How Does Hamlet Affect The Loss of His Father

The Tragedy of Hamlet and the Shadow of Mourning

William Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Hamlet dives deep into the mind and heart of its main guy, Hamlet. He's wrestling with a lot after his dad's death, and it messes with how he thinks and acts throughout the play. This essay is gonna look at how Shakespeare shows us that Hamlet can't shake off mourning for his father. We'll check out some key moments in the text to really get how big this grief is and what it does to him.

How Does Hamlet Deal with Losing His Dad?

If we're gonna understand how Shakespeare lets us know that Hamlet's still grieving, we gotta dig into some important scenes. One big moment happens in Act I, Scene II. Here, Hamlet gives his first soliloquy. Yeah, it's a fancy word for when he talks to himself or maybe the audience. It's all about showing how torn up he is over his dad's death. John Dover Wilson points out that when Hamlet says stuff like "O that this too too solid flesh would melt," he's wishing his body could just vanish (Wilson 45). The way he keeps saying "too" kinda highlights how heavy his grief feels, like he's stuck in it. Shakespeare really nails showing us that Hamlet's not over his father's death yet.

Then there's another biggie—the ghost of Hamlet's dad showing up. Let's talk about what that does to Hamlet’s headspace. Critics like Harold Bloom think this ghostly visit makes everything worse for poor Hamlet (Bloom 73). When the ghost tells him about getting murdered and wants revenge, it cranks up Hamlet's sadness even more. It’s like proof for what he feared about his dad's death and pushes him towards vengeance. This encounter leaves a huge mark on him emotionally and keeps that mourning alive.

Wrapping It All Up

So, as we see throughout the play, Shakespeare really knows what he's doing when it comes to painting a picture of loss and sadness through Hamlet’s eyes. By taking a close look at moments like the soliloquy and ghostly encounters, we get why his grief runs so deep. With all those metaphors and dramatic tricks, Shakespeare lets us in on just how much mourning changes who Hamlet is inside. Plus, it reminds us how loss can mess with anyone’s mind and life.

In short—grief? It’s complicated stuff. And through Hamlet, we see all the messy ways it can change our thoughts, actions, and relationships.

References

• Bloom, Harold. Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human. Riverhead Books, 1998.
• Wilson, John Dover. What Happens in "Hamlet". Cambridge University Press, 1951.
• Mack, Maynard. "The World of Hamlet." Sewanee Review, vol. 58, no. 4, 1950, pp. 602-617.