In My Heart Of Heart

In his desperation Hamlet, knowingly or not, discovers many different pieces of wisdom that are transfered through his many lines. Even when hurriedly giving orders to his servants, he transmits pieces of this wisdom. The best example of this happens right before the start of the play. He tells Horatio to aid him in detecting any sings of guilt that could prove Claudius truly killed his father. Although this serves to reiterate who Hamlet’s true ally is at the moment, it also gives important information on the character. These are the exact lines: “That no revenue hast but thy good spirits/ To feed and clothe thee? Why should the poor be/ flattered?/ No, let the candied tongue lick absurd pomp/, And crook the pregnant hinges of the knee /Where thrift may follow fawning. Dost thou hear?/Since my dear soul was mistress of her choice/And could of men distinguish, her election/ Hath sealed thee for herself, for thou hast been—/ As one in suffering all that suffers nothing—/A man that Fortune’s buffets and rewards/ Hast ta'en with equal thanks. And blessed are those/ Whose blood and judgment are so well/ commeddled/ That they are not a pipe for Fortune’s finger/ To sound what stop she please. Give me that man/ That is not passion’s slave, and I will wear him/ In my heart’s core, ay, in my heart of heart,/ As I do thee.” (3.2.61-79) First, he says that there is no need to flatter the poor, for they do not have anything to give as payment. This means that all he will say next is completely honest and free from ulterior motives. Hamlet then explains that he chose his friends carefully particularly, Horatio. His ability to accept both good and bad without emotions taking control of him based this decision. In contrast, this is something that Hamlet either cannot control completely or dominates entirely. He could be seen as impulsive since his thirst for revenge moves him even more strongly than any power reason could have. This is seen through the results of the many soliloquys which only serve the purpose of expressing his internal conflict. In this case, he would seek Horatio as a friend because of the need for a stable person to depend on, in the dire situation he finds himself in. On the other hand, Hamlet could be seen as a rational person that sees a very unjust situation and feels obliged to do something about it. Also, pushed even further by his father’s ghost, he strongly believes in his responsibility to kill Claudius. Even so, that he only sees two paths available to him: death or revenge. In that case he would need a strong friend with the same ability of reasoning despite the situation. Weather Hamlet is the former or latter is a matter of subjective opinion since both are acceptable interpretations. What matters here though, is not the interpretation. Instead, we should see Shakespeare was able to show such a vast amount of possibilities using only a quotidian situation, like a master giving orders to his servant.