broke, / When down her weedy trophies and herself / Fell in the weeping brook. Her clothes
spread wide, / And mermaid-like a while they bore her up, / Which time she chanted snatches of old lauds / As one
incapable of her own distress, / Or
like a creature native and indued / Unto that element. But long it could not be / Till that her garments, heavy with
their drink, / Pulled the poor wretch from her melodious
lay / To muddy death. (4.7.164-180)
Not
only did the death of Hamlet’s father and the union of Hamlet’s mother and uncle
affect his future, but his tragic past also caused him to have extreme behaviors
which affected not only himself but also Ophelia. In this story, the many past events/
tragedies caused the whole path of Hamlet’s life to change for the worse. Sadly enough, many died, some went crazy, and
a lot of quarrels occurred, which could have all been prevented if it weren’t
for the one tragic event in Hamlet’s past.
