Essay about Hamlet 922 words

is relieved of his post by Bernardo, one of the guards who remains joined by Marcellus and Hamlet's closest confidante, Horatio. The sentinels tell Horatio that they have seen a spirit resembling King Hamlet who has passed away. Upon learning this from Horatio, Hamlet decides to confront the ghost himself.

On that night, the Ghost reappears and guides Hamlet to an isolated location. It insists that it is the real spirit of his father and reveals that his uncle, Claudius, poisoned him. The Ghost urges Hamlet to seek revenge, which he agrees to do while posing as a madman. Initially, Hamlet believes the Ghost is trustworthy and even refers to him as an "honest ghost" and "truepenny." However, he later becomes skeptical of the Ghost's intentions, which leads to his inaction. Polonius serves as Claudius's trusted chief counsellor, and his daughter, Ophelia, is courted by Hamlet. Meanwhile, Polonius's son, Laertes, is returning to France.

Both Polonius and Laertes caution Ophelia that Hamlet's affections towards her may not be genuine. Ophelia herself becomes anxious after Hamlet abruptly enters her room, stares at her in silence, and leaves. Polonius attributes Hamlet's seemingly wild conduct to his passionate love for Ophelia and reports it to Claudius and Gertrude. Concerned about Hamlet's ongoing mourning for his father and his erratic behavior, Claudius summons Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two of Hamlet's acquaintances, to uncover the root of Hamlet's altered demeanor. Hamlet warmly greets his friends but soon discovers that they are acting as spies for Claudius.

Claudius and Polonius collaborate to persuade Ophelia into talking to Hamlet whilst they eavesdrop. On his entrance, Hamlet contemplates suicide whilst Ophelia greets him and offers to

return his memories. However, Hamlet begins to doubt her sincerity and angrily tells her to "get thee to a nunnery." He remains uncertain if the Ghost's tale of his father's murder is true, but a troupe of actors arriving at Elsinore provides a solution. Hamlet decides to stage a play called The Murder of Gonzago, re-enacting his father's murder, to determine Claudius's guilt by observing his reaction.

The court gathers to watch the play, during which Hamlet delivers a restless commentary. When the murder scene is performed, Claudius suddenly gets up and departs, which Hamlet interprets as evidence of his uncle's culpability. Gertrude summons Hamlet to her chamber to ask for clarification. As he travels, Hamlet encounters Claudius praying but hesitates to end him, since he believes killing him during prayer would result in him reaching heaven.

In the scene, it is disclosed that the King is not truly praying and suggests that spoken "words" alone cannot reach heaven without accompanying thoughts. Hamlet and Gertrude argue when this is revealed. Polonius, who is spying from behind an arras and believes the prince's madness to be real, panics when he thinks that Hamlet is about to kill the Queen and calls for help. Hamlet, mistaking Polonius for Claudius, stabs through the cloth in a wild frenzy, killing Polonius. Initially, Hamlet does not feel remorse but instead calls Polonius "Thou wretched, rash, intruding fool." However, shortly after he expresses regret saying "I repent: but heaven hath pleased it so" upon realizing that he has killed Ophelia's father.

Although the Ghost implores Hamlet to be kind to Gertrude, it also reminds him of his duty to kill Claudius. Despite being unable

to perceive the Ghost, Gertrude believes that Hamlet's conversation with it is a sign of his madness. As Claudius worries for his own safety, he takes advantage of the situation by sending Hamlet on a diplomatic mission to England with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in order to get rid of him. When alone, Claudius divulges that he is actually sending Hamlet off to meet his demise.

Hamlet hides Polonius's body before leaving for England, but later reveals its location to the King. On his way out of Elsinore, he comes across Prince Fortinbras's army en route to Poland and is dismayed by the recklessness of soldiers willing to risk their lives on a whim. This prompts him to declare that his thoughts will henceforth be either violent or worthless. At the same time, Ophelia behaves oddly and sings lewd songs as she wanders around the castle in mourning. Laertes returns from France and is troubled by both his father's death and his sister's mental breakdown.

During a brief appearance, she distributes herbs and flowers. Claudius convinces Laertes that Hamlet is entirely to blame for the trouble, but then receives news that Hamlet is still alive, having supposedly survived an attack by pirates while en route to England. Claudius quickly devises a plan to murder Hamlet without drawing attention to himself; he suggests a sword-fighting match between the two men, knowing that Hamlet will be jealous of Laertes' abilities. Laertes is outraged by his father's death and informs the king that he will poison the tip of his sword for added effect. Unable to trust that even a scratch from Hamlet would be fatal, Claudius plans to serve him

poisoned wine as a backup plan.

Gertrude informs that Ophelia has drowned. In the Elsinore churchyard, two "clowns" enter to prepare Ophelia's grave. The coroner deemed it accidental, but they argue it was suicide. Hamlet arrives with Horatio and talks with one of them, who finds Yorick's skull. Ophelia's funeral procession led by Laertes comes. Laertes blames Hamlet for her death and jumps into the grave, distraught by the lack of ceremony and overwhelmed by emotions.

Expressing his love and sorrow for Ophelia, Hamlet interrupts and engages in a struggle with Laertes. However, Claudius and Gertrude intervene, reminding Laertes of the upcoming fencing match. Hamlet confides in Horatio about his escape from death during his journey, divulging that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have been dispatched instead. Later, a courtier named Osric interrupts to invite Hamlet to fence with Laertes. Despite Horatio's caution, Hamlet agrees to participate and the match commences.

After multiple rounds, Gertrude defies Claudius's urgent warning and proposes a toast to Hamlet, unknowingly drinking the wine that he had poisoned. During the fight, Laertes stabs Hamlet with his own poisoned sword. In the chaos, Hamlet manages to use Laertes's poisoned weapon against him, leading to Gertrude's demise. Before passing away, Gertrude discloses that she was poisoned. Laertes, during his last breath, reconciles with Hamlet and uncovers Claudius's plan to kill.

In the climax of the play, Hamlet uses a poisoned sword to stab Claudius before forcing him to drink from a cup poisoned with the same substance, ensuring his death. As Claudius takes his last breaths, Hamlet declares that Prince Fortinbras of Norway is likely to be selected as the new monarch since Danish kingship is

an elected position determined by the nobility. Horatio attempts to take his life with the same toxic wine but is stopped by Hamlet, leaving him as the sole survivor able to tell the story. The arrival of Fortinbras at the scene reveals that Gertrude, Claudius, Laertes, and Hamlet are all deceased. Horatio asks for permission to tell the full story to future generations, and Fortinbras orders for Hamlet's remains to be carried away in respect.

Sources indicate that the concept of a hero behaving as a fool, like in Hamlet, may stem from ancient Indo-European traditions. There are various written accounts predating Hamlet that exhibit similarities to the play. One example is the Scandinavian Saga of Hrolf Kraki, where a king's two sons, Hroar and Helgi, disguise themselves under false names instead of assuming madness like in Shakespeare's work.

The tale of Brutus, a Roman legend recorded in two separate Latin works, tells the story of a hero named Lucius who adopts the persona of Brutus and pretends to be a fool in order to evade the fate of his father and brothers. Eventually, he slays King Tarquinius, who had killed Lucius' family. In the 17th century, a Nordic scholar named Torfaeus drew comparisons between Shakespeare's Hamlet and two other heroes: Iceland's Amlodi and Spain's Prince Ambales. These characters share similarities with Hamlet, including feigned madness, unintentionally killing a member of the king's court in their mother's bedroom, and ultimately killing their uncle.

The 13th-century Vita Amlethi by Saxo Grammaticus intertwines many earlier legendary elements. This Latin text reflects classic Roman ideas of virtue and heroism and was easily accessible during Shakespeare's time. It features similarities to Shakespeare's

Hamlet such as the prince pretending to be mad, his mother rushing into a marriage with the usurper, the prince killing a hidden spy, and the prince exchanging his own execution for that of two companions. A relatively faithful adaptation of Saxo's story was translated into French by Francois de Belleforest in 1570 and titled Histoires tragiques.

Saxo's text was considerably embellished by Belleforest, resulting in a nearly doubled length and an added element of the hero's melancholy. It is widely believed that Shakespeare drew inspiration from an earlier play, now lost, called the Ur-Hamlet. It is possible that the Ur-Hamlet was authored by Thomas Kyd or even Shakespeare himself and was first performed around 1589, featuring the inclusion of a ghost. The Chamberlain's Men, Shakespeare's theater company, may have purchased this play and performed their own version, which Shakespeare then revised. Unfortunately, as no copy of the Ur-Hamlet has survived, it is impossible to compare the language and style with any known works by its potential authors.

There is no clear evidence that Kyd wrote the play, and it is uncertain if it was an early version of Hamlet by Shakespeare himself. Some scholars suggest that Hamlet may have been developed much earlier than the generally accepted date. However, there is no confident claim about how much material Shakespeare drew from Ur-Hamlet, Belleforest or Saxo, and other contemporary sources. Although there is no direct evidence of Shakespeare referring to Saxo's version, there are some elements from Belleforest's version not present in Saxo's story that appear in Shakespeare's play. It is unclear if Shakespeare took these elements from Belleforest directly or through the Ur-Hamlet.

Although most scholars dismiss

any association between Shakespeare's only son, Hamnet Shakespeare, who passed away at the age of eleven in 1596, and Hamlet, there are arguments that suggest otherwise. It is commonly believed that the connection between Hamlet and legend is too apparent and the name Hamnet was commonplace at the time. However, Stephen Greenblatt contends that Shakespeare's mourning for his son and the coincidence of their names may be at the core of the tragedy. It is interesting to note that Hamnet Sadler, a Stratford neighbour, who happened to be the inspiration for Hamnet's name, was frequently recorded as Hamlet Sadler, with names being interchangeable during that period's orthography. It is also worth mentioning that Shakespeare had named his son and neighbor in his will.

Many scholars have theorized that Hamlet's character, Polonius, was potentially inspired by William Cecil, who was Lord High Treasurer and chief counselor to Queen Elizabeth I. E. K. Chambers proposed that Polonius's guidance to Laertes may have mirrored Burghley's advice to his own son, Robert Cecil.

According to John Dover Wilson, Burleigh was likely caricatured by the character of Polonius, while A. L. Rowse suggested that Burghley's tedious verbosity may have been similar to Polonius's. Lilian Winstanley found the name Corambis to be suggestive of both Cecil and Burghley.

In a critique, Harold Jenkins deemed the notion of personal satire by Shakespeare as improbable and inconsistent with his character. On the other hand, G.R. Hibbard speculated that the variation in names across editions could indicate an attempt to avoid offending Oxford scholars. Phillip Edwards, the editor of New Cambridge, warns that the dating of Hamlet is uncertain.

Hamlet's date of authorship can be estimated based

on multiple sources. One approach is to look at Hamlet's references to Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, dated to mid-1599. Another clue is the Register of the Stationers' Company, which notes that Hamlet was "latelie Acted by the Lo: Chamberleyne his servantes" on July 26, 1602. Additionally, Francis Meres' Palladis Tamia, published in 1598, mentions twelve of Shakespeare's plays but not Hamlet, indicating that it may not have been written yet.

According to Bernard Lott, the editor of New Swan, it is improbable that Hamlet would have missed such a notable piece. The term "little eyases" in the First Folio could possibly refer to the Children of the Chapel, who were so popular in London that the Globe company had to tour in other parts of the country.

The War of the Theatres is a known event, often associated with the dating of 1601. Gabriel Harvey, a contemporary of Shakespeare, made a notation in the margins of his copy of Chaucer's works in 1598, which some scholars use as evidence of the play's date. In his note, Harvey suggests that "the wiser sort" appreciate Hamlet and implies that the Earl of Essex- who was executed for rebellion in February 1601- was still alive. Despite this, some experts find Harvey's text to be lacking conclusive evidence. Edwards, for instance, argues that Harvey's note is confusing about timing and offers limited assistance in dating Hamlet.

The note implies that Spenser and Watson are still alive but also mentions Owen's new epigrams, published in 1607.