isolation

Hamlet- Shakespeare

As Hamlet opens, Shakespeare goes to great lengths to isolate Hamlet from the other characters from the moment he appears onstage. Surrounded by the colorful festivities of a wedding, Hamlet is set apart by his somber clothes of black. Although Claudius claims that the whole kingdom still mourns for the recently deceased king, he leads the court in the celebration of his wedding in colors presumably very bright and joyful. Hamlet alones stands in memory of the old king in his uniform of black mourning, yet in doing so, he clearly sets him apart from everyone else. But his separation is not just physical. Of course, his mourning is clearly contrasted with the celebration of the others, but the black he wears amid the festivities also brings to mind a more sinister idea. Perhaps he, the darkness among happiness, represents a threat to the reign of Claudius or on a broader level, the happiness of the kingdom in general. Or perhaps the dark colors represent to lack of clarity as Hamlet is mired in confusion, torn between treasuring the living and honoring the dead while everyone around him has already clearly chosen to move on.

His isolation shows through in his relationships, particularly in his relationship with his mother and uncle. When his uncle first addresses him, Hamlet clearly separates their existences with the phrase “a little more than kin and less than kind.” Noting that technically they have a two-fold relationship, that of uncle and nephew as well as father and son, but at the same time stating that their relationship is unnatural and he hardly sees him in a positive light. Even in acknowledging their relationship, Hamlet separates himself from Claudius by discrediting the legitimacy of their relationship. Later he continues to separate himself from his uncle by refusing to heed his counsel and cast away his clothes of mourning. Even when he finally agrees to one of Claudius’ requests, he makes clearly that he does it not for Claudius but rather for his mother. But even Hamlet’s relationship with his mother is sour at best as he cannot understand how she agreed to marry Claudius so quickly after King Hamlet’s death. Although he agrees to her request to not go to Wittenberg, he says he will “obey” her, as if it’s his obligation and not due to his love for her. Hamlet even implies that she is “common,” vulgar, when she tries to convince him to stop mourning his father. Reaching the point of insulting his own mother, it’s clear that he no longer feels a deep connection with his mother, and it seems he didn’t have a close connection with his uncle to begin with. Isolated from his immediately family, Hamlet has no one to whom he can freely express his thoughts.

Cursed with such isolation, would Hamlet be more likely to trust the ghost of his father that appeared to him. Because he knows that he cannot freely speak to anyone among the living, the sight of his father must have excited him beyond imagination as he recklessly decides to follow it wherever it goes despite warnings from his friends, lured by the ability to confide that he associated with his father. This trust was clearly not present in everyone as Horatio frantically warns Hamlet that the ghost might kill him. However, Hamlet trusts. When the ghost claims that the queen had an affair, Hamlet easily believes him because he himself has become isolated. This isolation has led his to rash decisions that do not match his previously displayed cleverness. Even someone who considers himself high enough to judge others can be influenced by emotion.