Evil in HamletThroughout the play Hamlet, evil thoughts and actions can be seen. The characters Hamlet, King Claudius and Queen Gertrude are systematically influenced by evil forces. Evil becomes the defining factor of the play and makes the character's thoughts and actions unclear. Hamlet's thoughts are constantly clouded by suicide and death. Hamlet can be seen as suicidal in one of his early soliloquies. "Oh, that this too solid flesh would melt / Thaw and dissolve into dew, / Or that the Lord had not fixed / His canon 'against self-mutilation.' O God. God” (Ham. 1. 2. 129-132). This shows that Hamlet wants his "flesh to melt" because his mother's actions have completely corrupted the world. Hamlet also states that suicide or "self-mutilation" is evil and sinful. Another example of Hamlet's thoughts being consumed by evil and death can be seen in what may be his most famous soliloquy. Hamlet's thoughts are so blackened by evil and death that he wonders why everyone doesn't commit suicide. “To be or not to be: that is the question: / Whether it is nobler in the spirit to suffer / The slings and arrows of scandalous fortune, / Or to take up arms against a sea of ​​troubles, / And by opposing it, to put an end to it. ? To die: to sleep” (Ham. 3. 1. 56-60). This shows Hamlet clearly wondering why he should live in a world of trouble when he could just kill himself. Hamlet's reflection on death reaches its climax in the famous graveyard scene when Hamlet holds up the skull of Yorick, a court jester whom Hamlet knew when he was a boy. “This skull had a tongue and could sing once. How the rascal throws it to the ground, as if it were the jaw of Cain, the one who committed the first murder! It could be the pate of a poli...... middle of paper...... the evil of Claudius and herself. “Gertrude, don’t drink. / I will, my lord; Please forgive me” (Ham. 5. 2. 257-258). Gertrude consumes the cup even though Claudius directly tells her not to. It remains ambiguous whether it is weather or not. Gertrude knew whether the cup was poisoned or not. Gertrude may have been so possessed by the guilt of her evil that she knowingly drank the poisoned cup in an attempt to save Hamlet. It is clear that evil is a driving force throughout the play. The thoughts and actions of the characters Hamlet, King Claudius, and Queen Gertrude are poisoned and corrupted by evil. Evil characters ultimately lead to their deaths. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. Literature “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark”: an introduction to reading and writing. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts. 9th ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2009. Print