Hamlet: Moral Order :: Shakespeare Hamlet Essays

Hamlet Moral Order          In Shakespeares Hamlet, a very decease moral h eachow is established asthe protagonist, Hamlet, completes his journey through the phases whichdefine a Shakespearean tragedy.  The play begins with Hamlet encounteringhis fathers ghost, at which point he learns his father had in fact beenmurdered by his own brother, Claudius.  It is Hamlets wish to avenge hisfather that causes all other moral dilemmas in the play, and this is whatdefines the plays particular moral order  As the play progresses, thegravity and seriousness of Claudius sins lessen, and Hamlets grow,although never reaching the moral plateau on which Claudius rests.  In thebeginning of the play, Hamlet is morally in the unspoilt, always takingprecautions to ensure this remains so.  Claudius, on the other hand, notonly murders Hamlets father, but then plots to do away with Hamlet as soonas he feels threatened.  As the play progresses , Hamlet continuesattempting to right the original wrong, but only succeeds at the finish,with Claudius death. Hamlets words in Act III, Scene IV -- thus badbegins, and worse remains behind illustrate the moral order well theactions against him were wrong, but, to a lesser extent, so was his revenge.          Near the start of the play, The wraith tells Hamlet of the crimecommitted by Claudius.  When Hamlet finds out his father was murdered byhis own brother, who then stole his wife and crown, he presently commitshimself to avenging the murder Haste me to knowt, that I, with wings asswift/As meditation or the thoughts of love/May sweep to my revenge.  Atthis point, Hamlet is completely justify in his feelings, and most wouldagree that his revenge is morally right.  Although the act of murder itselfis wrong, an eye for an eye almost wholly justifies it.  The gravity ofClaudius crime grows when one considers that all the deaths thr oughout theplay would not have come if it were not the murder.  The crime itself is,in a sense, worse because of the circumstances not a simple murder, butthe murder of ones brother wholly for personal gain, his crown and queen.It is this which balances out any morally wrong actions Hamlet may take.         Hamlet, on the other hand, begins the play as a very rational andintelligent man.  Although it is shown he can be impulsive and rash, hisrationality wins out - at least in the beginning of the play.  When comprehendhis fathers ghost, he unquestionably accepts all he hears as truth, butdoesnt act on it until he can verify it in some way.