William Shakespeare's Hamlet: tragedy and psychological conflict

Description
Hamlet is one of William Shakespeare’s best-known plays. Although written in England, the play centers on the life of the titular Danish prince. In the first Act of the play, Hamlet meets the ghost of his dead father. The ghost tells Hamlet that he, the King, was murdered by Claudius—the King’s brother and Hamlet’s uncle. Although the information came from an incredible source—a supernatural creature—Hamlet is not the only one to have seen and heard from the ghost. Horatio and several of the castle sentries also bear witness to the revelation of the King’s murder. Presumably, Claudius killed his own brother in order to usurp power, as he swiftly then marries Hamlet’s mother Gertrude and assumes the title of King.
The news throws Hamlet off kilter. He is consumed by rage, despair, and a desire to wreak revenge on his uncle, and his psychological state becomes the primary driving force throughout the play. In Act II, Hamlet decides to stage a play at the castle in order to entrap his uncle. Hamlet chooses a play with, suitably, a Greek theme about the death of a King. Hamlet believes that while watching the play, his uncle’s face and body language may divulge his guilt. As it turns out, his Uncle does act uncomfortably after seeing the play and Hamlet now believes he has proof of the murder.
As Hamlet plots his revenge, his mental state deteriorates. He finds he can trust no one, including his girlfriend Ophelia and his mother Gertrude. After the staged play, Hamlet follows his uncle, planning to kill him but is unable to do so because he sees his uncle is praying. Hamlet then argues with his mother while Polonius--chief advisor to the Crown and Ophelia’s father--spies on the mother and son from behind a curtain. Hamlet’s emotions come to a head after his failure to kill Claudius and his frustration with his mother’s ignorance of the truth. He then accidentally kills Polonius, believing the figure behind the curtain to be Claudius. Hamlet hides the body, and starts to intimidate Claudius. Claudius arranges to have Hamlet sent away in exile to protect himself and the crown.
Driven mad herself by her father’s death, Ophelia kills herself. Ophelia’s brother Laertes comes to Denmark to avenge his sister and his father Polonius. Knowing that Hamlet and Laertes will ultimately need to fight a duel, Claudius poisons a cup of wine and also poisons the tip of a sword. He is determined to get rid of Hamlet. In the final act of the play, Gertrude accidentally drinks from the poisoned cup and dies. Hamlet and Laertes wound each other with poison-tipped swords. Laertes dies, knowing the truth about Claudius. Before he dies, Hamlet finally kills his uncle. He achieved his goal of revenge, but his kingdom has fallen apart and falls into the hands of a foreign ruler—Fortinbras of Norway.
Analysis and Interpretation
Hamlet is as much psychological thriller as it is classical tragedy. The play is loosely structured around the Greek story of Oedipus, and yet Shakespeare takes the characterization of his protagonist in a whole new direction (Lacan, Miller and Hulbert 11). Shakespeare describes an intricate, complex protagonist whose mental state deteriorates for reasons the audience can well understand. While Hamlet’s actions may seem disproportionate and irrational, his motives are unquestionable: Hamlet recognizes that his Uncle is dangerous and unsuitable for leadership. Moreover, Hamlet’s own power and masculinity have been called into question by his Uncle’s bold taking of what would have been Hamlet’s own crown.
The way Shakespeare structures the play, the audience sides with Hamlet and believes that Claudius is responsible for the King’s death. Trusting Hamlet in this way, the audience develops an uncomfortable sympathy with the hero of the play. Hamlet is not comporting himself gracefully as a strong leader should, and yet his moral righteousness earn him credibility. The audience knows that Hamlet must do something to remove his uncle from power but fails to forge strategic alliances with potential allies when entrapping Claudius. His self-imposed isolation is one of Hamlet’s character flaws leading to his demise and unfortunately with it, the demise of his kingdom. Yet Hamlet’s performativity of revenge-driven masculinity is also critical to understanding Shakespeare’s tragedy (Kastan 111). Hamlet is as much about politics—both the “politics of paternity” and the intricacies of monarchic rule--as it is about human psychology (Haverkamp 171).
Historical Era
Shakespeare penned Hamlet around 1600, the height of the Elizabethan era in England and the Renaissance in Europe. The period represented a renewed interest in classical works of art and literature, which is why Shakespeare derived so many of the themes and symbols in his work from Greek plays. Shakespeare also wrote during a time of renewed intellectual inquiry, replete with political upheavals related to increased mistrust in political institutions. The historical context of the play undoubtedly influenced the choice of subject matter: the corruption, tragedy, and ill-conceived hegemonic masculinity that are endemic to political life.
Evaluation
Hamlet is easily the most accessible, interesting, and captivating of all the Shakespeare plays I have encountered. While I still do enjoy the opening scene of Macbeth and the frivolousness of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Tempest, it is Hamlet that I enjoy the most because of its bold, albeit dark, glimpse into human nature. Hamlet is a believable character. Shakespeare expertly constructs his protagonist, as well as the supporting cast. For example, Ophelia plays a minor role in the play and yet when she goes mad and kills herself, the audience completely understands why and we are actually not surprised at all. Everything that happens seems realistic, which is why the play still has many lessons to teach audiences even hundreds of years after Shakespeare wrote it.





Works Cited

Haverkamp, Anselm. “The Ghost of History.” Law and Literature, Vol. 18, Issue 2, 2006, pp. 171-197.
Kastan, David Scott. “"His semblable is his mirror": "Hamlet" and the Imitation of Revenge.” Shakespeare Studies, Vol. 19, Jan 1987: 111.
Lacan, Jacques, Jacques-Alain Miller and James Hulbert. “Desire and the Interpretation of Desire in Hamlet.” Yale French Studies, No. 55-56, 1977, pp. 11-52.