Actions speak louder than words. Many people say that they are going to do things, but do those things ever really get done? No, rarely people follow through with their words. In today’s society, it is difficult to trust someone with only words, actions are the only thing that can truly speak. Yet, words and language have a big impact on what a person actually does. What the person is constantly telling themselves or others changes how they will act or if they will act at all. In Hamlet’s case his words drowned him, his words took over him. He became what his words were saying. Insanity was instilled in him because his words were meant to evoke that stereotype; his stereotype seemed to come true during his conversation with his mother and the action preceding Polonius’s murder. In my life, words take on a whole new meaning. When I say that I am going to do something, it will get done no matter what. My words become my expectations and I refuse to not accomplish something that was expected of me. Where Hamlet uses the power of language to trick people, I use language as a to-do list, never leaving one thing unchecked. Language impacts people, whether by trickery, motivation, or lack of motivation; words define a person’s personality, but the actions following define the person’s character.
Hamlet changes immensely throughout the course of the play, which seems to be the repercussion of such powerful language he uses. When Hamlet made Ophelia believe that he was insane, knowing that Ophelia would run to tell her father and her father would run to tell the king, insanity wasn’t a thought. Intelligence and maturity were the first characteristics that Hamlet contained. He knew how to trick the community in order to fulfill what his father requested from him, King Claudius’s death. His plan was working and considerably well. The play that resembled Hamlet’s story was another example of his powerful language, which truly impacted the king to a level that he needed to “get rid” of Hamlet. Yet, Hamlet was a character of all words and no actions, why was the king so frightened by someone who only used words? But Hamlet soon changed from a character of words to a character of actions. Hamlet soon embraces insanity after going completely crazy on his mother; his feelings that he had been holding in for so long had finally exploded. His actions went along with his words. In Hamlet’s case the power of his words seemed to take over his life and turned him into someone he didn’t want to be.
Words mean promises. When I agree to do something, I either get the job done or make sure that someone else will if I absolutely cannot do it. An example of this is when I told my softball team that I was going to start a club my senior year giving athletes many different opportunities to volunteer allowing them to have at least one thing to go to that wouldn’t conflict with their schedules. As senior year came around, I had applications, scholarships, classes, Special Olympics (which I was president of), and so many other things going on in my life. The team kept asking me, are you still making that club, I really want to join and I couldn’t let them down. Although I was overbooked and didn’t have a lot of extra time for this club, I started it anyway and spend hours looking for volunteer opportunities for them. Not only did my words of committing to something impact my actions, but the words of my friends also impacted my actions. The fact that my friends confided in me and knew that I would follow through with what I had said shows that my dedication to my words is very strong. I live by the motto of sticking to my words, while also ensuring that they don’t over power me.
Words are powerful in so many ways, but never ensure that the action will be done. Every person uses words, the difference is whether the words impact the person in a negative or positive way. For Hamlet, he was extremely intelligent and excellent with his power of language, but eventually it took over his life. For me, language works as an ignition to my actions and inspire me to do more. Self-overhearing seems to be the main issue for Hamlet. He vacillates whether he wants to be the person in his words or the person in his mind. Self-overhearing in my mind is the constant reminder of what I have to do on my to-do list. Although words are extremely powerful and make an impact on how a person will act, actions still seem to be the determining factor. Language can define a person’s intelligence, but actions show who the person really is after the mental fight that happens within.
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