How to not get away with Murder

“ Murder is an inherently evil act, no matter what the circumstances, no matter

how convincing the rationalizations” is a famous quote by horror book author Bentley

Little, where he explores how murder and other evil acts deform people and their ways

of thinking. In most literary works, character shifts do not occur all at once but on

several occasions throughout a piece, but in Hamlet Prince of Denmark by William

Shakespeare, the major turning point for character development occurs in Act three,

scene four. In this scene, Hamlet realizes that something deep inside him is capable of

murder. Now that he has already taken an innocent life , his original mission does not

seem nearly as daunting as it once did, setting the remainder of the play in motion. This

scene also changes Gertrude by taking away her naivety and revealing what little

innocence she has in her lack of knowledge regarding Claudius’s pervious murder.This

part of the play, while not directly, also greatly affected Ophelia as her father’s death

broke her soul and ultimately her will to live. This scene revealed not only vital

revelations for Hamlet, but also showed just how one death can change and affect so

many people’s humanity and characteristics in a quick split second choice.

Before Hamlet killed Polonius, he did not stop to think logically that behind the

curtain might be anyone other than Claudius but instead he is fuel by his emotions of

revenge, a very defining trait of Hamlet who is known to rely too much on his emotions,

Tis sweet and commendable in your nature, Hamlet, To give these mourning

duties to your father. But you must know your father lost a father, That father lost,
 lost his, and the survivor bound In filial obligation for some term To do

obsequious sorrow. But to persever In obstinate condolement is a course Of

impious stubbornness. ’Tis unmanly grief. It shows a will most incorrect to

heaven, A heart unfortified, a mind impatient, An understanding simple and

unschooled. For what we know must be and is as common (1.2.88-98)

this quote further shows how Hamlet is emotionally driven because he grieves for his

deceased father and this grief controls his life. This reliance on emotion is what drives

the plot and what causes Hamlet’s downfall..This blind rage and pure lack of remorse

for the death of Polonius shows a strong change in Hamlet which demonstrates how

taking one’s life can affect one’s mental interpersonal awareness. After killing Polonius,

the audience can see that Hamlet is even more determined to kill Claudius, so that

Claudius, just like the king, will suffer. Hamlet’s mind is clouded with plans of revenge

and emotions of loathing for Claudius as he exclaims “how now! A rat”(3.4.24) as he

acts on the extreme emotion of wanting justice for his father. Shakespeare shows the

shift in character of Hamlet from being a slightly unbalanced person who uses more

emotion than logic to a character who is completely and utterly driven by emotion. This

shift takes Hamlet from carefully planning his father’s vengeance to completely acting

on impulse, which leads to the deaths of almost the entire cast. Hamlet has left the

realm of chained controlled thought and instead feels free to unleash his revenge on

Claudius. Although this newfound sociopathic tendies are short lived, this scene

changes something deep within Hamlet’s soul that amplifies his need for revenge that is

seen throughout the remainder of the play.

 Gertrude also undergoes a character shift within this scene because of her new

understanding of who Claudius really is. This new perspective makes her supportive of

Hamlet which up until this point was not shown. In fact, the audience sees that Gertrude

verbally attacks her child, chiding him for being too women like as he draws mainly off

emotion. This scene severs any feelings that Gertrude had once harbored for Claudius

and strengthens the trust she holds in her son, despite his aggressive sociopathic

behavior at the time. Hamlet has shown Gertrude the error of her ways when he states

“mother, you have my father much offended” (3.4.10), meaning that as she has married

her deceased husband's brother, she has committed “incest” (1.5.83) and never really

cared for the original king. Even as violent and cold as these retorts are, Gertrude finally

comes to understand why Hamlet has been acting the way that he has, and comes to

realize that she must cut off Claudius in the most tactful way possible. Despite not being

able to know exactly what Gertrude is thinking during this scene, the audience can

notice a change in her loyalties and mannerisms regarding Claudius. When she asks

“What shall I do” (3.4.182) she is asking how she can become a better, purer woman

and how she can be the mother that Hamlet needs. In response Hamlet tells her that

she should no longer sleep with Claudius, no longer let him call her pet names, and

longer kiss him (3.4.182-185). Gertrude, while not a completely innocent character,

shows that audience that everyone is redeemable through her shift in her fidelity. This

scene not only affected those her were immediately present but also those who were in

the play.
 While Ophelia was not present during her father’s murder, her father’s death was

a traumatic event that traumatized her and caused a complete shift in the way her

character is portrayed.She went from this sweet, beautiful girl, to someone who is

“divided from herself and her fair judgment” (4.5.85), this quote by Claudius explains to

the audience that Ophelia has been robbed of her insanity through the death of her

father. Shakespeare shows the audience that not only has Polonius’s death affected her

mental state but also her emotional state as she comes to realize that the two most

important men in her life, Polonius and Hamlet, were “dead and gone” (4.5.30) causing

her to mirror Hamlet’s “to be or not to be” (3.1.56.) mentality as this knowledge pushed

Ophelia past her breaking point. The audience sees Ophelia’s shift from a beautiful

bright young lady who was planning her future with a man she loved to realizing that the

same man killed her father, morphs her mind from being hopeful and optimistic to being

overwhelmed and scattered as seen in her songs and floral metaphors.

“By Gis and by Saint Charity, Alack and fie for shame! Young men will do’t if they

come to’t. By Cock, they are to blame. Quoth she, ‘Before you tumbled me, you

promised me to wed.’ He answers: ‘So would I ‘a’ done, by yonder sun, and thou

hadst not come to my bed….There’s fennel for you, and some columbines.

There’s rue for you, and here’s some for me… There’s a daisy, I would give you

some violets, but they withered all when my father died” (4.5.58-65 / 179-183)

The first lines show that Hamlet used her for sex and then when he had his fill, ended

their relationship, while the part about the flowers explains that the rue is for

repentance, both for her and for Claudius, and that all of her faith and hope died with
her father. In the article “When Does Grief Become Mental Illness”, Dr Joseph Nowinski,

an expert on mental and emotional health, states that “Our attachments enrich our lives,

and in a sense they define who we are. When we lose someone we love, we lose a part

of ourselves” (When Does Grief Become Mental Illness) thus showing that when

Polonius passed away, part of herself went with him. Dr. Nowinski then goes on to

explain that “grief-struck individuals find themselves going over the edge into total

dysfunction or suicidality” (When Does Grief Become Mental Illness) which is exactly

what happened with Ophelia as she experienced insanity and ended up committing

suicide as a result.

Writing about traumatic experiences is a common tool that authors use in order to

explain not only how people adjust and adapt to overcome trials, but also how these

events can deform one’s mind. In the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, the main

antagonist, Lord Voldemort, commits murder after murder in order to make himself

immortal. In the sixth book of the series, J.K Rowling explains to the audience how this

process is done.

You must understand the soul is supposed to remain intact and whole. Splitting it

is an act of violation, it is against nature.’ ‘But how do you do it?’ ‘By an act of

evil- the supreme act of evil. By committing murder. Killing rips the soul apart”

(The Half Blood Prince, 497-498)

This quote explains that killing literally destroys one’s soul, which twists how someone

thinks.This is apparent in Hamlet after he kills Polonius as he shows no remorse and

comes to terms that death is not a bad thing. This destroying of Hamlet’s soul is what
drives the rest of the play and causes the death of all those who became affected by

this action. Though these two literary works were written in two different eras, they both

address the consequences murder has on one’s mental well-being.

This scene ultimately leads to the demise of every major character in the play.

Hamlet’s newfound sociopathic tendencies lead to him dueling Laertes, where the

poison on his opponents sword kills not only Hamlet, but Laertes and Claudius as well.

This literal poison represents all the lies and deceit that were created by these events

which poisoned Hamlets mind. After this scene, the audience sees Gertrude distance

herself from her new husband, as well as disregard his comments. This leads to her

death as she ignores Claudius attempts to warn her not partake of the poisonous drink.

This symbolizes all the lies that she drank up from Claudius which led to her downfall

The stabbing of Polonius might as well have been a direct attack on Ophelia as it

severed her will to live as well as her sanity. The changes to the character’s mindsets,

souls, and personalities that were caused by this one scene shows how every choice

we make ultimately leads to a change in humanity and the future.