Resilience In Hamlet Essay

Do you believe that resilience is learned or innate? Resilience is the ability of an individual to thrive and endure in the face of adversity. Throughout life, every individual experiences adversities, although what matters most is how you overcome those adversities, further enhancing your resilience. The plays Hamlet by William Shakespeare, and Oedipus Rex by Sophocles both display examples of resilience, although resilience is more prevalent in Hamlet. Hamlet displays more resilience compared to Oedipus through overcoming psychological turmoil despite adversity, exhibiting craftiness to assist in his discoveries, and persevering for vengeance throughout the play. To begin with, a resilient mindset includes resistance

Hamlet displays resilience by also exhibiting craftiness to assist in his discoveries. In comparison, Oedipus relies on his anger and rash thinking to attempt to solve the mystery, including blaming his friends, and making hostile remarks. “Have you grown so bold-faced that you now come to my own home—you who are obviously the murderer of the man whose house it was, a thief who clearly wants to steal my throne?” (Page 22). Compared to Oedipus’s rash decision-making skills, Hamlet makes a quick-witted decision to plan a play to not only figure out if he should trust his Father’s ghost, but also discover Claudius admitting to the murder. “For murder, though it have no tongue, will speak with most miraculous organ. I’ll have these players play something like the murder of my father before mine uncle. I’ll observe his looks. I’ll tent him to the quick. If he do blench, I know my course.” (2.2.555-560). Another example includes a scene from act one where Hamlet gathers information and masks his true motives, cleverly adopting a facade to appear mad. This example displays his strategic ability to make rational decisions, furthering his resilience. “…(As I perchance hereafter shall think meet to put an antic disposition on), that you, at such times seeing me, never shall— with arms encumbered thus, or this headshake, or by pronouncing of some doubtful phrase…”