Hamlet: End of the Year
Review
Andrea Crowley
Advance Placement Literature
Title: Hamlet
Author: William Shakespeare
Author’s Date and Cultural Perspective: Hamlet
was written during the early seventeenth century,
and is assumed to be derived from other sources.
The discovery of the text led to a movement
known as “renaissance humanism,” generating a
new interest in human experience.
Opposing Forces in the Conflict
Hamlet is the story of a Danish prince whose
uncle murders the prince’s father, marries his
mother, and claims the throne. The young prince
is visited by the ghost of his father, who reveals
Claudius’s crime and orders the prince to seek
revenge. However, Hamlet’s tragic flaw, his
inability to act, eventually leads to his demise.
Important Places
• Denmark: The country in which the royal family
resides; “something is rotten in Denmark.”
• Cemetery: Where Hamlet meets the
gravediggers and learns of Ophelia’s suicide; also
the place where he confronts Laertes, who
believes Hamlet to be the cause of his sister’s
death.
• Elsinore Castle: Where the royal family lives.
Conflict With Self
The major part of the conflict within the work is
Hamlet’s struggle “to act or not to act.” Though
Hamlet vows to avenge his father’s death, he
procrastinates in this endeavor. His failure to take
action is evident throughout the work; for
example, Hamlet decides against killing Claudius
when he finds him praying, believing that
Claudius’s soul would be sent to heaven.
Conflict With Society
Hamlet vs. Claudius: Hamlet’s greatest conflict is with
Claudius, who had murdered his father and usurped
his throne. Claudius becomes suspicious of Hamlet’s
motives, and devises a plan to use Laertes’ anger to
secure Hamlet’s death.
Hamlet vs. Denmark: Hamlet finds himself at odds
with his country as he enters into an apparent
madness. At one point, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
are given orders demanding that Hamlet be put to
death.
Anyone Under An Illusion?
A ghost resembling the former King Hamlet
appears to a pair of watchmen one night, then to
Horatio and young Hamlet. The ghost declares
that it is indeed his father’s spirit, and that he was
murdered by Claudius. The spirit orders Hamlet
to seek revenge, and he vows to do just that.
Anyone Make an Important Mistake?
Hamlet makes the fateful mistake of failing to act earlier. He
delays throughout the course of the work, overanalyzing his
options. In truth, Hamlet never acts—he simply reacts, in
response to a fencing match against Laertes. Hamlet only
turns his sword upon Claudius when he learns that the King
had been responsible for the poison that had killed his
mother. By this time, Hamlet had already drank from the
goblet, and his death was inevitable. Had Hamlet acted
earlier, his death, as well as others, may have been prevented.
Is There A Villain?
King Claudius seems to be the apparent villain in Hamlet. He
has murdered his own blood-brother, and married his sisterin-law, Gertrude. Claudius becomes suspicious of Hamlet,
especially after viewing “The Mousetrap,” (a play that seems
quite reminiscent of the King’s own circumstances) and
orders to have him killed. When this plan fails, Claudius
convinces Laertes to engage Hamlet in a duel. The King
concocts a plan to poison Hamlet, but unintentionally
murders his own wife as well.
Are Family Relationships Important?
Family relationships are the source of conflict for
young Hamlet. His father has been murdered by
his own uncle, who has claimed the throne, and
married Gertrude. Hamlet vows to avenge his
father’s death, but is too analytical in his
approach. The family is plagued by conspiracy
and madness, foreshadowing an inevitable
demise.
Some Human Value Asserted…
Hamlet asserts that taking action is key. Hamlet
failed to take action against his uncle, sealing his
death, as well as the entirety of the royal families.
Hamlet showcases that overanalyzing leads to
second-guessing, and has the potential to leave
us immobile, despite our motives.
Anyone Lost or Alienated?
Ophelia and Hamlet are both alienated as they enter
into states of madness. Polonius suggests that Hamlet
be watched closely, believing that suggests that he may
be mad with love Ophelia. Initially, the prince’s erratic
behavior seems to be a façade, but by the end, it is
clearly that he has truly approached insanity. Ophelia
is stricken with grief over her father’s death and
Hamlet’s lack of affection for her, and drowns herself
in a nearby river.
Parallels/Contrasts To Other Works
Hamlet seems, in many ways, to resemble Okonkwo of
Things Fall Apart. Both suffer from a single tragic flaw.
Hamlet is pained by his procrastination, whereas
Okonkwo suffers from a need to heighten his reputation,
in spite of his father. However, where Hamlet
overanalyzes, Okonkwo does not think at all. Okonkwo
completely disregards the consequences of his actions,
while Hamlet examines and reexamines his potential
costs.
• Tone: Dark, contemplative, desperate
• Genre: Tragedy
• Diction: Shakespeare wrote with poetic diction, and the work
is filled with eloquent soliloquies.
• Irony: Hamlet is filled with irony, particularly dramatic irony,
in which the audience foresees the oncoming event, yet the
character does not. It is also ironic how that, eventually,
Hamlet is responsible for his own death. Perhaps most ironic
is the fact that Hamlet knows exactly what he needs to do, yet
cannot bring himself to actually do it.