In Hamlet Shakespeare deals with the subject of revenge against a world full of impermanence, suffering, and desire. Shakespeare's view of the world has much in common with that of Buddhism because the teachings of the latter is based on three ch ...

In Hamlet Shakespeare deals with the subject of revenge against a world full of impermanence, suffering, and desire. Shakespeare's view of the world has much in common with that of Buddhism because the teachings of the latter is based on three characteristics (The Three Signate) of the ordinary life: Impermanence (Anicca), Unsatisfactoriness (Dukkha), and Impersonality (Anatta). These three characteristics of ordinary life are derived from the Doctrine of Dependant Co-arising, the Buddhist theory of relativity. According to this doctrine nothing in the world is absolute, that is, everything is conditioned, relative, and interdependent. According to Buddhism, an individual is composed of Five Aggregates: Aggregates od Matter, of Sensations, of Perceptions, of Mental Formations, and of Consciousness. Naturally, man is subject to impermanence, suffering, and impersonality. Buddha teaches that an individual can achiever complete liberation from all kinds of mental defilements through a thorough understanding of the Doctrine of Dependent Co-arising. The aim of this paper is to explain the theme of revenge and the idea of immortal self in terms of the Three Signata.
Revenge, when analyzed throufh the Three Signata, is not achieved according to the idea of impermanence and impersonality. There is no revenger and the killed because both Hamlet and Claudius at the end of the play are not what they used to be in the beginning. At the same time they are not different persons from what they used to be at the beginning of the play. Because the characters related to the revenge are changing, and are ego-less belings, the idea of revenge natually loses its established meaning. The so-called Hamlet's delay in revenge, considered in terms of Dependant Co-arising, is the natural result of the interaction among the characters since everything happens according to the law of cause and effect, with proper conditions. With the revenge motif Shakespeare points out the meaninglessness of revenge by showing that the total destruction of Denmark's royal family resulted from the interaction between Claudius' greed and Hamlet's will to avenge his father. He also shows that plucking out the heart of Claudius' wrongdoing is one thing and correcting it by force is another.
The corresponding reality of an idea of immortal self, which Hamlet mentions is not found in Hamlet from a Buddhist point of view. This idea of self, which generates the desire for self-protaction and self-preservation, produces such negative elements of life as harmful thoughts of 'me' and 'mine', selfish desire, craving, hatred, ill-will, egoism, and the like. The actions of Ghost, Claudius, Hamlet are based on this idea. In the process of the play, no eternal self is found except the incessant flow of feelings, thoughts, and individual consciousness. Hamlet comes closest to the understanding of the impermanence, suffering, and impersonality of human existence. The distance between one's recognition and its practice is the cause of this tragedy.
In conclusion, a Buddhist interpretation of Hamlet suggests Shakespeare used the revenge motif to show that revenge is impossible because the agents involved are subject to impermanence, suffering, and impersonality. His mirror held up to human nature, in the eyes of a Buddhist, refelcts that same impermanence, suffering, and impersonality. Ignorance of those characteristics, too, is another source of man's tragedy. This implies that the act of killing somebody, ontologically and ethically, is killing oneself. Through Hamlet the audience comes to understand those characterisitcs, which deepens his wisdom and brings about a harmony in life.

I. 서론
II. 불교의 연기설과 삼법인
III. 불교의 관점에서 본 복수: 그 무상성과 무아성
IV. 불교와 [햄릿]에 취급된 자아(Self)
V. 결론
인용 문헌
Abstract

I. 서론
II. 불교의 연기설과 삼법인
III. 불교의 관점에서 본 복수: 그 무상성과 무아성
IV. 불교와 [햄릿]에 취급된 자아(Self)
V. 결론
인용 문헌
Abstract