Hamlet by William Shakespeare Essay - 1475 Words

In William Shakespeares Hamlet, although Hamlet is the prince of Denmark, he has little control over the situation of his mother country. His father is dead and his mother marries his uncle, Claudius, who succeeds his father. When Hamlet is still in grief, the ghost of his father comes to tell him that he was killed by Claudius. Young Hamlet, being called to take vengeance, is confined to the land of Denmark and fails to act. Throughout the play, Hamlet feels increasingly trapped by the confinement set by King Claudius, by his fathers command to take revenge, and by his own thoughts; only when Hamlet is able to free from his own mind, is he able to take action and escape from these confines. Hamlet is trapped physically and†¦show more content†¦Hamlet calls himself a slave of his father, which depicts how he is confined by the Ghosts command. Hamlet struggles to take the revenge, but Claudius keeps preventing him from taking actions. When he finds out that Hamlet knows about his murder, Claudius feels threatened and decides to send Hamlet to England. In his letter to England, Claudius requests the present death of Hamlet (4.3.64). Under Claudius’s authority, Hamlet is going to England like a prisoner being sent to the gallows. Hamlet is entrapped by Claudius scheme. Therefore, King Claudiuss authority and King Hamlets command for revenge confined Hamlet physically and fugitively, but the more important force trapping Hamlet is his own mind. Hamlets own thoughts are the most powerful force trapping him. Hamlets mind and knowledge were once one of his most powerful tools to insult and deceive his enemies, but such knowledge begins to confine him as he think s too much. When he talks to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Hamlet insists that to him, Denmark is a prison, for there is nothing/ either good or bad but thinking makes it so(2.2.2245-246). Here, Hamlet is stressing the power of thinking. Thinking, besides which nothing is good or bad, turns Denmark into a prison to him. Hamlet becomes the prisoner of his own thoughts. Moreover, Hamlet’s mind further leads to his inability to act. In hisShow MoreRelatedHamlet, By William Shakespeare880 Words   |  4 PagesWilliam Shakespeare is praised as the pioneering English poet and playwright whose collection of theatrical works is regarded as the greatest artistic value throughout the history of English literature. Shakespeare delved into the spiritual and mental component of humanity and the consequences that arise from this human spirit when it is disputed. The most famous revenge tragedy play, Hamlet, is an excellent illustration of Shakespeare’s philosophical study of human nature. In Hamlet, the arguableRead MoreHamlet, By William Shakespeare899 Words   |  4 PagesWilliam Shakespeare, author of Hamlet, was a well-known author in the 1500s and is still popular today. He was born on April 24, 1564 in London, England. 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William Shakespeare is one of the greatest playwrights in history. Hamlet is about Prince Hamlet of Denmark who is trying to find out about the death of his father after his father s ‘ghost’ comes to him telling him it was his uncle who had killed him. While Hamlet contemplates suicide he gives his famous