The Truth of Hamlet

The Truth of Hamlet Hamlet the Prince of Denmark is a play consisting of a lot of revenge. This masterpiece of literature was created by William Shakespeare. Hamlet the Prince of Denmark is a tragedy. The play Hamlet is most likely written between 1600 -1602, which is a period when tragedies were very popular. Hamlet the Prince of Denmark is a realistic play. This means that the events that took place in the play could take place in real life. Since this play took place in the 1600’s, many things are done differently than they would be done today. In the play Hamlet the Prince of Denmark, the antagonist, Hamlet, goes through many difficult experiences. Hamlet the Prince of Denmark takes place in Hamlets’ castle. Most of the scenes are in a room somewhere in the castle. The setting rarely changes, but when it does it always has good purpose. One of the scene changes takes place in the graveyard for Ophelia’s funeral. When the scene first changes setting the audience is introduced to the gravedigger. The gravedigger is taking old decayed bodies out of the grave to make room for Ophelia. This procedure is very different than today’s procedure. Shortly after the gravedigger finishes his job, the people attending the funeral show up. Hamlet and Horatio are in this scene. Both Hamlet and Horatio do not want to be seen, so they hide behind a bush. During the ceremony Hamlet gets upset and jumps out from behind the bush, he then proclaims his love for Ophelia. Hamlet and Laertes then get into an argument and the scene ends shortly after.
The importance of the graveyard scene was to show the audience the effects of Ophelia’s death. People questioned whether or not Ophelia should be buried in the graveyard or not because her death looks like a suicide. In this scene the audience can see how much Ophelia really meant to Hamlet.
Another scene change in play is when Hamlet returns to Denmark. This scene takes place in the countryside near the castle. This scene has great importance to the play. In the beginning of the scene where Hamlet returns, Horatio is greeted by two sailors. These two sailors have a letter to Horatio from Hamlet. In the letter, Hamlet says that his ship was captured by pirates and they are returning him to Denmark. After Horatio reads the letter the two sailors ask him to take them to the king and queen. Horatio shows them where the king and queen are and then follows the two sailors to Hamlet.
The play Hamlet the Prince of Denmark never openly states the period of time the play takes to finish. It can be assumed from the course of events that take place that the play is about 2 -3 months. This can be assumed because Hamlets mother remarries shortly after the death of King Hamlet. The new king dies about two months later. Therefore, the course of time these events take place cannot be much longer.
Claudius is the bad guy of the play. While many of the characters are seeking revenge and truth, Claudius is only worried about himself. Power is very important to Claudius, so important that he killed his own brother in order to take the throne. It is possible that Claudius’ love for Gertrude is sincere, but it is also possible that he only married her to gain power. Claudius wants Hamlet dead, maybe even more than his desire to be in power.
While Claudius is an evil and conniving man, Hamlet is a good guy. Throughout the course of the play, Hamlet seeks truth and revenge. In order to receive the truth he is seeking, he must act crazy. He decides to put on a play for the king and queen which will reenact the murder of King Hamlet. This shows Claudius that Hamlet knows and now the revenge can take place. Hamlet hears Claudius confessing to killing King Hamlet and he has the chance to kill him in that moment. The play could have ended right there, but Hamlets indecisiveness kept it going. Hamlet now knows the truth so he acts even crazier. In the final scene Hamlet makes Claudius drink the remaining poison in the goblet that was intended for him to drink. Claudius then drinks the poison and dies following Gertrude. Hamlet has now received the revenge he was seeking but dies shortly afterwards.
In the play, Hamlet the Prince of Denmark, there are many different types of conflict. The entire play is basically written through conflict. Three conflicts in the play are man v. man, man v. self, and man v. nature.
An example of man v. man conflict in the play is when Claudius killed King Hamlet. This is an example of man v. man conflict because Claudius is going against King Hamlet. Claudius’ goal is to kill King Hamlet so that he can marry Gertrude and take over the throne.
An example of man v. self conflict is Hamlet against himself. Hamlet struggles against his urge to commit suicide (3.1.57-74). The thought of suicide is on Hamlet’s mind, but he cannot decide what to do. Suicide is an option for him, but he does not know if it is the best decision.
An example of the man v. nature conflict is Ophelia and the river. Ophelia dies in the river (4.7.168-176). There are two different assumptions on her death. One assumption is that Ophelia fell into the river and drowned. The other assumption is that she committed suicide. This is an example of man v. nature because Ophelia struggled against the river to either stay alive or die.
The true turning point of this play is when Hamlet hears Claudius’ confession. In that moment Hamlet has the opportunity to take Claudius’ life. Either Hamlet is really indecisive or he does not have the inner capability of killing someone. If Hamlet would have killed Claudius the play would have ended there.
In the end of the play almost everyone dies. This is one of the most tragic parts of the play. Claudius has a “bullet-proof” plan that will kill Hamlet, but Hamlet is smarter than Claudius knows. Claudius’ plan fails and Gertrude drinks the poison that Hamlet was supposed to drink and dies. Hamlet makes Claudius drink the remaining poison and then Claudius dies. Hamlet dies shortly after because he is cut with a poisoned sword. Horatio wants to commit suicide because Hamlet is dying, but Hamlet tells him to stay alive to tell this story. Every conflict that takes place throughout the play is in some way related to revenge.
One motif in the play is revenge. Throughout the play Hamlet seeks revenge on Claudius. The reason Hamlet wants revenge on Claudius is because he killed King Hamlet. No one else knows that Claudius is the reason King Hamlet died, so Hamlet is the only one who can seek revenge.
Hamlet is seeking revenge on Claudius which becomes very bothersome to Claudius. Now, Claudius wants to get rid of Hamlet. Claudius seeks revenge on Hamlet because of Hamlets attempt for revenge on him.
Another motif throughout the play is death. On many occasions throughout the play death occurs. King Hamlet, of course, is the first death in the play and the most important. Without the death of King Hamlet the play would never have been created. Another death in the play is Ophelia’s death. This death is very important to the play because Hamlet truly cares about her. Claudius does not believe that hamlet truly loves Ophelia at first, so she broke things off with him. Hamlet is heartbroken after she ends things. When Ophelia died Hamlet proclaims his love for her.
Another major death in the play is the death of Hamlet. This death plays a big role because Hamlet finally achieves his goal of revenge but he dies doing it. This shows the audience that revenge is not always the best solution to someone’s problems.
The overall theme of the play Hamlet the Prince of Denmark is revenge. This play is driven by of revenge. Although many people are seeking revenge, they all have their own reasons. In the end, everyone dies. This shows the audience that there are better solutions to any problem that do not involve revenge.
In the play Hamlet the Prince of Denmark, the protagonist, Hamlet, goes through many difficult experiences. These difficulties shape his character. Without these difficulties Hamlet would lose his struggle; his struggle is what shows the audience how strong he truly is.