Hamlet's Problem - Mind Body Dualism and Hamlet's Disconnect

In his seminal philosophical treatise, Meditations, Renee Descartes asserted that man is comprised of two entities, thoughts and physique, spirit and matter. The chief idea underlying Descartes' thoughts physique dualism is that the physical/ sensory globe is a poor reflection of the accurate spiritual planet. Even though Descartes is credited with the initial systematic account of this partnership, initially in De homine and subsequently in his Meditations, the underlying concept of thoughts physique dualism can be traced back a lot additional. An emerging fifth century Greek philosophy viewed the soul as distinctly separate from its physical counterpart. The soul was considered the supply of moral qualities such as temperance and justice (Lorenz).

Plato, like Descartes, was regarded as a Dualist in that he believed man was comprised of two uniquely separate entities, the physique and the soul. To this day Dualism remains 1 of the recurring themes in contemporary philosophy and, While pre-dating Descartes' Meditations by roughly forty years, is much evident inside Shakespeare's "Hamlet." Shakespeare, nevertheless, requires these proto-philosophical ideas one particular step additional. Shakespeare's protagonist will encounter a "disconnect" in between these entities resulting in a stalemate of physical will and moral justice. This thoughts physique disconnect will turn out to be the supply of Hamlet's internal conflict as nicely as his inaction in the play.

Peter Cennamo believes that Shakespeare's Hamlet undergoes a catharsis all through the text. He is transformed from a grieving son to an agent of Heaven's supreme justice, as one particular who exists and functions above the realm of human morality in order to cleanse Denmark and bring it into a state of purity and perfection. The purity that Hamlet aspires to is gained by way of his acts of hubris and lastly accomplished upon his death, at the moment once he sheds the "mortal coil." Shakespeare draws upon the Hellenistic and Cartesian dualist philosophies, however also weaves a powerful conflict involving the thoughts and physique into Hamlet. Hamlet should usurp the physical and fallible part of himself to attain the purity, the perfection which he finally seeks. Consequently, Hamlet, who was once incapable of action, transforms all through the text becoming a self-proclaimed agent of Heaven's justice.

Peter Cennamo

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