The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark - Essay Example

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare between 1599 and 1602. The play dramatizes the revenge Prince Hamlet exacts on his uncle Claudius for murdering King Hamlet and then succeeding to the throne and taking as his wife Gertrude. William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” is one of the most popular writings in the history of literature. Several years after it was authored, its characters and themes still illuminate elements of human nature. Among those vital aspects of human nature is the urge to seek out retaliation and the impacts of vengeance. Laertes, Hamlet, and Fortinbras are alike in that they are young men whose fathers have been killed and who set out to restore family honor. However, they differ in their courses of action. The three characters react to the news of the death of their fathers differently. Hamlet showed a different reaction to the death of his father. In one view, the lack of action from Hamlet upon learning of the murder of his father is because of his aspiration to authenticate the assertions of the ghost. On another viewpoint, the delayed action from Hamlet is because of his procrastination nature, and his desire to carefully analyze the situation. Hamlet slowly reacts to the situation with great aspect of cunning and no execution. He spends a good part of the play trying to prove his uncle guilty beyond doubt. For example, in scene v of Act I, Hamlet plans to “feigns madness in order to secretly act to determine if the claims of the ghost are true” (Act I, Scene V). Hamlet even after concrete proof, he fails to kill Claudius when he had an opportunity to do so. However, Hamlet enacts his revenge in the last scene because he knows it is the last chance and he is going to die. Hamlet acts in the last minute. When Polonius asks Hamlet if he knows him, he says “Excellent well. You are a fishmonger” (Act II, Scene II). Laertes on the other hand acts recklessly and swiftly upon learning of the death of his father. In scene v of Act IV, Laertes together with a mob returns to Elsinore and “threatens to overthrow Claudius if he fails to explain the death of his father” (Act IV, Scene V). Laertes is quickly convinced that Hamlet is responsible for his father’s death and swears to take part in the plan to kill Hamlet as revenge. This is contrary to the Hamlet’s reaction. He analyzes the situation deeply, and when he watches the play, he says “have these players play something like the murder of my father before mine uncle” (Act III, Scene II). Laertes’ rash reactions coupled with Hamlets patience in handling his father’s death led to the downfall of all people who were involved. Main conflict While Laertes and Hamlet are in the opposing sides of the scandal, Fortinbras is neutral. His reactions upon the news of his father’s death were neither reckless nor delayed. Fortinbras shows a rational behavior as opposed to Laertes’ rashness and Hamlet’s procrastination. In fact Laertes rushes to say “Let come what comes; only Ill be revenged” (Act IV, Scene V). He deliberately and calmly establishes a proactive plan to seek vengeance for the murder of his father and repossess his lands. He organizes an army and “arrives conveniently, soon after the carnage at Elsinore has unfolded” (Act V, Scene II). Fortinbras’ decisive and rational acts make him the only one surviving the play out of the three. Themes The main theme of the play is revenge. Perverse family drama, ghosts and a vow of revenge: the play is all geared up to be a traditional bloody revenge. The play is not about Hamlet’s ultimately successful vengeance for his father’s murder at all. This is revealed in Act 5. In my opinion, Hamlet is focused in calling into question the validity and uselessness of revenge than in satisfying the audience’s bloodlust. Apart from revenge, mortality is also another theme that is revealed in the play. From Hamlet’s initial confrontation with a dead man’s ghost to the final bloodbath, the play is in the process of trying to come to grips with just this problem: if death finally catches up with, then does it really matter who kills us? Literacy devices in the play Symbolism, allegory and imagery Yorick’s skull and the graveyard: the play’s brooding about death and humanity comes in full swing in the infamous graveyard scene, where Hamlet holds up the unearthed skull of Yorick. Yorick’s skull is representation of death. In this scene, is in contrary to the royal court, and not just because of the dirt and bones and all. In other words, the symbolism of Yorick’s shows that there is no time to remember the dead. People die; get over it; move on. Ghost: Ghosts are a common element in revenge tragedy hence I am not surprised that the specter shows up in the play. The Ghost in the play is revealed as: spirit of health or goblin damned" (1.4.5). Flowers: when Ophelia loses her mind in Act IV, scene v, she starts handling out flowers to everyone around her. Ophelia talks directly about the flowers. Columbine symbolized folly, fennel symbolized strength and praiseworthiness, violets represented faithfulness and modesty and daisies symbolized innocence. Tone Dark, uncertain, introspective, and tortured: apart from the humorous nature of the play, Hamlet is a dark play characterized by uncertainty and suspicion. The tone of uncertainty and anxiety is revealed as early as the first line, “who is there?” (1.1). when the author delivers all those tortured and introspective soliloquies about mortality, the futility of life and betrayal, he brings the audience into his tortured world view-and only let them out with his death. Writing style Verse and prose: the play is written in a combination of verse (poetry) and prose. Characters that are not categorized as high class, for instance gravediggers, don’t get to speak in verse; they just talk. Hamlet Plot Analysis: Initial situation: month after the King died, the queen remarries to his own brother. On the political front, Prince Fortinbras of Norway plans to invade Denmark. Conflict: the main conflict in the play is revenge. A ghost shows up on the castle battlements and delivers the message to Hamlet that his father’s death was not accident. Hamlet on his part plans avenges his father’s death. Complication: revenge should not be too complicated if at all one plans to execute it. However, Hamlet doesn’t get the revenge. On the contrary he does some crazy things that complicate his situation. Climax: Hamlet’s confrontation with his mother undertakes the role of climax. The play-within-the play is the plot’s climax while the confrontation is the emotional climax. In conclusion, Shakespeare uses characters of Laertes, Hamlet, and Fortinbras to accomplish illumination of human nature through their actions. All of the three characters seek revenge for the death of their fathers. However, Shakespeare has portrayed the characters in a different way. Each of them shows a different way of reaction towards the situation. Fortinbras reacts rationally and plans his move for revenge, while Laertes reacts decisively and swiftly at the news of the murder of his father. This serves as foils to Hamlet who has a procrastinating nature. Shakespeare also shows through Fortinbras that rational acts results into a superior end, as opposed to excessive contemplation or impulse reactions. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. S.I.: Aquitaine Media, 2009. Print. Read More