Internal and external forces contribute to the development of the character Hamlet. The external forces are those, which are beyond Hamlets control. The internal forces are those, which come from within a character. In Shakespeare's play Hamlet, Hamlet experiences internal and external forces that help develop his character. At the beginning of the play Hamlet is emotional and is in control of his life. But as the play progresses, he begins to accept things that happen to him and eventually he gives in to his fate.
             The play opens with Hamlet's father's death and his mother marrying his uncle. Hamlet then shows that he is suicidal by stating: "too sullied flesh would melt." Hamlet does not commit suicide because "the everlasting has fixed his common 'gainst self-slaughter'". And then Hamlet finds out that his uncle killed his father. Hamlet swears to take revenge on his father's death when he told the ghost of his father that he would avenge his death. Hamlet is mad at himself because he lacked passion in avenging his father's death. As the play progresses Hamlet is no longer emotional but rather philosophical. This rational thinking is caused by an internal force because he thinks to himself "whether 'tis nobler in the mind..." to go through a bad life or to end everything by coming suicide. He also thinks about life after life, "for in the sleep of death, what dreams may come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil?" Hamlet decides it is better to live then to take his own life.
             Towards the end of the play, Hamlet sees Fortinbras asking to go through Denmark to she can fight a war in Poland. This war was for a small piece of land, "an eggshell". Hamlet is inspired by this external influence. He compares Fortinbras action for a small matter to his own lack of action to avenge his father's death.
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