Hamlet ~ William Shakespeare (1603)

Often called his masterpiece, for William Shakespeare, this is a high claim yet Hamlet remains one of the best theatrical works in history and there are many convincing reasons for this. First are the quotes where so many have been taken from this play to be used out of context such as “To thine own self be true” which is applicable to many situations besides Polonius giving his son a goodbye message. The language is poetic and the effect of the words has communicated globally for over 400 years. It is surprising to find so many quotes in the play which are embedded in our everyday language and where these have often lost their source, reading Hamlet reminds us of the poetic genius and power of Shakespeare. Alongside famous phrases such as “To be, or not to be” stands famous characters including the speaker of the soliloquy, the melancholy Prince Hamlet. As a protagonist, Hamlet is very interesting as he is an outsider and distances himself from the royal court who celebrate the wedding of his mother to his uncle after his father dies. Hamlet, from the outset, is intelligent and perceptive as he does not allow public pressure to cloud his mourning for his dead father. Hamlet is unlike the corrupted court and without any other significant support, we do. We, with Hamlet, are granted information concerning the death of his father and on a determined pursuit of revenge; we hope to see him succeed as he is the remedy to the rotten country. Part of his plan includes feigning madness and this is my most interesting piece of the play as debating his insanity broadens the work as in considering if Hamlet is truly mad and not pretending, his belief of seeing his father’s ghost and receiving an identity of his murderer can be argued. What is initially seen as a heroic pursuit for truth can now be read as a complex misunderstanding triggered by insanity. The play asks us to question the psyche and in doing so, we only find ambiguity which is why scholars have attempted to discover the answers for centuries. The true answer is the audience’s decision which makes this a unique text which invites and rewards excavation into the words and action of the play. Overall, the play teaches us the complexities of revenge as Hamlet’s plan rarely works to his intention and as it stretches further, innocence is tarnished before being destroyed, as represented by the tragic Ophelia, and while it is true that the play is long, it is effective that as it continues, we lose motivation and the as a result the plot plunges further into tragedy. While mostly a cautionary tale teaching of revenge, Hamlet has much more to offer in discussing family, friendship, trust, tragedy, love and what it is to be ourselves and it is for these reasons, and more, that the play stretches beyond the performance as it speaks directly to our hearts, our minds and our souls, making it one of the greatest plays ever written.