Friday, June 20, 2014

Do you agree or disagree with Hamlet's view of greatness and heroism in act 4 scene 4 (about Fortinbras)?

Obviously you will need to decide this for yourself.  Here
are a few things that Hamlet observes as he thinks about Fortinbras and his command of
his army to go Poland and fight for "a little patch of ground that hath in it no profit
but the name."  These are some of the qualities that he associates with greatness and
heroism:


1.  He admires the ambition
of Fortinbras to take his army all the way to Poland to fight for
worthless land.


2.  He admires that Fortinbras
dares danger and death for the
fight.


3.  He admires that Fortinbras is willing to
fight for honor.


4.  He
acknowledges that perhaps 20,000 men are being lead by the strong and
persuasive leader
to their "immiment death" as easily as if their graves
are their beds.


While Hamlet clearly sees how pointless the
fight is in terms of material reward, he admires the emotional cause behind it, and it
inspires the strongest language he uses in the play to this point.  His final cry is
inspired by Fortinbras's actions -- Hamlet says, "O, from this time forth, My thoughts
be bloody, or be nothing worth."


You now need to decide if
the "ends justifies the means" here.

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