Hamlet Analysis

Hamlet

Author: William Shakespear
Setting: Elsinore, Denmark
Plot: Hemlet seeks revenge for his fathers death, although many seemingly innocent people get killed along the way. In the end, pretty much everyone dies. The play leaves people to question, was it worth it?
Main Characters: Hamlet, Old King Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude, Ophelia, Horatio, Laertes, Fortinbras, Rosentcrantz, and Guildenstern.
Sumamry: Hamlet struggles with the morality of seeking revenge for his fathers murder, by his uncle. Hamlet return to his house to find his mother married to his uncle and barely mourning the death of his father. Throughout the story the ghost of the old King Hamlet makes several appearances. Begging the people around hamlet, and the readers to question Hamlet's mental stability. The story is full of deceit and secrets, leading to many accidental deaths and unfortunate betrayals.


In Hamlet, there wasn't a strong presence of narrative voice. I would say the strongest voice in the play was the multitude of Hamlet's inner monologues. I believe that these allow the reader the most insight on the story and allows them to create their own view point on hamlets sanity. One thing that Shakespeare is known for is his choice of words; diction. In this play Shakespeare carefully chooses each word to imply a certain meaning or relate to a theme. It is very important to the understanding of the book to notice these.Although there is little symbolism in the play, i did notice one that stuck out at me; Yorick's skull.

Quotes:
"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark." This quote was said by Marcellus, in Act 1, scene 4 and I believe that this is the most important quote in the entire piece. This quote embodies the relationship between morality and corruption of the leader and the health of the state as a whole. It truly shows the rottenness caused by Claudius's crime.

"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 heartache, 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,"

This probably the most famous quote from the play. It is one of Hamlet's soliloquies said in the 3rd Act. Here Hamlet is questioning the act and morality of committing suicide. He compares death to something peaceful like sleep and the talks about the end as if it is a huge struggle.

Theme: It is impossible to be certain about anything, and actions will always come with doubts and second guesses, but when it comes to death; death is final and unable to be fixed. It is the only reliable thing in this play. The amount of death shows the corruptness of the state.