The Theme of Fate in William Shakespeare’s Play Hamlet

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Hamlet has to work out his own salvation in fear and trembling; he has to make a moral decision, in a complex situation where he cannot rely on cut-and-dried moral principles, or on the conventional code of the society in which he lives; and on his choice depend the fate of the people he loves and the fate of the kingdom to which he is the rightful heir. The emphasis on ambiguity in the play, and the absence of overt instruction on how to overcome such ambiguity is Shakespeare's testament to real life. In addition of King Hamlet being murdered his son Prince Hamlet is becoming crazy and is having personal, family and relationship issues due to the fact that his father was killed.

Prince Hamlet was upset when his father was murdered and had realized it wasn’t the right time for his father to die, and also was upset when his father brother claudius had married his mother Gertrude. In Act I Scene II Prince Hamlet shows that he is physically and emotionally conspicuous and he dressed in morning clothes and is a stand out and moody teenager Hamlet exclaims that he wishes he could die, that he could evaporate and cease to exist. In addition to being his most popular tragedy, Hamlet (c. 1600) is Shakespeare's most frequently analyzed play. Hamlet is alerted by three sentries that the ghost of his father was seen. Hamlet is already troubled by the hasty marriage of his uncle and mother. (Lee)

Prince Hamlet had relationship issues and tarred images of women because of his experiences with his mother's relationships. Hamlet and Ophelia really didn’t know how they felt about each other due to his mother new relationships when King Hamlet was murdered. In Act II Scene II a long-winded ramble about Hamlet's madness, Polonius reads love letters Hamlet sent to Ophelia. Claudius and Gertrude agree that love sickness may be causing Hamlet's behavior. Polonius proposes that they stage a meeting between Hamlet and Ophelia and spy on it to test his theory. (Shakespeare Via Sparknotes)

Hamlet has the opportunity to kill Claudius while he is praying, and discusses both Hamlet's delay and his overall character. Hamlet states that he does not kill the king during prayer because his revenge would be spoiled; he believes that Claudius, killed at prayer, would not be damned to Hell. Hamlet ultimately achieves redemption and spiritual regeneration. Hamlet's examines the play's use of corporeal imagery in order to show that Hamlet is unable to adequately react to the demands made upon him by the Ghost until he accepts his own physicality and overcomes his contempt for the body. (Zott)

Prince Hamlet seems like he is only worried about himself and he want to get revenge on claudius for killing his father and have the murdering attitude to kill claudius. Hamlet has the opportunity to kill so he draws his sword but is concerned that Claudius will go to heaven if killed while praying. Hamlet can provide an indulgence for some of our most cherished weaknesses— so deeply cherished that we can persuade ourselves that they are virtues—but it is incapable of leading us far towards maturity and self-knowledge. It is only when Shakespeare's attitude is seen to be more critical than is commonly supposed, and when we ourselves make a determined effort to assess that attitude.(Knights)

In fact, critics have noted that Hamlet has inspired more critical writing than any other work of Western literature. The play recounts the murder of a Danish king, apparently at the hands of his brother, and the subsequent emotional turmoil that his son, Prince Hamlet, undergoes as he struggles with the idea of vengeance. In Act I Scene II Claudius thinks it’s strange and unhealthy that Prince Hamlet is still grieving for his father. Hamlet remembers how deeply in love his parents seemed, and he curses the thought that now, not yet two month after his father’s death.(Shakespeare Via Sparknotes)

Hamlet has been overlooked is no doubt a result of our constant awareness of Shakespeare himself as master dramatist: his greater light has blinded us to the light of his creature. It is perfectly obvious and simple to note that Romeo was a lover and Macbeth a murderer, but one is apt to miss Hamlet's continual dramatic manipulation of character and event, since one expects and finds Shakespeare's manipulation. Not to labor this point, a brief examination of the tragedy will reveal not only how characteristic of Hamlet is the dramatic urge, but also how much in the play springs from this quality in him.(Ross)

Hamlet has long been considered a quintessentially modern drama. Thought to differ in its fundamental philosophical concerns from any play produced prior to it, and to have substantially influenced the course of dramatic theater ever since, Hamlet occupies a privileged position within the canon of English literature. The play itself relates a story of delayed revenge undertaken by Hamlet, Shakespeare's melancholic Danish prince, for the murder of his father. In his assessment of the characteristically modern orientation of Hamlet concentrates on Hamlet's numerous soliloquies, contending that these skeptical meditations on cowardice, fear, purposeful action, uncertainty, and human rationality. (Lee)

In Conclusion first King Hamlet being murdered his son Prince Hamlet is becoming crazy due to the fact that his father was killed. Second Laertes is cut by his own sword's blade, and, after revealing to Hamlet that Claudius is responsible for the queen's death, he dies from the blade's poison. Hamlet then stabs Claudius through with the poisoned sword and forces him to drink down the rest of the poisoned wine. Gertrude is poisoned by mistake, Laertes and Hamlet are both poisoned, and as he dies from Laertes strike Hamlet finally murders Claudius.

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The Theme of Fate in William Shakespeare's Play Hamlet. (2020, May 14). Retrieved March 29, 2024 , from
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