2 Essays: Hamlet & A Good Man is Hard to Find

Ophelia loves Hamlet and Hamlet used to love her. However, his repulsion over his motherÆs fast remarriage to his fatherÆs murderer fills him with contempt for the fairer sex. Hamlet tells Ophelia that she can only be saved by getting herself to a nunnery, ôTo a nunnery, go, and quickly tooö (Shakespeare, 1604, III.i.136). When she asks him if she might return his deliverances she initially ignored, he informs her that he sent her none. When Ophelia becomes frustrated with HamletÆs cold demeanor, she tells him she believed he loved her. He replies to her, ôYou should not have believed me; / for virtue cannot so inoculate our stock but we shall relish of it. I loved you notö (Shakespeare, 1604, III.i.117-118).

HamletÆs disillusionment over his motherÆs actions makes him transfer his anger and grief to Ophelia. He tells her that she must not breed or she will only breed sinners. He curses her and her sex

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and intellect, the main reason why he goes through agony deliberating about what course of action he should take to avenge his fatherÆs death. However, unlike Horatio, the circumstances in which Hamlet finds himself are ones he must set aright. Despite his cursing that he is in that position, he knows that something beyond him or his actions is propelling him to his destiny. Unlike Horatio, he begins to understand that such things cannot be deduced by human intellect or senses. As Hamlet explains to Horatio after coming back from his visit with the ghost, ôThere are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, / Than are dreamt of in your philosophyö (Shakespeare, 1604, I.v.175-176). We see that Horatio tries to prevent Hamlet from going to the duel which is surely a setup for his death. However, Hamlet knows it will do him no good to adopt HoratioÆs stance of reason for, unlike Horatio, he believes that he is being propelled toward the course of action he chooses by some force that is beyond human reason or intellect. Horatio tries to use reason at all times. He tries to dissuade Hamlet from going off with the ghost. He tries to dissuade Hamlet from carrying out his plans for the play and he tries to prevent Hamlet from ent
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Misfit Misfit, Iv175-176 Horatio, Flannery OÆConnorÆs, Horatio Hamlet, Misfit Grandmother, Hamlet Hamlet, Hamlet Horatio, Introduction ShakespeareÆs, IIIiv36-37 Hamlet, IIIi117-118 HamletÆs, shakespeare 1604, oÆconnor 1953, burto cain eds, barnet burto cain, 1953 293, human reason, eds 2004, cain eds, barnet burto, horatio believes, oÆconnor 1953 293, eds 2004 introduction, burto cain, fatherÆs death, cain eds 2004,
Approximate Word count = 2196
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page)