Hamlet essay - Final Michael MacDonald

May 21, 2012

Shakespeares Hamlet is a revenge tragedy play set during the late middle ages in Denmark. Throughout the play, the idea of characters wearing masks to conceal their thoughts and feelings is frequently present, particularly with Hamlet and Claudius. Hamlet, Claudius, and I can be compared and contrasted in terms of our actions while wearing our masks, why we wear our masks, and when we wear our masks. Given specific circumstances, many people would wear masks to better adapt to their environment. The two characters and act differently under the effects of the masks being either passive or aggressive. We three wear our masks to hide our feelings and thoughts because we think it will benefit either ourselves or others. Understanding the association between, when Hamlet and Claudius reveal and conceal their true selves will give better insight into the characters and their environments, and also human nature. Claudius, Hamlet, and I act differently while wearing our masks. Hamlet, in general is a rational and even somewhat over-analytical person. He wears a different face when he wants to deceive others. Here, as before, never, so help you mercy / So grace and mercy at your most need help you. (1.5.187-199). Hamlet is explaining to his confidant Horatio that he is merely acting insane to fool everyone who might oppose him avenging his deceased father. Claudius is similar to Hamlet as his actions while wearing the disguise are also dishonest. Our sovereign process; which imports at full, / the present death of Hamlet. (4.3.64-6). Claudius, fearing Hamlet will kill him, lies to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern which leads them to send Hamlet to his death in England. When I wear my mask I peruse the World Wide Web. I want to act less like my shy true self and appear more extroverted. I have little care for deception; my anonymity on the internet provides me the opportunity to act with little regard for whatever anyone out there truly thinks of me. The guises provide a different persona for each specific individual. I think that the world Hamlet and Claudius live in differ from me greatly in terms of the effects of the masks. In the play, altered perceptions of who each character is, results in

death. On the Net, everybody is assumed to be lying or putting forward different masks. Therefore, there is a built-in safety zone because everyone knows the Internet is not an accurate source of information. The danger is that masks can also have a profound effect because ones character can be changed; Hamlet, Claudius, and I all understand how the disguises can change a personality so much, knowing why and how to put on the metaphorical mask can be of great benefit. Claudius used the knowledge of why to put on the disguise to gain political power. O, my offence is rank, it smells to heaven; It hath the primal eldest curse uponst, A brothers murder. Pray can I not. (3.3.37-9). Claudius put his nice guy face aside and wore the mask to kill his brother King Hamlet and ascend to the throne as the new king. Hamlet knows why he himself uses the mask; he uses it to hide his uncertainty. More relative than this: the plays the thing Wherein Ill catch the conscience of the king. (2.2.602-3). Hamlet is uncertain whether or not Claudius really did murder the king and whether or not he should avenge his father and he uses the play to discover the truth. My motivation for wearing my mask is much simpler; I wear the cover for fun. I play games with people that I wouldnt otherwise play. These games can be as juvenile as chase-me or as odd as thumb-wrestling. Hamlet, Claudius and I all know why we disguise our plans and it can be said that each of us have very different reasons to do things we ordinarily wouldnt. Having a reason to wear such an altering piece of imaginary equipment is equally important as knowing when to wear it. Timing is everything and the three characters analysed all experience times when their respective masks are on and off. Claudius wears his cover often to deceive and manipulate other such as, after the play The Murder of Gonzago, Claudius removes it while in prayer as he repents for all his wrongs. O my offence is rank, it smells to heaven; it hath the / All may be well! (3.3.38-73). Claudius, without the mask is an honest man that loves his wife. Hamlet has his mask on when he is among those whom he feels threatened or otherwise seems skeptical. Here, as before, never, so help you mercy, / So grace and mercy at your most need you. (1.5.187-199). Hamlet is speaking to the ghost, and although they have never met before, Hamlet

is honest with the spectre and acts as he normally would. I seldom remove my mask. This is solely because I am seldom to wear it. I rarely feel the need to hide who I am. All three of us may wear the masks when in the right circumstances but we wear the masks at our own discretion. Claudius, Hamlet, and I are all alike and different in many ways when it involves identity. When, why, how, and what are all important questions for comparing and contrasting us. Although this gives a basic analysis, its also important to understand the broader message and the specific reasons of the characters to use masks such as what makes their deception believable and do the characters have more than one mask. Is the change of persona as simple as one identity and another? The masks are not as black and white as that, they may affect a certain quality of the person while having no implication in another area. Changing personalities is a very complex and difficult process to understand.