Final answer:
Hamlet contrasts his own deep and genuine emotions, which lead to inaction, with the crafted and performative emotions of an actor, whose feelings are designed for a clear expression in art, highlighting themes of authenticity versus artifice.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the protagonist, Hamlet, compares himself with an actor to illustrate a poignant dichotomy. Hamlet's emotional state is intense and genuine, driven by what he perceives as his mother's inadequate representation of his disgust, leading to inaction. Contrarily, an actor conjures emotions purposefully to perform a role. Despite experiencing deep emotions, the actor's situation is fundamentally opposite to Hamlet's since their feelings are not genuine; they are constructed for the sake of performance and have clear expression through their art.
Hamlet's struggle lies in his inability to express or act upon his profound and inexplicable emotions, a dilemma even Shakespeare grapples with in attempting to encapsulate this experience artistically. The contrast between Hamlet and the actor is rooted in the disparity between authentic, overwhelming feeling that paralyzes action, as seen with Hamlet, and the fabricated emotions that an actor displays, which are tailored to fit the narrative and illicit audience response.
Hamlet's internal conflict is juxtaposed against the actor's controlled and outward representation of emotions, encapsulating the themes of authenticity, artifice, and the complexity of the human condition explored in Shakespeare's work.