A monarch is an autocrat born to lead one’s kingdom, wielding one’s birthright as the
qualification of absolute sovereignty. A monarch is called for by his people, possessing the potential
to lead one’s kingdom to either glory, or humiliating defeat. During Act 5 Scene 2, Fortinbras makes
a comment that, should Hamlet had survived, he would have made a supreme ruler. This is often a
matter of contention amongst the readers as Hamlet is an anti-hero; intelligent and beloved, yet
indecisive and moody. Hamlet may be a decent and sympathetic individual from the perspectives of
the play, but is unfit to rule due to the very qualities that make him sympathetic.
Perhaps Hamlet’s most noted flaw is his insufferable indecisiveness. When tasked by his father’s phantom to kill the king, he demonstrates remarkable unwillingness to put it into action, his elaborate grief regarding his father’s death and Gertrude’s shameless actions is quickly replaced by his dislike for setting things right, lamenting that the mission that is bestowed upon him is “out of joint...That I ever was born to set it right.” (1.5.189-190) Even after determining his desire to take vengeance, his actions still reek with indirectness. Instead of choosing a pragmatic method to murder Claudius, Hamlet chooses to feign madness, confusing the Danish Court unnecessarily and consequently tainting his reputation. Hamlet states that his reasons for acting like a madman is to conceal his true motifs, but it serves only to end him as he brings unneeded attention towards himself, allowing Claudius to ultimately see through Hamlet’s desire to end his life. Hamlet’s inability to take direct course of action constantly costs him, unintentionally killing Polonius and Ophelia in the process.This trait corresponds to his other major flaw, the inability to make allies in court even as a crown prince of Denmark. These two major traits in turn creates an immense barrier for Hamlet to become an effective king, as kings of this era were expected to lead by example with grim determination and consideration.
An inactive monarch may not be ideal to rule his kingdom, but with competent companions to fill his court, which Hamlet does have by the logical and sane Horatio, a nation could still remain stable. This provides for yet another major flaw for Hamlet as he is overtly reckless when determined. In Act 3 Scene 4, in the midst of his conversation with Gertrude, Hamlet stabs the tapestry the moment he hears Polonius scream for help without caring to check the individual hidden behind the tapestry. After the deed has been done, Hamlet does not even pretend to demonstrate any sort of remorse, calling the now dead Polonius to be nothing more than a “wretched, rash, intruding fool” (3.4.32) for eavesdropping. It is this recklessness bordering on psychopathy that leads to the death of Ophelia, whose love and loyalty towards Polonius’ wishes are constantly manipulated by the prince seeking for a decoy for his plans. This combination of extremities in personality makes him into an utterly unpredictable and difficult leader to handle for even his closest allies.
The two contrary characteristics of indecisiveness and recklessness are traits that a good king could do without, but there had been cases in which successful kings were well known to have been mentally unstable. Yet Hamlet is missing one crucial ability that is necessary for any competent ruler, and it that is to know what makes up a great leader. In Act 4 scene 4, Hamlet witnesses Fortinbras march his men to Poland and potentially sacrifice thousands of his soldiers for an useless piece of heavily protected land, an act that would be considered foolish and wasteful by any reasonable individual. Despite having shown an abundance of intelligence and wit in personal schemes, Hamlet is unable to see Fortinbras’ foolishness, and considers him a great man who does not need to explain his reasons for an invasion to lesser men. In Fortinbras’ actions, all Hamlet could see is the potential honor in preserving the family’s traditions, and decides to apply this foolhardiness into his actions as well. If Hamlet truly believes in only family honor, he would be unable to represent the sentiments of his people, demonstrating a key mark of a horrendous ruler.
Perhaps Hamlet’s most noted flaw is his insufferable indecisiveness. When tasked by his father’s phantom to kill the king, he demonstrates remarkable unwillingness to put it into action, his elaborate grief regarding his father’s death and Gertrude’s shameless actions is quickly replaced by his dislike for setting things right, lamenting that the mission that is bestowed upon him is “out of joint...That I ever was born to set it right.” (1.5.189-190) Even after determining his desire to take vengeance, his actions still reek with indirectness. Instead of choosing a pragmatic method to murder Claudius, Hamlet chooses to feign madness, confusing the Danish Court unnecessarily and consequently tainting his reputation. Hamlet states that his reasons for acting like a madman is to conceal his true motifs, but it serves only to end him as he brings unneeded attention towards himself, allowing Claudius to ultimately see through Hamlet’s desire to end his life. Hamlet’s inability to take direct course of action constantly costs him, unintentionally killing Polonius and Ophelia in the process.This trait corresponds to his other major flaw, the inability to make allies in court even as a crown prince of Denmark. These two major traits in turn creates an immense barrier for Hamlet to become an effective king, as kings of this era were expected to lead by example with grim determination and consideration.
An inactive monarch may not be ideal to rule his kingdom, but with competent companions to fill his court, which Hamlet does have by the logical and sane Horatio, a nation could still remain stable. This provides for yet another major flaw for Hamlet as he is overtly reckless when determined. In Act 3 Scene 4, in the midst of his conversation with Gertrude, Hamlet stabs the tapestry the moment he hears Polonius scream for help without caring to check the individual hidden behind the tapestry. After the deed has been done, Hamlet does not even pretend to demonstrate any sort of remorse, calling the now dead Polonius to be nothing more than a “wretched, rash, intruding fool” (3.4.32) for eavesdropping. It is this recklessness bordering on psychopathy that leads to the death of Ophelia, whose love and loyalty towards Polonius’ wishes are constantly manipulated by the prince seeking for a decoy for his plans. This combination of extremities in personality makes him into an utterly unpredictable and difficult leader to handle for even his closest allies.
The two contrary characteristics of indecisiveness and recklessness are traits that a good king could do without, but there had been cases in which successful kings were well known to have been mentally unstable. Yet Hamlet is missing one crucial ability that is necessary for any competent ruler, and it that is to know what makes up a great leader. In Act 4 scene 4, Hamlet witnesses Fortinbras march his men to Poland and potentially sacrifice thousands of his soldiers for an useless piece of heavily protected land, an act that would be considered foolish and wasteful by any reasonable individual. Despite having shown an abundance of intelligence and wit in personal schemes, Hamlet is unable to see Fortinbras’ foolishness, and considers him a great man who does not need to explain his reasons for an invasion to lesser men. In Fortinbras’ actions, all Hamlet could see is the potential honor in preserving the family’s traditions, and decides to apply this foolhardiness into his actions as well. If Hamlet truly believes in only family honor, he would be unable to represent the sentiments of his people, demonstrating a key mark of a horrendous ruler.
Of course, this does not mean that Hamlet does not have qualities that befit that of a great
ruler. Even with his odd antics, he has already gained the hearts and minds of his people, is very
intelligent, and, as Act 4 Scene 7 would demonstrate, is unafraid of danger and leads by example in
battle, a trait that is considered absolutely crucial in European Monarchy. Unfortunately, Hamlet’s
bravery in combat is rarely revealed to the public and he purposefully hides his intelligence from
those around him, thus dwarfing his positive qualities for excessively negative ones.
The question of what makes up a good ruler has been one of the most complex questions humanity has ever asked itself as it varies from culture to culture, and individual to individual. Hamlet is a brilliant individual that is able to entertain and excite the audience, but due to his mental instability, unpredictable nature, and misplaced responsibilities on his honor would have made him an incompetent king had he survived the play.
The question of what makes up a good ruler has been one of the most complex questions humanity has ever asked itself as it varies from culture to culture, and individual to individual. Hamlet is a brilliant individual that is able to entertain and excite the audience, but due to his mental instability, unpredictable nature, and misplaced responsibilities on his honor would have made him an incompetent king had he survived the play.
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