Summaries and Analyses of Literature - Hamlet

In Hamlet, Shakespeare presents a tragedy for his audience, laying out the story of young Prince Hamlet who has returned from his studies in Wittenberg to the royal house at Denmark to lament his father’s death and take part in the coronation of his uncle Claudius and his marriage to his mother, Gertrude. His loyal friends report to him that they saw a ghost of the now deceased king Hamlet. Young Hamlet eagerly awaits the ghost’s arrival at midnight. When it arrives, Hamlet follows and is told the truth of the whole event, how Claudius had killed old Hamlet by pouring a poison in his ear while he was sleeping. His main motivations were described as being ambition for acquiring the throne and lust for Gertrude. Throughout the majority of the play, Hamlet consistently looks for the opportunity to avenge his father’s death by killing Claudius, continuously ruminating on the act and whether and how he should do it. His obsession with revenge turns his against his love Ophelia, giving the impression to Polonius, the king’s right-hand man, and Claudius that Hamlet is insanely in love with Ophelia and is thus heavily affected due to her withdrawal of her love for him. After returning from England, contrary to the king’s plan to get rid of Hamlet, he (Hamlet) agrees to a duel with Laertes, Ophelia’s brother, upon the king’s strategy. At the end of the play, the king, queen, Hamlet, and Laertes all die, leaving behind their lives to be pondered.

  Theme: The whole series of events that occur throughout the play culminate in developing the theme of uncertainty and human curiosity and inquisitiveness where the human character is constantly faced with new situations that give way to more questions than answers, developing character to understand ourselves and view the world in a different light.

In Hamlet, even though the point of view of the characters differs based on their dispositions as portrayed by Shakespeare, the general perspective is one of longing to understand the complexities of nature and human society. Especially through Hamlet’s character, Shakespeare conveys inquisitiveness about what life constitutes and questions the purpose of man. The tone of the play relates closely to the point of view, demonstrating a questioning attitude that leads the reader to analyze the situation more closely and recognize an almost dragging outlook. In terms of imagery, as this is a play, readers have to rely on descriptions by characters. The elaborate descriptions by Shakespeare through characters such as Hamlet, of the ghost for instance, show the awe-inspiring feeling that Shakespeare intends to invoke in us. Another instance of vivid imagery occurs during the conversation between Hamlet and Gertrude, overheard by Polonius, that shows the passion that Hamlet delivers to question the intentions and actions of his mother. Even near the end of the play in the graveyard, the quarrel between Hamlet and Laertes over Ophelia’s grave for instance, delivers the contrast between the background and the actions.

 The author’s style is the most distinctive element of Hamlet. Considering Shakespeare’s style, language, and syntax, his writing his ripe with a wide range of devices from various rhyming patterns to other literary devices such as chiasmus, apostrophe, and many others. These techniques add a certain flow to Shakespeare’s writing and give way to a more insightful interpretation of his work. In terms of symbolism and references, Hamlet is full of this particular usage. Starting with the appearance of the ghost, the reader is instigated to question Hamlet’s belief in the supernatural and the degree of faith which Hamlet and the reader can place in the ghost’s words. Throughout the play, Hamlet persists on questioning the prevalence and affects delivered by religion, especially in his attempt to kill Claudius during his (Claudius’s) prayer, acting otherwise for fear of sending him to heaven. The poison is a clear indicator of the authenticity of the ghost’s claims about Claudius’s actions. Ophelia’s madness and her flower-giving act is a nice representation of using her character to denote the characterization of the other characters’ dispositions, motivations, and inclinations. Yorick’s skull near the end of the play was another symbol that illuminated Hamlet’s questioning of the purpose of man in light of inevitable death. His careful analysis of the skull offered insight into his deeper consideration of life after death, the role of religion, and the purpose of the human character.

In Act II Scene IV Lines 33-35, Hamlet states, “What is a man,/If his chief good and market of his time/Be but to sleep and feed? A beast no ore.”, indicating his constant questioning of the purpose of man in life. He is intrigued by the role that each man plays and how life goes on regardless of due consideration of its implications. This relates back nicely to the first line in the play that starts by questioning indirectly the purpose of man. In another quote, in Act I Scene II Lines 133-134, Hamlet says, “How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable,/Seem to me all the uses of this world!”, again circling back to the theme and questioning what exactly is his purpose in life as a man. Furthermore, he questions the purpose of the world as a whole in relation to him, questioning the purpose of mankind as a whole.