Choose a play in which a power struggle is central to the action.
Explain briefly the circumstances of the power struggle and discuss the extent to
which it contributes to your appreciation of theme and/or character in the play as a
whole.
In his tragic play ‘Hamlet’, William Shakespeare uses the central power struggle for
several purposes. The conflict between Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, and his uncle,
Claudius- the usurping, illegitimate king- progresses the play towards its tragic
climax, helps to develop our understanding of both characters- Hamlet in particularand develops several of the play’s key themes, including the nature and legitimacy of
revenge.
In the play’s second scene, although it has not yet developed into a power struggle,
Shakespeare clearly illustrates Hamlet’s dislike of Claudius, and suggests the
potential for conflict between the two. From the play’s outset, even before Hamlet’s
encounter with the Ghost and the revelation that Claudius killed Old Hamlet, the
audience is made aware of the tension between the two characters by the way
Hamlet informs his antagonist that he is ‘‘A little more than kin, and less than kind.’
This intelligent pun suggests Hamlet’s feelings: as both nephew and son in law to
Claudius he is more than a normal family relation. He does not, however, look on him
kindly, or believe that he and Claudius are of the same ‘kind’. This also suggests
Hamlet’s unhappiness at the marriage of his uncle and mother. This unnatural
coupling is fundamental to understanding both the struggle between Hamlet and
Claudius, and the development of the protagonist’s character. At this point the
audience feels great sympathy for Hamlet as he is depicted as alienated within
Elsinore; he appears to be the only character still mourning his father, or objecting to
the marriage of Gertrude and Claudius (Even though he does not do this openly at
this point). Shakespeare’s audience would consider such a marriage to be
incestuous, creating further sympathy for the protagonist.
Shakespeare’s characterisation of Claudius reinforces the audience’s sense of
sympathy for Hamlet. He is depicted as a manipulative, Machiavellian ruler. He is
able to easily bend others, such as Laertes, to his purpose, and, unlike Hamlet, will
do whatever it takes in order to satisfy his ambitions. Claudius’ act of regicide would
be viewed as extremely unnatural by Shakespeare’s audience. It was believed that
the King was God’s representative on Earth, and he sat at the top of a hierarchy that
was a natural as the rising of the sun each day. Indeed, the idea that Claudius’
incestuous and regicidal acts are an offence to nature is conveyed through the
frequent images of disease and decay in the play. Hamlet, in his first soliloquy, feels
that Denmark is like ‘an unweeded garden’ populated entirely by ‘things rank and
gross in nature’. This imagery is effective in highlighting how Claudius’ rule is
corrupting the whole of Denmark. This is reinforced by Shakespeare’s description of
the murder of Old Hamlet:
“With juice of cursed hebenon in a vial,
And in the porches of my ears did pour
The leperous distilment,”
The method of the murder works as a metaphor for Claudius’ poisoning of the whole
of Elsinore and Danish society. Here, Shakespeare is exploring the theme of how an
unjust and unnatural ruler can pollute the whole of the society they rule over.
The great corruption that Claudius causes to leak into Elsinore means that Hamlet’s
integrity, intelligence and ability to feel genuine emotion result in him procrastinating.
Instead of ending the power struggle by killing Claudius as soon as the opportunity
arises, he delays until he is dying. Indeed, the power struggle with Claudius reveals
that what would be viewed as positive qualities ironically lead to Hamlet’s demise.
This is a result of the inversion of the ‘natural’ social order. His moral sensitivity
means that he is miscast as a revenge hero, something that he alludes to almost
immediately after his first encounter with the Ghost:
“The time is out of joint—O cursèd spite,
That ever I was born to set it right!”
Shakespeare’s use of a rhyming couplet highlights that, while Hamlet is aware how
‘rotten’ the State of Denmark has become, he is unsuited to being the one to cleanse
it through cold-blooded murder.
In the play’s most famous soliloquy, Shakespeare illustrates the dilemmas
experienced by Hamlet in his struggle with Claudius. When he asks ‘To be, or not to
be’ Hamlet is reflecting on the painful nature of the human experience and why so
many of us accept suffering instead of taking our own lives. Unlike the other
soliloquies, Hamlet does not refer directly to his own situation here; indeed, he does
not use the first-person at all in this famous speech. However, the philosophical
problems considered do relate directly to Hamlet’s conflict with his uncle:
“Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them?”
Shakespeare’s use of imagery here is particularly effective in highlighting the
impossible and unbearable nature of the situation in which Hamlet finds himself. In
this first metaphor, the experience of life is compared to being on a battlefield while
painful weapons are fired through the air; hurt is inevitable and unavoidable it
suggests. Passive acceptance of such sorrow hardly seems attractive. However, the
attempt to take action is not depicted in more appealing terms. Shakespeare’s
brilliant metaphor suggests someone attempting to do battle with the sea- a futile and
impossible task that would surely lead to their death. This helps to convey Hamlet’s
worry that attempting to take action against Claudius will lead to his own death.
Essentially, Hamlet is trapped between two terrible situations. The frequent use of
questioning in the soliloquy is typical of Hamlet’s inquisitive nature, and the reason
behind his paralysis in avenging his father’s murder:
“Thus conscience does make cowards of us all.”
Shakespeare suggests that it is conscience (meaning the ability to think and feel)
which prevents spontaneous or rash action. It is the ability to foresee potential
consequences of our actions, another characteristic that sets man apart from beast,
which stops humans from taking action. It is tragic that Hamlet has been alienated so
severely by the distortion of the natural order that he is in a state of paralysis, and is
weakened in his struggle with Claudius as a result of his virtuous nature.
In the play’s final scene, the power struggle is brought to a tragic climax. Though
Hamlet does fulfill his desire to kill Claudius and restore the natural order, many
others meet their demise in the process. His mother, not exactly an innocent
bystander, but not a villain either, dies accidentally. Hamlet not only kills Claudius
with his own poisoned foil, but forces his malicious uncle to drink the poisoned wine
that killed his mother. This is symbolic, as Claudius literally and metaphorically
released the poison into Denmark, and now dies from it himself. When Hamlet is
killed, he is appreciated as a hero by the few remaining characters in the play:
“Bear Hamlet like a soldier to the stage.
For he was likely, had he been put on,
To have proved most royally.”
When Hamlet dies, the audience feels a real sense of waste, as he is the only good
person within the whole play. He is in possession of correct moral principles, and
although his death results in the reinstatement of the natural order, he should have
been in the highest faculty, ruling the country as his father had, under the principles
of the correct moral and social framework.
In ‘Hamlet’ Shakespeare uses the ultimately tragic struggle with Claudius to help the
audience understand the character of Hamlet. He is a fallible, yet heroic character.
His flaws, however, are the result of Claudius’ distortion of the natural order, helping
us to understand the terrible consequences of this.