Prince Hamlet, having returned home from school in Germany arrives to an upsetting scene to say the least. His father, King Hamlet is dead and his mother Gertrude has already remarried. Not just to any man either, the king’s brother Claudius who has already taken possession of the throne. As the gravity of the situation continues to sink in for Prince Hamlet he begins to suspect correctly that his uncle Claudius was responsible for his father’s death. Hamlet’s suspicions are confirmed when his father’s ghost visits him to tell him he was murdered. King Hamlet encourages young Hamlet to seek vengeance against his uncle. As Hamlet resolves to do just that, he begins to wonder about the veracity of the ghost and its visits. Hamlet’s fears overcome him and he becomes paralyzed emotionally, unable to fulfill the requests of his father’s ghost. He cares for both his parents and works himself into a stupor trying to decide how to execute his plan of action. In the meantime Hamlet sets in motion a series of catastrophic events that cause the deaths of six people besides Claudius who he originally planned to kill.
Hamlet seeks redemption from his miserable situation by contemplating suicide. His continuous lamenting and depression give us insight into his internal conflict and torment. Suicide is not the usual mode of redemption found in most storylines, as with many themes of redemption there is a more positive savior provided. We may be able to draw the conclusion that Hamlet’s eventual death does bring him redemption and freedom from the indecision and chaos around him. In a roundabout way, Laertes, Hamlet’s eventual murderer may be seen as the person who finally brings Hamlet closure and redemption.
Ophelia, who is in love with Hamlet, expresses a moral truth that she values when she tells her brother Laertes that she believes both men and women should guard their chastity. This is one of the few times in the play that Ophelia exerts an opinion instead of giving in to the orders of another individual. Feeling overwhelmed, controlled and hopeless herself, Ophelia seeks redemption through her own suicide by drowning. Ophelia’s eventual demise can be paralleled to the decline in moral values in today’s society specifically concerning young women. As women and girls attempt to conform to the world’s standards for them they only lose themselves more and become a slave to those ideals which can destroy women on many levels.
A demonstration of a just society is attempted where people are punished fairy for their sins and are not left to take the law and matters into their own hands. If a just society had been more influential within Hamlet’s kingdom in Denmark, many of the tragedies would not have occurred. A just society is contingent upon moral truths which each person must possess. These internalized moral truths facilitate working for the common good and restrict a person from acting upon their own destructive thoughts that could potentially lead to the downfall of their society. As Hamlet lay dying, wounded by Laertes’ poisoned sword he announces the kingdom of Demark will be passed on to the King Fortenbras of Norway. The last scene culminates the redemptive qualities of a just society as the new King of Denmark holds a funeral with military honors for Hamlet.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
The appearance of his father's ghost didn't seem very reliable to him as he began to question his own sanity over what he thinks he should do about the situation. Hamlet deeply contemplates about his soul being damned on actions he was willing to pursue in avenging his father's death. He cautiously plots his act of revenge and waits for the ideal moment to avenge his father's murder. He decides to show King Claudius a play, a similar performance of Claudius' own murderous deed, hopefully seeing some kind of reaction from the king. He says "I'll have these…
- 1027 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
Throughout the play Hamlet faces many conflicts that an everyday person might not. When the play begins we learn that Hamlet’s fathers had been slain by his own brother. Hamlet’s meets his father’s ghost and…
- 463 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Hamlets father was killed by his Uncle Claudius due to jealousy of the kingdom. Claudius poisoned his brother while he was sleeping in the garden. Hamlet finds out his father was murdered by meeting is ghost in the yard of the kingdom. Hamlet decides to plan out his revenge by first acting like he has gone mad because of his father’s death. He breaks his loves heart in the process but doesn’t stop his revenge. He orders for a play to be presented to the royal court, including his uncle and his mother. This play is supposed to simulate his fathers death and he wants to see how the king reacts to the play. This is where he realizes that the ghost was telling the truth. Claudius then figures out that Hamlet has been suspicious and decides to send him to England to be killed. While speaking to his mother, Hamlet hears someone spying on them and kills his loves father, Polonius. This was the beginning of the tragedy. Hamlet has a moment to kill Claudius before he leaves for England but questions himself and his actions. He then leaves only to return after finding a letter of his execution and being “attacked” by pirates. Claudius and Polonius’s son, Laertes, have come up with a plan to kill Hamlet when he arrives. They are going to challenge him in a fencing battle with poison at the end of the sword. If this plan fails, they will have poisoned wine for Hamlet to drink.…
- 781 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
He now feels the desertion of not one but two parents. The reader can recognize how this might drive Hamlet’s depression about the loss of his father even deeper. He feels as though he has no one and begins to question his father’s death, and most of all his mothers’ loyalty to his father when he was alive, as she was able to grieve and move on in such a short period of time. Following those life-changing circumstances, Hamlet receives word that his father’s apparition has returned in the silence of the dark. From his fathers supernatural figure he realizes the true nature of the old king's death, murder. And by none other than there own flesh and blood, Old King Hamlets brother, King Claudius. Although a part of Hamlet mistrusted his uncle…
- 153 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
King Claudius deceives all those around him with his mourning and celebrating demeanor, and his strange celebration and waking. He seems to grieve for the brother that he slew, and works to console all others that may or may not grieve for his brother's death, such as his nephew and step-son Hamlet. His pretense is great, and forces Hamlet to investigate the truth of the ghost's tale, unraveling the mystery of his father's death and others' involvement.…
- 459 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Everyone faces unhappiness at least once in their lifetime and so do the characters in the play, “Tragedy of Hamlet”. As a result, death is a tool that characters, such as Hamlet and Laertes, use to escape from sorrow. Hamlet shows signs of committing suicide while Laertes’s sadness turns into madness. Beginning with Hamlet, Hamlet shows his depression and desire to die as he says, “O, that this too too sullied flesh would melt; Thaw and resolve itself into a dew!; Or that the Everlasting had not fix'd; His canon 'gainst self-slaughter! O God! God!” (Hamlet; 1.2.129-132). As Hamlet expresses these emotions, one can conclude that Hamlet is yet to overcome the fact that his father, King Hamlet, is dead. Hamlet’s sadness grows as he is not pleased with his mother, the Queen, as she is perfectly fine about Hamlet’s father’s death; in fact she marries her dead husband’s brother. These two situations have lead Hamlet to think that his suffering will only end if he switches off his life. Thus, one can guess that, through Hamlet, Shakespeare suggests that death is a medium with which one may end his misery. While Hamlet thinks about committing suicide to end his sadness, Laertes looks for ways to end the reason for his sadness. After Claudius tells Laertes that Hamlet is the one who is responsible for his father’s death, Laertes speaks, “To cut his [Hamlet] throat I’ th’ church” (Hamlet; 4.7.127), this expresses Laertes’s disdain for Hamlet. Laertes realizes the fact that Hamlet is the reason for his sadness, Hamlet being…
- 1157 Words
- 5 Pages
Better Essays -
Prince Hamlet of Denmark is mourning the death of his father the old king and his mother just got remarried to his uncle. Hamlet’s father the old king appears as a ghost and informs him that he was murdered by Hamlets uncle the present king of Denmark and Hamlet must avenge his death. The task given to him is very easy, but Hamlet is unable to complete that task until the very end of the play. Hamlet is indecisive he does not know when to take action and when he does take action it is not in the appropriate form. After the apparition of the ghost, he decides to stage a play that will recreate the story his father told him to see if Claudius is guilty.…
- 518 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Because Hamlet idealizes his father and sees him as the epitome of perfection, the ghost is able to receive his son’s full attention; leading Hamlet to only see the faults in others. This is shown through King Hamlet’s demanding nature throughout this scene. King Hamlet never leaves eye contact with his son, to remind him the importance of giving him attention. Through this, the ghost acts less as a father and more as a reminder for revenge. King Hamlet removes the loving character and warmth of a father and replaces it with a more demanding and revenge seeking entity. His father’s speaking picks up pace as he talks of his brother pouring the poison into his ear, causing his “life, crown, of queen at once dispatched”. When King Hamlet reminds…
- 217 Words
- 1 Page
Good Essays -
Once Hamlet discovers that his father’s death was the result of Claudius poisoning his father, Hamlet is driven to avenge his father. Hamlet never questions his cause for vengeance as Claudius never divulges the entirety of his side of the story either; therefore, Claudius is painted as the villain. He may have had motive for his actions towards his brother as Hamlet was determined to honor kill Claudius in an eye-for-an-eye fashion. It’s not to say Hamlet isn’t justified. Claudius killed his father, and Hamlet has the right to seek vengeance. Claudius may have had his own reasons . The relationship between Claudius and King Hamlet is never expanded upon. Both the protagonist and the antagonist of Hamlet used the act of murder as a means to an end. Had they swapped roles, the cause for their actions may have differed but the result would have remained the…
- 696 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Throughout Hamlet there is a moral conflict in regards to suicide. As the events of the play unfold Hamlet finds himself pondering whether or not life is worth living in such a decrepit world. Uncertainty keeps Hamlet from ending the pain of life, as well as his desire for revenge on Claudius.…
- 397 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
In the beginning of the play Hamlet, Hamlet finds himself summoned from his school in Germany to return back to his homeland in Denmark to attend his father’s funeral. In the midst of learning of his father’s death, Hamlet also becomes privy to the detail that his mother has remarried to his uncle, Claudius. Furthermore, during Hamlet’s time home his father reappears as a ghost to enlighten Hamlet of his murderous death committed by Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius. In just the first act of the play, readers quickly find themselves in a swirling whirlwind of Hamlet’s family drama. Through these many incidents and Shakespeare's eloquent words, the play may appear as an overwhelming story that has little relevance today. However, when further analyzing…
- 612 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
In every rendition of “Hamlet”, Hamlet’s father the “Ghost, has played a key role to the downfall of Hamlet’s character. He’s introduced in the beginning of ‘Hamlet’, triggering the up roar of the kingdom. Due to his sudden death, the kingdom is supposedly to be in distress but Claudius reassured everyone and took over power. As the “Ghost”, he adds a theatrical thrill as he forms the unexpected tension between him and his son. Though he is dead, he still governs over his son telling Hamlet that Claudius, his uncle, murdered him and should murder him for revenge. King Hamlet is the ‘gatekeeper’ of the beginning of the downfall of Hamlet and the up rise of tension to the play. With the help of special effects in the film, the spirit of King Hamlet created to be a presumptuous character. After appearing in front of Horatio and the guardsmen, he was terrified by others. Having to come out with smoke and a pale blue, he looked much like ghost in the film, creating a form of realism. He was interesting character for that he wanted his son, Hamlet to take revenge on him. His “commands” only makes Hamlet to falter and begin his venture of downfall. Like every other tragic character that Shakespeare rights, Hamlet goes through series of soliloquies of questioning of whether to actually kill uncle for the sake of his father. Besides persuading Claudius, King Hamlet tells Hamlet to act abnormal and crazy, to hide any more suspicion. It leads Hamlet to be vicious to Ophelia, which eventually led to her death. Also, with the craziness that Hamlet was experiencing, it led to him killing Polonius thinking it was Claudius. Death after death, it goes back to King Hamlet, the starter of this chain. After his murder, he brought the responsibilities to Hamlet to continue the ends of the many other characters. Though as thrilling character that the king was from appearing in a promptly way and scaring the other characters, he brought injustice for his son leading to his…
- 348 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
By taking a closer glimpse at Ophelia's character and behavior, the audience can better understand Gertrude's true nature. All the men in Ophelia's and Gertrude's lives love to command them like they are robots. In act one, both Ophelia's fatherPoloniusand her brotherLaertesgive her lectures about her relations with Hamlet. As Laertes is leaving for France Ophelia assures him that she "shall the effect of this good lesson keep/As watchman to [her] heart" (1.3.45). As to her father's orders she answers, "I shall obey, my Lord" (1.3.136). Later in act three she allows Claudius and her father to use her in an attempt to find out why Hamlet is acting crazy. Then while being exploited, Ophelia allows Hamlet to humiliate her. In short he tells her not to marry…
- 887 Words
- 4 Pages
Better Essays -
At the beginning of the play a ghost reveals himself to Hamlet. The ghost is King Hamlet who was murdered. The ghost explains to Hamlet everything that happened and asks Hamlet to seek revenge on King Claudius. At this point Hamlet decides that he will fake madness and insanity while he plans his revenge on Claudius. Hamlet’s character change is noticeable to everyone and Claudius wants to find out why he has not been acting the same but, Polonius tells King Claudius that it may just be that he is in love with Ophelia. Hamlet then sets up a play re-enacting his father’s death to see if Claudius shows any guilt. When the murder scene in Hamlet’s play takes place, King Claudius leaves the theatre and, now Hamlet is certain that Claudius is guilty of murdering King Hamlet. Claudius begins to fear Hamlet’s insanity and plans on sending him to England. Hamlet speaks with his mother, Queen…
- 1629 Words
- 7 Pages
Good Essays -
The main grievance Hamlet has with his uncle is the murder of his father, the king. Already grieving over death of his father, Hamlet discovers, by confession of his father, that Claudius murder him in order to become king. Called to action by his friend Horatio and the guards who have witness appearances of a ghost during their night watch, Hamlet goes to confront the ghost that looks like the late King Hamlet. A ghost doomed to walk the earth for an unspecified number of years to atone for the sins that he was not able to confess, King Hamlet Sr., tells the prince that he was murdered by Claudius through foul means. He states, “Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder. Murder most foul, as in the best it is; But this most foul, strange and unnatural” (249), demanding that Hamlet, his son, avenge his ill-conceived death. Overcome with grief and anger at the injustice done to him (as Claudius has managed to steal the crown from him) and his father, Hamlet begins to plot his vengeance. However, being the only one who has talked to ghost, Hamlet, wanting to ensure that…
- 1079 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays