Why Is Hamlet An Existentialist

Hamlet can be read as an existentialist text more than an absurdist one. Throughout the text Hamlet found meaning even though there was not a concrete answer as to why he should kill Claudius. He is also considered as an existentialist because he is unable to choose a course of action, he thinks but cannot act. His failure to act eventually destroys not only himself but all those he loves. Hamlet’s obsession with seeking answers to big questions allowed his immediate fate to get the better of him.
Hamlet’s use of logic and reason in the first three acts demonstrates his ability to control his emotions and make a valid decision without any interference. Furthermore, the ghost and his fear of committing to a passion were his main reasons why he found an answer and took action towards the end of the play. For instance, when Hamlet encounters his father's ghost, he does not believe it is his father even though he has an emotional reaction upon seeing it. He pushes his feelings aside and says, “Let me not burst in ignorance, but tell/Why thy canonized bones, hearsed in death,/Have burst their cerements;/Say why is this? Wherefore? What
Hamlet is obsessed with his pursuit of determining the reason for his existence. This is notable in his soliloquy in Act III where he contemplates suicide and the reason for continued living. For Hamlet, the question is “To be, or not to be: that is the question.” (III.I.63-69) Hamlet has to choose and create his identity because man, according to existentialism, has no fixed nature. This freedom of choice brings commitment and responsibility, which causes stress and pain. Hamlet's anxiety, uncertainty, and tension causes him to doubt the power of reason alone to solve his problems. Hamlet goes insane in Act I, Scene II, and it is during this time when he is able to act. He does not think about what he says or does and does not care about what the consequences may