Hamlet's Change

Throughout the play, "Hamlet, Prince of Denmark", Hamlet experiences many changes as he begins to understand himself and those around him more thoroughly. His changes in character mainly focus on his spirituality and philosophy.

In the beginning of the play, Hamlet thinks his life could not be any worse. His father is dead, his mother is married to his uncle, and his life just stinks. Hamlet, in discussing how awful his life is with himself, says "O God, God, how weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable seem to me all the uses of this world!" (1.2.132-134). Hamlet's outlook on life is simply that he has to go on living miserably, but there is no point to his life. He cannot understand why God would do this to him, but he does not hate his life enough to die. Right before this, Hamlet declares that he will not kill himself because it is a sin (1.2.129). Hamlet maintains his protestant faith, not wanting to sin against God just because he is unhappy.

However, in the middle of the play, Hamlet's ideals seem to shift. After being visited by the ghost of his father, Hamlet's main goal is to avenge his father's death by killing the king. However, he spends most of his time discussing how he wants to kill the king instead of actually doing it. When the king is praying and asking for forgiveness, Hamlet states, "now might I do it, now 'a is a-praying" (3.3.73). Hamlet has abandoned his previous aversion to sin. While he has not actually killed anyone yet, he still wants to kill the king. Hamlet would even kill the king while he is praying, which shows his shift in priorities. Earlier, Hamlet did not want to kill himself because it is a sin. Now, he does not even care if he kills someone while they are talking to God, except that he has the potential to be forgiven and now suffer for his sins.

Finally, Hamlet's outlook on life (and death) shifts drastically at the end of the play. Hamlet orders for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to be executed with no problem at all. In the cemetery, Hamlet says "Since now man of aught he leaves knows, what is 't to leave betimes? Let be" (5.2.187-187). Hamlet now does not care when he dies, since he knows that he is going to die anyway. Hamlet has shifted from being too afraid to let himself die to completely ready to die. He has no regrets for what he has done to those he has killed (except for Ophelia) and does not really care what happens to himself. As he is dying, Hamlet kills the king as well, finally fulfilling his plan. Hamlet has switched from being afraid to sin, to not even caring about what his life is worth. He knows that his brief time on earth is limited and unimportant, and he chooses to live his life in a way that epitomizes the saying "Carpe Diem." Hamlet takes his chances and does what comes to him in the moment.