Hamlet”

Introduction

William Shakespeare wrote the play Hamlet, which depicts the tragedy of Prince of Denmark. The play depicts Prince Hamlet's plot for vengeance after Claudius assassinated his brother, ascended to the throne, and married his brother's bride. As a result, the aim of this paper is to investigate the play's themes, symbolism, and environment. It may be argued that Shakespeare uses these literal elements to emphasize the notion of death; this is why poison is the poem's main emblem, and the graveyard (setting) reinforces the theme.

The Theme of Death

The play's main subject, in my mind, is death. When King Hamlet dies, the events of the play unfold. After Prince Hamlet gets the news about the death of his father, he comes back to Denmark, and he is shocked by the early remarriage of his mother. Later, he is invited by the King's ghost thst informs him that his uncle, Claudius, is the murderer (Shakespeare, 2015, p. 213). Further, the prince is disturbed by the death of his mother and Ophelia, which makes him take action. At the same time, the death of Polonius causes his son, Laertes, to consider taking action by himself, which makes Hamlet become the revenged rather than the "revenger." From the time Prince Hamlet realizes that his uncle is his father's murderer, he plans for his death as well (Shakespeare 226). In this way, the whole focus of the play is on death.

The Theme of Revenge

Some people may feel that the primary theme of the play is revenge and not death. First, it is noteworthy that Hamlet promises his father vengeance to the person responsible for his death, a duty he now bears (Shakespeare 243). Also, Prince Hamlet comes across Claudius confessing the murder of his father while praying and contemplates killing him at that spot. However, he thinks it would be prudent to murder a king when he is penitent. According to Nelson (2016), "the ghost visits Hamlet while he is with his mother and reminds him he has not yet revenged for his murder." Similarly, when he comes into contact with Fortinbras, he marvels that people should kill each other to solve conflicts over land, and after he kills the King, Laertes is determined to revenge without hesitating (Nelson 261).

Symbolism

In my view, poison is a major symbol in the drama that plays an important role as the sign of corruption, dishonesty, vengeance, and death. Poison is also one of the symbols that provide the theme of death because most characters die from it. For example, in act 1 scene 5, Hamlet follows his father's ghost and learns the whole story of how his uncle, Claudius, killed him (Shakespeare 328). The words act as poison to Hamlet's ears which demonstrates how much the need for power can corrupt a person. In this case, Claudius kills his brother to become the ruler. The poison also leads to the death of Queen Gertrude and Laertes. However, others may consider the flower to be a major symbol in the play too. In act 4 scene 5, Ophelia goes mad because of her father's death. She carries many followers as she enters the scene and starts giving them to different people. Each follower represents something important and carries the cause for giving a certain kind of flowers to the specific person. Firstly, she gives flowers to Laertes to symbolize remembrance. Secondly, Nelson (2016) claims that "she offers Claudius fennel that represents a lack of faith in marriage" (p. 186). Thirdly, she gives Queen Gertrude the daisies that expose betrayal to King Hamlet. Finally, she offers Horatio violets as a symbol of faith as he is the only person she trusts.

Setting

Most of the events take place in the castle, but many of the notable scenes occur at the graveyard. The importance of allowing the scenes to occur here is that the graveyard emphasizes the play's focus on the theme of death and mortality (Shakespeare 182). The first time the author places the action in the graveyard occurs when Hamlet stands on the burial ground and contemplates whether or not life is worth living. The many scenes that take place at the cemetery after that episode cause the audience to take into account the theme of death. However, it may be argued that the place where the main action of the play occurs is Denmark, which allows the writer to bring out many important events related to national identity, especially because the drama is about the current government and late kings. The setting enables Shakespeare to develop the themes and main ideas clearly because he was familiar with the state of Denmark. Hopkins (2014) claims that "he accurately described much of the topography and architectural structures found in Denmark with which he relayed to us throughout many of his works" (p. 12).

Conclusion

Shakespeare uses the play "Hamlet" to develop the theme of death, with poison as the primary symbol of the play and the graveyard setting enhancing the ideas. The drama is about the death of King Hamlet, Claudius, Prince Hamlet, and Queen Gertrude. However, it is also about Prince Hamlets and Laertes' vengeance against their fathers' murderers. Shakespeare portrays poison and flowers as the major symbols. Finally, despite the fact that the action of the play takes place in Denmark, most of the scenes happen at the graveyard, which helps to enhance the theme of death.

Works Cited