Empathy for the Character Hamlet in Hamlet by William Shakespeare: Literarture Analysis Essay

Introduction

The theme of Empathy has been tremendously portrayed in by William Shakespeare in his play, the Hamlet. In the play, it becomes evident that various characters empathized with some of the emotions that Hamlet was demonstrating. The empathy in the play is further shown through grief and sorrow, the abandonment, and the resentment. In fact, very few individuals can carry the fantasy compared to the manner in which Hamlet did. Throughout the play, therefore, Shakespeare writes about a man who tremendously faces excellent loss.

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The loss, in this case, does not imply the loss of his beloved father or wife Ophelia, but he lost himself in a make-believe world where he was able to regain the full control that he had previously lost. In the beginning, Hamlet comes home to mourn his beloved father. However, things change two months after the death of the Claudius, the uncle, marries the matter and take the role of the King. It is at this stage that Hamlet gets enraged because Claudius wants him to refer him to the new "father." He even seems to care for the wellbeing of Hamlet regarding what he is undergoing. The Queen, who is Hamlet's mother after that develops feelings of concern about the welfare of her son and tries to convince him about the reality of death as it forms an integral part of human life. Hamlet consequently mops around feeling sorry for him. Him and Horatio's conversation about Hamlet's late father further depicts a feeling of trying to understand what Hamlet was undergoing. Hamlet expresses his opinions on how he misses his father and assures them that he will never see or have anyone like him again.

Empathy in the play Hamlet is father portrayed through the theme of betrayal as depicted in the play. It based on the fact that majority of the people betrayed him. Fundamentally, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern who was Hamlet's childhood friend facilitate the theme of betrayal in the play. They reveal Hamlet through making a pretense of still being friends while Claudius employs them as his spies. Claudius even goes to the extent of enlisting them to keep tables on his Hamlet, whom he refers to as erratic. In Act III scene 4, Hamlet informs the mother that he trusts his childhood friends. Through this statement, Hamlet tremendously expresses his understanding that his friends do not prioritize the interests of Claudius and that they cannot work to fix him.

In another scene, Shakespeare further portrays Claudius as a betrayer the moment he backstabs and betrays Hamlet. Claudius realizes that Hamlet is fully aware of his roles in the murder of the late King Hamlet. As revenge, Hamlet goes and kills Polonius with the thought that he was killing Claudius. These events prompt Claudius to send him to England. The theme of empathy is therefore demonstrated in this case because Claudius says that he takes such an action to protect him. Instead, he goes ahead to provide both Rosencrantz and Guildenstern a letter that instructs them to kill Hamlet as soon as he arrives in England. Hamlet opens the message and changes the instructions that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern be executed instead, and further refuses to be responsible for their death because they had been the tools used to backstab and man-hunt him. Significantly, Shakespeare depicts some of the remorseful scenarios accompanied by the feeling of emotions as seen in some instances in the play. The aspect of empathy has been explored thoroughly by involving some characters such as Helmet who continuously develop sorrowful feeling following the desertion and bitterness of losing the loved one

Following the in-depth analysis, the empathy is one concern which has been thoroughly explored in the play involving several characters such as Hamlet as portrayed by William Shakespeare. Imperatively, it is observed that he is using the false motives to cultivate on the characters and cause their final collapse in the entire play. The impacts of this behavior evoke feeling fantasy accompanied by hate which is often experienced by some personalities in the society. As in the case of Hamlet, the remorseful nature is predetermined that the nature and magnitude of the emotions trigger empathy feeling by some character in the same play. Hamlet is depicted by Shakespeare based on the inscribed personality and seen as one who has experienced a considerable loss in his entire life in connection with the loss of his beloved father or of his lover Ophelia. Hamlet is one of the most tragedic plays by Shakespeare accompanied by series of empathetical magnifications and compression. The play reveals massive revenge and oppression vested in women by the male counterparts which evoke their emotions. This ill motives and actions experienced in the society as revealed by Shakespeare portray women as the most empathizers in any scenario presented in the text.

In an attempt to determine the primary role of women in the Elizabethan society it is traced back in the play when the General Hamlet attempted to kill her uncle Claudius thereby plotting a revenge attack on the perpetrators and the mastermind who organize for the death of her father. Hamlet, in this case, has been seen to develop an empathetic mood to help curb the entire situation by plotting and going ahead to execute the killings. Similarly, Gertrude who is hamlets mother and the one who faces massive victimization engages in an affair and later marries Claudius owning the throne once again. The case of Gertrude and Ophelia who are considered to open women in the play which demonstrates the array of traits used by Shakespeare to help identify the general behavior of the other characters about the events in the game. In addition to the empathetic nature and mood of has an immense contribution to the creation and general development of the major themes in the play.

Their massive engagement with the other characters and the manner in which the whole plot revolves around them cannot be disputed but indeed induce emotional feelings. Shakespeare tactfully embraces their personalities in the entire play to help convey the intended message to the audiences. Notably, from the in-depth analysis of the game, Gertrude and Ophelia by Shakespeare explore the personality of the two protagonists about their contributions in the play. Through series of mistreatments experienced by both Gertrude and Ophelia from the hands of powerful men in the society trigger empathetic feelings. Notably, Shakespeare employs the use of feminist theory by women in the organization to help portray all sorts of harassment imposed on them by men which uses them like dolls in the power games. Following this treatment, the entire communities feel remorseful and thereby developed an intriguing sense to help curb the problems in the society. On the similar account, feminism, as portrayed by Shakespeare through the two main protagonists, reveals the nature of suffering creating a full remorse feeling in women which are depicted as the most disadvantaged as they often face series of problems in the reckless hands of men. On this account, the Shakespeare reveals the hidden chauvinism trait in men which they use as a tool to continue to manipulate woman the more. Nature alluded wrangle in the play has been seen as the root trigger of some characters to develop remorseful emotions in the play.

On the other hand, the development of other characters in the play mainly depends on the events revolving around Ophelia and Gertrude. Apparently, Shakespeare's intention to reveal empathetical nature of Hamlet one of the characters who occasionally sympathize with various personalities in the play, depending on the paradoxical nature and tend to pair the dynamics in the social traditions Hamlet, as exposed by Shakespeare, manifest extraordinary supremacy over some characters in the entire play, this has been realized in the contributions in the court cases in connection with the blind approach to Claudius. it truly portrays the empathetic mood encountered by Hamlet in the play. The remorseful nature is mainly dominated by the women though Shakespeare presents Ophelia and Gertrude as more active on various occasions. However, the two personalities share absolute similar character traits throughout the play which help build the thematic concerns in the play and reveal their connection empathically. From the play, indicates most women in the Elizabethan times are entirely manipulated by their men either as pawns and others used as the sex objects.

The clear insight reveals that both the females in the play are presented to be naive and shows remorseful nature which creates sympathetic mood, as one without any idea on the uncertain world they live in. This weakness usually capitalized by the male characters in the play, a plan presented by Shakespeare to help relay the dominative nature on the male in the society creating the immense emotional concerns. On similar account both Gertrude and Ophelia are facing series of challenges in the respective relationship, Hamlet on the other side is entirely passionate portraying a form of tragedy in the play. Similarly, Shakespeare presents Ophelia on a different angle with similar problems in the relationship. The entire outlook of women in the Elizabethan society gives feminism approach where women portray are less reorganized and sympathizers in decisions making. This attitude tends to expose them to betrayal by the male counterparts who continually look down upon women in the society.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the empathy in Hamlet unravels a series of emotional deceptions following betrayal on some occasions in society. Similarly, the empathetic maturity viewed and highlighted as one of the useful tools employed to curb the emotions which might cause complications among members of the society. In the real-life situation, the emotional analogies is a significant concern since some people have lost complete trust with the others like in the case of Hamlet in the play.

Works Cited

Arnold, Roslyn. Empathic Intelligence: Teaching, Learning, Relating. Sydney, N.S.W: University of New South Wales, 2005. Print.

Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Krill Press via Publish Drive, 2015.