Hamlet

introduction
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, often shortened
to Hamlet (/hmlt/), is a tragedywritten by William
Shakespeare at an uncertain date between 1599 and 1602. Set in
the Kingdom of Denmark, the play dramatises the revenge Prince
Hamlet is instructed to exact on his uncle Claudius. Claudius had
murdered his own brother, Hamlet's father King Hamlet, and
subsequently seized the throne, marrying his deceased brother's
widow.
Hamlet is Shakespeare's longest play and among the most
powerful and influential tragedies in English literature, with a story
capable of "seemingly endless retelling and adaptation by
others."[1] The play seems to have been one of Shakespeare's
most popular works during his lifetime[2] and still ranks among his
most-performed, topping the performance list of the Royal
Shakespeare Company and its predecessors in Stratford-uponAvon since 1879.[3] It has inspired writers
from Goethe and Dickens toJoyce and Murdoch, and has been
described as "the world's most filmed story after Cinderella".[4]
The story of Hamlet ultimately derives from the legend of Amleth,
preserved by 13th-century chroniclerSaxo Grammaticus in
his Gesta Danorum, as subsequently retold by 16th-century
scholar Franois de Belleforest. Shakespeare may also have
drawn on an earlier (hypothetical) Elizabethan play known today
as the Ur-Hamlet, though some scholars believe he himself wrote
the Ur-Hamlet, later revising it to create the version of Hamlet we
now have. He almost certainly created the title role for Richard
Burbage, the leading tragedian of Shakespeare's time.[5] In the
400 years since, the role has been performed by highly acclaimed
actors from each successive age.

Three different early versions of the play are extant, the First
Quarto (Q1, 1603), the Second Quarto (Q2, 1604), and the First
Folio (F1, 1623). Each version includes lines, and even entire
scenes, missing from the others. The play's structure and depth of
characterisation have inspired much critical scrutiny. One such
example is the centuries-old debate about Hamlet's hesitation to
kill his uncle, which some see as merely a plot device to prolong
the action, but which others argue is a dramatisation of the
complex philosophical and ethical issues that surround coldblooded murder, calculated revenge, and thwarted desire. More
recently, psychoanalytic critics have examined
Hamlet's unconscious desires, and feminist critics have reevaluated and rehabilitated the often maligned characters
of Ophelia and Gertrude
Importance of the character
The play opens with Hamlet deeply depressed over the recent
death of his father, King Hamlet, and his uncle Claudius'
ascension to the throne and hasty marriage to Hamlet's
mother Gertrude. One night, his father's ghost appears to him and
tells him that Claudius murdered him in order to usurp the throne,
and commands his son to avenge his death.
Claudius sends for two of Hamlet's childhood
friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, to find out what is causing
Hamlet so much pain. Claudius and his
advisor Polonius convince OpheliaPolonius' daughter and
Hamlet's true loveto speak with Hamlet while they secretly
listen. Hamlet enters, contemplating suicide ("To be, or not to
be"). Ophelia greets him, and offers to return his remembrances,
upon which Hamlet questions her honesty and tells her to "get
thee to a nunnery."

Hamlet devises a test to see whether Claudius is guilty: he hires a

group of actors to perform a play about the murder of a king in
front of the royal court, and waits to gauge Claudius' reaction.
When Claudius leaves the audience deeply upset, Hamlet knows
that the ghost was telling the truth. He follows Claudius into his
chambers in order to kill him, but stops when he sees his uncle
praying; he does not want to kill Claudius while he is in a state of
grace. A second attempt on Claudius' life ends in Polonius'
accidental death.
Claudius, now fearing for his life, sends Hamlet to England,
accompanied (and closely watched) by Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern. Alone, Claudius discloses that he is actually
sending Hamlet to his death. Prior to embarking for England,
Hamlet hides Polonius' body, ultimately revealing its location to
the King. Meanwhile, her father's death has driven Ophelia insane
with grief, and Claudius convinces her brother Laertesthat Hamlet
is to blame. He proposes a fencing match between the two.
Laertes informs the king that he will further poison the tip of his
sword so that a mere scratch would mean certain death. Claudius
plans to offer Hamlet poisoned wine if that fails. Gertrude enters
to report that Ophelia has killed herself.
Ophelia's funeral procession approaches, led by Laertes. Hamlet
interrupts, professing his own love and grief for Ophelia. He and
Laertes grapple, but the fight is broken up by Claudius and
Gertrude.
Later that day, Hamlet tells Horatio how he escaped death on his
journey, disclosing that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have been
sent to their deaths instead. A courtier, Osric, interrupts to invite
Hamlet to fence with Laertes. Despite Horatio's warnings, Hamlet
accepts and the match begins. After several rounds, Gertrude
toasts Hamlet, accidentally drinking the wine he poisoned.
Between bouts, Laertes attacks and pierces Hamlet with his

poisoned blade; in the ensuing scuffle, Hamlet is able to use

Laertes' own poisoned sword against him. Gertrude falls and, in
her dying breath, announces that she has been poisoned.
Why do I like hamlet
Perhaps the most straightforward view sees Hamlet as seeking
truth in order to be certain that he is justified in carrying out the
revenge called for by a ghost that claims to be the spirit of his
father. The 1948 movie with Laurence Olivier in the title role is
introduced by a voiceover: "This is the tragedy of a man who
could not make up his mind."
T. S. Eliot offers a similar view of Hamlet's character in his critical
essay, "Hamlet and His Problems" (The Sacred Wood: Essays on
Poetry and Criticism). He states, "We find Shakespeare's 'Hamlet'
not in the action, not in any quotations that we might select, so
much as in an unmistakable tone...".
It has also been suggested that Hamlet's hesitations may also be
rooted in the religious beliefs of Shakespeare's time.
The Protestant Reformation had generated debate about the
existence of purgatory(where King Hamlet claims he currently
resides). The concept of purgatory is a Catholic one, and was
frowned on in Protestant England. Hamlet says that he will not kill
his uncle because death would send him straight to heaven, while
his father (having died without foreknowledge of his death) is in
purgatory doing penance for his. Hamlet's opportunity to kill his
uncle comes just after the uncle has supposedly made his peace
with God.

Quality of hamlet
Hamlet's Character Traits

"Hamlet" is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. Hamlet is

the protagonist of the play and is portrayed as a very emotional
soul, a daring, brave character who has a bad and violent temper.
Hamlet is a very emotional young man. As we all know, his
father's death was a shock for him and he could not get over it.
Claudius mentions that Hamlet was taking the mourning of his
father's death to extremes: "To give these mourning duties to your
father; But you must know, your father lost a father; That father
lost his, and the survivor bound In filial obligation for some term
To do obsequious sorrow." The King is telling Hamlet that death is
only natural and that Hamlet's father lost his father too. He is
informing Hamlet that he is mourning too much for his deceased
father and he should try to get over it. Another example of
Hamlet's emotions getting the better of him can be seen when he
is reminiscing his father's death. Hamlet says, "...How stand I
then,/That have father killed, a mother stained,...2". He is asking
himself what kind of a person he is if he can allow his father to be
murdered and his mother to be married so soon after his father's
death to his uncle. This shows us that he is pitying himself and is
putting himself down. Yet another example of his emotions
running wild are seen in his first soliloquy: "...She married. O,
most wicked speed, to post with such dexterity to incestuous
sheets! It is not, nor it cannot come to good. But break my heart,
for I must hold my tongue" He is telling us that his mother has
married right away and did not mourn for his father's death. He
tells us that the marriage is not good and nor can this marriage
between Claudius and Getrude come to any good. He wants to
express his true feelings to his mother, but since it will hurt her, he
must be silent for the time being. This shows us that he has a
great and deep love for his mother. He will not say or do anything
to hurt her, even though what she is doing is wrong. Hamlet is
also a brave and daring character. There are several examples of

his fearless attitude. The first example occurs when the ghost
visits Hamlet, Horatio and Marcellus. Here Hamlet is determined
to meet the ghost: "If it assume my noble father's person, I'll
speak to it, though hell itself should gape And bid me hold my
peace." Hamlet wants to speak to the ghost, even though it might
be a demon instead of his father's spirit. Another example of his
bravery is portrayed when he actually sees the ghost: HAM. It will
not speak. Then I will follow it. HOR. Do not, my lord! HAM. Why,
what should be the fear? Hamlet is not afraid to follow the ghost
and speak with it, despite the fact that Horatio is telling him not to
go. He asks Horatio why he is stopping him and what is there to
be afraid of. Another significant incident that brings out Hamlet's
daring character is when he arranges for the players to perform
"The Murder of Gonzago" to find out whether or not the King is
guilty of his father's murder. Hamlet's plan is, "...The paly's the
thing/Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King. 6" He decides
to use the play to test the King's conscience and if the King
seems nervous or behaves strangely he will know his course from
there.(To do what the apparition told him. Get revenge.) Hamlet
also has a bad and violent temper. This is expressed when the
meeting between Hamlet and Ophelia goes sour: ...You jig, you
amble, and you lisp; you nickname God's creatures and make
your wantonness your ignorance. Go to, I'll no more on't! it hath
made me mad. 7 Here he is upset with Ophelia and insults her
and tells her that she names things according to her own fancy
and then acts as if her own willfulness is ignorance.