Themes
Madness: There is constant debate of whether or not Hamlet is trying to seem crazy or is completely insane.
-Is there a difference between Ophelia's madness and Hamlet's? Hamlet has seemed a little off from the beginning with the way he acts and talks. He has always shown disobedience toward his mother for marrying his uncle Claudius. However, Ophelia has always come across as a sweet young girl that follows her father and brother's orders.
-(1.5.189-202) In this scene Hamlet wants Horatio and Marcellus to swear they will never tell anyone about the ghost no matter how crazy Hamlet gets. Was Hamlet planning this from the beginning? He uses foreshadowing to warn us that something is going to happen on many occasions. Does this prove to us that Hamlet, in fact, is conniving something?
-These foreshadowing hints were everywhere to be seen at the beginning of the play, but after the play goes on how can we still know Hamlet hasn't lost it?
-(1.5.87-95) The Ghost tells Hamlet not to go crazy about this revenge. This could be considered a fatherly thing to do. If the ghost really is Hamlet's father, is Hamlet that crazy for believing him?
-(2.2.627-634) Shows Hamlet's suspicions toward the ghost and if he is really who he says he is and if Claudius really did murder his dad. Hamlet decides to set up a play and evaluate Claudius' reactions to it. This does not seem like a crazy idea. Hamlet might actually have his head on straight at this point.
Revenge and Death: Ghosts, family unrest, and a vow to vengeance lead us to believe this play is about revenge.
-At the end of the play, who died? Were they out for revenge? This theme wasn't completely shown to us until the very last scene.
-Claudius was the antagonist therefore had to die in order for the audience to feel justice. Laertes wanted revenge by killing Hamlet. And Hamlet wanted to avenge his father. All of which died in the last scene. Polonius was sneaking around trying to get rid of Hamlet and got killed. After hamlet decided to seek revenge, why did he take so long? He could have easily set a trap for Claudius and the play would be over. This leads into our next theme, goals.
- (4.5.148-154) Laertes immediately wants vengeance for his father after hearing about his death and then his sister's madness. Claudius has to stop him and ask him to delay his actions and plan something for Hamlet. Hamlet delays over and over again, shown in the next quote. Are Hamlet and Claudius so different when it comes to revenge?
- (3.3.77-83) Hamlet finds yet another reason to delay killing Claudius in this scene. Claudius is right in the middle of praying for forgiveness. Hamlet says he wants to make sure Claudius goes to an awful place so he delays. This could also be analyzed as Hamlet not going mad but also as one of his plans for making sure he gets every part of revenge he wants.
Goals: Almost everyone had a goal throughout the play. Fortinbras and his yearning for the kingdom, Hamlet and his revenge, Claudius and his woman and crown, Laertes and his revenge, and Polonius and his need for Laertes' greatness. Even Gertrude and Ophelia had goals. Ophelia wanted Hamlet's love. Gertrude's goals seemed to change through the course of the play. First she wanted to forget her past with Hamlet's father, then she wants Hamlet's love. Do you notice all but one of these characters end up dying? Is there a reason?
- (1.1.107-116) Shows us Fortinbras does not hide his desire for revenge on the kingdom.This means he is not sneaking around conniving plans on how to get what he wants. He is actually very open to it. Is there a reason Shakespeare kept him alive?
Gender: Hamlet has very strong views toward women and men. He treats his own mother with disrespect because he despises her for not being loyal to his dead father. How he treats Ophelia is no better. He puts her on a constant roller coaster and look what happens to her in the end.
-(1.3.17-32) This shows the relationship between Laertes and Ophelia. It is mainly Laertes telling Ophelia what to do and Ophelia forced to agree.
-(1.3.108-118) This shows how much Polonius cares about Ophelia's opinions. He hasn't the slightest belief that Hamlet actually loves Ophelia, we learn later in the play he actually does, and tells his daughter to not accept any of the fake affection Hamlet gives.
-After looking at these past two quotes, we see that Ophelia has no input whatsoever when it comes to life decisions. Her father and brother, Polonius and Laertes, give her no room for expression and tell her what she is going to do. How does this go on throughout the play? Is this a factor for her suicide? Shakespeare is making a point by showing us the role of women and what happens to them in the end.
-(3.2.49-102) This is the part in the play that Hamlet officially confronts his mother for what she has done. We notice he does it in a very violent way. He is angry and shows it. Once again, the women in this situation seem helpless and powerless.
-(2.2.56-61) In this scene the king, Gertrude, and Polonius are discussing different ways to spy on Hamlet. Gertrude's ideas are usually disposed of by the king and Polonius. She has no input. This goes on throughout the course of the play.