In his groundbreaking philosophical paper "Meditation," Renee Descartes asserts that human beings are made up of two entities, including mind, body, spirit, and matter. The main idea of Descartes' dualism of mind is that the material/sensory world is a bad reflection of the true spiritual world. Although Descartes is considered to be the first systematic description of this relationship, first of all, in De homine and subsequent meditation, the basic idea of the mind-body dualism can be traced further. An emerging five-century Greek philosophy holds that the soul is distinct from its physical counterpart. The soul is seen as a source of moral quality, such as temperance and justice [Lorentz].
Like Descartes, Plato is considered a dualist who believes that man is made up of two distinct independent entities, the body and the soul. Until today, dualism is still one of the recurring themes in modern philosophy. Although Descartes' meditation dates for forty years, it is very obvious in Shakespeare's Hamlet. However, Shakespeare took these original philosophical concepts a step further. The protagonist of Shakespeare will experience a "disjoint" between these entities, leading to a stalemate in physical will and moral justice. This disconnection between body and mind will be the root of Hamlet's internal conflict and his inaction in the play.
Peter Sennamo believes that Shakespeare's "Hamlet" has experienced a catharsis throughout the article. He changed from a sad son to a supreme agent of heaven's justice, as a person who exists and operates in the field of human morality, in order to clean Denmark and bring it to a pure and perfect state. Hamlet's desire for purity was obtained through his arrogant behavior, which was finally achieved when he died, when he got rid of the "fatal coil". Shakespeare draws on the dualistic philosophy of Hellenism and Descartes, and also weaves the strong conflict between thought and body into Hamlet. Hamlet must usurp his own body and the parts that make mistakes to achieve the purity and perfection he ultimately seeks. Therefore, Hamlet, who was once powerless, turned into an agent who claimed to be the justice of heaven in the entire text.
Orignal From: Hamlet's problem - the separation of the mind and body dualism from Hamlet
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