The True Tragedy of Hamlet

For those that don't know, Hamlet is one of Shakespeare's four great Tragedies. Written in a close span after the death of his son, these plays are known for pointing out futile elements of human existence, the tendency for unfortunate scenarios to surface in our lives, and the inevitable death of well, everyone. However, the most tragic thing I see in Hamlet, is the fact that in 400 years, human nature is still inherently the same.

Hamlet faces a terrible choice, either kill his uncle and tarnish his soul, or leave his father's ghost to roam the night for eternity, never finding rest. From a pure logic standpoint though, it's a fairly obvious choice. Kill the uncle, then pray for forgiveness. Considering the system that would call the murder a sin also allows for forgiveness, it is fairly obvious what to do. But we all really know the truth. Hamlet isn't so much scared for his eternal soul as he is scared to actually kill someone. So it's less a struggle with choices as it is a struggle for courage. This same struggle is seen and referenced around 300 years later in T.S. Elliot's "The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock." Although less a matter of life and death, still we find that seemingly insurmountable element of human nature, angst. Even when the choice is logically obvious (kill the uncle in Hamlet's case or hook up with the girl in Prufrock's) I know firsthand that humans still hem and haw about such matters.

The fact that this isn't anything new, and probably wasn't anything new back in Shakespere's time, and doesn't seem to be changing in our time, is the true tragedy to be found in Hamlet.

Internet Famous

Being successful on the internet is a rather oxymoronic process.
In order to succeed, you must act as though no one is paying attention, all while praying to God that everyone is watching.

My eyes are closed-

but my mind's still shaking.