The Many Faces of HamletOf all the characters in William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, the character of Hamlet is undoubtedly the most complex. His emotions are never stable, his feelings are constantly changing, and his behavior is confusing and inconsistent. Hamlet is described as "half a dozen characters rolled into one" (Shaw 344) and with so many adjectives in one sentence such as "cruel, angry, tender, depressed, clownish, maniacal and full of hatred for women, l 'humanity, life'. , and himself" (Epstein 329). When put into perspective, however, perhaps this harsh description of Hamlet is justified. With everything he has had to deal with (apparitions, deaths, deceptions, and interference in his personal life) it would be very strange if Hamlet's personality and beliefs did not match the description above. Hamlet is also thought to possess a melancholic temperament. According to the Elizabethans the melancholic temperament was characterized by his instability. The melancholic person, in this case Hamlet, is prone to sudden attacks of nervousness along with other sporadic mental changes Furthermore, Hamlet is prone to a type of erratic behavior characterized by extreme and spontaneous mood fluctuations (Bradley 100 It has been said that melancholy explains Hamlet's inaction as the immediate cause of these are feelings of apathetic discouragement. The body is simply inert and therefore not inclined to action (Bradley106, due to this melancholy, can also be considered fickle as it switches from one emotion to another). He goes from mad to lucid, as when he displays calm and contented demeanor when in the presence of his dear friend Horatio, to downright cruel and crude when in the presence of his beloved Ophelia. One minute......half of the paper......Leonora and Laura Rozakis. Monarch Notes: Hamlet by William Shakespeare. New York: Barnes and Noble, 1997.Clemen, W. H. Quote. Literary Companion to British Authors: William Shakespeare. San Diego: Greenhaven, 1996. 113. Epstein, Norrie. Friendly Shakespeare. New York: Penguin, 1993.Freud, Sigmund. Citation. Ed. Norrie Epstein. Friendly Shakespeare. New York: Penguin, 1993. 349.Gibson, Mel. Citation. Ed. Norrie Epstein. Friendly Shakespeare. New York: Penguin, 1993. 336.Harbage, Alfred. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. New York: Penguin, 1957. Literary Companion to British Authors: William Shakespeare. San Diego: Greenhaven, 1996Mehl, Dieter. Shakespeare's tragedies: an introduction. New York: Cambridge, 1986. Shaw, George Bernard. Citation. Ed. Norrie Epstein. Friendly Shakespeare. New York: Penguin, 1993. 344.