Man vs Man
Hamlet vs Laertes
In Act V scene ii Hamlet and Laertes physically duel to the death. In the end Hamlet ends up killing Laertes even though Laertes is known for his sword-fighting. Laertes is also fighting with Hamlet in a way that is more physiologically than physically. On one hand Laertes is friends with Hamlet but on the other hand, Hamlet killed his father and has made Ophelia commit suicide. Two of his family members Hamlet has wrongfully and unknowingly killed.
Man vs Self
Hamlet vs Hamlet
Hamlet is struggling internally with his love for his mother. On the one hand, he truly loves his mother; on the other, he despises her for marrying her husband's brother and so soon after his father's death. Her actions condemn her in the eyes of their Church and doom her in Hamlet's eyes. He is also having trouble dealing with Ophelia's betrayal. Again, he loves her but is disgusted by her behavior: her trickery in refusing to keep his tokens of affection and her unwillingness to be honest with him reveal her betrayal. For all of this, he reacts violently and cruelly, only to find out later that he has made a grave mistake.
Hamlet vs Laertes
In Act V scene ii Hamlet and Laertes physically duel to the death. In the end Hamlet ends up killing Laertes even though Laertes is known for his sword-fighting. Laertes is also fighting with Hamlet in a way that is more physiologically than physically. On one hand Laertes is friends with Hamlet but on the other hand, Hamlet killed his father and has made Ophelia commit suicide. Two of his family members Hamlet has wrongfully and unknowingly killed.
Man vs Self
Hamlet vs Hamlet
Hamlet is struggling internally with his love for his mother. On the one hand, he truly loves his mother; on the other, he despises her for marrying her husband's brother and so soon after his father's death. Her actions condemn her in the eyes of their Church and doom her in Hamlet's eyes. He is also having trouble dealing with Ophelia's betrayal. Again, he loves her but is disgusted by her behavior: her trickery in refusing to keep his tokens of affection and her unwillingness to be honest with him reveal her betrayal. For all of this, he reacts violently and cruelly, only to find out later that he has made a grave mistake.
RELATIONSHIPS
Hamlet and Gertrude
Hamlet's relationship with his mother shows a deep sense of anger and pain. Hamlet feels that Gertrude has betrayed his father by marrying with his brother. Throughout the play, he is consumed with avenging his father’s death and all the mistreatment the former King had suffered and still suffers after his life is over. Gertrude adds to the dead King’s tarnished memory by not mourning and instead rejoicing in her new marriage. Hamlet is thus extremely angry with Gertrude and expresses this anger towards her directly and indirectly through his words, both to himself and to other characters. Gertrude’s actions of marrying her husband’s brother after this king was only “two months dead” (1.2. 138) causes Hamlet’s view on love to change. He noted that when Gertrude was with his father “he was so loving to [her]” and “she would hang on him” (1.2. 140, 143). This is how Hamlet believed true, stable love was to be. But his mother’s ability to marry so quickly after his father’s death made Hamlet conclude that a woman’s love is fickle and he states “frailty, thy name is woman” (1.2. 146). By “frailty” Hamlet is not referring to a woman’s physical abilities, but rather her emotional frailty and her ability to change so quickly after having, "loved so deeply". Thus Hamlet feels that Gertrude, not only betrayed his father, but also has betrayed the sanctity of love and marriage.
Hamlet and Ophelia
From the start, Ophelia must define herself by male judgments that may be entirely miscalculated. Laertes warns her in her first scene on-stage that Hamlet is merely trifling with her, that she is not of high enough station to warrant his true affection. Laertes goes on to tell Ophelia that while Hamlet might "love you now," he "is subject to his birth." Hamlet may not, "as unvalued persons do" choose his own mate. Hamlet is subject to the desires of his state, and he will necessarily break her heart. Should Ophelia relinquish her virginity to Hamlet, she would undoubtedly be shamed. A brother's expectation is that his sister is chaste, that she has no worth of her own except in her sex. Hamlet, on the other hand, accuses her of faithlessness, of whoring. He tells her to get her to a nunnery, a statement that implies that she is no better than a whore. When he meets her in the corridor and asks her where her father is, he knows she cannot answer. He knows Old Polonius is standing nearby, but she cannot reveal his whereabouts. Ophelia answers feebly, "At home, my lord," and her answer throws Hamlet into a frenzy because she has answered dishonestly. He has set her up. She has no other choice but to say that her father is at home; she is forced to lie and thereby to incur Hamlet's disapproval.
Hamlet's relationship with his mother shows a deep sense of anger and pain. Hamlet feels that Gertrude has betrayed his father by marrying with his brother. Throughout the play, he is consumed with avenging his father’s death and all the mistreatment the former King had suffered and still suffers after his life is over. Gertrude adds to the dead King’s tarnished memory by not mourning and instead rejoicing in her new marriage. Hamlet is thus extremely angry with Gertrude and expresses this anger towards her directly and indirectly through his words, both to himself and to other characters. Gertrude’s actions of marrying her husband’s brother after this king was only “two months dead” (1.2. 138) causes Hamlet’s view on love to change. He noted that when Gertrude was with his father “he was so loving to [her]” and “she would hang on him” (1.2. 140, 143). This is how Hamlet believed true, stable love was to be. But his mother’s ability to marry so quickly after his father’s death made Hamlet conclude that a woman’s love is fickle and he states “frailty, thy name is woman” (1.2. 146). By “frailty” Hamlet is not referring to a woman’s physical abilities, but rather her emotional frailty and her ability to change so quickly after having, "loved so deeply". Thus Hamlet feels that Gertrude, not only betrayed his father, but also has betrayed the sanctity of love and marriage.
Hamlet and Ophelia
From the start, Ophelia must define herself by male judgments that may be entirely miscalculated. Laertes warns her in her first scene on-stage that Hamlet is merely trifling with her, that she is not of high enough station to warrant his true affection. Laertes goes on to tell Ophelia that while Hamlet might "love you now," he "is subject to his birth." Hamlet may not, "as unvalued persons do" choose his own mate. Hamlet is subject to the desires of his state, and he will necessarily break her heart. Should Ophelia relinquish her virginity to Hamlet, she would undoubtedly be shamed. A brother's expectation is that his sister is chaste, that she has no worth of her own except in her sex. Hamlet, on the other hand, accuses her of faithlessness, of whoring. He tells her to get her to a nunnery, a statement that implies that she is no better than a whore. When he meets her in the corridor and asks her where her father is, he knows she cannot answer. He knows Old Polonius is standing nearby, but she cannot reveal his whereabouts. Ophelia answers feebly, "At home, my lord," and her answer throws Hamlet into a frenzy because she has answered dishonestly. He has set her up. She has no other choice but to say that her father is at home; she is forced to lie and thereby to incur Hamlet's disapproval.