Hamlet: A National Hero?

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The stage is awash with the aftermath of a fateful battle. A lifeless king rests amid the corpses of his family and followers, slain for his sins. His nephew, Hamlet, has just taken the life of the man who stole King Hamlet’s crown and passes on with the confidence that he has just liberated his nation, Denmark, from an oppressive ruler. Unfortunately, what Hamlet fails to grasp is the amount of incalculable sacrifices that guided him to be able to tear away Claudius’ crown. In actuality, the lack of animosity in Claudius’ character as well as the sheer destruction that resulted from Hamlet’s journey to avenge his father acts as evidence to the poignant truth: Hamlet was responsible for his country’s decay and cannot be considered the savior of Denmark.

Conversely, others would tend to argue that Hamlet, the protagonist of what is perhaps the most distinguished English text in existence, could indeed be vindicated in being called a savior. The standard definition of “savior” is one who rescues another, either a person or an object, from peril. One could contend that Hamlet’s nation, Denmark, is under strain as the young Prince Fortinbras of Norway threatens to occupy the country with the false justification that he is attempting to conquer Poland. As Fortinbras recently lost his father to the Danish-Norwegian war, this could prove to be evidence for an attack on Denmark; therefore, in this context, Denmark has fallen into peril. Alexander Crawford states that King Claudius of Denmark is futile in his efforts to protect his nation from invasion, only going so far as to employ diplomats to speak for him. “This weakness,” he writes, “is in contrast to the days of the elder Hamlet, when the Danish royal power was feared and respec...

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...o&d=6140459>.

Knight, G. Wilson. “The Embassy of Death: An Essay on Hamlet.” Bloom’s Shakespeare through the Ages. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Infobase, 2008. 264-277. Print.

MacCary, W. Thomas. “Amon and Character.” Hamlet: A Guide to the Play. Westport: Greenwood, 1998. 70. Questia Online Library. Web. 28 Mar. 2011. .

Macdonald, George. “The Elder Hamlet.” Bloom’s Shakespeare through the Ages. Ed. Harold Bloom. 1875. New York: Infobase, 2008. N. pag. Print.

Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: Simon, 2009. Print.

Shmoop Editorial Team. “Claudius in Hamlet.” Shmoop.com. Shmoop U, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 28 Mar. 2011. .

- - -. “Fortinbas in Hamlet.” Shmoop.com. Shmoop U, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 28 Mar. 2011. .

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