Character analysis sample thesis proposal

Shakespeare’s Town and Existentialism

by Feross Aboukhadijeh, twelfth grade

What’s mankind? Who shall we be held held? What’s the thought of existence? They are multifaceted existential questions that ancient and modern philosophies haven’t yet adequately answer. Numerous philosophers have spent their lifetimes trying to find techniques to individuals questions but died before acquiring a appropriate answer. Certainly, the philosophy of existentialism is definitely an fascinating phenomenon. The dictionary defines existentialism as being a “philosophical movement. focusing on analysis of human existence in a unfathomable world along with the plight of those who must assume ultimate responsibility for functions of freedomInch (“Existentialism”). The amount of level of smoothness Town from Shakespeare’s tragedy Town explores these existential questions, seeking truth and understanding as they attempts to believe his father’s dying. Within the finish, Town is surely a really existential character.

Prince Town could be a college student who enjoys contemplating difficult philosophical questions. When his father, king of Denmark, dies, he returns and you’ll discover proof of foul have fun playing the father’s dying. The Ghost of Town (the dead king) informs Prince Town that his uncle Claudius may be the killer. Throughout everyone other play, Town seeks to exhibit Claudius’ guilt before he uses action against Claudius. However, Town is pensive ad extremum, at occasions even brooding he constantly overuses his intellect while ignoring his feelings and ignoring what “feels right.” His extreme logic causes him to obstruct his revenge against Claudius before the final scene within the play where he kills Claudius and proves he’s led to a existential character.

Within the begin with the play, Town functions from pure intellect and processed logic. He suppresses his natural instincts, his feelings, and trusts only in the potency of his intelligence. For example, when Town encounters his father’s ghost, he doesn’t discover it his father—even though he’s a mental reaction upon seeing it. Town states “Let me not burst in ignorance but tell / Why thy canoniz’d bones, hearsed in dying, / Have burst their cerements. Say, why? wherefore? what do not let do?” (I.iv.46-48,57). Town is really confused with the take a look at his father’s ghost that he’s puzzled by the easiest method to act. His intellect informs him the sight isn’t achievable, however his feelings make sure he understands otherwise. However, he stifles his emotion and maintains his doubts regarding the ghost. Later, Town plans a play where actors re-enact the king’s murder so that you can prove the validity in the products the ghost has told him.

Although Town seems could be the epitome in the anti-existentialist inside the start with the tale, Hamlet’s logic progressively starts to solve scene by scene, like a bloodstream stream-drenched bandage, with layer after layer revealing snippets of Hamlet’s emotion and feeling. When Town utters the famous lines ” To obtain, otherwise to obtain: thatrrrs the actual question: / Whether ’tis healthy within the mind to suffer / The slings and arrows of crazy fortune / So that you can take arms against a ocean of troubles ” he’s contemplating the idea of suicide and wishing that God hadn’t made suicide a criminal offence (III.i.58-61).

Hamlet’s anxiety, uncertainty, and tensions lead him to doubt the potency of reason alone to resolve his problems. Town starts to understand that reason is impotent to deal with depths of human life—one within the central assertions of existentialism (Bigelow, paragraph 6). Possibly due to this Town feigns madness they are fully aware he lacks the feelings to avenge his father’s dying. Indeed, Town does go temporarily insane in Act I, scene ii, that’s in those times every time they can digital rebel of pure sensation, without any ideas regarding the outcomes of these products based on him or does (e.g. while he undeservingly criticizes Ophelia). However, in uniting his feelings and reason, Town is careful to prevent the temptation to commit suicide if an individual commits suicide to depart life’s discomfort, these guys damned to eternal suffering in hell. To Town (and much more within the 1600s), suicide is morally wrong. By selecting to stay alive and fight Claudius’ corruption, Town demonstrates existential characteristics. However, this isn’t the only real scene where Town functions existentially.

In Act IV, Town encounters alienation and nothingness while he meets a Norwegian captain underneath the command of Fortinbras. When Town asks the captain regarding the cause and cause of the conflict, he’s shocked to understand the countries’ military visits war over “somewhat patch of land / That hath there no profit nonetheless the name” (IV.iv.98-99). After Town recovers inside the shock within the captain’s honesty, he’s dumbstruck using the believed that Fortinbras would sacrifice the lives of a lot men by having an admittedly inferior “patch of land.” Right now within the play, Town remains battling together with his own inaction, not able to kill Claudius despite the fact that they understand of his guilt. Town has reasonable to kill Claudius, yet he fails to get it done. How can Fortinbras sacrifice a good deal for this sort of futile purpose? During this scene, Town realizes the brutality of humanity and first views the concept nobody is safe—another central pillar of existentialism.

From this level on, Town declares he may have bloody ideas. “My ideas be bloody, or even be nothing worth!” (IV.iv. 9. 56 ). Town is amazed with the forcefulness of figures like Fortinbras and Laertes, who turn thought into action rapidly (Phillips). Laertes, who, like Town, includes a father to avenge, doesn’t hesitate as they say when seeking vengeance on his father’s killer. As Town decides to strive for this personal quality, he starts to act more and more more existential and decreasingly reflective.

When Town finally does achieve his father’s vengeance, he wasn’t spurred inside it by themselves, but by watching his mother and Ophelia die before their particular eyes. Furthermore, as Town recognized he’d 3 minutes to reside, he really had shipped to you this is where he earned his visit stab and poison Claudius.

Prince Town is introduced as being a reflective, slow-to-act character. Simply because they stays in line with this portrayal for almost the whole play, he’s doing undergo a metamorphosis using the finish within the play. Using the finish, Town decides that he’s forget about vulnerable to deny themselves within the revenge he badly desires against Claudius, so he kills him. Right now, Town is existential. He’s the only real character who fights back against Claudius’s usurpation within the throne, anf the husband accepts the outcomes of his actions (i.e. dying) with no flinch. This final existential act is exactly what qualifies Town just as one existential character in a existential drama anytime when existentialism didn’t are available in literature.

Bigelow, Gordon E. “A Primer of Existentialism.” The Sensible Stylist with Readings. N.p. n.p. n.d.

“Existentialism.” Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. 4 Marly. 2008 internet.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/existentialism.

Phillips, John. SparkNote on Town. 4 Marly. 2008 internet.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/town/.

Previous answers to this question

---

Get The Answer