Hamlet & Performative Utterance: Take 2.

     Hamlet is a young man who knows that he wants revenge out of anger and spite; his only problem is he doesn’t know if he can deal with his emotional state along the way. He takes situations and critically over analyzes them to the fullest extent. He talks ideas to death within his personal speeches; he goes back and forth between his options until his mind is burdened by any result. This method of performance utterance and self-overhearing involved throughout the play, Hamlet, is a way to relate to the growth in being of the title character and develop an understanding for why he does (or doesn’t) follow through in his decisions. The way Hamlet speaks has a great impact on his plans and how his actions affect everything surrounding him, including his own story. Self-overhearing, in the context of my life and Hamlet’s, leads to destruction and can break down an issue to the breaking point. Many people take their thoughts and feelings into account and study them for theories, such as Austin and Bloom did. Talking things through, mentally and physically, can bring new life to the said action and give everything a reason to let it be or not to be.

Emotions weigh heavily on Hamlet’s decisions; he constantly is speculating on how to jump on his plan for revenge or even his next comeback with an enemy. His numerous self-talks contemplate the subjects from suicide to murder and how he must persevere in what he thinks he needs to do in order to reach a stable, even place of mind. Throughout his use of performative utterances, he realizes the power of action in his words. He develops an understanding for the impact of the forces (as explained in Austin’s theory) and realizes how his words may reflect and create consequences for other people. With this, Hamlet sets his goals where he thinks they should be at, but doesn’t conquer them right away. His soliloquies of self-overhearing give him a feel for himself and in those epiphanies, he grows into the person he strives towards throughout the actions he ends up choosing over saying. The story emphasizes the ideas in Hamlet’s head and without these thoughts, the other characters would have no meaning and the plot would be a one-dimensional portrayal of life. If the conversations Hamlet had alone were held secretly in his mind, there would be no suspense or second guessing in what Hamlet may do to Claudius or how he feels about himself. Performative utterance gives Hamlet a way to speak and display what he does, in spite of what others may not approve of.

Everyone has that little voice inside their head, guiding them to do the right thing or taking them to the next step. Conscience does throw in its own two cents about what it thinks is right and wrong, but it ultimately depends on the other half of analyzing the situation at hand. Hamlet uses his theory of self-overhearing against his original plans; he breaks them down to a tiresome state and ends up just using the contemplation as an excuse to get things done quicker. Although I am very determined in my goals, I can’t talk them up if I want to get them accomplished. The more I don’t think about certain things, the more effort I put towards them and end up doing what I said I was going to in my mind. Self-overhearing destroys my train of true thought and creates high expectations to live up to the actions that are usually let down very easily. Talking through the tasks I need to get done to myself ruins the chances of them actually happening. On the other hand, discussing things with another individual makes me want to prove myself to that person and helps me achieve what I claimed to do. Finding reason through others instead of keeping to myself encourages me to do what I had set out to do in words. Self-overhearing can be a form of self-help, but in terms for most, can also be a form of self-destruction.

When Hamlet was introduced at the beginning of the play, he was a manic, depressed teenager who just thought if he put his mind to something and swore to it, it would eventually be accomplished. He went through the ups and downs by talking to himself with performative utterance, trying to find out the real meaning in his words. It took time to realize the extent of his words and how only saying them doesn’t bring any force; action must be made to accomplish the task at hand. Self-overhearing contributes to the contemplation of it all and can drive a person mad with true intentions by what they say. Words said in the mind or aloud influence the problem at stake and can make a person wander around what they truly want to get done. The real world doesn’t depend on only the things people say they are going to do soon; it also matters on how the force of those words can be achieved. With everything running through the conscious mind, actions truly do speak louder than words with intention.