Teen Angst

We've spoke a couple of times in class about Hamlet truly embodying the idea teenage angst we associate with a 17 year old (assuming that is his age) in today's world. It is interesting that 200 years later a Danish philosopher, Søren Kierkegaard, would write Begrebet Angest (The Concept of Dread) talking about the human state of dread or angst.

"Haufniensis uses the example of a man standing on the edge of a tall building or cliff. When the man looks over the edge, he experiences a focused fear of falling, but at the same time, the man feels a terrifying impulse to throw himself intentionally off the edge. That experience is dread or anxiety because of our complete freedom to choose to either throw oneself off or to stay put. The mere fact that one has the possibility and freedom to do something, even the most terrifying of possibilities, triggers immense feelings of dread."

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Concept_of_Dread

This idea can clearly be seen in the situation we see facing young Hamlet. His father has been killed and things seem suspicious. He wants to come forth and speak his mind (doing so in the court in regard to his feelings), but how can he fix things? Looking back to Kierkegaard, "The mere fact that one has the possibility and freedom to do something, even the most terrifying of possibilities, triggers immense feelings of [angst]." It is Hamlet's freedom to do something in the face of the situation that initiates his state. In one effort for a solution, he comes out and tells us that he wishes he could kill himself. If he were so inclined, he could face his fear of God's wrath and carry it out because he has the free will to do so. We can clearly see that Hamlet is ridden with these feelings of angst because of his possibility of carrying out whatever necessary however frightening it may be.

The World of the Word

I mentioned briefly in class the fact that plays present us with a world that relies heavily on the spoken word. After reading the first act of "Hamlet" again this idea was reinforced in my mind yet again by what I read. Granted, my thoughts on this are largely in reference to a play being compared to a film (being a filmmaker myself). As opposed to a film, where a character is defined more by what they do, characters are defined more by their words. For example, by the end of act 1 we know that Hamlet is going to take revenge because he comes right out and says it.