Selective Perception in Shakespeares Hamlet Essay -- Shakespeare Haml

Selective Perception in Shakespeargons critical point From the end of deed I, the point at which Ham permit judges it may be heady to feign madness - to put an antic disposition on (I.v.181) - some(prenominal) of the low gear half of the play concerns characters trying to determine why the princes mourning has evolved into seeming insanity. Each of the major players in Elsinore has a subject areaive seal of the reason for Hamlets madness indeed, in each of these misconceptions there is an element of the truth. At the same time, however, the nature of these selective perceptions provides insight into the characters who form them. And finally, these varied perspectives are notable in their effect upon the dynamic of the conflict between Hamlet and Claudius, and upon the kings increasing paranoia. Long before the encounter with the Ghost turns Hamlets vague suspicions into something advance certainty (I.v.1-113), Claudius views Hamlet not as a madman, but as a t hreat to the security of his rule and possibly his life. This is evident from their first scene, in which Claudius publicly denounces Hamlets unmanly grief (I.ii.94) as a taint to heaven (l.101) Claudius seems to be undermining Hamlets popular support by painting him as unworthy to rule. Even in the face of his courts attempts to dissect the very wee of Hamlets lunacy (II.ii.49), Claudius initial convictions are never shaken. Like the other characters, Claudius has his hold motives for believing as he does like the other characters, his beliefs are subject to manipulative reinforcement by the plays events. Moreover, the speculation regarding Hamlets madness serves only to change over the king that Hamlet is not mad, and th... ...nnate guilt and paranoia will not let him view Hamlet any other way. This facet of Claudius character is intrinsic to the resolution of the tragic sequence while, in the end, Claudius paranoia is not enough to pitch his life, it is certai nly sufficient to ensure that no one else escapes the conflict unscathed. plant life Cited Bevington, David, ed. The Complete Works of Shakespeare. 4th ed. New York Longman-Addison Wesley Longman, 1997. Bradley, A.C. Shakespearean Tragedy Lectures on Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth. London Macmillan, 1967. Hamlet. Prod. Dyson Lovell. Dir. Franco Zeffirelli. Warner Brothers, 1990. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. British Broadcasting Corp. Prod. Cedric Messina. Dir. Rodney Bennett. Time-Life Films, 1978. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Bevington 1060-1116.