Introduction. Motivator: Although Shakespeare has been recognized as one of the renowned playwrights who wrote based on humanist values, his attitude to the Renaissance humanism authors was not one-dimensional.
THESIS STATEMENT: Shakespeare has expressed skepticism regarding the Renaissance humanists’ popular belief that a man was capable of virtually anything and was godlike. He also criticized the Renaissance humanists’ debates and inability to come to agreement regarding the meaning of certain things.
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"What is Shakespeare’s Critique of Humanism in Hamlet?".
Central paragraphs. First Topic Sentence. First of all, in his tragedy Hamlet Shakespeare expressed skepticism concerning the popular belief shared by his contemporaries ‘ Renaissance humanists ‘ that a man was capable of virtually anything and was godlike. This skepticism is clearly evident in Hamlet’s speech ‘What a Piece of Work is a Man,’ which has the words of Hamlet: ‘Man delights not me.’
Second Topic Sentence. Shakespeare uses sarcasm to express his criticism of some humanists’ belief in a godlike man. Hamlet’s words are fraught with irony and sarcasm: ‘What a piece of work is a man ‘ how noble in reason; how infinite in faculties, in form and moving, how express and admirable in action; how like an angel in apprehension; how like a god; the beauty of the world; the paragon of animals.’
Third Topic Sentence. The critical attitude of the author is evidenced by his associating the man with dust. In the words of Hamlet, one can see that he does not regard the man so highly and that all previous praise of the man he delivered should better be understood as great irony: ‘And yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust?’ In this way, Shakespeare mocks at the Renaissance author’s assertions that the man is like god.
Fourth Topic Sentence. Also, Shakespeare criticized Humanism in Hamlet through his portrayal of the anxieties that fill the Danish state and arise from the corruption of the state court. Critics believe that here Shakespeare depicted the Renaissance humanists’ inability to come to an agreement in their harsh debates. He may have drawn a parallel between the inability of the Danish court to discern and achieve truth in a world of political corruption. His reference to the court as an ‘ulcerous place’ may be allegorical and refer to debates among various Renaissance philosophers.
Fifth Topic Sentence. Shakespeare’s critical attitude to humanist ideas of his time is embodied in Hamlet’s questioning the basic humanistic tenets. In particular, he tells his friend that ‘There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.’ Since Horatio’s name means ‘I speak reason,’ Hamlet’s speech may be critical of humanism here.
Conclusion. Reworded Thesis Statement. In summary, Shakespeare criticized Humanism in Hamlet through his mockery of the humanist idea that a man is godlike as well as through his allegorical portrayal of the philosophers’ debate as a Danish court. Clincher. This, however, does not mean that he was averse to other humanist principles.
