Madness
In the play we see Hamlet slowly become mad. This is especially after he has the conversation with the ghost of his father. He begins to 'put an antic disposition on'. He does this in hopes that by pretending to be mad, he will be able to study the King's behavior without having anyone suspect anything. Unfortunately for Hamlet, he ends up being closely watched. Claudius says that "madness in great ones must not unwatched go". Due to the madness Hamlet starts to isolate himself. This has an effect on Ophelia in particular because he tells her that he never loved her. This leads to Ophelia becoming crazy herself. Hamlet would have had reasons as to why he did this to Ophelia maybe because of how his mother ended up marrying her brother in-law which led to Hamlet not having faith and trust upon any relationships, due to what his mother had done. Yet again it could have been just because Hamlet wanted to remove a love interest and just focus on killing Claudius. Early on, Polonius says "[t]hough this be madness, yet there is method in't" (Act II, Scene II). Polonius falsely believes Hamlet's madness is because of Hamlet's love for Ophelia. To notice a method behind the crazy talk was impressive of Polonius. As the play progressed Hamlet's behavior become more erratic. His acting mad seems to cause Hamlet to lose his grip on reality. The circumstances he has to manage emotionally are difficult, to say the least. He began to seek physical violence when under extreme stress shows that Hamlet has deeper-set issues than just acting crazy. In comparison to Hamlet Ohpelis's madness is not act. She descends into madness due to the things that happen to her throughout the play. These include her father being murdered and Hamlet telling her he doesn't love her. Maybe Shakespeare wanted to show the effects of a corrupt, disordered world on a pure and innocent soul such as Ophelia. Some critics even suggest that Ophelia's madness is a result of the pressure on a woman in such a patriarchal world.
Quotes on Madness
Quotes on Madness
Revenge
In Shakespeare's time, "Revenge Tragedies" were a popular form of entertainment for theater goers. The theme of Revenge is very evident in Hamlet. This is mostly because the play itself is structured around revenge. Hamlet and Leartes are both characters who seek revenge for each of there fathers's deaths. In the main plot Hamlet is the main person seeking revenge. He seeks it against Claudius, who killed his father. Leaters revenge is over Hamlet for he killed his father and also believes was the cause to his sisters death. It is Hamlet’s inability to avenge the murder of his father that drives the plot forwards and the deaths of Polonius, Laertes, Ophelia, Gertrude, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern all result from Hamlet’s delay. Laertes does not need to be convinced by anyone that Hamlet's guilty to have revenge taken upon him. When Laertes finds out the reason as to why Hamlet killed Polonius says that he is "satisfied in nature". By this he means that he understands Hamlet's actions, but it does not stop him from fighting Hamlet in a duel with a poisoned and sharpened sword. This shows how Laertes sense of revenge is stronger than Hamlets.
Quotes on Revenge
Quotes on Revenge
morality
At the beginning of the play,we instantly perceive Hamlet as contradictory. Hamlet is presented to us as a cautious and courteous man; however, due to the negative circumstances he has to face, we quickly see how his moral character becomes reckless. Shakespeare uses allusion,antithesis, and irony, to show the demoralization of Hamlet’s character. Throughout the play, Hamlet is slow in the murder of Claudius due to his fear of making the wrong decision. Hamlet is held back by his consideration of religious morals and beliefs. Hamlet becomes certain that Claudius is guilty. He comes across Claudius in the chapel. This is a perfect opportunity to kill Claudius, but he decides that he doesn't want to kill him while he is praying. Hamlet didn't kill him during prayer in fear that, he would dishonor his father by sending Claudius to heaven. Hamlet feels he deserves to go to hell so instead he wants to kill him at different time.
Quotes on Morality
Click here for more themes
Quotes on Morality
Click here for more themes