Fourth and last essay of the weekend.
Analyze two conflicting sides of a character and explain how this conflict illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole.
Book chosen: Hamlet
Forks in the road offer up unique opportunities to show values held by individuals. These decisions help reveal themes within a story, and paint a picture of the author's intended message. In Shakespeare's Hamlet, the protagonist goes mental agony throughout the book. His decision on life or death drives the story, and is summarized in his famous soliloquy To Be or Not to Be. This inner conflict of whether to live or die allows Shakespeare to share his message of internal struggle and revenge's folly to his audiences and readers.
The choice that Hamlet must make is one based on internal conflict. He struggles with the pain related to the death of his father, and the cruelty of life, and faces the decision of whether to face his trouble, or to end it in one fatal sweep of a knife. Shakespeare explicitly magnifies this conflict in Hamlet's self reflection. On one hand, Hamlet wonders if he should face his troubles and deal with his inner emotions. On the other he wonders whether he should just end them and his life. This shows that Hamlet doesn't have a handle on his inner emotions, and his passion driven actions are clouded in misdirection, and this leads to tragic revenge.
One choice Hamlet ponders is that of ending his life. To make his own suffering end in an instant. This particular choice reveals the struggle that he faces. The harshness of life and the desire to just make your challenges go away in a blink of an eye. This highlights internal struggle, and Hamlet's inability to think straight. His other option is that of facing his issues. He takes this route, but due to his struggle, he follows the path of revenge, and ends up paying the price for his actions.
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