Hamlet

Author: William Shakespeare

Setting: Kingdom of Elsinore, Denmark

Significant Characters:Hamlet, Ophelia, Claudius, Gertrude, Polonius, Laertes, King Hamlet's Ghost

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Summary:

• Hamlet is killed by Claudius
• Claudius marries Hamlet (Jr.)'s mother, Gertrude and takes the throne as king of Denmark
• Hamlet's ghost haunts the kingdom of Elsinore and tries to reach his son
• Hamlet (Jr.) is told by his father's ghost about what truly happened and Hamlet goes mad with thoughts of revenge
• Ophelia, being Hamlet's lover, is told by her father Poloneous to not be involved with Hamlet anymore and she obeys
• Hamlet kills Poloneous, thinking he is Claudius after confronting his mother in her bedroom
• Ophelia goes insane
• Hamlet is sent off to England to be hanged because he killed Poloneous
• Hamlet returns, and sees that Ophelia has died
• Hamlet challenges Ophelia's brother Laertes to a duel - Claudius then plans to make Laertes kill Hamlet by poisoning his dagger
• Gertrude knows something is wrong and drinks the wine that is offered to Hamlet
• Gertrude dies
• Laertes cuts Hamlet with the poisoned sword, Hamlet kills Laertes and Claudius and then dies

Analysis:

• Repeating patterns of incestuous behavior play a significant role in the storyline - because Claudius and Gertrude marry each other, it is religiously an act of incest since Claudius is the brother of Hamlet...making it so Gertrude is technically marrying her brother. Hamlet and Gertrude also have a relationship that hints of incest and this also applies to Ophelia and Laertes. Maybe this motif shows their misconception of love and the boundaries between romantic or family relationship.
• Hamlet is also up for analysis because his character is an enigma within itself. Hamlet seems to be have a brilliant mind, but we oftentimes find him babbling on about the same things. His obsession with avenging his father and the concept of death possesses him into think about doing irrational things, but seldom does he follow through with his plans. The only time Hamlet actually acts irrationally is when he kills Poloneous, which was not thought out beforehand and was a mistake. This shows the nature of Hamlet's character and that he isn't as high and mighty as he plays himself to be. 

Author's Style:

• Tone: Dark, passionate
• Symbolism: The Skull and the ghost - the consequences of death in both the physical and spiritual sense

Important Quotes:

1.) "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark"- Marcellus
       This quote is significant because it is not spoken by any of the main characters, but by Marcellus, who is just one of the gatekeepers of Elsinore. This proves that the people within the kingdom are blind to the corruption that has been happening within the family and they are oblivious to the effects that it has on the common people. The occurrences in Elsinore reflect the chaotic nature of the hierarchy and their fixation on the problems within their little society as opposed to appeasing the people.

2.) "To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them?" - Hamlet

Theme:
 The validity of what is certain can never be determined and this can be seen through the kingdom of Elsinore, which is slowly decaying with death and revenge.