When an individual suffers betrayal, they endure pain. This pain affects the quality of their lives and hinders their pursuit of happiness (Kelly, 2009). The worst form of betrayal is that committed by trusted individuals. It is nearly impossible for an individual to trust again when they are betrayed by close family members and friends. Hamlet, the main character in Shakespeare’s Hamlet understands betrayal all too well. This betrayal causes him to suffer entrapment. He is trapped in his mind. He is trapped in his heart and he is trapped in his family. This essay examines the different ways that Hamlet is trapped.
The series of events in Hamlet reveals that Hamlet was trapped in his mind. This means that he was unable to make sense of what was happening. The ghost of his father appears to him and tells him that Claudius had murdered him. The ghost commands him to “revenge this foul and most unnatural murder” (Shakespeare, 1992). Hamlet is skeptical and his actions throughout the play reveal that he is conflicted in his mind. On one hand, he wants to believe and obey his father. On the other hand, he refuses to believe that his uncle, Claudius could have murdered his father. He sets out to find out the truth. He organizes a play where one of the characters is murdered. He keeps an eye on Claudius to observe his reaction so as to determine if it is indeed true that he murdered his father (Shakespeare, 1992). The fact that Hamlet went through the trouble of organizing the play indicates that he is trapped in his mind; he is unable to make sense of what he is witnessing and he does not want to believe that his uncle really killed his father.
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Hamlet is also trapped in his heart. This is clear in his relationship with Ophelia. Ophelia describes an incident where Hamlet showed up at her door, half-dressed. She says that “he took me by the wrist and held me hand” (Shakespeare, 1992). The account that Ophelia offers suggests that Hamlet is in love with her. However, others think that Hamlet has simply gone mad and his actions are not driven by love. It is possible that Hamlet’s actions were an expression of his entrapment. He was simply overwhelmed by the bitterness of losing his father and his desire to lead a normal life. The complicated relationships among the different characters in the play also indicate that Hamlet was trapped in his heart. He wished to develop a relationship with Ophelia, Polonius son. Polonius was a close confidant and friend of Claudius. A relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia would simply heighten tensions and create conflicts. Hamlet’s heart would not let him pursue Ophelia in a sober fashion. He had to feign insanity.
The other form of entrapment that Hamlet suffered was caused by his family. It has already been noted that Hamlet’s father had been killed by Claudius. After committing murder, Claudius insulted the memory of Hamlet’s father by marrying Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother. This places Hamlet in an awkward situation. His enmity with Claudius forces him to sever ties with his mother. He rebukes his mother for failing to open her eyes to the evil committed by Claudius. Hamlet laments “in the rank sweat of an enseamed bed, stew’d in corruption, honeying and making love…” (Shakespeare, 1992). Essentially, Hamlet was saying “How could you mother? How could you marry the very man who killed your husband?” The exchange between Hamlet and Gertrude indicates that he was trapped in his family. While his mother has committed something unspeakable, Hamlet cannot just walk away from her.
In conclusion, Hamlet sheds light on the struggles endured by those who have been betrayed. In this play, Hamlet has to respond to the discovery that his father was murdered. He has to find love and confront his mother for colluding with his father’s killer. The complexities in the life of Hamlet represent the reality faced by victims of betrayal. The key lesson from this play is that forgiveness is the healthy response to betrayal. Revenge will only cause one to feel trapped.
References
Kelly, H. (2009). Breaking through Betrayal: And Recovering the Peace within. Ann Arbor, MI:
Loving Healing Press.
Shakespeare, William. (1992). Hamlet. Folger Edition. Jacksonville, IL: Perma-Bound.
