Hamlet

On the face of it, Hamlet is about a Danish prince taking revenge for his father's death at the hands of his uncle. Or rather, struggling to take revenge. Thinking about it, pondering it, and pretending to go mad. Then going mad, falling in love and a lot more besides. This in a play that, uncut, runs for more than four hours. Hamlet is a revenge drama, but it consists of Hamlet's inability to take revenge. The character's beautiful, desperate reflection on his situation have given rise to many interpretations of the tragedy. Is it a political, psychological or family drama? Is Hamlet a madman, genius, narcissist or revolutionary?These are the themes I noticed as I watched, read and listened to the play:The Difficulty of CertaintyHamlet's desire for revenge conflicts with the religious norms and the codes of society. Enacting his desire for revenge means that Hamlet's soul could be in danger. His reasons for revenge and justice become conflicted and confused. There is no certainty as to what will happen if he follows his heart.So, Hamlet does not commit to action until he convinces himself that what he's doing is definitely correct. It's difficult to take rational action when there is a need for certainty in an ambiguous world. Hamlet does not give an answer to what is best: taking action, or not. Rather he suggests that no matter which one you choose the end result is the same: death.Perspectives on DeathFollowing on from the death of his father, Hamlet obsesses over mortality and death. He looks at it from many different angles and poses lots of questions. Do kings have a free pass to heaven? Is there an afterlife? If you're murdered will you go to heaven? Will answers to these questions bring Hamlet peace? Maybe not, as death is the result of his desire for justice and revenge. It is also the cause of it too.Hamlet describes the world as an “unweeded garden”. He only seems comfortable with things that are dead. He reveres his father and claims to love Ophelia once she's dead. He believes that death isn't too bad. He obsesses over the idea of suicide. But the uncertainty of the afterlife pushes Hamlet away from taking his own life. And in Act V after seeing Yorick's skull he realises that death levels any differences between people.As the play progresses the quantity of bodies pile up. Even though eight of the nine main characters die, questions of mortality are not answered. The play provides an exploration without any definite conclusion.Hamlet argues that death is the one true reality. He seems to view all life as “appearance” doing everything it can, from desiring power, to hiding the truth, to murder, to hide from reality.The Nation's HealthPower transfers from one King to another. This causes anxiety and political turmoil; how morally legitimate is the ruler? And how healthy does this make the nation, if the ruler himself is rotten? Denmark's national health is failing.When Marcellus says, “something is rotten in the state of Denmark” (Act I, Scene IV), he's suggesting that something evil is afoot. It refers to political unrest which links to Hamlet's mental state.Reality and DeceptionEach character ponders what other characters are thinking. Deception is rife. Hamlet is unable to act because of his search for reality. He initially feigns madness. This is to convince others that he is harmless while investigating his father's death. He builds on this appearance of insanity and discovers the closer he looks the more false reality becomes. As the play progresses, Hamlet's deception of playing mad seems to cause him to lose his grip on reality. In other words he becomes insane. Or so it appears.In ConclusionI think the play is so enduring because of Hamlet's delay. He has an inability, or refusal, to go ahead and avenge his father. And his habit of stepping out of the plot to reflect on how the working of the mind might explain his inaction. For me, it is these aspects of the play that has kept it fresh and modern. Each generation in turn interprets Hamlet in light of the way we explain our own lives.Resources I Used[b:”Hamlet” 861451 “Hamlet” (York Notes Advanced) Jeffrey Wood https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348151013s/861451.jpg 846881] (York Notes Advanced) by Jeffrey WoodChop Bard podcast; episodes 21 to 39 inclusive. Chop Bard podcast Hamlet (1990) movie, starring Mel GibsonChop Bard podcast Hamlet (2009) movie, starring David Tennent