The Question of Hamlet

The Question of Hamlet


Having read Hamlet and being knowledgeable about the tragic ending, watching or reading the play for a second time can prove to be a truly frustrating experience, or so Harry Levin feels. Levin writes, “knowing what will finally be decided, critics have grown impatient over [Hamlet’s] agonies of decision, and have blamed Hamlet for undue procrastination,” (48). The cause of this prolonged tension in the play is Hamlet’s uncertainty about life and death, and his continuous ponderence over several other unanswered questions.
From the near beginning, Hamlet is “single-minded, all of a piece, all melancholia,” but as the play progresses, Hamlet becomes more complex (51). The idea of revenge, hatred, love, betrayal and life itself are introduced, forcing Hamlet to look through a different perspective. This, in one sense good, creates much doubt and inner-conflict for Hamlet, and he thus constantly doubts ...