Understanding Hamlet (the character)

When I think of Hamlet, the first adjective that comes to mind is enigmatic.  Hamlet changes his personality and the inner workings of his mind so many times throughout the course of the play that there is no concrete definition of who he really is.  The best part is that Hamlet is very aware of who he is and what he is doing; he just doesn’t want everyone else to know.  He even tells his mother that there is more to him than meets the eye.  One of the most defining and amazing characteristics of Shakespeare’s writing is his ability to convey a subtle sense of uncertainty and deftness through Hamlet’s soliloquies.  This style is what really raises all of the questions as to who Hamlet really is.  During the beginning of the play, we see Hamlet as a contemplative university student who has his world crumble with the death of his father.  With his father’s death, Hamlet becomes obsessed with death; he constantly wonders about the afterlife, suicide, and what happens physically to bodies one we die.  These thoughts, combined with his obsession to frame his uncle for the death of his father causes Hamlet’s sanity to come into question.  The strangest part about all of his intellect and thoughtfulness is how openly they betray his actions.  While in his mind he is very careful and deliberate, his actions are brash and irrational.  The easiest example is when he stabs Polonius blindly without even checking to see whom it is.  It is the clash of these two very different personality traits that cause us as readers to constantly question who Hamlet really is.  Is he actually insane or is it just a game he is playing?  Not knowing the answer at the end of the play doesn’t help either – it’s just Shakespeare’s way of toying with his audience.