Theme Of Royalty And Authority In Hamlet

The Tragedy of Hamlet is one of the most confounding works ever written in the English language. William Shakespeare wrote in many different nuances within this play. There are multiple perspectives to analyze Hamlet from. There is death, mental illness, revenge, and a catastrophic ending to the play. The purpose of this assignment is to argue, that The Tragedy of Hamlet shows that Royalty and authority, may seem righteous on the surface; but in fact is very ambiguous. Power held within families can destroy the family from within. This is a work of dramatic fiction that displays the darker facets of human behavior.

Death, revenge, murder and suicide are major themes in this play. The presence of death embarked in act one. The Ghost appears before two characters, Barnardo and Francisco. They were unaware that the spirit is the old King. The spirit of the old King, is haunting the characters throughout the entire play. Hamlet is the only person that communicates with the ghost directly. The King is searching for rest and peace in purgatory. “ I am thy father’s spirit, Doom’d for certain term to walk the night, And for the day co’fin'd to fast in fires, Till

the foul crimes done in my days of nature Are burnt and pur’gd away.” (Hamlet.1.5.9-13) Barnado, Francsico, Marcellus and Horatio, all had a brief encounter with the spirit in the first act. Ethical dilemmas are at the core of this play. In conclusion; it is a struggle to define morality.
The characters find that morality was debatable under diverse circumstances. This was the reason why Hamlet’s behavior was so peculiar. Fortinbras was unaware of the King’s death Furthermore, King Claudius sent messengers to Norway, in the hopes of stopping, Frotinbras and Norway’s invasion. Once the messengers returned with the news that Fortinbras would attack Poland, and leave Denmark alone. Claudius was sure that everything would become normal; but was wrong in the end. Once Fortinbras returned and inherited the kingdom, due to all the deaths that occurred. Fortinbras might be the only character in the play, that has empathy for Hamlet’s predicament, since his Father was Dead as well. Hamlet and Fortinbras are parallel to each other in their lively hood orientations; although Fortinbras is more tolerant of his fate, than Hamlet is.
The relationship between Hamlet and Gertrude was extremely abnormal. They were puzzled about the situation they are in. Hamlet was very uncomfortable that his Mother Gertrude was in a relationship with his Uncle. This is where the conflict begins within the play. Everyone believed that Hamlet was madly in love with Ophelia, furthermore that was the reason for his instability. Hamlet broods to himself in the first act about his Mother’s relationship with his Uncle. “ O God, a beast that wants discourse of reason would have mourn’d longer-married with my uncle, My father’s brother, but no more like my father Than I to Hercules. Within a month, Ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears had left flushing in her galled eyes, She married-O most wicked speed.” (Hamlet.1.2.150-156) Hamlet was devastated over his family’s incest. This was a problem, that his family tried to ignore, but seized their attention in the end.
The quarrel between Hamlet and Laertes, was the main confrontation that ended in a massacre. Hamlet murdered Laertes’s Father Polonius. After Hamlet confronted his Mother, prior to the had a play preformed, in which a Queen murdered a King. This was in front of Claudius and Gertrude. After the play that was staged, Polonius, the consul to the King, was speaking to Gertude in private, before Hamlet entered the room. When Hamlet accosted his Mother, Polonius was hidden in the closet. Hamlet drew his sword and killed Polonius; while Hamlet’s blade was meant for Claudius. Hamlet knew that consequently, that he must kill Claudius and the longer he waited, the harder it would be.
The death of Polonius ignited the main catastrophe at the end of the play. All of the characters, slaughter each other, before Frotinbra’s return. Gertude accidently drank the poison that was meant for Hamlet. After he stabbed Claudius, Hamlet forced him to drink the poison as well. Frontinbras eventually entered into the action while this catastrophe occurred. While in his best efforts to establish some clarity of what happened. Fortinbras declared the whole episode a tragedy and that Hamlet was even a victim too. “Let four captains Bear Hamlet like a soldier to the stage, For he was likely, had he been put on, To have prov’d most royal; and for his passage, The soldier’s music and the rite of war Speak loudly for him. Take up the bodies. Such a sight as this Becomes the field, but here shows amiss.” (Hamlet.5.2. 389-396) Frotinbras’s reaction seemed callused in consideration that; he asked for the bodies of the dead to be put on display for people to notice them. Frotinbras had empathy for Hamlet and his mental anguish, that exploded and engulfed everyone. He had seen death and experienced mourning.
Death and the mourning process of a loved one’s death, especially when that person is taken away unjustly can cloud a person’s judgement and affect their heir decision making. How a person copes with death can affect others and themselves. The characters, Gertrude, Hamlet, Laertes and Ophelia, are all exposed to murder. Murder created the conflict within each other. Gertrude is dealing with the death of her husband, while she is dealing with the emotional state of her son. Gertrude loved Hamlet; while Hamlet was in total disgust of his Mother. Gertrude was the only person that might be keeping, Claudius from harming Hamlet. When Hamlet murdered Polonius; Gertrude is the person that defended him in the play.
In the beginning of act five, two clowns are burying the body of Ophelia. They are addled by this, considering her death was by suicide. “It cannot be else. For here lies the point: if I drown myself wittingly, it argues an act, and an act hath three branches it is to act, to do, to preform; argal, she drowned herself wittingly.”(Hamlet. 5.1. 9-11) This was an innuendo to the actuality, that the Aristocracy looks virtuous; however their actions are dishonorable. Hamlet was watching the diggers lay Ophelia’s body to rest, while he was inconclusive about the state of his own life. Though the characters are in lavish lifestyles, they are desolate.
The Ghost and the presence and the death of Hamlet’s Father all created a condition where it is difficult to speak about the truth. The truth was a condition that all the characters in this play avoid except for Hamlet. The only evidence that the ghost was not a figment of Hamlet’s imagination, is on a count of Horatio and Marcellus, were both present when Hamlet had spoken to the spirit. This supernatural presence trigger’s Hamlet to avenge it’s death. “ Let not the royal bed of Denmark be a couch for luxury and damned incest. But howsomever thou pursuest this act, Taint not thy mind nor let thy soul contrive Against thy mother aught Leave her to heaven, And top those thorns that in her bosom lodge To prick and sting her.” (Hamlet.1.5.82-88) This was an indispensable scene in the play. Hamlet learned the truth about his Father his father’s demise. Horatio and Marcellus, both learned the truth additionally the fear of the truth, forced them to become silent.
Hamlet imitated the psychotic behavior, after the encounter with the Ghost. Ophelia was in shock over his behavior. “ Lord Hamlet, with his doublet all unbrac’d No hat upon his head, his stockings foil’d Ungarter’d and down-gyved to his ankle, Pale as his shirt, his knees knocking each other, And with a look so piteous in purport As if he had been loosed out of hell To speak of horrors, he comes before me.” (Hamlet. 2.1.77-84) Ophelia was unaware how to react to Hamlet’s behavior. Polonius suspected Hamlet’s behavior was erratic due that, Hamlet was in a copious amount of love for Ophelia. The characters in the play were very clear about Hamlet was acting mentally unstable. In contrast to his behavior, they were unaware of what he was capable of. Hamlet was carrying a crucible of the Ghost’s task. This was the reason why Hamlet is so fraught.
Hamlet produced the play called Mouse Trap, because he was so ambivalent about killing Claudius.

This was a very cunning act that presented pressure on his Mother and his Uncle. Hamlet used a work of fiction to have some clarity of the truth of his Father’s death. Hamlet was disgusted with his Mother’s actions; to the contrary he still did not will to fully harm his Mother, and was unsure how to handle the traumatic event. “ The soul of Nero enters this firm bosom; Let me be cruel, not unnatural. I will speak daggers to her, but use none. My tongue and soul in this be hypocrites: How in my words somever she shent, To give them seals never my soul consent.” (Hamlet 3.2.378-381) Hamlet did not wish to go as far as murder his own Mother; although the justification of murdering his Uncle would restore

order.
Once Claudius knew that Hamlet was aware that he murdered his Father. Claudius wanted Hamlet away from the kingdom. Claudius was quick to say that Hamlet was mentally ill. In regards to the information that his Father was murdered, Hamlet killed Polonius, in the condition to his state of distraught. This would be a dramatic event for anyone to endure. Hamlet had to usher in creative ways to cope with his loss. This was much to bear for Ophelia; the death of her Father by the hands of Hamlet, was the reason that she committed suicide. Laertes struggled with his Father’s death like Hamlet did. A injustice that needed to be fixed, so the dead can be at peace.
Hamlet’s delay on killing his Uncle, was on an account of his uncertainty. A major theme within this play was uncertainty. Uncertainty can blind anyone, on not knowing what to do in a catastrophe. The ending of this play was violent in regards that, Claudius was the last person to die. Hamlet had a heavy burden to carry out; in consideration to dealing with incest and power issues within his family. The trauma and the taboo dealing with these moral implications are heavy tasks. William Shakespeare warned listeners, how authority can degenerate the even more sophisticated.