Inevitable loss of innocence in Hamlet
Innocence is defined as the state of being unsullied by sin or moral wrong; lacking a knowledge of evil. In Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet none of the major character have their innocence by the end of the play. First Hamlet loses his when he kills Poloniuos. The queen then loses hers when Hamlet tells her about the murder of the king. Lastly Ophelia and Leartes lose theirs when they hear of their fathers death.
This loss in unavoidable and happens to every person. It is a part of growing up in the world we live in.
At the start of the play Hamlet is innocent and had a strong sense of morality. This is shown in his initial disbelief of his fathers ghost. Even though he thought Claudious vile, he did not want to kill him if he was innocent. If Hamlet had been immoral he would have seized upon the chance to kill Claudious. Over the course of the play his innocence degrades as he is exposed to more vileness. The turning point is when he kills Polonious. At this point he is innocent no more. It's his first act of violence and it prepares him for his two final acts of aggression. First sending Rosencrantz and Gildenstern to their death, and secondly his killing of Claudious. These acts do not mean that he has lost his honor though. You can retain your honor even after you have shed your innocence.
They were fair turnabouts for what was done to him. Hamlet dies a man of honor and will be remembered for that.
There is some evidence to think that Gertrude knew that Claudious was planning his brothers death. This however can be discounted because it doesn't agree with her actions latter on. When Hamlet asks her about the killing of her husband she is surprised. “As kill a king?”(3,iv). She then pleads with Hamlet to stop talking about her marrying the monster that killed her husband. “O Hamlet, speak no more.\ Thou turn'st mine eyes into my very soul.”(3,iv). If she had been guilty of a conspiracy with Claudious, she would have been faced with these thoughts on a daily basis and would have by then been jaded towards them. Her lose of innocence happened when she realized that the man she had loved passionately, at least in bed, was a snake. In the end she dies by poison. Their is argument as to whether she knew that it was poison, but she most certainly did. When her husband tells her not to drink the cup she responds, “I will, my lord. I pray you, pardon me.” (5,ii). Most people would have wanted to know why they shouldn't have drank. Even if it hadn't been poison in it, that phrase is insulting and would have been the start of the end of their relationship.
Yet the most tragic loss of innocence is Ophelia's. She is the classic image of innocence having only a love for Hamlet at the start. This is taken from her ironically when the man she loves kills her father. Polonious had always, in his own way, protected his daughters innocence and she loved him for that. The loss of him drove her insane which lead to her subsequent death. Even if Polonious hadn't been killed she could not have kept a hold of her innocence forever. She would have eventualy been drawn into a plot , of which the court of Denmark was abundant. Ophelia's foil in this situation is Laertes. Her withdrawal into a world of fantasy is juxtaposed against his need for action in the real world. Before Polonioius was killed, Laertes was an easy going guy. He was having fun in Paris, not caring what was going on back at home. After his fathers death though he realized how cruel the world can be. Again, if Polonious hadn't been killed, how long would it have been before Leartes was drawn into intrigue as well. Someone would have used him to get to his father and then to the king.
Hamlet is in the end about the unfortunate loss of innocence. This loss is unavoidable and happens when people are confronted with the evil of this world. It is final and irreversible and it is always a sad day for the person who suffers it. It is a requirement though for growing up. With out it you can not fully prepare for ever |
| Posted by gulyman | 12 October 2007, 19:34 GMT |
