ABSTRACT
Originally an animal, human attains rational maturity and becomes ethically conscious. He then sheds his bestiality and evolves into homo sapiens. As a result, the essential difference that distinguishes human from beast is believed to be the sense of ethics his rationality bestows upon him. Nevertheless, human is not angel. Not without his flaws, human still retains certain characteristics of animals, which has ever fuelled the ethical enigma of Sphinx that human is Sphinx-like as he is half human and half animal. The Sphinx Riddle in Greek Mythology has provided an important instance for better understanding human ethical consciousness. The celebrated play of Hamlet by Shakespeare offers another meaningful example of human ethical tragedy. This chapter argues that the emotional lamentation and plea for redemption in the end of the soliloquy provide a key to understanding Hamlet’s tragedy and factually unveil the very ethical enigma of human life.
