Themes and Issues
Revenge:
Revenge is the main theme of the play. This theme centres on death. The Ghost's injunction to Hamlet in Act I, Scene V, carries an explicit command to revenge, "Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder." This confirms for Hamlet the reality of Claudius' guilt. Hamlet exclaims "O my prophetic soul! My uncle?"
Hamlet is faced with a moral dilemma with the truth about the evil nature of Claudius and his own father's death. Hamlet resolves to trust appearances no longer when he finds himself in this situation where appearance belies truth. He takes refuge in "an antic disposition."
Hamlet's deepest instincts are violated and his conscience is in revolt against his task of revenge. Hamlet's delay in carrying out the command to revenge is, therefore, quite justifiable. Moreover, deep within Hamlet's nature there is a doubt about the validity of the Ghost.
In the closet scene{Act III, Scene IV}, Hamlet's vengeance is directed at his mother. In a violent verbal tirade, he attacks his mother and forces her to face up to her guilt and her behaviour. Hamlet does succeed in evoking the correct response within the Queen as her words confirm:
"O Hamlet, speak no more.
Thou turn'st mine eyes into my very soul,
And there I see such black and grained spots
As will not leave their tinct."
Following this scene, Hamlet's speedy despatch to England prevents him from immediately fulfilling his intention to murder Claudius while he is in an act of damnation. On Hamlet's return to Denmark in Act V, Scene I, there is a change in his whole attitude to revenge. His attitude is that of a Christian Prince who knows that things will work out. Hamlet's mood now is more serene and optimistic. Hamlet no longer consciously schemes, instead he calmly reasons that;
"There's a divinity that shapes our ends,
Rough-hew them how we will." {Act V, Scene II.}
He sees his role as avenger in a new light, he no longer chastises himself with his delay but sees himself almost as an agent of Divine Justice.
Deception/False Appearance:
In the court of Elsinore deceit and corruption are rife, the present King appears to be living in incest according to the law at that time. Claudius' first speech in the court of Elsinore shows him to be a King of considerable political skill. He demonstrates extraordinary qualities of decisiveness and self control as he swiftly combats the threat from Norway. Claudius appears to be a capable politician dedicated to his country's interest, in reality he is a murderous usurper.
Likewise, Polonius appears to be a loyal advisor to the King and a concerned father. He appears to be a wise man but the reality is that he is a corrupt plotter who is motivated totally by self-interest. His maxims are superficial and worldly.
Hamlet does not know whom to trust and realises that appearances can be deceptive. "One may smile and smile and be a villain." {Act 1,5}
Much of the play shows Hamlet having to conceal reality by appearance, in order to discover reality. So the issue of false appearance becomes synonymous with this theme of deception. Hamlet has to test the appearance of things to see if they tally with reality. During this testing period he disguises himself, and he puts on 'an antic disposition.'
Later on in the play, in the graveyard scene, {Act V, Scene I} Hamlet holds the skull of Yorick in his hands and declares with contempt,
"Get to my lady's chamber and tell her to paint an inch thick,
to this favour she must come."
This means that reality cannot be concealed forever. What Hamlet is saying is that in the final analysis ultimate truth will assert itself. All the painting and acting cannot conceal the fact that man is mortal, it cannot hide the reality of man's transience.
The Supernatural:
The Ghost introduces us to the atmosphere of the supernatural in the play. The Ghost is the catalyst of the play's action. It is the Ghost's words to Hamlet about the nature of his death and the actual murder by Claudius which triggers off the plot of this play. The Ghost sets the mood for the opening of this play. He appears at night while the two guards are on duty on the platform. He sets the play in a tense atmosphere of anxiety and foreboding. The Ghost is an indispensable piece of dramatic machinery in the mechanism of this play as the knowledge he conveys is what gives rise to the plot of the play.
The Supernatural theme is shown in the figure of the Ghost. It also forms the governing factor for much of the various characters' ways of acting or choosing not to act. For example, Claudius realises that his deed
"smells to heaven,
It hath the primal eldest curse upon't
A brother's murder." {Act III, Scene III.}
Claudius' sentiments are clearly those of a Christian who recognises that his evil deed will be punished. He is able to face the consequences of his deed on a supernatural level, yet he lacks the moral fibre to actually do something about rectifying his behaviour. Instead, he dulls his conscience and chooses to consolidate this evil path. He moves forward and organises the killing of Hamlet in England. When this fails proceeds to organise a corrupt duel with Hamlet's murder as its objective.
The whole play explores the problem of human conduct and particularly in the light of the supernatural world. Many of the characters recognise this world, whether directly as Hamlet does in his encounter with the Ghost or through their own conscience. Some of these characters choose to ignore the demands of their conscience and continue on their path of expediency or the pursuit of self-interest.
As the logic of events unfold and the play concludes, we bear witness to the exposure of this evil and its destruction.
Women and Frail Womanhood:
Gertrude's twofold sin of incest and possible adultery is the dominant influence on Hamlet's attitude to life for most of the play. She has desecrated womanhood for Hamlet and embodies the theme of frailty or fickle womanhood. Like Niobe she is upset about Old Hamlet's death yet within a month is in incestuous wedlock. Described as a "seeming virtuous Queen", Hamlet sees shallow feeling and coarse sensuality in her action. This poisons his mind and turns him against all women.
He can never see Ophelia in the same light again. Because she is a woman like his mother, she too is guilty of sin. This horror and loathing is given full vent and expression in the nunnery scene which culminates in her banishment to a nunnery,
"Get thee to a nunnery. Why, wouldst thou be a
breeder of sinners?" {Act III, Scene I.}
Gertrude is in many senses morally obtuse. In the play within a play she cannot see her own hypocrisy acted out before her. She is neither a very profound nor deep character. She is easily influenced and could be emotionally insecure. For that reason, she could have formed an alliance with Claudius out of loneliness. It is in the closet scene that she first confronts her guilt when Hamlet attacks her.
On the other hand, Ophelia is projected throughout the play as a "green girl" who is weak and inexperienced. She is an example of one whose sufferings are totally disproportionate to her original offences.
As a subordinate character, she falls victim to the inconsideration and abuse of others. For Hamlet she represents a symbol of the frailty of womanhood. She is virtuous although she seems to Hamlet not to be. Naive, biddable and obedient, her father Polonius hands her a pious book to read just before the nunnery scene in order to justify her position.
Thus Hamlet finds her at the beginning of the nunnery scene a vision of maidenly virtue. He soon understands that her innocence is being used against him and denounces the falsity of woman. Yet Ophelia is an innocent girl. Despite his cruelty and Polonius' manipulation, Ophelia is a constant lover. Her mad scenes are filled with songs and poems that speak of lost love. Her tragedy is that she is forced to play a role by a corrupt father and to reject the man she loved only to find herself rejected by him.
Links
Hamlet explained
http://www.pathguy.com/hamlet.htm
Critical essays on the play
http://www.hamletessays.com/
Scene synopsis, essays on Hamlet
http://www.hamlet.org/hamletix.html
http://www.skoool.ie/skoool/examcentre_sc.asp?id=354
