Hamlet (Play Analysis)

HAMLET PLAY ANALYSIS

HAMLET – “For a gust of glory, they go to the grave as if to bed. The few acres they fight for are not enough for armies to wield their swords, nor enough earth to bury the dead.” W. Shakespeare

The plot of Hamlet unfolds as follows: “From a simple and universal revenge motif, the play grows into a complex web of emotions, thoughts and actions. As in many of Shakespeare’s works, the main storyline appears deceptively simple. The ghost of the recently deceased King of Denmark (also named Hamlet) reveals to the prince that his brother murdered him and then married the Queen. He demands revenge. While Hamlet debates the truth of the ghost’s words and whether vengeance is just, the king becomes suspicious and prepares his counter moves. In the end, Hamlet, the king and many others die.” (Shakespeare, 1999)

William Shakespeare is considered the greatest playwright of all time. Thirty-eight plays, 154 sonnets and two long poems survive to this day. Born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564, he married Anne Hathaway in 1582 and had three children. After producing great works such as Richard III, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth and Hamlet, he died on 23 April 1616 in his hometown and became known as England’s national poet and “the Bard of Avon”.

Shakespeare generally employs a heavy, measured language. Most of his plays use rhymed and poetic speech. Though this can feel ornate, it is never monotonous. His language is dynamic and emotional, full of rises and falls that quicken the tempo. Every line in Hamlet carries weight, prompting the audience or reader to think deeply.

He masterfully juxtaposes the low and the noble, innocence and savagery, comic and serious scenes. He moves easily from common events to extraordinary ones, presenting all kinds of people and social types while tackling moral questions on both personal and social levels. Hamlet likewise displays innocence, brutality, common folk and nobles together. Each character has a distinct personality and world, crafted with Shakespeare’s keen attention.

William Shakespeare Dynamics

• The play blends tragic and comic elements
• It does not strictly follow the three unities
• A moralistic tone runs throughout
• Length and rhythm play key roles
• References to Rome and Ancient Greece
• Mythological themes
• Symbols and metaphors
• Critical perspectives
• The structure of balance, problem, solution and new balance
• Poetic language
• Both nobles and commoners appear
• Detailed presentation of all characters, including minor ones
• Parallel storylines
• Universal themes such as justice, revenge and betrayal
• Philosophical depth

Cultural Textures and Tendencies

• Set in the Middle Ages, the presence of a ghost shows belief in metaphysical elements
• Only the upper class, like Hamlet and Horatio, receive education
• Frequent references to mythological heroes reflect England’s interest in Roman and Greek myths
• The throne passing to a family member exemplifies monarchy
• Coronations illustrate the customs of kingship
• Claudius tells Hamlet prolonged mourning is a sin and “unmanly,” revealing attitudes toward death and hints of sexism
• Laertes warns his sister Ophelia to guard her chastity, showing the era’s emphasis on virginity
• Claudius’s marriage to Gertrude is cursed by King Hamlet, highlighting condemnation of incest
• The ghost speaks of dying without last rites, indicating royal rituals before death
• Hamlet swears the guards and Horatio to secrecy on a sword, reflecting views on oaths
• Polonius refers to a brothel, revealing attitudes toward adultery
• Astronomical terms like stars illustrate the period’s scientific interests
• The play-within-a-play shows the status of travelling actors and court performances
• Hamlet tells Ophelia “We are all petty wretches. Believe none of us. Get thee to a nunnery,” hinting at women’s religious roles
• Rosencrantz says protecting one person matters most if the majority’s lives depend on him, signaling loyalty to rulers
• The duel with swords is another cultural element

Hamlet and the Renaissance

Hamlet is a Renaissance-period play. “The Renaissance, or Rebirth, is the era between the Middle Ages and the Reformation. In fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Italy, it restored the connection between the West and classical antiquity—ancient Roman and Greek works—through art, science, philosophy and architecture. Translations of ancient Greek philosophers and scientists revived experimental thinking, humanism focused on human life, the printing press spread knowledge, and radical changes reshaped a Europe that had long lagged behind, boosted by trade and the Age of Discovery.” (Anonymous)

The play appears as a product of the late Renaissance Baroque Theatre (1590–1750). Baroque theater blended forms from Ancient Greek, medieval and Renaissance traditions with contemporary ideology. It created a hierarchy of genres—tragedy, comedy and the mixed tragicomedy. Playwrights broke from Aristotle’s rules. The unities and strict genre divisions were often ignored. Among the pioneers of this style were William Shakespeare and Lope de Vega.

Shakespeare and the Renaissance

William Shakespeare was a Renaissance writer, yet he wrote outside the rules accepted by Renaissance scholars like Aristotle, Horace and others. As mentioned above, ignoring the three unities and rigid genres exemplifies this. Though criticized for defying these rules, Shakespeare’s innovation is what made him who he was.

The Renaissance person was curious and questioning. Hamlet, with his education, philosophical background, artistic skill and inquisitive nature, resembles this Renaissance ideal. Though he initially believes the Ghost, he still seeks proof through reason. Learning of his father’s murder, he wavers, perhaps because Shakespeare has the “truth” spoken by a ghost. Hamlet cannot be considered a pure Renaissance man. Shakespeare, through Hamlet, summarizes and comments on his era’s understanding of humanity:

“What a masterpiece is man! Noble in reason, infinite in faculty; in form and moving how express and admirable; in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god: the beauty of the world, the paragon of animals! And yet to me, what is this quintessence of dust?”

Thus, Shakespeare shows a critical stance toward the humanist view of his time.

Shakespeare and the Elizabethan Era

Though Shakespeare’s life has uncertainties, he clearly lived during the Elizabethan Era (1558–1603). His plays reflect the conditions of that time. Understanding this period helps us grasp both Shakespeare and Hamlet.

The Elizabethan Era

The Elizabethan Era marked the golden age of English theater, with playwrights like Ben Jonson, Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare at their most productive. The Renaissance that began in Italy influenced England, prompting interest in Ancient Greek literature, philosophy and history, questioning Christianity, and pushing medieval art aside. Protestantism was adopted, universities were founded, and an educated class emerged. Scientific advances occurred and humanism became central in art. People turned toward human and natural subjects.

At the era’s start, unity prevailed between the court and the populace, thanks to political victories and new wealth. Though much of the gain served the rising bourgeoisie, ordinary people also shared prosperity. Later, however, money’s corrupting power fostered skepticism and gloom. Queen Elizabeth aged, creating political upheaval. Murders and power struggles affected every layer of society. Shakespeare wrote Hamlet amid this political uncertainty, social unrest and turbulent economy.

The Source and Writing of Hamlet

The characters and events in Hamlet draw from Grammaticus’s Gesta Danorum (Deeds of the Danes), specifically the tale Vita Amlethi (The Life of Hamlet). These were real historical events, adapted and altered by Shakespeare for drama.

Setting and Political Background

Hamlet takes place in Denmark. Playwrights of the time often set their stories in far-off lands and earlier eras to avoid censorship and trouble with the English court.

By 1601, the English had ample reason to see Denmark as a terrible place of warrior savages. Centuries earlier, Danes had reached the Thames and burned London Bridge. Even in the sixteenth century, Danish raids on English shores included murder, rape and plunder. To Elizabethans, Denmark meant destruction, barbarity and terror. Shakespeare may have chosen Denmark for this reason.

The play’s Denmark shows some parallels with England’s political and moral climate. Written between 1598 and 1602, it came just before Elizabeth I died in 1603. By then she was in her mid-to-late sixties, having ruled nearly half a century. Although she had led England to its greatest era, the late Elizabethan years (1585–1603) saw waning power and rising opposition because of some arbitrary policies.

Decay Between State and Individual

“In the Middle Ages the common body politic metaphor linked the state with the human body—especially the ruler’s body—so that the leader’s health reflected in every institution.” (Bozer, 2019)

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, visual and olfactory imagery emphasize moral and physical decay in the state, in individuals and in nature. Claudius murders his brother King Hamlet and marries the queen. This act triggers rot on every level—state, personal and natural. The state’s corruption mirrors the rot at its head.

Ophelia’s Role

One of the play’s two women, Ophelia, symbolizes innocence within this corrupt order. Despite all the stench and disease, she is associated with flowers and pleasant scents.

Ö. Nutku notes: “Politics is the driving force from start to finish. No character escapes it. Even Ophelia is trapped and becomes its victim.” (Politics is ever-present; even the Ghost acts as a spy.)

At one point, Ophelia distributes herbs and flowers to the courtiers according to their traits. Though not in her right mind, her choices are strikingly apt, showing Shakespeare’s knowledge of plants and their qualities. In Hamlet, these plants are clearly chosen with purpose, almost like medicinal prescriptions for each character’s flaws.

Subplots in the Play

The subsidiary conflicts in Hamlet include:

• Fear vs. courage (Hamlet’s inner struggle)
• Hamlet vs. Claudius (power)
• King Hamlet vs. Claudius (power)
• Illusion vs. reality (the Ghost)
• Reason vs. emotion (seen in Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude, Ophelia and Laertes)
• Play vs. reality (Hamlet stages a play within the play)
• Old vs. young (generational difference repeatedly voiced)
• People vs. power (the suffering of common folk under royal corruption)
• Sanity vs. madness (Ophelia)
• Mother vs. son (Gertrude and Hamlet)
• Father vs. daughter (Polonius and Ophelia)
• Hamlet vs. Laertes (over Ophelia and revenge)
• Hamlet vs. Claudius (over murdered King Hamlet)
• Innocence vs. guilt (Ophelia versus Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude and the entire court)
• Claudius vs. himself (his own remorse)

Meaning of the Conflicts

Hamlet contains many conflicts, making its structure and themes open to interpretation. Arguably the main conflict is Hamlet’s clash with the society he lives in.

Another major struggle is loyalty versus betrayal, stemming from Claudius poisoning King Hamlet and marrying Queen Gertrude. Hamlet’s conflict with Claudius and Gertrude springs from this. Their treacherous marriage accelerates the kingdom’s decay, making this conflict pivotal.

Shakespeare likely chose these conflicts because they reflect his own society. The end of Elizabeth I’s reign saw similar murders for the throne, political corruption and intellectual despair. With Hamlet, Shakespeare lays bare his era and its people.

Introducing Hamlet

How does Shakespeare present Hamlet? We learn about him through other characters, through his relationships and through the situations he enters.

His physical traits are subtly portrayed. Debates about his exact age point to Act 5, Scene 1, suggesting he is thirty. His agility in the duel with Laertes shows his skill with the sword—his physicality is revealed in his actions.

Socially, he is a prince, of the upper class. He is educated and interested in the arts. His staging of a play within the play shows his passion for theater and poetry.

From the outset, Hamlet accepts a mission, though it is not directly imposed by his father’s ghost. People’s ambition, greed, hypocrisy, existential emptiness and Denmark’s foulness aren’t taught by the Ghost—he only sparks Hamlet’s quest. Hamlet wages his own war with the world, yet he becomes overwhelmed and struggles to recover.

His psychology is shaped by the rotten environment around him. He is smart enough to see the corruption, yet sensitive enough to be crushed by it.

The death of his father, his mother’s marriage to his uncle, learning of that uncle’s treachery, Denmark’s decay—all these shape Hamlet’s psyche. As he battles these grim circumstances he feels trapped, sinking deeper and finally dying tragically at the end.

Hamlet’s Deep Character

Hamlet is one of Shakespeare’s most complex figures. Let’s look closer.

He is a prince in his thirties. His mother is queen; his deceased father once ruled. Thus he is upper class, educated, curious and questioning. Yet he is indecisive, suspicious, angry, fearful, alienated and sensitive. He is multi-layered and deep. This richness lets everyone imagine a different Hamlet, leading to countless interpretations onstage.

The play can be read as a family drama: a man learns his uncle killed his father and married his widowed mother. Certain psychoanalytic readings arise from this setup.

Hamlet’s Powerlessness and Psychoanalytic Views

Like his father’s ghost, Hamlet is pushed to the margins of the court. Lacan says, “He plays the madman because he knows he is powerless.” This weakness explains why Hamlet does not immediately kill the king after hearing the Ghost. King Hamlet is dead, Claudius has married Gertrude and taken the throne. Hamlet’s hands are tied; he must first prove Claudius’s guilt.

Terry Eagleton interprets Hamlet through Oedipal confusion:

“What Hamlet truly loses seems to be his mother; she has committed two unforgivable sins: revealing her own desire, scandalous for any woman let alone a mother, and that desire is for another man, not for Hamlet.” (Eagleton, 1998)

Such readings are crucial for staging the character. In Franco Zeffirelli’s film with Mel Gibson, the confrontation between Gertrude and Hamlet illustrates this, showing him pleading while kissing her. Yet Hamlet is not limited to this one perspective…

Hamlet’s Madness

The notion of madness in the play has generated debate. Is Hamlet insane? Pretending? Or does pretending drive him mad? We can answer by examining the play as a detective story: Hamlet’s main action is testing the Ghost’s words. He adopts madness to seek the truth, and the role eventually clings to him.

Polonius observes Hamlet and declares him mad, yet admits, “Only a madman can truly describe madness.” Madness is a paradox, and Shakespeare knew it. Even today it remains partly unknown. Thus we should hesitate before calling Hamlet or Ophelia mad.

Hamlet shows signs of madness while also feigning it, so he is not completely insane. His madness is also a symbolic reflection of a world gone mad. He believes everyone in Denmark violates reason and sanity. To fix the system he must destroy it and let a new one rise—hence his mask of madness to expose the guilty. This plan comes at a great emotional cost and leads to his ruin.

Our conclusion: Hamlet dons madness to fight oppressive conditions, but those conditions push him to fatal mistakes—like killing Polonius—and the mask seeps into his own face, leading to his downfall.

Ö. Nutku says, “Hamlet stands at the pinnacle of nihilism that stresses his spiritual side.” (Nutku) Perhaps this explains his hesitation in planning. He has no faith in the world or the next. Life seems filled with tyranny and savagery, more than he can bear. If he killed himself, he’d rot in the earth. Such thoughts reveal his nihilism.

Hamlet and Alexander the Great

In one scene Hamlet says of Alexander the Great:

“How low we all fall, Horatio! Could the dust that remains of Alexander not plug a barrel?”

Hamlet is crushed by the weight of a rotten world. His keen perception equals his profound pain. He knows this rotten order is built on the rulers’ immorality, and though it hurts, he feels destined to bear that burden:

“The time is out of joint. O cursed spite, that ever I was born to set it right!”

Nietzsche and the Atlas Comparison

Friedrich Nietzsche, in The Birth of Tragedy, likens Hamlet to Atlas, who must carry the heavens after angering Zeus. Hamlet is blameless, yet the analogy fits. Nietzsche writes:

“Both have seen the essence of things and recognized them. Action disgusts them, for it will not change the eternal essence of things. They find it ridiculous or shameful that the task of reordering this deranged world should fall to them.” (Nietzsche, 2005)

Goethe on Hamlet’s Burden

Goethe describes Hamlet and Shakespeare’s aim:

“Shakespeare’s meaning is clear: A tremendous deed is laid upon a soul that is too weak for it. The whole play is wrought to this point. It’s like planting an oak tree in a precious vase meant only for delicate flowers; the roots spread, the vase shatters. A handsome, pure, noble, spiritual being—yet physically weak—breaks under a load he cannot refuse.” (Bayard, 202)

Hamlet’s Disharmonic Character

Many things, good and bad, can be said about Hamlet. He may appear weak and gloomy—Victor Hugo saw him as “bound fast by the endless chain of thought and hesitation”—yet others claim his monologues are self-warnings proving not weakness but willpower. Semih Çelenk sums up Hamlet as “either this… or maybe that. Perhaps neither.” (Çelenk, 2000) We can trace this equation through his actions and thoughts.

The diverse interpretations throughout history stem from seeing in Hamlet the disharmonic nature of human existence. Takiyettin Mengüşoğlu notes in philosophical anthropology that humans are disharmonic beings, carrying many possibilities within. “Like Hamlet, every person bears in himself the opposing seeds of good and evil, justice and injustice, angel and devil.” (Mengüşoğlu, 1988) Hamlet is real precisely because of this.

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