Hamlet, by William Shakespeare

Hamlet by William Shakespeare is one of the most famous plays written in the history of English literature. This is partly due to the fact that its central characters and thematic concerns are still able to resonate with readers today. Because of the play’s polysemous nature, its ideas can be interpreted in a myriad of ways, and there is no single right meaning. Readers bring in their personal experiences, cultures and beliefs to their reading of the play. I will be exploring the notion of privacy in Hamlet, and its scarcity. There were also a few film interpretations that influenced my judgement of the play. Additionally, I will examining the extent to which Hamlet is relevant to me personally and to the 21st century, 400 years after the play was originally written.

I felt that I could identify with Ophelia in the scene where her brother and father both intrude on her love and hence private life. In this scene, Ophelia is not only stripped of her privacy, but also her assertive power as a girl. This is demonstrated in the way Laertes lovingly reminds Ophelia to guard her “chaste treasure” (I, III, 34), which is an embarrassing topic for a brother to discuss with his sister. Polonius, however, insults his daughter and calls her “a green girl” (I, III, 106), meaning that she is naive and immature. He asserts his paternal power further by “command[ing]” her “not [to] believe his vows” (I, III, 128ff) and forbidding her to see Hamlet again. In the Kenneth Branagh film version, Polonius is portrayed as an aggressive father, pushing Ophelia against a wall and demanding that she reveal what she is hiding, which is truly an encroachment upon her privacy. Ophelia’s lack of privacy in that others control how she deals with her love life, ...

... middle of paper ...

...bout not just what they do in public, but also in private.

In summary, privacy is a prominent theme throughout the play. From Hamlet, I learnt that true privacy is not only very rare, but also something that one can never be sure they have. This becomes apparent in several instances of the play where Hamlet and Ophelia’s privacies are abused. My own reading has been influenced by not only film interpretations, but also my personal experiences and attitudes. The continued interest in and relevance of the play that amazingly still exists today is partly due to the numerous ways that the play can be read, giving it personal significance to each reader each time they read it. Through this brilliant play, the modern audience is reminded of the inevitability of the loss of privacy, which is becoming increasingly pronounced with the world’s rapid advances in technology.