Humanism Definition:

Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that, without theism or other supernatural

beliefs, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that
aspire to the greater good.
– American Humanist Association

Humanism is a rational philosophy informed by science, inspired by art, and motivated by

compassion. Affirming the dignity of each human being, it supports the maximization of
individual liberty and opportunity consonant with social and planetary responsibility. It
advocates the extension of participatory democracy and the expansion of the open society,
standing for human rights and social justice. Free of supernaturalism, it recognizes human
beings as a part of nature and holds that values-be they religious, ethical, social, or political-
have their source in human experience and culture. Humanism thus derives the goals of life
from human need and interest rather than from theological or ideological abstractions, and
asserts that humanity must take responsibility for its own destiny.
– The Humanist Magazine

Humanism is a democratic and ethical lifestance which affirms that human beings have the
right and responsibility to give meaning and shape to their own lives. It stands for the building
of a more humane society through an ethics based on human and other natural values in a
spirit of reason and free inquiry through human capabilities. It is not theistic, and it does not
accept supernatural views of reality.
– Humanists International

Humanism is an approach to life based on reason and our common humanity, recognizing
that moral values are properly founded on human nature and experience alone.
– The Bristol Humanist Group

Humanism in Hamlet Essay

 To refer to the term `humanism' we are directed to the Renaissance period and a very
imprecise definition of its exact meaning. This is mainly because it is a very complex word in
which to attach a single definition to. Therefore we have to look at it in the context in which
we are seeking to analyse. To sum up `humanism' with respect to Hamlet refers to human
nature and `the dignity of humanity. The Renaissance was a period which broke away from
medieval thoughts and values that were now thought to be overly religious and constrictive
and formed new ideas that focused upon the individual; in effect the birth of humanism and
humanist thought. Medieval thinking that claimed that `the sinful, bestial aspects of humanity,
which called for treating the present life as a cesspool of temporary evil that humans must
reject through ascetic practices in preparation for the afterlife' contrasted greatly with the
humanist thought of viewing the present life as a worthwhile event. With these new humanist
thoughts it could have been possible to push religion to the side line in favour of `the potential
of human beings than to the reliance of human beings on God'. In fact humanists did not
completely reject God, especially considering the strength of the Catholic Church at this time,
but they focused upon individuals in this life rather than the next. However, to much extent
they did discard the idea of the afterlife or at least they did not concern themselves with the
preparation for death.

Hamlet was undeniably an `archetype', he was a common representative of life at the time of
the Renaissance, he was `everyman' but to refer to Hamlet as an archetypal humanist, we first
must look at Shakespeare himself as a humanist. Of course he was heavily influenced by the
classical and Renaissance ideas of `reason and of mankind and human individualism' but
Shakespeare did not ever dismiss religion as untrue or the belief in God as unimportant, so in
many cases he could not be entitled a proper humanist. In fact in many of Shakespeare's plays
the characters often believe in devils, ghosts and witches, beliefs that were familiar and very
common at this time. In this respect Hamlet has attributes of both a humanist and Renaissance
man, and is simply a product of his time who is caught between medieval thoughts and new
found moral choices that can be made for human, rather than religious reasons. This idea is
important to dwell upon, as it seems to create a contradiction. How can Hamlet be both a
medieval and a Renaissance man? Being born into a world in which religious beliefs are
stamped upon him and then being faced with new thoughts that allow him to question the
mere existence of humanity creates an immense inconsistency for this character. This is
mirrored throughout the play as we follow Hamlet on his journey through his conscience, his
`antic disposition' and what he believes is right and wrong.

Hamlet is a very famous Shakespearean protagonist but he is possibly not what we would
expect from Shakespeare's leading role. In his soliloquies we are given insight into the doubts
and uncertainties within Hamlet's life and we are expected to empathise with his dilemmas
and moral choices. The play then turns around and we discover that it is not simply a
Shakespearean tragedy or a revenge play but it is much more complex and sub-textually we
can read much further into the actions of Hamlet and some of the characters around him. By
doing so we can build up a picture of whether Hamlet truly was an archetypal humanist or
whether he simply carried some of the initial qualities and thoughts of humanist thinking
which he over ruled with traditional principles. To come to this conclusion we must,
throughout, return to look at the contradictions within this play and establish whether or not
this would allow us to make one final irrefutable answer to the statement, `Hamlet is the
archetypal liberal humanist' or is he simply just toying with the ideas?

A good example concerning many of the issues I have discussed previously is that of the
ghost of Hamlet's father. This is a major contradiction in the play in a number of ways but it is
also the first major swing towards humanism that we can pinpoint upon Hamlet. His
`excessive mourning' over the death of his father is a trait of humanism but it seems to be
overshadowed by his use of `biblical language' which `denounce the biblical ethic' and also
the request the ghost is making upon Hamlet. The ghost asks Hamlet to avenge his murder
stating that it is `Murder most foul, as in the best it is,/ But this most foul, strange and
unnatural.' It is viewed as unnatural as it is the murder of a brother and it was murder for
reasons such as envy and for gain. In fact the ghost is of great contradiction and especially in
this case of Act 1 Scene 5 where his reasons for persuading Hamlet to kill Claudius are very
illogical. He claims that he exists in purgatory and is `confined to fast in fires,/Til the foul
crimes done in my days of nature/ Are burnt and purged away.' The ghost highlights the
unspeakable horrors that purgatory holds but yet, he still expects Hamlet to seek revenge on
his murderer and therefore predetermine his own fate and reside in the same end as his father.
Hamlet agrees to `wipe away all trivial fond records, / All saws of books, all forms, all
pressures past/ That youth and observation copied there, / And thy commandment all alone
shall live'. It seems the ghost has ordered a certain amount of justice but Hamlet himself has
used his own intellect in deciding what to do; this is evidently a very humanist approach. He
cares for the welfare of others which is why he cannot simply act on such a cold hearted
impulse, he ponders on the consequences of his actions displaying yet more contradictions in
the play. This aspect of his humanism is apparent by the way he must ensure that Claudius is
truly guilty before he murders him and therefore that the ghost is not evil and intent on
deceiving him. The ghost poses many questions and contradictions within the play as it is
really representative of the fate and destiny that Hamlet has before him and also important in
highlighting the right and wrong of Hamlet's potential decisions.

Shakespeare is famous for his use of soliloquies to articulate the character's emotions at the
time. Looking in depth at some of Hamlet's soliloquies gives us a very apparent insight into
his humanist views and of course his `ante-humanist' views as well. In Act 2 Scene 2,
although not a soliloquy, Hamlet is talking to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and seems to
express his humanist views almost exactly:

What a piece of work is a man, how noble

in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and

moving, how express and admirable in action, how

like an angel in apprehension, how like a god: the

beauty of the world, the paragon of animals. And

yet to me, what is this quintessence of dust?

It is important to look at this speech and Hamlet's views on humankind as he builds up `an
elaborate and glorified picture of the earth and humanity before declaring it all merely a
“quintessence of dust.”' In fact Hamlet continues to glorify the whole of humanity and
heighten the greatness of human beings, only to end with a physical representation of death,
as humankind merely as dust. Ending on this representation of death also highlights how
Hamlet claims `that we are no more than part of a continuing cycle in which we are born from
and return to the earth, no greater or less than any other creature'. He also seems to be stating
that humankind's great qualities seem to have no true immense effect upon the world. This
significant question is also asked again in Act 4 Scene 4 where Hamlet's apprehension of
being unable to find the answer becomes even clearer and he states `What is a man,/ If his
chief good and market of his time/ Be but to sleep and feed? A beast, no more.' Although this
is a rhetorical question it emphasises the uncertainties within Hamlet's mind and how he is
anxious to uncover the answer. We are also directed to a comparison between man and beast
and what separates us, the obvious difference being that we have a conscience and an ability
to think, learn, love and be honourable. God gave Hamlet and human's reason and Hamlet
expresses how he can use it, although it is clearly full of contradictions. We see a return to
medieval thinking as Hamlet states that his thoughts will “be bloody, or be nothing worth”
because “honours at the stake”. He is torn between the two worlds where once again honour is
introduced but we are forced to ask ourselves do Hamlet's actions contradict his words, it is an
example of “Shakespeare showing that what someone says is not always what he believes”. In
fact at such a time when what was not understood was generally discarded, we can see that
Hamlet's thinking and understanding leads him no where, especially at this point in the play.
As well as Hamlet's words not necessarily being what he believes we are also faced with
many examples of Hamlet's words contradicting his actions. Indeed there is an inconsistency
between Hamlet's words and actions as he often decides what he will do and then decides
against it. This is evident in the universally famous speech “To be, or not to be” where we
face many problems in examining Hamlet as a humanist, especially his essentially humanist
interpretation of death:

“To die, to sleep -

No more; and by a sleep to say we end

The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks

That flesh is heir to… To die, to sleep -

To sleep, perchance to dream”

Hamlet is debating whether death is truly the end of life or whether it is the beginning of
something much more frightening that we can never know. Traditionally humanists do not
believe in the afterlife, which before now we suspect Hamlet does not. However, this is the
first display of Hamlet's fear of the afterlife and these deeply embedded thoughts prevent him
from seeking revenge on his uncle because he knows what is right and what is wrong. The
afterlife is a deeply religious thought and it is interesting to point out that the only other
character that seems to concern himself with this thought is, ironically, Claudius. At points
throughout the play Claudius attempts to prey, but cannot because he cannot repent, he only
tries to receive forgiveness because of his fear of the afterlife. We are faced with the idea that
only God can take life and decide the fate of man, which is also mirrored in Hamlet's intended
actions. Does Hamlet have the right to decide who can live? It is almost as if to deny fate
being carried out is a sin in itself.

The theme of fate and destiny within Hamlet is very noteworthy as it a great source of
contradictions against the idea of free-will. Common humanist thinkers suggest that fate does
exist but it is in our own interest to control it and deny it from becoming reality. As previously
discussed, Hamlet does have many early humanist views, tainted with traditional medieval
views and he is definitely a character struggling to deal with destiny and fate. However,
Shakespeare is not the only playwright to examine these ideas as in the renowned Hamlet
rewriting, `Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead' Tom Stoppard unmistakably poses these
difficult questions. Although this play only focuses upon two outsider characters it does
follow the chronological order of Shakespeare's Hamlet and it does address many of the same
themes, although they appear much simpler. The idea of free will and fate is one of the first
contemplations within the play starting even as early as looking at the title. Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern do die at the end of Hamlet, that is their fate and they do not try to alter it or re-
write it; they accept it, unlike Hamlet. Stoppard also examines the idea of the play within a
play but in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead we meet the players outside of
performance and they discuss with Guildenstern how they `take our chances where we find
them'. This leads to a staccato discussion, using words of no more than one syllable, about
chance and fate and the player concludes `It could hardly be one without the other'.

Humanism affects Hamlet in a number of different ways throughout the play, mainly because
he displays his options to choose between right and wrong and creates his decisions using his
intellect. His individual thought allows him to form these decisions but it this fatal flaw? All
humans are fallible for many different reasons and it seems that in Hamlet's quest for further
knowledge and he search to answer unanswerable questions, he finds his downfall. However,
Hamlet is an archetypal liberal humanist embodying the ongoing argument of the Renaissance
man versus the medieval man, and therefore we can conclude that Hamlet is simply a product
of his time.

Hamlet Summary
The ghost of the King of Denmark tells his son Hamlet to avenge his murder by killing the
new king, Hamlet's uncle. Hamlet feigns madness, contemplates life and death, and seeks
revenge. His uncle, fearing for his life, also devises plots to kill Hamlet. The play ends with a
duel, during which the King, Queen, Hamlet's opponent and Hamlet himself are all killed. 

Act I

Late at night, guards on the battlements of Denmark's Elsinore castle are met by Horatio,
Prince Hamlet's friend from school. The guards describe a ghost they have seen that
resembles Hamlet's father, the recently-deceased king. At that moment, the Ghost reappears,
and the guards and Horatio decide to tell Hamlet.

Claudius, Hamlet's uncle, married Hamlet's recently-widowed mother, becoming the new
King of Denmark. Hamlet continues to mourn for his father's death and laments his mother's
lack of loyalty. When Hamlet hears of the Ghost from Horatio, he wants to see it for himself. 

Elsewhere, the royal attendant Polonius says farewell to his son Laertes, who is departing for
France. Laertes warns his sister, Ophelia, away from Hamlet and thinking too much of his
attentions towards her. 

This above all: to thine own self be true. — Hamlet, Act 1 Scene 3

The Ghost appears to Hamlet, claiming indeed to be the ghost of his father. He tells Hamlet
about how Claudius, the current King and Hamlet's uncle, murdered him, and Hamlet swears
vengeance for his father. Hamlet decides to feign madness while he tests the truth of the
Ghost's allegations (always a good idea in such situations). 

Act II

According to his plan, Hamlet begins to act strangely. He rejects Ophelia, while Claudius and
Polonius, the royal attendant, spy on him. They had hoped to find the reason for Hamlet's
sudden change in behaviour but could not. Claudius summons Guildenstern and Rosencrantz,
old friends of Hamlet to find out what's got into him. Their arrival coincides with a group of
travelling actors that Hamlet happens to know well. Hamlet writes a play which includes
scenes that mimic the murder of Hamlet's father. During rehearsal, Hamlet and the actors plot
to present Hamlet's play before the King and Queen.  
Act III

At the performance, Hamlet watches Claudius closely to see how he reacts. The play
provokes Claudius, and he interrupts the action by storming out. He immediately resolves to
send Hamlet away. Hamlet is summoned by his distressed mother, Gertrude, and on the way,
he happens upon Claudius kneeling and attempting to pray. Hamlet reasons that to kill the
King now would only send his soul to heaven rather than hell. Hamlet decides to spare his life
for the time being.  

Polonius hides in Gertrude's room to protect her from her unpredicatable son. When Hamlet
arrives to scold his mother, her hears Polonius moving behind the arras (a kind of tapestry).
He stabs the tapestry and, in so doing, kills Polonius. The ghost of Hamlet's father reappears
and warns his son not to delay revenge or upset his mother. 

What a piece of work is man! — Hamlet, Act 2 Scene 2

Act IV

Hamlet is sent to England, supposedly as an ambassador, just as King Fortinbras of Norway

crosses Denmark with an army to attack Poland. During his journey, Hamlet discovers
Claudius has a plan to have him killed once he arrives. He returns to Denmark alone, sending
his companions Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to their deaths in his place. 

Rejected by Hamlet, Ophelia is now desolate at the loss of her father. She goes mad and
drowns. 

What dreams may come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil, must give us pause.—
Hamlet, Act 3 Scene 1

Act V

On the way back to Denmark, Hamlet meets Horatio in the graveyard (along with a
gravedigger), where they talk of the chances of life and death. Ophelia's funeral procession
arrives at the very same graveyard (what luck!). Hamlet confronts Laertes, Ophelia's brother,
who has taken his father's place at the court. 

A duel is arranged between Hamlet and Laertes. During the match, Claudius conspires with
Laertes to kill Hamlet. They plan that Hamlet will die either on a poisoned rapier or with
poisoned wine. The plans go awry when Gertrude unwittingly drinks from the poisoned cup
and dies. Then both Laertes and Hamlet are wounded by the poisoned blade, and Laertes
dies. 

Hamlet, in his death throes, kills Claudius. Hamlet dies, leaving only his friend Horatio to
explain the truth to the new king, Fortinbras, as he returns in victory from the Polish wars.