HAMLET (a tragedy by William Shakespeare)

Hamlet is certainly the most famous tragedy by William Shakespeare: it was

probably written between 1600 and the summer of 1603. The story talks about the
Danish king's son, Hamlet, who is undecided between the desire of revenge and the
natural sense of pain.
Infact, he would like to kill his mother's new husband (the murder of his father), but
on the other hand he is afraid to come across as a monster at his people's eyes .

The answer to his enormous question is also delayed after his father's ghost apparition, which makes
Hamlet much more doubtful about his will: on the one hand he becomes quite more sure about his
revenge, on the other he starts thinking about the role of the devil in his life, according to his great
status of sin.

Nevertheless, the character of Hamlet is one of the most debated questions

in literary criticism: in part this is because his most famous speech ("to be or
not to be") suggests a character of great psychological complexity.
According to the plot, he combines a lot of stock dramatic figures, like the
revenger and the philosopher, but at the same time Shakespeare manages
to appear a single individual.

Another reason which shows Hamlet's complex figure is his choice not to act immediately: the play
itself doesn't explain Hamlet's delay in killing his uncle, and this led to the development of
numerous theories about his real nature.

Early audiences probably admired Hamlet as an hero, who isn't afraid to react to his life's problems.
On the other hand, romantic critics saw him as the archetype of inaction, even if they tended to
overlook moments in which Hamlet is far from philosophical detachment, for example when he
refuses to kill the usurper at prayer, because his soul might escape from damnation.

On a careful reading, Hamlet seems concerned about his own reputation: he wants non only to
behave in a noble way, he wants his people to see him as a noble. According to this view, Hamlet
can't kill his honourable king without appear as a monster; this is why he delays the murder, waiting
for Claudius' real nature exposition. Therefore, he pretended to be mad to lead the usurper to a
situation in which he can't hide his murderous intentions. Nevertheless, he didn't attempt to kill the
king until he himself is dying by his enemy's hand. We see this aspect in his last words to Horatio:
his reputation must be saved.

Shakespeare's view is the result of a period of transition, from a time in which

justice could only be obtained by private feuds (like the Italian "faida") to a time in
which it was the responsibility of the State. This reflects the Tudor period, in which
kings did everything in their power to limit the power of the aristocracy and to
encourage loyalty to the State. This is why revenge is now seen as a crime and a sin,
and no longer a duty of an honourable man.
Nevertheless, Queen Elizabeth still had doubts about the ecacy of the law, and was fascinated by
the private revenger: this explains why in the last sixsteen century, the most popular were revenge
tragedies. Instead of reporting violence by witnesses (like Seneca's plays), Elizabethans staged
bloodshed scene on stage: in this way the revengers were brought down to the level of their victim,
corrupted by their revenge which can end only with their death.

As a modern play, Shakespeare introduced something more to engage the attention of the
audiences, which were even more demanding:
In Hamlet, he introduces a series of complications: instead of a single man, the play contains
four revenger (Hamlet, Laertes, Fortinbras and Phyrrus);
The player sets his play in an undefined period, in part primitive, in part contemporary;
He makes his revenger uncertain about the moral code that led him to kill: Hamlet is
corrupted by the desire of revenge, but he is conscious about his own corruption.

Many critics argue that Hamlet is about misogyny. According to this opinion, Ophelia and Gertrude
are seen as the victims of a society dominated by men. Even if the second one is described as a
devoted mother and an obedient wife, she is seen as a sinner by Hamlet and
the ghost because she got remarried after her first husband's death. On the
other hand, the submissive Ophelia fits the role of the perfect daughter who
has to obey to her father's will, even if it leads to her madness and suicide.
The women are both weak: neither of them have the courage to defy their
lovers.