To talk or Not to talk Essay

To Talk or Not to Talk That is the Question

            There are three forces of language that humans create stated in Frederik Boer’s essay The Performative Utterance in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, which are as quoted, “the locutionary force…  the illocutionary force… and the perloctionary force”. These forces of language are seen constantly thriving in everyday life, determining the fate of one’s action, especially in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The focal point of performative utterenace in Hamlet is to focus on Hamlet’s self-criticizing comments and to look beyond the obvious. As an audience, we know that Hamlet can be a psychopath, but is there more to him besides his snide comments and irrational actions? And who are we to judge him as sociopath? Talking is a natural instinct for most people, but the act of following through with what you have to say is a theme that plays out in Hamlet and in our own lives.

            Hamlet is constantly seen throughout the play muttering criticizing words about himself that make the audience question his mental well being. Not only does this further people’s assumption of Hamlet being crazy but it creates problems between characters and determines the fate of at least several of them too. Hamlet had a way of putting up a façade when he is with himself compared to when he is interacting with other characters. The language forces are all equally used by Hamlet, but one force that determined the fate of Hamlet’s two “good” friends was the perlocutionary force, which is achieving by what is said. When Hamlet met up with his two “friends” he indirectly told him that they would pay the price for betraying their friendship. Ultimately in the end, Hamlet ended killing both of them, showing a trait of ruthlessness in Hamlet. Hamlet’s different facades are also the reason why Polonius was killed by Hamlet. In all reality, the plot revolves around Hamlet’s thoughts and his decisions whether or not to commit to what he has said.

            Sometimes I think myself into insanity, which in an odd sense is what Hamlet does too. Though I must say, Hamlet thinks more highly logically critical of himself while I myself just have this façade of low self-esteem. But, the similarities between Hamlet and my life is that what we don’t say and what we do say, play out in our life whether we want it or not. In Hamlet, the severity of Hamlet Jr’s self-overhearing does not only affect Hamlet personally but creates a false reality of Hamlet being unconcerned about everyone else’s health. This is where we differentiate ourselves from each other, while Hamlet plays off a ruthless type of thinking, what I think and if I choose to act on it is determined on the people around me. When I think about the words I say, I put a sincere purpose and action behind each statement.

            My world is widely affected by my thoughts and actions. As I reflect on things I’ve said and done, I’ve noticed several faulty friendships and a series of unfortunate events.  But these struggles and events help improve my choice of action and words for future references. I reanalyze what I plan to say so I can have a more realistic result of my due intentions. With a realistic point of view and re analyzation, you as a person are more likely to be less disappointed in what you didn’t say you would do. I’ve used different variations of the language forces but my most common force is perloctionary force, just like Hamlet’s. When communicating with other people, I try to be as picky as I can, so I do not create disappointment in others or myself, which could lead a misconception of a unreliable person. Personal reflections are crucial in maintaining a life of sincerity and integrity.

            You may ask, does performative utterance matter in Hamlet? Well, when looking at deBoer’s paper, readers have an understandment to the diversity and levels of characters. A stereotype of Hamlet is that he’s a lunatic for being ruthless and killing Polonius while lecturing his mother. But through class discussions and such, Hamlet can be seen as the most sane character in the play. Performative utterance is also seen in society unconsciously, but is profoundly shown through the effects of actions on words. All in all, the forces of language can change the context of everything.

            The language of speaking is more than just saying things, it’s how words are interpreted, used, and depicted to create a deeper meaning. When I kept hearing myself repeat “To be Or Not To Be”, I not only had the text memorized but I performed the words in a certain way that had put a sense of real feeling behind the text. As for Hamlet, his words turned into actions and killed several people in the end. Performative utterance is a term that should be more analyzed in books to understand characters and view them from a different point of view.