Anti-Idealism In Shakespeares Hamlet - 1563 Words

In the â€Å"Polemical Introduction† of Mark Edmundson’s book, Self and Soul, he calls William Shakespeare â€Å"our great de-idealizing author.† In his book, Edmundson examines the ideals of the ancient world and how they have been lost in the modern world. In one section of the introduction to his novel he analyzes Shakespeare’s works and how they function as a shift between these two worlds. Specifically, he examines Shakespeare’s rejection of the â€Å"religious ideal [and] the ideal of contempt,† as well as his use of skepticism and â€Å"uncertainties, mysteries, and doubts without driving forward to conclusions.† Furthermore, Edmundson discusses how Shakespeare dismissal of these ideals worked as a reflection of modern societies shift away from the†¦show more content†¦Therefore, we can see that the religious ideals seen in Hamlet are like those of the ideals of the ancient world rather than the modern one. Two scenes i n the play show this theme most clearly: the scene in which Hamlet speaks with the ghost of his dead father and the scene in which Claudius confesses for the murder. When Hamlet first speaks with the ghost, King Hamlet tells Hamlet that he is â€Å"doomed for a certain term to walk the night / and for the day confined to fast in fires / till the foul crimes done in my days of nature / are burnt and purged away† (1.5.15-18). This line invokes the idea of purgatory, a Catholic idea. Furthermore, the ghost asks Hamlet to revenge him for his death. Although Hamlet is unsure of the truth of the ghost’s words, he does not show the skepticism of Horatio. Hamlet’s morality and desire to revenge his father is based on religion, because Claudius has committed sin not only by killing his father, but also by marrying his mother, and incestuous act. Therefore, the readers can see that much of Claudius villainous acts are based around sins. Hamlet’s religious morality also makes him different from Shakespeare’s other tragic heroes such as Macbeth or Othello, whose demise is caused by their own evil faults, such as ambition and jealousy. The other major religious scene in the play is Claudius confession after the play Hamlet put on. Hamlet overhears Claudius admit to killing his father, but still doesn’t kill him, because he asks himself,Show MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeare s Julius Caesar, Hamlet, And Henry V2709 Words   |  11 Pagesthe internal moral struggle that every man goes through, the concept of what is right and what is wrong in a world that is full of gray areas. More specifically he deals with the concept of honor and morality in several of his plays. Julius Caesar, Hamlet, and Henry V, to a lesser extent, deal with how men handle these and can reconcile otherwise heinous acts. Now, being well aware that Shakespeare does not account for all the Renaissance writers, however his are the most prevalent still today andRead More The American Dream Conspiracy in Death of a Salesman Essay1728 Words   |  7 Pagespartners in the American Dream and parties to the conspiracy of silence surrounding the fact that failures must outnumber successes.(Samantaray, 2014) Miller amalgamates the archetypal tragic hero with the mundane American citizen. The result is the anti-hero, Willy Loman. He is a simple salesman who constantly aspires to become great. Nevertheless, Willy has a waning career as a salesman and is an aging man who considers himself to be a failure but is incapable of consciously admitting it. As aRead MoreAmerican Literature11652 Words   |  47 Pagessupport instructive in values American Renaissance/Romanticism period of American Literature - 18001855 Content: ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · writing that can be interpreted 2 ways, on the surface for common folk or in depth for philosophical readers sense of idealism focus on the individual s inner feelings emphasis on the imagination over reason and intuition over facts urbanization versus nostalgia for nature burden of the Puritan past Genre/Style: ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · literary tale character sketch slave narratives