Hamlet: There is a Divinity that Shapes Our Ends

Hamlet: “When our deep plots do palls; and that should learn us. There is a divinity that shapes our ends. Rough-hew them how we will-” (V, 2, 9-11)

There are doubts to divinity as Hamlet explores this idea. During the play, Prince Hamlet often questions his existence. In one of his soliloquies, he was exceedingly desperate, yet fears to go into the mists of the unknown if he exonerates himself free from life.

In the beginning of the play, Hamlet had doubts about divinity as he believed that it’s freewill and choices that paths one’s future, not controlled by a greater power. When the Prince is approached by his father’s ghost, revealing to the former his duty to fate; Hamlet must avenge his father’s death in order to ultimately cleanse Denmark from its rottenness. Here, Hamlet feels the burden that fate has put upon his shoulders. “The time is out of joint: O cursed spite that ever I was born to set it right!” (I, 5, 196-197) Hamlet undoubtedly feels that he was born to avenge his father’s death, and he vows to devote his life to the duty of revenge. Here, Hamlet realizes that he is the man upon whom the fate of the kingdom -his kingdom really-depends.

Although he does not ultimately do it, Hamlet tries to take destiny into his own hands. Hamlet becomes obsessed with his mother’s injustice to his dear father. He finds that he must restrain himself from letting his deep-rooted disturbance with his mother veer him away from the duty that destiny has set before him. Before the bedroom scene, he must say to himself, “I will speak daggers to her, but use none” (III, 2, 387). Hamlet should not be letting these thoughts go this far; his duty is to take revenge on Claudius, not his mother. Hamlet seems more preoccupied about ending the incestuous relationship than actually avenging the murder. Also, the scene in which Hamlet sees the King in action of praying and speaking words of repentance should not be overlooked.

Here, he thinks about his duty, and ponders whether or not he should fulfill it at the moment. Not knowing that Claudius’ words have no heartfelt meaning, Hamlet decides that it would not satisfy him if his act of revenge would send the seemingly repentant Claudius to Heaven. He reveals that he wants to take revenge on Claudius when his heart is sinful and “Then trip him, that his heels may kick at Heaven/and that his soul may be as damned and black/As Hell, whereto it goes” (III, 3, 93-95). Hamlet should not be taking these matters into consideration. Fate has declared it Hamlet’s duty to take revenge on King Claudius, but not to determine where his soul will rest.

Hamlet’s decision to wait until Claudius’ sins than avenge his father was based upon his belief in divine purposes. Since he was avenging his father for a decent and moral purpose, God will be on his side. The King himself speaks, “My words fly up, my thoughts remain below. Words without thoughts never to heaven go”, (III, 3, 97-98) indirectly suggesting that words or actions, combined with thought will find their way to heaven. Hamlet’s evocations point towards a belief in divinity.

In the next scene, Hamlet’s fate is sealed. Polonius was up to his old tricks, while Hamlet accidentally slays the King’s councillor mistaking Polonius for Claudius. Later on, Laertes returns to avenge his father. “How came he dead?” (IV, 5, 130) asked Laertes. Upon his discovery of Hamlet’s actions, Laertes becomes embodied with grief. Claudius quickly takes advantage of this by manipulating Laertes to duel Hamlet. Laertes, under the influence of Claudius takes his fury one step further and poisons his sword, a poison so lethal that one cut will end Hamlet. During their duel, Laertes wounds Hamlet then “In scuffing”, they exchange swords. Hamlet wounds Laertes and they are both poisoned. In the remaining moments, Hamlet learns of the Poison, “The point envenome’d too! Then, venom, to thy work.” (V, 2, 327) exclaims Hamlet as he strikes Claudius down, and they all parish.

It is evident that Hamlet has given up trying to interfere with fate. He realizes that death will come upon a person when it will come, and that one should be ready to accept this undeniable fact. Essentially, this is what Hamlet means when he says to Horatio, “There’s special providence in the fall of a sparrow. If it be now, ’tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come. The readiness is all” (V, 2, 215-218).

The appearance of Captain Fortinbras encouraged Hamlet to avenge his father because of his long immobility and his unsuccessful attempt for revenge with Polonius’ accidental murder. “How all occasions do inform against me. And spur my dull revenge.” (IV, 4, 32-32). The Prince compares himself to Fortinbras verbalizing how Fortinbras is determined to achieve his goal and not letting any problems or incidents stopping him from his aim, while Hamlet himself, cannot fight and take revenge promptly, even for his own father’s honor. This encounter is part of divinity as it has stirred the Prince back to his duty to fate that the ghost has deep-rooted into Hamlet’s heart at their first meeting.

Hamlet: “Now might I do it pat, now ‘a is a-praying. And now I’ll do it. (Draws sword) And so ‘a goes to heaven; and so am I revenged. That would be scann’d: A villain kills my father, and for that I, his sole son, do this same villain send to heaven.” (III, 3, 73-78) This quote proves Hamlet’s belief in divine power and that there is a divinity that shapes one’s ends, as in here, the Prince believes that God is responsible for the place one ends up in after death, all depending your past actions and on the fact whether one is sinning or not.

Dramatic irony appears in this play, as the Queen was completely blinded and unaware of the striking events that were happening around her until the end. After the poisoned wine had slipped down her throat, all those happenings came to her. But she didn’t have much time to consider and react to these matters as she did not have much longer to live.

On the whole, the play is a witty way to compose the revenge tragedy which leads to the main character’s own demise. Each scene and act in the play unfolds deeper into the plot to how Hamlet’s life would end, which all started once the ghost appeared to the Prince and told him of his murder.