Home > Q&A by Experts > Literature >
Q

What Incident Serves to Initiate the Conflict in Hamlet?

A

There are many conflicts presented in the entire play. However, one of the crucial arguments occurred on the basis of the death of Hamlet’s father. Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother, reveals to him that his father deceased. She also married his uncle Claudius, which adds to Hamlet’s frustration.

Detailed answer:

The range of external and internal conflicts depicted in the play Hamlet is enormous. Yet the most vivid one, in act 1, scene 2, relates to Hamlet himself and King Claudius. His emotions have always been the drivers for his actions. The opening acts begin with the revelation that Hamlet’s father is dead. His mother, Gertrude, tries to comfort her son by all means. Meanwhile, the uncle becomes King of the throne, suddenly marrying her. The newly married couple appears on the site, and Hamlet feels disgusted. He even contemplates suicide as he thinks that their union is wrong.

Uncle sends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to cheer him up and to watch his stepson and report his secrets. Gertrude is still endeavoring to comfort her son, but he cannot handle the situation. Hamlet decides to go to Wittenberg for some unknown reasons, but his mother persuades him not to leave and stay in Denmark. While he expresses his anger, his friends Horatio and Marcellus are encountered by the ghost of Hamlet’s father. He tells them the truth about his death, and they report this to Hamlet.

Once, King Hamlet, Hamlet’s father, comes to him at night like a ghost. Hamlet was taught not to believe in ghosts, but he trusts his father’s apparition. This ghost reveals that Uncle Claudius poured poison in his father’s ear while taking a nap in the garden. Moreover, the father wants his son to avenge his death and kill Claudius for such a betrayal. Even though it is hard for Hamlet to believe, he decides to test his uncle and see his reaction. He tries many ways to expose that Claudius is guilty of murdering his father, but his attempts are unsuccessful.

Therefore, he makes up a play called The Murder of Gonzago and performs in front of Claudius. The whole court is invited to watch it. The play’s scenario is shocking and blatant – a man pours poison into a man’s ear. While performing this very scene, who provides comments for every action played. Once, Hamlet starts glancing at his uncle to capture his emotions while pouring the poison. Startled and frustrated, King Claudius flees the hall without hesitation.

After the occurrence, Claudius is enraged and is ready to kill Hamlet. Again, he intends to send Hamlet off to England not to see his pathetic face. Meanwhile, Hamlet seeks vengeance to prove that Claudius murdered his father because he wanted power. After having decided to kill his uncle, Hamlet is having a long tormenting conversation with Gertrude. At the moment, he hears the King approaching and stabs him to death. Unfortunately, he kills Polonius, the chief counselor, instead of Claudius.

Having realized the King is in danger, Gertrude runs to Claudius and reports him about the accident. The King desires Hamlet’s death and sends Laertes to murder him. During the battle, both men strike each other with the swords. However, Laertes’s sword had a poisoned end that killed Hamlet.

As a result, the reader may observe that King Claudius couldn’t control his actions. In an attempt to take the throne, he causes a chain of unpleasant events. Therefore, one can judge that his deeds were inconsiderate. One death causes another, bringing suffering to the surroundings.

Answer's rating:
Updated:
Ask your Question
(We won’t publish it)
Cite This page
You're welcome to use this expert's answer in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2024, August 20). What Incident Serves to Initiate the Conflict in Hamlet? https://ivypanda.com/q/what-incident-serves-to-initiate-the-conflict-in-hamlet/

Work Cited

"What Incident Serves to Initiate the Conflict in Hamlet?" IvyPanda, 20 Aug. 2024, ivypanda.com/q/what-incident-serves-to-initiate-the-conflict-in-hamlet/.

References

IvyPanda. (2024) 'What Incident Serves to Initiate the Conflict in Hamlet'. 20 August.

References

IvyPanda. 2024. "What Incident Serves to Initiate the Conflict in Hamlet?" August 20, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/q/what-incident-serves-to-initiate-the-conflict-in-hamlet/.

1. IvyPanda. "What Incident Serves to Initiate the Conflict in Hamlet?" August 20, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/q/what-incident-serves-to-initiate-the-conflict-in-hamlet/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "What Incident Serves to Initiate the Conflict in Hamlet?" August 20, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/q/what-incident-serves-to-initiate-the-conflict-in-hamlet/.

Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.