26: Hamlet is emo? No, definitely not.
What do I find important about Act 2? I am not entirely sure, but I'll give it my best shot. It's definitely always been speculated by readers, scholars, etc whether or not Hamlet is feigning madness. The way I see it is that we are all a little mad. I don't find Hamlet any different from a human just trying to get through an emotionally hard time. Hamlet is has been thrust into a whirlwind of change that he has no control over. Emotional turmoil does something different to everybody, and maybe Hamlet is feigning a more accentuated form of madness that stems from the emotional madness he is experiencing within himself. His father is dead, his mother seems careless, and then commits herself to a hasty marriage to his father's brother. How would that make one feel? We'd have to analyze and explore very closely the mental affects this could have on one's sanity each by themselves, and then combine them all together. What a happy ol' time. Perhaps by acting a little off-the-kilter towards Polonius and other folk, it's a way for Hamlet to one-up everybody. By this I mean evoking worry and concern about his mental well being because they seem to not really care, but once the moment comes that he deems possibly "crazy" they're throwing up their arms in the air wondering what to do and what is going on. Maybe this is a way for Hamlet to ease his own mind because he is so overwhelmed and he himself does not know what to do. This seems to be the general idea I am getting from Act 2.
I can't say that I agree with others when they say Hamlet is whiny or "emo". Definitely NOT emo. I'm not sure how a term used in this present day could even sensibly be applied to describing Hamlet's persona. He seems perfectly human to me.
But he's annoying...
I agree, but with limitations. Hamlet is going through a difficult time. That doesn't give her permission to stab his sort-of girlfriend's dad though a curtain. Hamlet is allowed to grieve, but his dramatics I think warrant the title of emo. He is a little annoying, no matter how valid his emotions are.
-Hilary
well...
You said "Definitely not emo... he seems perfectly human to me." When I can Hamlet emo, I'm not trying to imply that his feelings aren't genuine. You say that he's in the midst of emotional turmoil. Emo, of course, comes from the word emotional, and i don't think you can argue that he isn't emotional. He seems to dwell on his feelings, anger, sadness, biterness, or whatever they are rather than moving on or acting.(he acts eventually, but a lot of him is just talk) And he spends a lot of time thinking about suicide and whether that's the right answer. Dwelling on emotions, emotional turmoil, and suicidal tendencies are exactly what define an "emo" person to me.
Erin Kay Schulz
about that...
I would never say that Hamlet isn't emotional. He obviously is. The term "emo" is a very stereotypical term that I've never been able to stand when used. Mainly because it suddenly became a common term used among young adults when they referred to someone they thought was being sad and pathetic. It's always had a very negative connotation with it. I too feel his reactions are human and would never argue that, but I feel like the term "emo" kind of dumbs down his suffering to a certain degree. It all depends on the intention of somebody's use of the word, or how they define the word "emo". I think people who deal with serious grief think a lot about suicide, and it's not necessarily because they want to die, but they contemplate a way to not continue suffering. He definitely thinks more than he acts, but that in itself is a human trait. He has great doubt about many things.
Jennie
I like that!
Way to stand up and finally clear up something that also bothers me! Emo is not something that I think Shakespeare had in mind when he was writing Hamlet's character. I would say troubled, disturbed, confused, angry, all of the emotions that are truly normal...especially considering the circumstances. Veronica Sparks
I Agree But...
I agree with you about the emotions you listed, but I also agree with what Erin said. Hamlet is emotional and can be seen as "emo." The problem is our perception of "emo" today. When someone says, "That person is emo," we automatically picture the person dressed in all black writing dark poetry about how the world and life is pointlesss (which actually describes Hamlet fairly well) but he also wears the thick make up, has usually black hair, and seems utterly montone and lifeless. These last three ideas don't tie into Hamlet's character at all, but the other observasions seem to fit perfectly. According to dictionary.com, emo isn't even a word, though there were several links on the left for hairstyles, music, and photos. We need to take out what has been drilled in our brain as "emo" and remember that emotinal means "showing or revealing very strong emotions," which is what Hamlet does.
*Tina