Hamlet

hamlet: little help needed please!

At the end of act one, in scene 5, Hamlet speaks the well known sentence to Horatio: "There are more things in heaven and earth, than are dreamt of in our philosophy."

What I have to figure out now is what Hamlet means with philosophy. I don't know that much of the play, so I was hoping that someone with a lot of knowledge about Hamlet could help me out.

so, if anyone knows?! I would be very thankful!

Greetz

Nas

Asked by
Last updated by nitu k #98357
Answers 2
Add Yours

The most literal explanation is the following: Horatio is a model of rationality in Hamlet. Horatio is, like his friend Hamlet, a student at the University of Wittenberg, a university known for the study of rational thought and Protestant humanism. Ghosts are not the sort of beings his rational "philosophy" easily takes into account. The philosophy Hamlet and Horatio studies there is probably classical—a compound of ethics, logic, and natural science. The emphasis on everyday phenomena pretty much excludes speculation about talking ghosts.

what is the hamartia in Hamlet ?

GradeSaver will pay $15 for your literature essays
GradeSaver will pay $25 for your college application essays
GradeSaver will pay $50 for your graduate school essays – Law, Business, or Medical
GradeSaver will pay $10 for your Community Note contributions
GradeSaver will pay $500 for your Textbook Answer contributions