Obtaining knowledge: Hamlet encountered his father's ghost at the beginning of the play, and learned that his own brother, Claudius, had murdered his father.
Consequences: Hamlet found it crucial to avenge his father, which resulted in his own death. 1) "thus bad begins, and worse remains behind" 2) Hamlet is completely justified in his feelings that, although the act of murder itself is wrong, his revenge is morally right. 3) To keep what he knows a secret, Hamlet made everyone believe that he has gone crazy and then uses his insanity to learn as much truth as he can. 4) Hamlet spared Claudius' life, rather than to kill him at prayer. 5) The murder of Polonius to save his life. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the protagonist’s knowledge of his father’s death results in him making decisions regarding what he knows. In the play, each crime committed was punished, and one right action balances one morally wrong action. Claudius' uncaring murders are balanced by Hamlet's internal struggle with his own conscience and morals. Hamlet's procrastination throughout the play was caused because of his morals; even though Claudius murdered his father, Hamlet could not kill him at prayer. In the end he learns that it is not his responsibility to decide when Claudius dies, but to avenge his father's death when the opportunity is presented to him. Hamlet's actions do not make him immoral, even though they are immoral in nature, because they are justified by his moral quest for revenge on his father's death. |