Introduction
Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, is one of the greatest tragedies written by William Shakespeare. The themes the story deals with remain crucial for humanity nowadays despite the play being written several centuries ago. Hamlet touches upon the most important aspects of the life of society – love-related difficulties, political topics, and reflections on religion (Hamlet Study Center). Philosophical thoughts about life and death the story possesses cannot let the reader remain intact to the plot, and thus, everyone can make their own conclusions after reading the play. Hamlet is tragic and realistic at the same time, and the images of its characters become eternal in world literature, and it is what gives the story its greatness.
Brief Description of the Plot
Hamlet returns to his castle Elsinore to bury his father and finds out about a ghost that looks like the late king. Hamlet decides to meet the ghost and then encounters the king’s soul, who tells him that Claudius is to blame for his death (Shakespeare). The prince starts to act mad, and even Rosencrantz and Guildenstern cannot find out the motives of his actions. When trying to speak to queen Gertrude Hamlet accidentally kills Polonius, who wanted to eavesdrop on their conversation (Shakespeare). Hamlet decides to check whether the information the ghost told him is right, so he asks actors to play The Murder of Gonzago to see Claudius’s reaction. During the climactic moment of the play, Claudius feels unwell and leaves, so Hamlet understands that the ghost did not lie. Claudius realizes the danger of the situation and attempts to send Hamlet to England when he is executed. However, his plan fails, and the prince returns to Denmark, kills Claudius, and dies of poison himself.
Composition and Themes
The major part of the story’s composition consists of the story of Hamlet’s fate. Every part of the play enables the readers to better understand his personality and is accompanied by the changes in thoughts and compartments the character has. The events happening in the play help make the audience feel the tension throughout the play, as it does not disappear even after Hamlet’s death.
The play may be divided into five compositional parts. The first one is the plot of the play that lasts from the beginning till the scene when Hamlet meets the ghost of his father. In this part, the prince, for the first time, encounters betrayal and meanness, and it is the place where his qualms begin. The second part is the development of actions when the prince decides to act as if he is mad to deceive Claudius and accidentally kills Polonius. The third part is the culmination when Hamlet, through the play The Murder of Gonzago, makes sure that Claudius kills his father (Bahri et al.). The fourth part, when Hamlet is sent to England for execution while Ofelia becomes mad and tragically dies, is a preface to the outcome of the play. The final, the fifth part, is the outcome – Hamlet returns to Denmark and fights Laertes. In this part, all the main characters of the play die, including Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude, and Laertes.
The central theme of the play is death and the revenge that follows it. Hamlet wants to take revenge for his father’s death, but he cannot kill Claudius coldly and rationally to become the king himself (Hamlet Study Center). His humanistic ideas make him think about general well-being. The protagonist feels responsibility for those who suffered from the evil events. Hamlet sees that it is not only Claudius who is to blame for the old king’s death since the whole of Denmark did not pay attention to the circumstances of Hamlet’s father’s death. He realizes that he will have to become an enemy of everyone who surrounds him to get revenge. It is also interesting that Polonius, whom Hamlet kills by mistake, is Laertes’s father, and that is why Laertes wants to kill Hamlet at the end of the play. Thus, the theme of death and taking revenge for it expands to the death of fathers and sons taking revenge for them (Wilson 282). However, the tragic end of the play, with all characters’ deaths, makes the audience think about whether revenge is worth it.
Another theme of Shakespeare’s Hamlet is love because the play shows the reader the romantic relations between Hamlet and Ofelia. However, this love is unhappy since, although the prince really loves Ofelia, he is forced to abandon his feelings because he realizes that he is not ready to endanger the woman he loves. However, he does not think that his decision will leave Ofelia completely broken, and she will become mad and tragically dies at the end of the play.
Problems and Conflicts of the Play
The major problem the protagonist encounters throughout the play is the problem of making the right choice. Hamlet has a lot of uncertainty inside, and that is why he often thinks about right and wrong and analyzes everything that happens to him or to the people who surround him. His monologue “To Be or Not to Be” reflects all the pain he feels and the complete tragedy of thoughts he experiences. Hamlet has nobody who can help him to make up the right decision. That is why he relies only on his own thoughts and feelings, and it causes inner conflict in his mind. It is expressed through Hamlet’s anxiety and his struggle with himself. He makes a choice between philosophy and humanism and the gist of the world that is completely evil (Bahri et al.). The external manifestation of the conflict concerns Hamlet’s manner of communicating with other members of the Danish court.
Characters’ Descriptions
Hamlet, who is the main character of the play, is portrayed as a person who suffers from melancholy. He pursues self-knowledge, and someone may think that he is a weak character because it is hard for him to make decisions (Lewis 21). However, as his worldview and perception change, the reader sees his internal strength. Hamlet is focused on his inner world and state and is quite skeptical about things that surround him (Hamlet: Character Analysis List). Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother, is a woman who possesses wit but does not have any will. She does not try to support her son after her husband’s death and agrees to marry Claudius, who is hypocritical and mean (Luludova). She constantly justifies herself but, at the end of the play, realizes how mistaken she is. Ofelia and Horatio are people who support Hamlet and are loyal to him. Ofelia loved the prince till her death, and she was mad with grief when Hamlet abandoned her. Horatio is the prince’s only true friend who is eager to share his death with him. It is he whom Hamlet tells to make his story public.
Conclusion
To conclude, it is worth mentioning that Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a play that shows an educated person who is seeking truth and fairness and has empathy for everything that surrounds him. However, life makes him encounter evil in its different manifestations, and Hamlet tries to find out how and why it appeared. He is astonished by the fact that a place may be easily turned into hell on Earth, and his revenge concerns not only compensating for his father’s death but also destroying the evil that entered the world.
Works Cited
Bahri, Syamsul et al. “The Conflicts in Shakespeare’s Drama Hamlet”Neliti.
Hamlet: Character Analysis List. Interesting Literature, 2021.
Hamlet Study Center. “Hamlet by William Shakespeare: Themes”Bachelorandmaster.
Lewis, Rhodri. Hamlet and the Vision of Darkness. Princeton University Press, 2020.
Luludova, Elena. “Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” as an Archetype: a Comparative Analysis”Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities, vol. IX, 2017.
Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Prabhat Prakashan, 2021.
Wilson, Jeffrey. “The Meaning of Death in Shakespeare’s Hamlet” Taylor & Francis Online. vol. 34, 2021, pp. 282-286.