#9

        Hamlet is the story of the struggle between reason and impulsive passion.  Hamlet is a young man motivated by passion.  His father wrongly murdered by his uncle and mother incestuously married to his murdering uncle, provide the perfect motive for revenge.  Yet reason, which is a concept highly esteemed during Hamlet's time, are the obstruction to Hamlet avenging his father.  Hamlet's emotions constantly spur him to speak of how he will avenge his father by murdering his iniquitous uncle.  Seeing the activity of Fortinbras, Hamlet's peer, Hamlet is further spurred to take action.  What Hamlet needs is to take all of the passion and anger he feels about his father's wrongful murder and direct it into being proactive in seeking vengeance.  In order for this to happen Hamlet must ignore reason which always yields him excuses whether it be that his uncle is in the midst of repentance or the evidence of his uncle's crimes insubstantial.  In Act 5 Scene 2, Hamlet finally utilizes his passionate emotion.  Hamlet recognizes that,"And praised be rashness for it: let us know,/ Our indiscretion sometimes serves us well/ When our deep plots do pall" (V.II.7-9).  Here Hamlet says that rash action is sometimes a good thing, impulsive action is the perfect antidote to reason that produces stratagems that sometimes fail after being well thought out.  Rash action is necessary in Hamlet's life.  Reason served him well only after he allowed passion to overtake him.  Reason provided him with the "Mousetrap" plot, but it prevented him from killing his uncle afterward.  Passion motivated him to escape death at the hand of an ordinance from his uncle and passion allowed him to kill all who plotted against him.  Passion gave way to results, results were the things missing from Hamlet's life.