The Character of Hamlet in Shakespeare’s Play Hamlet-Prince Of Denmark
The play “Hamlet- Prince Of Denmark” is one of the most renowned
revenge tragedies of the world. Written by William Shakespeare, the
play revolves around the themes of revenge and the conflict between
appearance and reality. Shakespeare is one of the most respected and
inspiring writers in the field of English Literature and several of
his works have been widely adored and give off an aura of relevance
till date. Shakespeare, as a writer of around thirty seven plays shows
awareness of the rules of literary tradition by Aristotle stating that
it is only the sufferings of noblemen and kinsmen that are significant
to the world. Even though the background of the play is Denmark, it’s
concepts and concerns are about Elizabethan England. Shakespeare
through this play implants into the reader, the essence of good and
bad, right and wrong, and teaches us to distinguish between one’s
appearances and his true authenticity.
Shakespeare through out this play contrasts Hamlet with his definition
of an ideal man. The ideal man has been defined in relation to the
Elizabethan concept of a complete human being. According to the
Elizabethan era, a young man needs “a very riband in the cap of
youth.” An accomplishment of any kind (particularly fencing)
contributes to the concept of flawlessness in a man. This criterion
has been placed in contrast to Hamlet, who is essentially a
philosophical scholar and avoids indulging in any kind of action.
Shakespeare also uses the symbols of Greek mythology to describe ‘The
perfect Elizabethan’ who should possess “Hyperion’s curls, the front
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...ss of basic human psychologies. This is
why his plays are not of an age but for all time. He furnishes his
plays with some eternal timeless messages. He shows that how thorough
one singular weakness, the whole goodness of an individual can be
wasted. His plays reflect a great contemporary relevance because the
generations of today can still relate to the infinite truth and
knowledge in the themes of his plays. Shakespeare through this play
wants to teach his audience the value of the self-realization of ones
flaws. He tries to suggest that the faster we realize our weaknesses,
the faster we can venture out to evolve as individuals. All in all,
each play of Shakespeare is a superior work of art reaching out to all
the areas of human thought and perception including in itself the
aspects of human nature that are ageless.