Essay: The Hamlet by William Shakespeare a romantic tragedy

Shakespeare’s Hamlet is the tragic romance of the 12th century hero, Prince Hamlet who was the lawful successor to the throne of King Hamlet in Ellsinore Castle in Denmark. King Hamlet’s sudden death made his widow Gertrude, the Queen of Denmark, and within two months of the king’s death she married his brother Claudius. Suspicions were let out concerning King Hamlet’s death; Claudius made a story that a serpent had stung the deceased King. But young Prince Hamlet had suspicions that Claudius himself was the serpent. Shakespeare has portrayed Prince Hamlet to be in complete dejection and gloom and has used a ghost to support his story. The King’s ghost reassured his son that Claudius was his murderer, who wanted to usurp the throne of Denmark. Thus, the Prince’s life took a sad turn and he was thirsty for revenge.

The major theme of the story has shown Hamlet to be mad to avenge his father’s death. The Prince’s erratic behavior worries Claudius and Gertrude and they appoint his friends to spy on him when Polonius declares that Hamlet might be in love with Polonius’s daughter Ophelia. With the help of some visitors, Hamlet enacts the death of his father and succeeds in proving to the reader that Claudius is guilty, who in return banished Hamlet to England where his death awaited him. In confrontation with his mother, the prince accidentally killed Polonius, which drove Ophelia to her death. In the mean time her brother Laertes, upon Claudius’ instigation agrees to kill Prince Hamlet while fencing, with the poisoned epees but Laertes dies first. Claudius mixes poison in the Prince’s drink which upon his refusal to have was drunk by the Queen who died a slow death. Hamlet stabs Claudius with the poisoned sword and makes him have the fatal drink. He dies and so does Hamlet since he was also hurt by the poisonous sword during the fight. Thus, the Norwegian Prince Fratinbras took over the empire.