Hamlet is a tragic play that was written by the greatest author of all time – William Shakespeare. The setting of the play is in Denmark and is basically an account of Price Hamlet’s acts of revenge against an uncle of his, named Claudius, for murdering his father and marrying his mother. The play is a vivid portrayal of how fast grief can turn into murderous rage. The play revolves around four major themes: moral corruption, treachery and incest as well as revenge.
The play, ‘Hamlet’, is richly structured and characterized. One thing that is apparent from the play is that Prince Hamlet hesitates to kill Claudius. From this alone, a student can choose to argue in his/her essay on Hamlet that this hesitation is only feigned; in other words, that Shakespeare uses it for prolonging the play’s action. Alternatively, the student could argue in the essay on Hamlet that the hesitation could have been occasioned by ethical issues which surround planned murder. Whatever the argument, the student should be careful to support his/her stand with valid points.
Regarding the structure, Hamlet is unique. Unless the student was not keen on the play, it would be impossible to miss including in the essay on Hamlet that Shakespeare’s dramatic play does not focus most on action, but on the character. Specifically, in the play, Hamlet’s soliloquies rather than actions are what convey his motives as well as thoughts to the audience.
An essay on Hamlet is one of those essays that carries a risk of the writer writing on and on, since there are countless ways in which to approach such a literature essay. This particular literature essay can be analyzed within the context of the different time periods of its performance, ranging from the 18th century to the 20th century.
Hamlet essay example
The story by William Shakespeare is full of intricacy, spying and intrigues. Thus, some form of spying offer clues to quite a few heroes of the play. For example, by the book of Polonius Reynaldo, Polonius’s servant, who is sent to France by Polonius, gets instructions on how to spy on his son Laertes and also study the nature of his behavior in Paris. We can find the evidence after lines: “You shall do marvellous wisely, good Reynaldo, Before You visit him, to make inquiry of his behaviour…Enquire me first what Danskers are in Paris; And how, and who, what means, and where they keep, What company, at what expense; and finding, By this encompassment and drift of question, That they do know my son, come you more nearer Than your particular demands will touch it: Take you, as ‘twere, some distant knowledge of him; As thus, ‘I know his father and his friends, And in part him; – do you mark this, Reynaldo?” (Act II, Scene. I) Thus, possibly Reynaldo is the most rewarded spy as he serves to Lord Chamberlain of Claudius’s court, in his house.
In addition, Claudius, the most dangerous intriguer, spies on Hamlet with the support of his former close friends – Rosencrantz and Guildenstern: “I entreat you both That, being of so young days brought up with him, And since so neighbour’d to his youth and humour, That you vouchsafe your rest here in our court Some little time: so by your companies To draw him on to pleasures, and to gather, So much as from occasion you may glean, Whether aught, to us unknown, afflicts him thus, That, open’d, lies within our remedy.” (Act II, Scene II) Besides, Claudius and Polonius manage to hide behind the arras in the second scene so that you can eavesdrop on Hamlet’s conversation with Ophelia or lurk behind the curtains during performance in order to spy on Hamlet’s wooing of Ophelia.