Hamlet: Play

Introduction

The play Hamlet by William Shakespeare may be described as a tragedy of grief due to the many situations of grievance. We see many instances of grief in Hamlet. There are three different categories that cause grief in this play; love, death, and revenge.

Discussion

Love is a major theme in the play. We see many relationships that cause grief to the characters in Hamlet. The love between Hamlet and Ophelia is very strong and there is one main person who is against it; Polonius. Polonius uses Ophelia as a tool to gain King Claudius' friendship and makes her break up with Hamlet (Clemen 236). Hamlet and Ophelia are both heartbroken and both end up lamenting about there loss of love. Ophelia takes it harder though, and expresses her feelings in song:

To-morrow is Saint Valentine's Day

All in the morning bedtime,

And I a maid at your window,

To be your Valentine.

Then up he rose and donn'd his clothes,

And dupp'd the chamber door,

Let in the maid, that out a maid

Never departed more. (Shakespeare 12)

She is in despair over Hamlet's promise to marry her and is heart broken when Hamlet acts vicious and choleric towards her. Hamlet and Gertrude love each other as mother and son do, but with her marriage so soon after the death of King Hamlet, Gertrude's late husband, Hamlet loses respect for his mother. This causes much grief between the two. Hamlet learns through the ghost of King Hamlet that it was Claudius that killed his father and asks Hamlet to get revenge, but to leave his mother Gertrude alone. Hamlet has trouble with this though and acts very harsh towards her in her room: "No, by the rood, not so/You are the Queen, your husband's brother's wife/and,-would it were so!-you are my mother" (Eagleson 84-97). He acts ashamed of his mother's actions and tries to make her feel guilty. Their love is tragic because though Gertrude tries to salvage their relationship, knowing that it may be too late due to her actions, Hamlet rebukes her in a mocking fashion, even in front of others. Gertrude, having failed to be loved and respected by her so Hamlet, pulls herself away from Claudius in order to relieve some of her guilt and sticks up for Hamlet: "Behind the arras hearing something stir/ whips out his rapier and cries 'a rat, a rat!'/and in this brainish apprehension, kills/ the unseen good old man" (Bratchell 552). Through her love for Hamlet, Queen Gertrude withdraws herself from King Claudius in order to restore her relationship with Hamlet.

Samuel Johnson writes 'Hamlet is through the piece rather an instrument than an agent.' This statement is true; it is exhibited in several ways. The manner in which Hamlet's father manifests himself is an indication of his true intentions. Hamlet acts as an earthly means of revenge; he is the output for actions directed by a mortal being. Inner weakness has riddled Hamlet's life, it runs rampant in his decisions, or lack of, and has plagued his fate. His inability ...