Analysing Life and Death
"TO BE OR NOT TO BE
THAT IS THE QUESTION"
These lines from the play 'The Tragedy Of Hamlet- The Prince Of Denmark' start the infamous 'nunnery scene'. But not only do these lines actually pose a question for us to be questioned about, but these lines show the most genuine truth about the character Hamlet.
Hamlet, a play written by William Shakespeare which is written more than 500 years back, is, unfortunately, becoming more relatable in the current period. The story tells us about a prince who got to know about his father's death and not only this, the truth possesses a great conspiracy that shocks the prince and this leads to events with immense bloodshed and then to ultimate tragedy.
But how do we relate to him?
Hamlet is a character to whom we can relate, more than anyone. He is neither Macbeth whose greed was the start nor Othello whose insecurity led to the end. Hamlet is just like us, who came back to Denmark knowing nothing, and then the events of his encounter with different characters developed the character with anger, vengeance, insecurity, doubt, confusion, and his wish for revenge. Same, as we come into a social network and starting to know different things from different people.
Hamlet that's why can be said to be an immensely pure and heartful character, just like what we want from any protagonist and from ourselves. But using this only, Shakespeare showed us how such characters can be corrupted and this can make them highly complex, just like us.
We don't vaguely say this, that humans are complex. and that's why Shakespeare's character- Hamlet is one of the most humane characters by him.
But this is the one way to go for.
Ever thought that all the events is a very big plan from Hamlet himself, for getting the throne, or if this is the ultimate plan from Fortinbras, to capture Denmark by tearing it from inside with the help of Hamlet or we see a character at the edge of becoming immensely chaotic, depressive and mad.
Shakespeare wrote this play in such a manner through which we can build many other possibilities for the events that happened in the play.
Have you ever thought that The Ghost (King Hamlet) who told the truth about King Hamlet's death to Hamlet was not a ghost? Instead, he was an actual living person who planted the seed of hatred inside Hamlet. Shakespeare gives you the scope of everything, but the very basic conflict of the play is victimization. Is Hamlet a victim, or is it Ophelia, or is it Queen Gertrude or is it KING CLAUDIUS himself? This question enlarges and this enlarges another question to know the cause of their death.
Hamlet is not just the largest play by William Shakespeare in terms of its length, but these questions enlarge it even more. The reason for the death of all characters comes up with a question of WHY.
King Claudius desires to be called up as the antagonist of the play, but why he died. Because he killed his own brother in lust for the throne and his wife, or he wanted to save himself from a mad guy behind his life without any reason as he was misadvised by someone, and in response to that he got killed. Such questions arise. but at last, it is the victim and death.
DEATH
Hamlet's last and eternal point is death.
Everyone, including me, and all my readers are traveling and our eventual last destination is death. Shakespeare knew this fact very well. And he inducted this in a very smart, and professional manner. If I tell you my point I think that the death of Hamlet, is tragic, but I get a feeling of satisfaction from this. I think death was the only solution. Don't take me wrong for this. I am not a pessimist. In fact, what Shakespeare did for the character Hamlet throughout the play, DEATH is one of the only good things.
Hamlet is not just a play. It's more than that. People do a thesis on this subject, on Hamlet. I try to understand why Death is good here. Being a tragedy from Shakespeare, where all his characters died at last, together, and in fact, the characters killed each other, why the death of Hamlet is a relief to not only the character but also to us.
There are several adaptations of Hamlet made in this world. But, the one who is going to answer my question is the Indian Adaptation of Hamlet- Haider.
Haider is the Indian Adaptation of the infamous play Hamlet, adapted by Mr. Vishal Bhardwaj, directed by him, and written by Mr. Basharat Peer and Bhardwaj himself. Haider is not just an adaptation but also focuses on the political crisis arising in the Kashmir Valley, situated in Jammu and Kashmir, India.
Bhardwaj sir not just was able to keep alive the Hamlet in Haider but also was able to keep his point regarding the Kashmir conflict. But why Kashmir was taken for setting the adaptation, why not any village kind of area which was there in his adaptation of Othello-Omkara or any metropolitan city like Mumbai where he settled his notorious gangster world in his adaptation of Macbeth-Maqbool.
Because Kashmir has an exact situation like Hamlet
Bhardwaj sir took Kashmir because the place personifies Hamlet. and that's why Kashmir is the best place to adapt the tragedy of the prince of Denmark.
With the confusion and self-destructive attitude, Kashmir and its people have it all
Haider tells us a story about Haider Meer (Hamlet) played by Shahid Kapoor who studies Urdu Literature at Aligarh Muslim University and returns to his hometown after knowing about the disappearance of his father. After returning and reuniting with his childhood love, Arshia lone (Ophelia) played by Shraddha Kapoor, a journalist, he encounters his mother Ghazala (Queen Gertrude) played by Tabu who despite her husband being lost enjoys the company of her brother-in-law Khurram Meer (King Claudius) played by Kay Kay Menon. Devasted by such visuals, he leaves on his own in search of his father, where he finds out about the situation in Kashmir where political conflicts between the Pakistan and India have led to such situations where men in high amounts are lost. Then comes the visuals which show the viewers the conditions, which were displayed by dead bodies coming in a truck, and continuous and rigorous checking of people there which made them habitual to this routine that they never enter their own home, until they are checked by someone (an intimation). Haider gets so much affected by such social conditions that the character becomes disturbed and starts protesting. Meanwhile, his uncle Khurram wins the State Legislative Elections and afterward starts the conflict of the story. Hamlet met with Roohdaar (personating the character of Ghost of King Hamlet) played by Irrfan Khan. Roohdaar is an ally of the leader of the opposition party. He told Haider that his father was imprisoned for helping a local mutant. Roohdaar was with him in jail. He told him that it was Khurram who killed his father. He told Haider that his father demanded revenge from Khurram who killed his own brother. This maddened Haider and his depression, anger, confusion, and his doubt over his mother's relationship with Khurram enlarged his anger for Khurram and this made the character mad and bipolar. Haider modifies and starts his destructive journey to take revenge. In this journey of his, he killed several people, and his bipolar behavior made his surroundings doubt him, not only this he killed Arshia's father Pervez Lone (Polonius), which depressed Arshia leading her doing suicide.
Haider not only resembles the life of Hamlet but also shows Kashmir to this world.
if heaven resides anywhere in this world
then here it is"
Those are the words for Kashmir, but currently, it's totally the opposite.
Haider is that character who shows how youth suffers in certain political conflicts and how their future is not only disrupted but also their upcoming life is shattered.
And that's where lies our answer.
We all would be very well known to the end of Hamlet, where King Claudius plans to execute Hamlet with the help of Laertes, by keeping combat between Hamlet and Laertes. He poisoned the blade of the sword of Laertes so that one scratch on Hamlet's body can lead to his death. And if this plan does not work, then at the victory of his nephew he will cheer him with a glass of poisoned wine.
Hamlet got injured in the fight, but ultimately killed Laertes. In this response, Queen Gertrude drank that poisoned wine despite King Claudius denying her to drink the same, and because of that, Queen Gertrude died. Aggressive and thirsty for revenge, injured hamlet who is about to die from the poison, and killed King Claudius. Handling his legacy to Horatio, Hamlet's friend, and the only surviving character in the play, and he also died at the hands of Horatio.
The end of the play and people exit the theatre crying and feeling sad for Hamlet, and what he suffered.
But this is not the same in Haider.
As Arshia died, she was engraved by her brother Liyaqat (Laertes) played by Aamir Bashir. Haider saw this and sorrowfully moved towards the grave to bid her farewell. There Liyaqat meets Haider and indignantly moved towards Haider and starts beating him. In response to this, Haider hit him with the shovel. As so much happened and this erupted the situation, Khurram got cautioned and brought his mutant army to kill Haider who has now become so wild, and along with his mutant friends, he wasn't the one who can be dealt with single-handedly. This leads to big combat. Ghazala (Queen Gertrude) who is now Khurram's wife interferes and stops Khurram. She ensured him that she will make Haider understand and in exchange she requested that Khurram will not kill Haider.
She goes inside meets Haider and tries to convince him that, he should stop this revenge.
she says,
"intekam, se sirf intekam paida hota hai,
jab tak hum apne intekam se azaad nhi ho jaate
tab tak koi azaadi humein azaad nhi kar sakti"
These lines not just gave the solution to the HAMLET problem, but also to the KASHMIR problem.
TO LET IT GO.
After this also Haider is not convinced and still desired his revenge.
Ghazala accepted her defeat and started reverting back.
While going back, she pulled off her shawl, showing that she was covered with a bomb jacket. Both Khurram and Haider ran toward Ghazala, but it was too late. She detonates the bomb and killed herself.
Haider is devastated. He is shouting for his mother and is not able to do anything now for her. He reacted in such a manner that he lost everything. Watching different body parts of her mother as her body was bombarded, he is in a mess.
But then he saw Khurram, who was crawling as he lost his both legs in the blast. Haider got a smile on his face as he was very close to meet his desire, the desire for revenge. He moved towards him and pointed the gun at his forehead, and then
HE STAYED.
Getting flashbacks of what his mother said, and what his father demanded. The thirst for revenge and his mother denying the same. This made Haider drop his arms and LET GO KHURRAM.
Khurram who was highly injured yet alive shouted and requested Haider to kill him, he starved for death but wasn't able to receive same. And then curtains go down and this is the end of the film, with a melodious song from Mrs. Rekha Bhardwaj
You all are dumbstruck. Wanting something different, but this is what it is.
And that is the difference.
Hamlet and King Claudius died, but Haider and Khurram didn't.
This shows what role was played by the DEATH in the story.
Shakespeare was kind of not good with the audience, he let them disheartened but he was definitely good with his characters. Hamlet and Claudius died, that was a good thing for both, because if they lived, then you can see in Haider, it would have made you uncomfortable. You wouldn't be able to rest as the main protagonist and antagonist got left in such situations.
This shows us what life and death are all about. We can understand the very same concept from our spiritual text. Death is liberation from these worldly manners and rules and all. Hamlet's death liberated him from this. It's like looking at the good side. Hamlet was able to leave this all. Haider suffered in an exact manner as Hamlet, but he lived, he is going to live with this past, with this weight on him, with what he saw, his love and mother dying, the way he did things, the villainous himself. Khurram is going to live without his legs, and if he never had lost his legs, then also he is going to have this weight that he was part of the act of destroying his family, alongside Haider.
"TO BE OR NOT TO BE" is not a vague question. TO BE is life, and NOT TO BE is liberation.
and that is the question. we can think that this question targets this also.
You can deny my point of view.
But TO BE OR NOT TO BE also explain whether revenge is the answer or not. Whether what he is thinking is true or not, whether what he is going to do is just or not. And the very important question is whether he is there or is there someone else now. His bipolar personality suppresses him, or if he is still alive consciously.
It also takes the Oedipal Complex-a desire for sexual involvement with the parent of the opposite sex and a sense of rivalry with the parent of the same sex, on its radar.
We as readers or watchers can make this even more complex by taking the Oedipal Complex part of Hamlet and Haider.
We will take that in later parts of 'Analysing The Core'
Life and death that's why are not difficult to understand, but definitely it is very difficult to apply this new understanding in our life.
Hamlet and Haider pose the same dilemmas in front of us.
And that's where comes Gulzar Sirs and Bhardwaj Sirs another gift to us. AAO NA.
Aao Na is a song from Haider where you are invited to death. The song details why you should accept it.
That life was a flame that was sustaining itself is now extinguished.
Now everything is finished, everything is settled now you please come (aao na)
That every disease means nothing now, that no war is important, now you please come.
That now life is tired, it is gone, no boundaries of a nation are there, only dark, silence is there, so come here and sleep(lying on the deathbed)
The song's lyrics are inviting you toward liberation. And that's how it describes death.
The song gives you chilling feelings. As in its rocking manner, it is inviting you to death. Describing how to come for death, and how it feels, lyricist Gulzar Ji gave us a masterpiece, and music director Vishal Bhardwaj just rocked with it.
Death and Life are the eternal part of our lives, we can not leave them, our thought of not dying is as fatal as not living. Both are there with their own meanings and own manner and order. Hamlet and Haider just somewhere tell you the good part of death. Most of the movies, plays, poems, stories, text, etc, glorifies life, which is good, Hamlet and Haider make you deal with the topic of Death in another way around.
Shakespeare stays good with his characters and Bhardwaj stayed honest with his art. Making us to thought more about the concepts of death and life.
Comparisons like these make it possible to make our wild thoughts regarding any story, like, what if this happened, what if that happened, come true.
That's why Hamlet and Haider can be studied more and more. Both stories will give us another yet vital information regarding our lives.
Death is deep and silent, and Life is deep and melodious, both are there. Our attitude toward both will be transformed as we move forward.
And from here on we keep ANALYSING LIFE AND DEATH.
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