Emotional Recognition Project of Shakespeare's Term Paper

Hamlet feels anger toward Gertrude when he finally confronts her about her quick marriage to Claudius. He says:

What devil wasn't

That thus hath cozened you at hoodman-blind?

Eyes without feeling, feeling without sight,

Ears without hands or eyes, smelling sans all,

or but a sickly part of one true sense

Could not so mope. O shame, where is thy blush? (III.iv.86-91)

Hamlet experiences fear when he contemplates suicide in Act 3 Scene 1. His fear is compounded by uncertainty over what to do and doubt over some of the things he has witnessed. All of the negative emotions he has experienced bring him to a moment of fear and he says:

Whether 'tis nobler of the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

or to take arms against a sea of troubles

And, by opposing them, end them. (III.i.64-7)

Hamlet feels forgiveness at the end of the play when he knows that he is dying and when he sees Laertes' genuine request for permission. He tells him, "Heaven make thee free of it, I will follow thee" (V.ii.364).

Below is an image that reflects the act of forgiveness.

The range of emotions Hamlet experiences is one of the reasons why it is such an important play. These emotions do nothing if not establish that Hamlet was a real man with real emotions.

Works Cited

Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark." Barbara Mowat, ed. New York: Washington Square Press. 1992.