William Shakespeare's Hamlet is one of the most revered literary works in the world. The main character, Hamlet, is undoubtedly one of the most intriguing characters the playwright has ever developed. Hamlet is bold, philosophical, sometimes mentally unstable and intelligent. Over the course of the play, however, these characteristics change and/or diminish as Hamlet is subjected to a series of unfortunate events. His father is murdered by Claudius, his mother marries Claudius soon after, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern betray him and his girlfriend most likely commits suicide. While Hamlet is incredibly philosophical, indecisive, and resentful at the beginning of the play, he becomes violent, instinctive, thoughtful, and sympathetic towards the end. People all over the world are familiar with the phrase "To be or not to be". be” speech. While some may not realize that this is a speech from Hamlet, they realize how powerful those lines are. Those lines show the imprint of a great philosopher, and that is exactly what Hamlet is. Because Hamlet is such a fantastic philosopher at the beginning of the play, this leads to what some believe is his downfall. The fact that perhaps he thinks too much about the people and events around him is what brings him down. He spends an inordinate amount of his day thinking about every aspect of every event. Hamlet sees the ghost of his father and learns that he was killed by his brother, Claudius. This is the moment when Hamlet falls into an ocean of thoughts. The philosopher devises ways to expose his stepfather before his mother and Denmark and obtain justice and revenge for his father's vilified death. “There is nothing good or bad, but thought makes it so” (Shakespeare, 40). Hamlet realizes what is considered good…middle of the paper…stupidity” (Shakespeare, 116). Before Hamlet and Laertes dueled, Hamlet asked Laertes if he could forgive him for his crime. Hamlet also admits his madness and hopes that Laertes can understand. This shows that at the end of the play his mind is well again and can function properly. Hamlet is a model philosopher because his thoughts go to depths that many others cannot reach. He not only chews the problem, but digests it well enough to fully understand something. Unfortunately, he dwelt on the problem too long and was unable to execute his plan accordingly. From indecisive to instinctive, he avenged his father but also harmed himself. Hamlet was a man full of resentment and hatred towards his mother, but ultimately he loved and cared for her. Because he went through so many tragic events, he became a completely changed person when they ended.