How Shakespeare's Hamlet Destroys and Rebuilds Identity

Introduction: A Prince Confronted with the Unthinkable

The titular character in William Shakespeare's Hamlet has fascinated audiences and literary critics for quite some time. In order to understand his characterization and the development of his identity throughout this work, one must fully understand the situation with which this young man is presented at the outset of the play. Hamlet, after all, is a mere student — albeit also the prince of Denmark. All of a sudden, the young man encounters the ghost of his father, learns that his father has been murdered, and is then charged with becoming both murderer and avenger by destroying part of his family — his uncle Claudius. Such a task would be enormous for anyone, let alone a young man recently removed from adolescence. As such, Hamlet must redefine his identity and essentially destroy his previous identity as a prince of what he believed was a loving family, reforming it into that of the worst kind of murderer — one who kills his own kin. This play, then, functions as the impending destruction of Hamlet's former identity and old family values, replacing them with a new identity in which no such values remain.

Repudiating Family: Estrangement from Gertrude and Claudius

In buttressing the thesis that Hamlet's previous identity as a loving son in a functional family is systematically destroyed throughout the course of this play, it is important to understand Hamlet's repudiation of familial values. Specifically, Hamlet systematically rejects the most eminent surviving members of his family: his uncle, the recently crowned King of Denmark Claudius, and his mother, Queen Gertrude. Destroying his feelings for them — and for his mother in particular — is a key part of dissolving his previous identity as a loving son. Shortly after taking up his dead father's command for vengeance in the first act, Hamlet begins the critical process of dissolving his previous family ties by disavowing his connection to his mother and uncle. He cries:

Frailty, thy name is woman! — A little month; or ere those shoes were old / With which she followed my poor father's body / …all tears… O God! A beast that wants discourse of reason / Would have mourned longer, — married with mine uncle, / My father's brother; but no more like my father / Than I to Hercules (Shakespeare).

Hamlet's disgust — and his emotional distancing from his forbears — is readily apparent in this quotation. He unfavorably compares his mother to an animal, stating that even such a creature would not have remarried as quickly as she did after her husband's death. He also laments her "frailty" and the fact that she barely waited "a month" before remarrying. It is obvious that he perceives these actions as deeply disrespectful, and he is in the process of replacing any previous maternal sentiment with a degree of disgust that enables him to destroy his former identity as a loving son. It is equally apparent that he feels no conventional familial affection for his uncle, whom he acknowledges is nothing like his father. In this passage, Hamlet effectively severs his emotional ties to his forebears in order to reform his identity from son into murderer.

Suicidal Ideation and the Erosion of Self-Worth

Another crucial part of the reformation of Hamlet's identity — from that of a loving family member into an assassin willing to kill his own kin — is his renouncing of the value of life itself, including his own. The young man frequently experiences suicidal thoughts and gives voice to these urgings throughout the play. It is pivotal that he does so, for a man who is willing to die — or perhaps even willing to kill himself — is also willing to suffer the deaths of virtually anyone else, including his mother and his uncle. The following famous passage demonstrates Hamlet's suicidal tendencies and illustrates their importance in the reforming of his identity:

To be, or not to be: that is the question: / Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer / The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, / Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, / And by opposing end them? — To die, — to sleep, — (Shakespeare).

This celebrated soliloquy illustrates Hamlet's deliberation over his own suicide. His motive is clear: the disturbing situation in which he finds himself — compelled to kill family members in order to avenge his father — is described as "outrageous fortune." The fundamental question of the passage is one of survival; in its opening line, Hamlet considers whether he should continue to exist or end his own life. His reference to arming himself and "opposing" all his troubles by turning destruction upon himself is deeply dramatic and marks a significant stage in the evolution of his identity. At this point in the play, Hamlet's previous identity as a loving son is virtually eradicated — he is threatening to eradicate himself as well. With his old identity nearly gone, it becomes significantly easier for him to take on a new one as a ruthless killer who will not hesitate to murder his family members, or even himself.

Conclusion: The Total Transformation of Hamlet

During the course of Hamlet, the young man's former identity as a happy member of a loving family is slowly destroyed by the magnitude of the events set in motion by his father's murder. Both his uncle and his mother betrayed his father, leaving him irreparably estranged from his family. Charged with avenging his father, he loses all enjoyment for life and frequently contemplates killing himself. The final loss of Ophelia completes his transformation, removing every reason for him to live — except to kill. In this way, Hamlet's identity is utterly transformed, culminating in familial murder by the conclusion of this enduring work of drama.

Works Cited

Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. MIT Shakespeare, http://shakespeare.mit.edu/hamlet/full.html. 1602. Web.