Introduction
By the 16th century, London was prosperous, with 41 buildings of artisan guilds representing that wealth. Around the mid-1500s, London had a significant increase in commerce, which was aided by the development of monopolies such as those owned by the Muscovy Company, the Turkey Company, as well as the East India Company. Its inhabitants expanded as well, with Londoners rising from over 100,000 in the 1550s to about 200,000 in the 1600s (Clout, 2021). Elizabeth I’s reign was probably the pinnacle of the city’s dominance over England; the queen’s power was founded on its army, wealth, and romance. In the late 1500s, it furnished one-quarter of the men for overseas duty and organized combat trainbands to protect England against a possible Spanish operation (Clout, 2021). This work was written with the aim of discussing Shakespeare’s work through the history of London and the analysis of the work itself.
Analysis
The narrative revolves around the spirit of Denmark’s Lord, who instructs his son Hamlet to revenge his death by assassinating the future monarch, Hamlet’s uncle. Hamlet pretends to be insane, muses on life and death, and wants vengeance. Fearing for his life, his uncle devises schemes to assassinate Hamlet. Claudius, the King’s brother, his murderer, and Hamlet’s father-in-law, being fearful of what Hamlet may do afterward, has him imprisoned and sent to England under surveillance, where he has planned for Hamlet to be killed. Hamlet flees, returning to his hometown, and ultimately exacts his vengeance. The mental repercussions of these convulsions on Hamlet result in some of the finest soliloquies in English, transporting the spectator deep inside Shakespeare’s most renowned protagonist’s psyche. The play concludes with combat in which the Lord, Queen, Hamlet’s antagonist, and Hamlet are murdered.
For Hamlet, the inability of certainty is an impediment to action, which reflects the theme of action versus inaction. One of the cases is Hamlet’s inability to predict what would happen in the afterlife: as a result, he is unable to decide to commit suicide. This ambivalence, nevertheless, affects both Hamlet in the play and the audience: William Shakespeare utilizes it in his audience to highlight Hamlet’s struggles; the most obvious case is the problem of Hamlet’s insanity. As a result, the theme of action versus inaction intersects with the one of reality and its perception. However, several aspects of the performance already cast doubt in the minds of the audience. For example, his openness leads us to believe he is still sane; but, when Ophelia becomes insane, she distributes flowers that match each individual in their most private secrets, demonstrating some clarity in lunacy.
The question of mortality is a major topic throughout the work, with Hamlet pondering the resurrection from each and every imaginable perspective, including spirituality, life after death, and the existence of the body after death. Shakespeare portrays death as an unavoidable process of life, emphasizing that all that is alive must inevitably disappear (Belleart, 2021). The topic of death reappears throughout “Hamlet,” as it is a Shakespearean tragedy. Apart from all characters dying at the end of the play, the King’s death incites the plot of the entire play. Moreover, death is portrayed as an inevitability, a part of a personal journey that no one can escape: “Thou know’st ’tis common; all that lives must die, Passing through nature to eternity” (Shakespeare). Thus, the theme of death remains prevalent throughout the play.
Conclusion
In the current generation, Hamlet is still appreciated because viewers may identify with him on the question of existence and life purpose, which has been a common theme in art from the beginning of time and is still essential now. What life is like after mortality, and how we still exist with our fear of death buried deep within us. Due to his region’s unfair governance, Hamlet may believe that a violent act of vengeance is the only way to settle his problems and sentiments of rage and hatred. Hamlet’s cynicism, as well as his sense of meaning, distinguish him as a uniquely contemporary figure and a watershed moment in the theatrical past. These topics will always be relevant because, unfortunately, people live in a rather cruel society, which sometimes requires reckoning with lawlessness.
Works Cited
Belleart. “Hamlet and the Mystery of Death.”Owlcation, Owlcation, 2021.
Clout, Hugh D. “London – History.”Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2021.
Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. MIT, 1775.