| In his seminal philosophical treatise, Meditations, | | | | experience a "disconnect" between these entities |
| Renee Descartes asserted that man is comprised | | | | resulting in a stalemate of physical will and moral |
| of two entities, mind and body, spirit and matter. | | | | justice. This mind body disconnect will become the |
| The chief concept underlying Descartes' mind | | | | source of Hamlet's internal conflict as well as his |
| body dualism is that the physical/ sensory world is | | | | inaction in the play. |
| a poor reflection of the true spiritual world. | | | | Peter Cennamo believes that Shakespeare's |
| Although Descartes is credited with the first | | | | Hamlet undergoes a catharsis throughout the text. |
| systematic account of this relationship, first in De | | | | He is transformed from a grieving son to an |
| homine and subsequently in his Meditations, the | | | | agent of Heaven's supreme justice, as one who |
| underlying idea of mind body dualism can be | | | | exists and functions above the realm of human |
| traced back much further. An emerging fifth | | | | morality in order to cleanse Denmark and bring it |
| century Greek philosophy viewed the soul as | | | | into a state of purity and perfection. The purity |
| distinctly separate from its physical counterpart. | | | | that Hamlet aspires to is gained through his acts |
| The soul was deemed the source of moral | | | | of hubris and finally achieved upon his death, at |
| qualities such as temperance and justice (Lorenz). | | | | the moment when he sheds the "mortal coil." |
| Plato, like Descartes, was considered a Dualist in | | | | Shakespeare draws upon the Hellenistic and |
| that he believed man was comprised of two | | | | Cartesian dualist philosophies, yet also weaves a |
| uniquely separate entities, the body and the soul. | | | | strong conflict between the mind and body into |
| To this day Dualism remains one of the recurring | | | | Hamlet. Hamlet must usurp the physical and fallible |
| themes in modern philosophy and, although | | | | part of himself to attain the purity, the perfection |
| pre-dating Descartes' Meditations by | | | | which he ultimately seeks. Therefore, Hamlet, |
| approximately forty years, is significantly evident | | | | who was once incapable of action, transforms |
| within Shakespeare's "Hamlet." Shakespeare, | | | | throughout the text becoming a self-proclaimed |
| however, takes these proto-philosophical concepts | | | | agent of Heaven's justice. |
| one step further. Shakespeare's protagonist will | | | | |