Blog Post #21: Hamlet: Act I Character Perspective

The tables of life are turning far too quickly for me to maintain my balance.

Days earlier, I was the content, scholarly Prince and student of Wittenberg -- but today I have nothing to lay my claim to. No longer am I in attendance at Wittenberg and no longer am I a content Prince. In a matter of days, I lost all things to which I attached my identity. Nevertheless, the state of Denmark’s crown is not the product of an unfortunate loss but the backwash of a calamitous robbery.

As the ghost -- my father? I am still unsure of what to call him -- mentioned, “The serpent that did sting thy father’s life / Now wears his crown.” (1.5.38-39). My uncle, I am certain, is responsible for these horrifying events. And my mother, by jumping onto the marriage wagon so quickly -- even when ““the funeral bak’d meats / Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables” (1.2.180-181) -- is nothing short of an adulterous accomplice to Cladius’ contrivances.

And, now, I am left with nothing. Though my broken ties with my mother may have been voluntary, I did not surrender my connections to my father willingly. Still, I must come to terms that I will never have a father figure, like Laertes does. Never again, will I gain unsolicited -- yet crucial -- advice. Oh, how I long to hear my father remind me in his booming voice, “This above all: to thine own self be true” (1.3.78)

Woe is me. “How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable / Seem to me all the uses of this world!” (1.2.133-134)

Everything has gone wrong, and yet, the worst days of my life have served as Cladius’ best. It is gravely suspicious of how quickly he came to secure the throne and don the royal robes. Maybe it is a testament to my instability, but the ghost is the only person in this kingdom who makes sense to me.

Indeed, “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” (1.4.90)

Perhaps it is time for revenge...

Thoughts Hamlet

@ToTweetOrNotToTweet: @KingCladius you give royalty a bad name #ShotThroughTheHeart #Ow

@ToTweetOrNotToTweet: S/o to the priest for officiating a funeral & wedding back2back -.-  #CrapCladiusDoes @KingCladius jumping the gun are you?

@ToTweetOrNotToTweet: Missing dad’s wise words :( #UnsolicitedAdvice #YouDoYou

@ToTweetOrNotToTweet: Everything sucks butt #ThoughtsHamlet #WoeIsMe #ScrewYouCladius (and you too, mom)

@ToTweetOrNotToTweet: @Ghost & I are coming for you @KingCladius. Watch out. #IKnowWhat’sUp #Can’tFoolMe #Can'tStopWon'tStop #ToThineOwnSelfBeTrue