Hamlet

Why is Hamlet different?

Hamlet is a play about revenge. It was written in the late sixteenth or very early seventeenth century, at a time when there was a fashion for revenge plays, such as The Spanish Tragedy by Thomas Kyd, which almost certainly had an influence on Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

Hamlet is remarkable compared with other revenge plays because although Shakespeare shows us no characters who actually debate the morality of exacting revenge, the whole play from start to finish sets up a discussion on the issue. Other revenge plays tend to take it for granted that, following a murder, the victim’s relatives will exact vengeance, but Shakespeare makes us wonder whether this is the right course of action.

Hamlet continues to fascinate theatre-goers and readers today because the moral dilemmas which the protagonist (the main character) faces are ones which people still deal with regularly today:

• How can one act against evil without becoming corrupted oneself?
• Is there such a thing as a moral killing?
• Is obeying one’s conscience a higher duty than avenging family honour?
• Is revenge ever justified?
• What action should and can the individual take against a corrupt state?

Shakespeare makes us very aware of the idea of taking action and acting by presenting us with people who do or don’t ‘act’ — in the sense of doing something positive — and those who ‘act’ — pretending to be what they are not, including a group of travelling players.

Different attitudes to revenge

Shakespeare includes other young men who parallel Hamlet:

• The father of Fortinbras (whose name means ‘strong in arm’) was killed in a duel by Hamlet’s father, and Fortinbras’ uncle, like Hamlet’s, now rules his country (Norway in his case, whereas Hamlet is Prince of Denmark) Fortinbras begins by intending to take revenge but is persuaded otherwise.
• Laertes is, like Hamlet, a young Dane. By halfway through the play, he too is the son of a father who has been murdered – ironically by Hamlet, which makes Hamlet a murderer against whom vengeance may be sought, as well as a victim seeking revenge for his own father’s death Laertes has no doubt that he should do anything to exact vengeance against Hamlet — even ‘cut his throat in the church’.

Understanding the argument of the play

We need to understand the background and beliefs of Shakespeare’s audience. Although the play appears to be set in Denmark (probably a Denmark well before the seventeenth century) it also seems to depict English attitudes and beliefs of Shakespeare’s time.

People in the audience of Shakespeare’s age (he was born in 1564) were the first generation of Englishmen and women who had been brought up hearing the Bible in English.

More on the impact of an English Bible: Until the mid-sixteenth century, the Bible was read in churches in Latin, a language which only educated people would know. After that time, because of religious and political changes, it was read in English – and because church attendance was compulsory by law, everyone would hear in English the extracts from the Bible which were designated to be read each week.

Aims of this guide

To appreciate why the play is still probably the most famous drama in the world.

To help you to understand what Shakespeare’s audience would know very well before they came to see the play, the worldview which might affect the way they thought about the drama they had come to watch.