In Hamlet, examine how Hamlet's intellect overshadows his emotions and guides his decisions.

Hamlet tries to reason out whether or not his Uncle
Claudius actually did murder his father. Although he has seen his father's ghost, he
uses his intellectual reasoning. Perhaps, the ghost that he sees is an evil apparition.
Perhaps, the ghost is not really his father:

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Angels and ministers of grace defend
us!
Whether you are a spirit of health or a goblin damned,
Bringing
with you airs from heaven or blasts from hell,
Whether your intentions are
wicked or charitable,
You come in such a questionable shape
That I
will speak to you. I’ll call you Hamlet!
King! Father! Royal Dane! O, answer
me! (Act 1, Scene 4)

From
this text, we can see that Hamlet is questioning whether the apparition is a spirit or a
goblin. He is using his intellect to reason out what he sees. He is overriding his
emotions and is trying to intellectually decide if the ghost is a true message from his
father.

Another time when Hamlet uses his intellectual
reasoning is when he has the actors reenact his father's murder. Hamlet wants to be sure
that his Uncle Claudius has indeed committed the murder. He is intellectually
questioning everything that has occurred, as he should. Hamlet speaks with Horatio and
asks him for his help:

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There is a play tonight before the
king.
One scene of it comes near the circumstances,
Which I have
told you, of my father's death.
I beg you, when you see that act
begin,
Even with the very criticism of your soul
Watch my uncle. If
his hidden guilt
Don’t show itself in that one speech,
It is a false
ghost that we have seen,
And my imaginations are as unstable
As god
of fire’s anvil. Watch him carefully,
Because I will have my eyes riveted on
his face,
And, after the play, we will combine our observations
In
condemning of his actions. (Act 3, Scene
2)

In this selection, we can
see that Hamlet is carefully thinking about a way to prove Claudius' guilt. Hamlet is
using careful reasoning. He is not sure that Claudius is guilty. After the actors
reenact his father's murder, Hamlet tells Horatio that they will meet and combine their
observations to determine Claudius' guilt. Clearly, Hamlet is not making a rash
decision. He is using clever thinking to determine if Claudius has indeed committed the
murder. Hamlet is not allowing his emotions to rule him. He is using careful reasoning
before actually condemning his Uncle Claudius.