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Back to Subjects - Shakespeare

The Masks of Hamlet

The Masks of Hamlet In Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet, there is a prevalent and almost overwhelming theme. All throughout the play, nearly all of the characters appear as one person, with one standpoint and one outlook. However, on the inside, all of these characters are completely different. This “mask” theme, the way that all of the characters portray themselves as one person on the outside and are a different one on the inside, is not in the least disguised by Shakespeare. Claudius, the murdering king, appears to be a somewhat kind, caring and friendly person, but inside he is different. He is cold, calculating and self-serving, however, this might also be a mask. The women in the play, Ophelia and Gertrude, both use a mask to cover what is obvious in their lives, masking it so that they can continue living as if their existence was without cruelty. Finally Hamlet hides behind his madness, be it real or pretend, a person who is indecisive and spiteful. Characters in this play hide behind a mask of falseness. From behind this mask they give the impression of a person who is sincere and genuine, in reality they are plagued with lies and evil. In the same way as these characters, people in modern day life hide behind masks of their own. The mask theme develops throughout the play as various characters try to cover their secret intentions with an outward display of a whole other person. One of the most obvious is Claudius. Claudius murdered his brother, the former King Hamlet, in order to become king himself. This murder was done in secret with no one but Claudius knowing that the act was committed by him. Not only is he now the king of Denmark, but he is also married to the Queen Gertrude, his brother’s former wife. These hideous and awful crimes have not been punished, and no one knows what Claudius has done. When Claudius encounters anyone, he must become someone totally different. He puts on a mask, he is no longer the self-serving, cold, calculating man that he really is, he becomes a kind and caring man who has the best interest of the kingdom in his heart. But is Claudius really the mask or is he what exists underneath? This is called into question when Claudius tries to seek redemption for his sins. This scene shows that his character, like Hamlet is not quite as clear cut as most men. Claudius wrestles with his guilt by asking himself, “Where to serves mercy/ But to confront the visage of offense?/ And that’s in prayer but his twofold force,/ to be forestalled are we come to fall,/ Or being pardoned being down?”(III, iii, 49-53) he then answers his own question by saying, “But, O, what form of prayer/ can serve my turn? ‘Forgive me my foul murder’?/ That cannot be, since I am still possessed/ of those efforts for which I did the murder!/ My crown, mine own ambition, and my queen.”(III, iii, 54-68) So Claudius comes to the understanding that, even though he wears redemption like his outside self, his real self cannot give up the trappings of this position. Claudius, in his questioning, has separated the mask from the person and has found that the mask is the fake Claudius. In real life, people who have done something wrong create a mask to hide behind in hopes not being caught, just like Claudius did. When this mask is used often enough, people begin to lose track of the line between real and fake, also like Claudius. The female roles in Hamlet use masks in a much different way. Both Ophelia and Gertrude mask themselves from the harsh realities of the life. Ophelia’s mask is far more fragile than any other. Despite the fact that Hamlet’s almost incessant cruelty to Ophelia drives her eventually insane, she puts up a defense trying to protect herself from Hamlet’s cruelty, but it fails. Ophelia believes for awhile that Hamlet loves her deeply, and that he would never harm her directly. But soon, through his words and his actions, he shatters the mask that served to protect her from his assaults, “O what a noble mind is here o’erthrown!/ . . . And I, of ladies most deject and wretched,/ That sucked the honey of his music vows,/ . . . O, woe is me/ T’ have seen what I have seen, see what I see.”(III, i, 160-171) When Hamlet kills her father, truth and reality finally get to her, and she breaks under its pressure and commits suicide. Today, we have a term for this kind of mask, it is called denial. People who are being abused or who are facing other problems often try to hide behind it. Gertrude, the other woman in the play, has a much stronger mask. She refuses to see or believe the truth that Hamlet shows her, the truth that Claudius murdered her husband for the kingdom, “O Hamlet, speak no more!/ Thou turn’st mine eyes into my very soul,/ And there I see such black and grained spots/ As will not leave their tinct.”(III, iv, 99-103) She is also convinced of Hamlet’s madness, but that does not affect her much at all. Even at her death she does not realize or see the truth of Claudius’s betrayal. Her mask is one that puts herself into her own world. As long as she lives her life unaffected, she is happy, and she will not let anything shatter her fantasy. This is also a form of denial, it is used by people who refuse to accept change and the truth of what is happening around them. The most complicated and one of the best examples of a mask is Hamlet himself. The line between Hamlet’s mask and his reality is very fine and difficult to discern. His mask is his madness. Whether his madness is real or not, it is still a mask to cover his real self and his real plans. In his mad delusions he hurts countless people with his verbal attacks. No matter how his madness is looked upon, it still acts as a mask of his real self, an undecided, cruel, suspicious person who cares for little but those who either are close to him, or have wronged him. Hamlet kills innocent people such as Rosencratz, Guildenstern and Polonius, with no thought at all to the possible repercussions that murder could have. Eventually, Hamlet blames Polonius’s death on his own madness, saying to Laertes, “If Hamlet from himself be ta’en away,/ And when he’s not himself does wrong Laertes,/ Then Hamlet does it not; Hamlet denies it./ Who does it then? His madness.”(V, ii, 235-238) The fact that Hamlet can differentiate between his madness, his mask, and himself shows that he does not care about the damage he causes. His actions toward Ophelia are appalling, his attacks basically unexplained. After she kills herself, Hamlet finds her grave site and says, “I loved Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers/ could not (with their quantity of love)/ Make up my sum.”(V, i, 270-273) If Hamlet loved Ophelia so, then he would not have treated her so badly. His madness was a mask , no matter how thin, that covered up his resentment of Ophelia, and women in general. He treats his mother horribly, threatening her, and forcing her to submit to his will. This absolute cruelty is not madness, it is Hamlet himself. His madness is a simple cover to mask this real doings and feelings. This mask is often used by people who are trying to escape blame. It gives them another place to lay the fault and an excuse for all their problems. The characters in Hamlet use masks. These serve to provide their inner-selves with protection, and also to enable them to receive something that they want to get. These same masks are used in today’s society. From the women wanting a perfect world, to Claudius seeking to convince everyone of his kindness, to Hamlet and his mad masking of his inner spite and indecisiveness. Each type of mask can easily be found in modern day life. The theme of masks is developed early on, and is continually used throughout the play to create one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies. Bibliography: Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc. 1958.

Word Count: 1381