Hamlet's Immaturity and Rudeness Hamlet identifies with a teenager of the 1990s more than with the youth of his time. Hamlet is immature, sarcastic, and acts in the heat of passion, which is very similar to the behavior of young people in the 1990s. Love, control over action, and the ability to overcome depression are just some of the ways to demonstrate one's maturity. It is obvious that Hamlet loves Ophelia in his own way. . . the heavenly idol and of my soul, the most embellished Ophelia. . . (Hamlet. II, ii, 109-110), but his manner is not mature enough to include trust towards his lover. The trust Hamlet should have given her was the key to her madness. This madness that Hamlet cannot trust with his love is the same madness that he loses total control over due to his immaturity; then causes him to do things, such as killing Polonius, that a mature person could stop. The madness Hamlet takes on is understandable, but he never gets over his father's actual death while still wearing black a year later, and his mother's hasty marriage to Claudius. Compared to Horatio who is calm and cool throughout the play, and Fortinbras who raised an army to fight for his uncle's land and honor, Hamlet's level of maturity for his time is low, especially for being a prince. Today Hamlet's age range is more immature than in his time, so he relates better to the youth of the 90s than to the teenagers of his time. Sarcasm and blunt rudeness are often used by Hamlet to offend people who, in his time, he should not have offended. Hamlet often used his mother's hasty marriage to offend Claudius. The first time Hamlet offends Claudius in the company of another person is when Claudius is supposed to help cheer Hamlet up. A little more than relatives and less than kind. (Hamlet. I, ii, 65) is just as rude in Hamlet's time as almost anything a person might say today, it just takes a little reflection for people today to understand what Hamlet means. The second person Hamlet is openly rude to is Polonius. Hamlet, in front of Claudius and Gertrude, insults Polonius by calling him . . . a fishmonger. (Hamlet. II, ii, 174) This is not the only way Hamlet offends Polonius. Hamlet offended Polonius by insulting his daughter. Hamlet is uncouth in his time when he asks Ophelia Lady, shall I lie on your lap? (Hamlet. III, ii, 115) What is strange about Hamlet's ability to use his mouth is that today's youth are able to use the same types of sarcasm and rudeness effectively, just as Hamlet does, but with Hamlet's political stance he should not have offended people like his stepfather. Being radical and acting on impulse is something Hamlet had to use to get the job done. Hamlet, having difficulty taking revenge, applied his anger at his mother's judgment to kill who he thought was Claudius. Even Hamlet had to be on his deathbed to get angry enough to kill Claudius. The way Hamlet uses his anger to take action is very similar to young people today in that if someone has a problem with logging, for example, they organize protests and take action against that problem. The second way Hamlet is extreme is when he goes with the ghost who looks like his father even though his friends warn him that the ghost might be evil and… . .they tempt you towards the flood. . . Or at the terrible top of the cliff. . . (Hamlet. I, iv, 69-70). If the prince had thought carefully he would not have gone with the ghost who resembled the old man. . . King, father, royal Dane. . . (Hamlet. I, iv, 45) Hamlet's radical actions not only demonstrate that he is immature, but also demonstrate that he needs actions.