Hamlet #4

          After watching an acting troupe put on a production involving a vengeful murder, Hamlet is greatly moved. He sees the passion that the actors have in a situation that is not actually real, and he realizes that he needs to be acting with much more vigor. After observing the play, he says to himself, “Tears in his eyes, distraction in his aspect,/ A broken voice, and his whole function suiting/ With forms to his conceit – and all for nothing!” (II.ii.582-4). The actor is demonstrating such emotion and action, and he is only acting. Hamlet, on the other hand, has real reason to be angry and vengeful. He almost feels as if he has insulted his father. He should be jumping to action since his father has been so greatly wronged, yet he has been a “dull and muddy-mettled rascal” (II.ii.594). Hamlet vows at this point to take action and to follow through with the plan outlined by the ghost of his father. This could potentially be a major turning point in this play. Before now, Hamlet has been solely mourning the death of his father. He has been angry at his mother and his uncle, but he has not fully expressed this anger. Now, he is ready to take his revenge. No one will doubt the fire that is stirring within him, and his uncle should be ready for a battle.