Book from Western Tradition
Life, Death, and Faith
Upon viewing those disconnected from the path of God and in lieu blindly relying on their own forces, searching for solutions, one who entrusts in the divine powers can not help but be overcome by flooding emotions of gratitude and realisation over their own great disposition. Reading William Shakespear’s Hamlet, I was made to feel exactly that. Yes, Hamlet's complex character was obscure, the climatic plot was fascinating, and Shakespears mastery of words and ideas was non the less phenomenal but what truly captivated and impacted me was the simple and yet terrifying idea:of man without religion. Even more disquieting, to realise that Shakespear’s characters were not limited to the pages of a book but rather they projected the, much palpable, men and women of the world.
The play submerges the reader in waters of passion, hatred, and despair as the characters indulge their impulses without thought of the consequences. Whether looking at Claudius who poisons his own brother to become king; Hamlet who becomes a murder to revange his father’s death or even Gertude and Ophelia who are both motivated by love, the characters are all playing the same game. They are all driven by their egos, all satisfied by the immediate and temporary accolades only to be meat at the finish line with the reality of death. While at the very end the crown is worthless and the death of the characters can be foreshadowed, Shakespear’s world is able to captivate readers as it is fueled by schemes that appease human nature. Despite, lacking neither the worldly thrills nor the exploitations of lust, God is not in the picture and therefore the entire system introduced in Hamlet is flawed. The characters have all agreed upon playing a game with no real winners at the end. Therefore, all their efforts are worthless and consequently hold no weight beyond the realm of the physical world.
In my opinion, the greatness of Shakespear’s Hamlet lies in its accurate depiction of human nature as well as the multi level interpretation one can grasp from the play. It
20
Book from Western Tradition
is astonishing how the text is so involved in the characters’ worldly drives while also paralleling to it the truths that lie beyond death. While the theme of death is only touched on briefly throughout the occurrences in the plot, Shakespear implies that Hamlet's preoccupation with the world still can not completely distract him from what is to come. I believe the reason why death is only discussed so little comes from the very fact that Hamlet, the main character of the play, views the topic full of anxiety and uncertainty; his definition of death holds nothing but the certain truth of an irreversible and permanent ending. Brilliantly, Shakespeare places the reader in the Hamlet’s position, making them understand what it means to live life fearful of its end. Being placed in this context, without necessarily agreeing with it, the reader is able to understand why Hamlet and the other characters would choose to indulge in their desires, why they would be so quick to express their love and rage for one another; understand why it would be so important for someone like Hamlet or Cladius to come out victorious at the end of their game. What makes this text great is that being given the power to be living through the context of the characters, the reader is also given a freedom and opportunity to interpret their own reality of the situation. Based on their own principles and common sense, one is able to decide whether they agree with the idea of living life satisfying the ego for as long as one can, or whether they find this way flawed.
Being that I do not agree with the lifestyle the characters in the play exercise, Shakespear’s Hamlet, brought me to a new sense of realisation and gratefulness over my religion and trust in God. Reading this play, I was able to fully comprehend how one's views on the notions of life and death can transform their character. I realised that steadfastness and the control over the impulses can not be achieved but with the knowledge that death is by no means the end. Delving in the world molded by Shakespear, I was impacted as I grasped the constant pressure the characters faced in thinking that everything depended upon them; believing that power holds however small a place in the spectrum of life or even that revenge can bring healing. I was able to view the world from the perspective of a disbeliever, of a denier of the truth and I felt gratitude to not be of them. Experiencing the ease that only comes from being a believer
21
Book from Western Tradition
I felt relieved to trust the Almighty with the concerns that would keep the rest of the world up at night.
22