Exploring themes within the play: Hamlet
Theme: an idea that recurs in or pervades a work of art or literature.
Hamlet is undoubtedly one of Shakespeare’s most prominent and greatest plays because of its depth and complexity. This can be largely attributed to the myriad of themes present. Themes such as madness, revenge, honour, language, suicide, and overthinking are at the centre of the play, reappearing throughout the play. This piece will examine and discuss these themes and their impact on the play.
Madness.
Throughout the play, a recurring theme is madness. “A state of wild or chaotic activity”. The theme of Madness is embodied in the behaviour of characters. After Hamlet discovers his father’s murder he feigns madness as to not arouse suspicion around his actions, at this point it is obvious that his madness is not genuine. His madness has consequences, such as damaging his relationship with Ophelia; Resulting in her depression. Later he kills Polonius. Not only is Ophelia depressed but she is also overcoming the death of her father. Hamlet’s Madness has isolated Ophelia and results in her suicide. During the bedroom scene with Gertrude and Hamlet, he talks to the ghost but Gertrude is unable to see the ghost adding to the characters perception of Hamlet’s Madness. Hamlet’s madness allowed him to escape with the murder of Polonius but unintentionally caused the suicide of Ophelia. Although Hamlet states clearly that he is pretending to be mad, the effects of tramaumatic events such as Ophelia’s death add to his performance of Madness, making it seem more realistic.
Revenge
“That guilty creatures sitting at a play
Have, by the very cunning of the scene,
Been struck so to the soul that presently
They have proclaimed their malefactions.
For murder, though it have no tongue, will speak
With most miraculous organ. I’ll have these players
Play something like the murder of my father
Before mine uncle. I’ll observe his looks.
I’ll tent him to the quick. If he do blench,
I know my course. “- Hamlet act 2 scene 2
Another prevelant theme in Hamlet is that of revenge. The play is heavily centred around the theme of revenge and how different characters approach it. When Polononius is murdered, the news spreads to France quickly, Laertes immediately returns home after hearing this. Immediately he charges into the castle, demanding to know the identity of the murder. Without thinking about the possibility that Hamlet is the superior fencer he challenges him to a duel. This reveals the flaw of Laertes which is that he charges headfirst into situations without thinking, this results in his downfall. When Hamlet discovers that his father has been murdered thinks about the legitimacy of the infomation and how he will verify it, only then does he plan the the killing of Cladius and even then he refused to kill Cladius because he was praying and finally he has the chance to kill Cladius, instead of killing him himself he forces him to drink poisoned wine due to fear of Cladius going to heaven. Hamlet is the opposite of Laertes in the fact that he overthinks every situation, which results in his death.
Overthinking
“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? To die: to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, ’tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish’d. To die, to sleep;
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause: there’s the respect
That makes calamity of so long life;
”- Hamlet act 3 scene 1
Overthinking is one of the themes present within hamlet and it is what makes Hamlet unique from other protagonists. Upon discovering the murderer of their father, most heroes such as Laertes would spare no time in avenging their father. Hamlet on the other hand is overthinks every integer and possible outcome of his actions and only when all conditions are perfect can he then act. When the ghost informs him that the murder is Cladius, he hesitates, first developing a plan to deflect suspicion and then going to the length of hiring actors to re-enact the scene of his fathers murder, examing Cladius to see if he reacts suspiciously to it. When Cladius is praying, he even refuses to kill him because he could potentially go to heaven. The irony in this is that with all his thinking, he falls victim to the scheme created by Cladius and Laertes. The theme of overthinking makes Hamlet well received with contemporary audiences as it is relatable, with Hamlet’s actions being an exaggerated version of their own overthinking.
Honour
“To this point I stand,
That both the worlds I give to negligence,
Let come what comes, only I will be revenged
Most thoroughly for my father.” -Laertes act 4 scene 5
The theme of honour is prevelant in the play Hamlet and is has a different meaning for each of the three characters I will discurss. Fortinbras, Hamlet and Laertes all share a common goal, which is to honour their fathers, who have been murdered. The way they go about this is very different. Fortinbras seeks to honour his father through the recapuring on the land that King Hamlet captured. Laertes wants to honour his father by engaging hamlet in a duel, the sense of honour clouds his emotions and leads to him going to great lengths to reclaim his honour. Hamlet on the other hand believes fufilling his father’s murder will bring him honour and so he devises a plan to acomplish this.
Suicide
“Till that her garments, heavy with their drink,
Pull’d the poor wretch from her melodious lay
To muddy death.” Gertrude Act 4 scene 7
Suicide is not as pervasive as other key themes in the play, but it is there in Hamlet’s character throughout. His soliloquy “to be or not to be” reveals his intention to commit himself, but he subsequently abandons it after learning that suicide is forbidden by religion. Ophelia, unlike Hamlet, commits suicide, but unlike Hamlet, she is unable to bear the weight of Hamlet’s madness and loses her sanity.
What makes Hamlet interesting and great is the complexity and depth of the themes and how each person has a different interpretation of each theme. The abillity for the play to be performed in a variety of settings and time periods makes the play exciting and novel. Themes such as overthinking and honour are relatable to ourselves and makes Hamlet well received and relatable to modern audiences.
Bibliography
SparkNotes. 2021. No Fear Shakespeare | SparkNotes. [online] Available at: <https://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/> [Accessed 12 July 2021].
Bellshakespeare.com.au. 2021. Shakespeare. [online] Available at: <https://www.bellshakespeare.com.au/blog/what-makes-hamlet-special/#:~:text=Many%20people%20say%20Hamlet%20is%20the%20greatest%20play%20of%20all%20time.&text=Shakespeare%20does%20that%20through%20the,reason%20the%20play%20is%20revered.> [Accessed 12 July 2021].
Mhs.instructure.com. 2021. Understanding Hamlet: Over Ophelia’s dead body. [online] Available at: <https://mhs.instructure.com/courses/1319/files/331010?wrap=1> [Accessed 12 July 2021].
