Hamlet

Hamlet is first tormented by the death of his father, the king of Denmark. Then he is cast into utter agony when Gertrude, the mother he loves dearly is hastily married to his uncle, Claudius. Through a ghostly revelation, Hamlet learns that his suspicions that Claudius murdered his father are true. He becomes incensed and wants to enact revenge upon the guilty party. From this point on, Hamlet struggles with his plan for revenge that conflicts with his opposite contemplative nature.

Hamlet undergoes a series of trials and troubles some that are internal and other’s that create towards a certain path that he cannot escape. Hamlet’s best destruction in this path of no return is characterized in the beginning with his uncertainty of his existence and feeling over the loss of his father’s death. Young Hamlet faces risk within his mind when his mother marries his uncle soon after the death of his father. The death of Hamlet’s father and the immediate marriage of King Claudius and Hamlets mother Gertrude was a major factor in Hamlets depression. Unable to comprehend his melancholy mood he boards on a journey of revenge when learning his father’s ghostly appearance is wandering the Castle at night restless from not finding closure in his life. This event derives from his father’s meeting and revealing the cause of his extraordinary death. Hamlet’s uncle Claudius schemed and conquered in killing his own brother in order to gain the throne and Hamlet in some obligation towards truth, anger, and revenge agrees to expose

When Hamlet’s father was murdered by Claudius, difficulties arose between Hamlet and Gertrude to cope with one another. Hamlet got angry with his mother for remarrying Claudius, his father’s murderer, that he decides to be more rough towards her, simply to gain control over her.

Shakespeare is the author of the play Hamlet. The plot of Hamlet is centered on Prince Hamlet. Prince Hamlet is a thoughtful and analytical character who deals with depression and at times even goes completely mad. He enters into a deep melancholy during the play. Prince Hamlet has a desire to avenge his father’s death, but does not rapidly act on his thoughts of murder. Claudius and Gertrude are two other characters in the play who are concerned about Prince Hamlet’s odd behaviors. Therefore, they find a couple of Prince Hamlet’s friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, to keep a close watch on him. The play is set on a dark winter night in Denmark. Claudius, the brother of King Hamlet, has just taken the throne and married Queen Gertrude who was King Hamlet’s wife. A ghost is seen by a couple of watchmen and then by a scholar named Horatio. The ghost is thought to be King Hamlet. Prince Hamlet is brought to meet the ghost at Elsinore Castle in Denmark. The ghost identifies himself as King Hamlet and tells Prince Hamlet he was murdered by Claudius. The ghost wants Prince Hamlet to obtain revenge on Claudius for taking his throne and wife. Now, the stage is set for Prince Hamlet to find out answers and make decisions regarding seeking revenge on behalf of his dead father.

William Shakespeare’s masterpiece, "Hamlet, Prince of Denmark" is a tragic drama which revolves around the themes of betrayal, vengeance and procrastination. Although these concepts are shown throughout the play, they are especially shown in Act V, Scene I. This scene is of great importance because it revolves around the three basic ideas of the play. It exemplifies how these three particular ideas lead to the downfall of almost all of the major characters.

Hamlet arrives home from his studies to discover that his uncle, Claudius, has murdered Hamlet’s father, the king of Denmark. Hamlet vows to avenge his father’s death by killing Claudius. Although Hamlet is obsessed with killing Claudius, his conscience seems to be plagued with the enormity of committing murder. Claudius’s conniving assassination of the king and Hamlet’s desire for justice make the two characters seem quite dissimilar. Hamlet the beloved prince is supposed to slay Claudius the scheming usurper. Yet, in some sense, Hamlet seeks the same path as Claudius. He wants to murder Claudius, just as Claudius murdered his father. To do this, however, would bring Hamlet down to Claudius’s level. The lust, manipulation, selfishness and even doubt that are so plainly seen in Claudius also exist within Hamlet and become apparent as he contemplates his revenge.

Throughout William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, Hamlet’s behavior and actions cause readers to question his sanity. Hamlet’s character can be interpreted in many different ways. It could be said that he is indeed insane, or it can be disputed that he, as he made known, is simply putting on a good act. The complexity of knowing Hamlet’s true character derives from the fact that we, as readers, are unable to read Shakespeare’s or Hamlet’s minds. Therefore, judgments could be made solely by reading and interpreting his behavior and coming up with a satisfactory conclusion. Taking into consideration incidents such as Polonius’ murder and Hamlet’s contemplating suicide, it is natural for individuals who perform such acts to be categorized as crazy. Ignoring Hamlet’s actual actions, and paying keen attention to what altered his character, one can debate that Hamlet is not at all insane. It is important to consider the situations which triggered Hamlet’s different actions. By giving discreet thought to Hamlet’s position and what he endures, one will realize that he is not demented, but he is actually an angry, betrayed and emotionally devastated fatherless son.

Oddly, it appears that Gertrude possess more significance to Hamlet than one first anticipates. Her swift call to matrimony leads Hamlet into a spiraling quarry of depression and grieving. This mirrors the Oedipus complex. Gertrude sexually commits herself to Claudius causing Hamlet to feel a sense of jealousy and disappointment. In retaliation, he expresses his repressed desire of love through his unruly comments. He even goes as far as to say that the love is incestuous. Furthermore, in Act 3 scene 4, Hamlet confronts his mother directly in a closet. Addressing concern over her sexual actions, he exclaims “In the rank sweat of an enseamèd bed, / Stewed in corruption, honeying and making love / Over the nasty sty” (III.iv.104-106). Not only does this quote show that Hamlet disapproves his mother’s marriage, but also that he believes Claudius is a wicked criminal. Aligning with the Oedipus complex, Hamlet strangely obsesses over his mother’s love life while viewing his uncle in

Hamlet’s curiosity caused him to not only suspect his mother, but also kill poor Polonius. He believed Gertrude was an accomplice in the murder of his father.Hamlet has violent outbursts towards his mother. His anger increased as Gertrude misinterpreted the situation. She believed that she was in danger of being assaulted and therefore cries out for help. Hamlet, who was full of rage, runs his dagger through the arras and kills Polonius, mistaking him for Claudius. "O me, what hast tho done/Nay, I know not. Is it the king?" (III-iv.27-28) Hamlet's passion was furiously aroused, and his words to his mother grew increasingly bitter and sharp. His words acted like daggers that shattered Gertrude's peace of mind. "Nay, but to live in the rank sweat of an enseamed bed, stewed in corruption, honeying and making love over the nasty sty.

Up until this point in the play, Hamlet has shown much hate and distrust towards his mother. Hamlet insults Queen Gertrude declaring her marriage "incestuous", saying that with, "wicked speed," she got over the death of her husband and, "post / With such dexterity to incestuous sheets" (1.2.160-61). Leading right up to Polonius's murder, Hamlet wishes, "(it [was] not so) [that] you are my mother" (3.4.21) saying that he would rather not be Gertrude's son at all. Then, as Hamlet thrusts his sword into Polonius, who hides himself "behind the arras", Gertrude becomes Hamlet's mother again and his newest confidant. Hamlet finally shares his feelings about Gertrude, "[living] / In the rank sweat of an enseamèd bed / . . . and making love / Over the nasty sty" (3.4.104-06). Also, the fact that Hamlet stabs Polonius and immediately asks, "Is it the King" should speak for itself in the ears of the Queen and the reader that Hamlet trusts her enough to not care whether she knows his intentions to kill Claudius or...