Summary and Analysis: Hamlet

Hamlet

THE BASICS:

Author - William Shakespeare wrote Hamlet, and since his time, this play has always been considered one of his masterpieces. The story goes that Shakespeare wrote this play after his son, Hamnet, passed away, which easily explains the similarity between the choice of names.

Setting - The play takes place in Denmark. Most of the action takes place at Elsinore, the king's castle, however some does take place in the fields and even at sea (though this action is never seen).

Plot -

Hamlet begins at a very tense and important moment at Elsinore. A ghost in the form of Hamlet, Sr. has been sighted outside of the castle. Hamlet, Sr. has passed away and his son and namesake has returned home from his studies in Wittenburg to  mourn his father. His mother and uncle, who has been awarded the crown by the council, are married and Hamlet, Jr. (henceforth, Hamlet) is quite upset that no one seems to care about his father's death or the seeming incest or unholiness in Gertrude's hasty marriage to Claudius. Hamlet is forced to stay in Elsinore against his will and begins to contemplate suicide based on his thoughts on his own identity. He carries a flame for Ophelia, who returns his affection. However, Ophelia's father, Polonius catches wind of this and puts a stop to their relationship. Hamlet is brought to meet with the ghost of his father, where the ghost tells him that Claudius murdered him and orders him to avenge him. This coupled with Ophelia's "spurn" causes him to lose his marbles, leading the court to believe that he is mad in love, rather than revenge. After a confrontation with Ophelia and a hidden threat to Claudius, the action is set in motion. Hamlet uses a play to deduce the true guilt of Claudius but loses a convenient opportunity to avenge his father. Later, he confronts his mother and ends up killing Polonius in a fit of rage (but he meant to kill Claudius). This fatal mistake generates the tragedy, where Hamlet is sent to England, but miraculously escapes and returns to even more scheming by Laertes and Claudius. In the final scene, Hamlet accepts his role in God's game of fate and ends up dueling Laertes. Claudius has poisoned one sword and also poisoned Hamlet's drink in case. Gertrude ends up drinking the wine and dies soon after, but Hamlet is already struck by the poisoned sword as well as Laertes. Hamlet then kills Claudius and dies in Horatio's arms, leaving the kingdom to Prince Fortinbras of Norway.

Characters -

• Hamlet: He is the protagonist.
• Claudies: Antagonist.
• Ophelia: Hamlet's love interest. Kills herself.
• Gertrude:Hamlet's mother. Dies as a consequence of Claudius' scheme.
• Laertes: Ophelia's brother who returns to avenge his father
• Polonius: father to Laertes and Ophelia. Murdered by Hamlet.

NARRATIVE VOICE
There is not much of a voice, since this is a play. If anything the voice truly comes out in the theme statement as that works to exemplify what Shakespeare is trying to say throughout the play.


STYLE
-Pov: The play takes place in the third person perspective, but it almost goes into first person as Shakespeare uses the text to really expose Hamlet's thoughts and feelings. Through introspection, Shakespeare adds a strong dimension to Hamlet and other characters like Claudius. So alongside the action, we also see into the views of many characters.
-Tone: The tone is one of deep questioning. Throughout the play, Shakespeare calls a lot of things into question, especially societal things like morality, duty, and identity. By highlighting these issues, he takes on a very strong stance against the ideas of faking or deceit, even if they may be inherent in human nature.
-Imagery: The language in this play offers some very deep, vivid imagery, especially in relation to Hamlet. There are often times where the text just runs on and on with deep descriptions of ideas or events. One example is when the player describes the scene of Troy or when Hamlet uses his rank, rotten corpse analogy for the House of Denmark.
-Symbolism: There is a lot of Christian symbolism. The names of the characters, Hamlet and Gertrude as opposed to Claudius and Polonius, highlight the difference/tension between Catholics (Roman) and Protestants (Germanic). Hamlet himself is quite the Christ figure due to his ultimate sacrifice in the name of God as well as the fact that he is around 30, like Jesus was during the crucifixion. Elsinore seems to symbolize the insulated isolation of royalty, where a world of schemes and devious ideas is separate from the rest of the world.

QUOTES

• "There is special providence in the fall of a sparrow. If it be now, 'tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come—the readiness is all."

This quote serves to relieve all tension in Hamlet's mind. He has finally realized his transgression against God and decides to accept his fate for what it is. In trying to bend his fate to serve his desires, he has ultimately transgressed against God, which he finally comes to realize in this scene. Here, he returns the power and control to God.

• "That I, the son of a dear father murdered,
  Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell,
  Must like a whore unpack my heart with words,
  and fall a-cursing like a very drab"

This quote exposes the religious conflict Hamlet is facing within his conscience. He wants to avenge his father but also sees that there is just as much evil in the deed as good. This conflict is one of the roots of his indecision.


THEME
Shakespeare's Hamlet cautions that self-doubt coupled to moral corruption can lead to the subversion of providence.

Both in direct quotations and in allusions, providence is constantly brought up in the context of Hamlet, who constantly vacillates between taking his fate into his own hands or letting God just do his work. In effect, the usurpation that occurs throughout the story is not just against other people, but really works against God's plan, so providence really emerges as a link amongst all of the devious crimes and schemes that people are constantly hatching at Elsinore.

In Hamlet's situation, his lack of a strong sense of identity lies at the root of his inability to act. But within the moral corruption that surrounds him at Elsinore, he eventually contradicts what he believes and goes along with the unnatural, unholy spirit of his father, as opposed to the moral ways of God. This moral corruption is what drives him to commit the first act of murder on Polonius, which leads to the domino effect of death, serving as God's retribution for the usurpation of his power.