WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE – HAMLET - PRINCE OF DENMARK
The longest and best of the Bard’s tragedies. The story of Hamlet of
Elsinore, in Denmark is well known. When his father, King Hamlet dies, the
young prince Hamlet is plunged into melancholia as his mother, Queen Gertrude
quickly marries King Claudius. Depression really sets in when King Hamlet’s
ghost comes to Hamlet to tell him that Claudius had him murdered, and Hamlet
vows to avenge the foul deed. He decides to test the Ghost’s claims, and though
losing reason, he also fakes insanity to draw his plans against the new Danish
king. Claudius sends his agents, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to keep an eye on
hamlet, who knows full well that they
are not just visiting old school-friends, but spies. Hamlet draws on the services of strolling minstrel-actors to
stage a play into which Hamlet inserts a few changes to give the watching
Claudius a few clues that his felonious treachery has been uncovered. The trap works. Claudius shows recognition
and guilt. Hamlet now has all the proof he needs to embark on revenge. What
could be skilfully executed is botched by hesitation, and misunderstanding.
Hamlet goes to kill Claudius but overhears him at prayer. He decides to
postpone committing regicide so that Claudius won’t go to Heaven while
repenting his sins. In fact, if Hamlet heard correctly he would have noticed
that Claudius laments to God that he cannot get to Heaven as e is hanging on to
the spoils of his crimes. He is now King, and Gertrude innocently love him. Soon afterwards, Hamlet, contemplating his
own suicide as he is, finally strikes, oblivious that he has killed not
Claudius but a pompous oaf called Polonius. Now with some irony, Hamlet has
someone seeking revenge against him too, Laertes, son of Polonius, and brother
to Ophelia, who drowns in mad despair after her father’s demise. Hamlet had
rejected Ophelia’s love in his drive to get revenge on Claudius. Hamlet is sent to England, with Rosencrantz
and Guildenstern in tow, and they are instructed to get him killed safely away
from the court at Elsinore. A pirate
attack separates Hamlet and his one true friend, Horatio from the others, and
Hamlet returns in stealth to Denmark. He witnesses Ophelia’s funeral in
unconsecrated ground as her death may have been suicide or an accident of her
madness, but the church will not give her holy burial. In shock, Hamlet exposes his presence to the
mourners, and he is set up for a duel with Laertes over the death of Polonius.
Claudius decides to ensure death to Hamlet and poisons not only the sword tips
for the duel, but the wine flagons used to quench the thirst of the fighters
too. The result is the deaths of the
entire dynasty; Hamlet and Laertes draw each other’s blood. Queen Gertrude,
oblivious of the poisoned flagons, drinks from them and gives a sip to Hamlet,
who manages to force the wine on Claudius too, As they all die, Horatio alone
of the main players survives as the House of Elsinore falls to King Fortnbrass.
The story has come full circle, as King Hamlet took control of Denmark from
Fortnbrass’s father a generation before.
A true epic, despite its length, it never flags and every word
counts. Undoubtedly the greatest work
in English literature. http://www.shakespeare-online.com/
Arthur Chappell
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