Hamlet – Critical Analysis
1. Summary
Hamlet, written by William
Shakespeare around 1600–1601, is one of the most influential tragedies
in English literature. The play is set in Denmark and follows Prince Hamlet,
who mourns the sudden death of his father, King Hamlet. His grief deepens when
his mother, Queen Gertrude, hastily marries Claudius, the late king’s brother.
One night, the ghost of King Hamlet appears to the prince, revealing that
Claudius murdered him to seize the throne. Sworn to avenge his father’s death,
Hamlet feigns madness to conceal his intentions and confirm Claudius’s guilt.
He stages a play, The Murder of Gonzago, mirroring the king’s crime,
and Claudius’s guilty reaction assures Hamlet of his uncle’s treachery. In a
fit of impulsive action, Hamlet mistakenly kills Polonius, father of Ophelia
and Laertes, thinking he is Claudius. This triggers a spiral of tragedy:
Ophelia, driven to madness, drowns; Laertes returns seeking vengeance; and
Claudius plots Hamlet’s death. In the final act, a duel between Hamlet and
Laertes ends in mutual wounding by a poisoned sword. Queen Gertrude
accidentally drinks poison meant for Hamlet, Laertes and Hamlet forgive each other
before dying, and Hamlet kills Claudius with his last strength. As the Danish
royal family lies dead, Fortinbras of Norway arrives to take control, marking
the collapse of Denmark’s ruling house.
Plot Overview:
·
Exposition: The ghost of King
Hamlet appears to Prince Hamlet and reveals that he was murdered by his
brother, Claudius, who has now married Hamlet’s mother, Queen Gertrude.
·
Rising Action: Hamlet feigns
madness to conceal his intentions and confirm Claudius’s guilt. He stages The
Mousetrap (a play within the play) to mirror the murder and observe
Claudius’s reaction.
·
Climax: Hamlet accidentally
kills Polonius, mistaking him for Claudius. This sets off a chain of tragic
events: Ophelia’s madness and death, Laertes’s thirst for revenge, and Hamlet’s
exile to England.
·
Falling Action: Hamlet returns
to Denmark, learns of Ophelia’s death, and confronts Laertes at her grave.
·
Resolution: In the final duel,
Laertes wounds Hamlet with a poisoned sword, but is also wounded himself.
Gertrude drinks poisoned wine intended for Hamlet. Hamlet kills Claudius before
dying himself. Fortinbras arrives to claim the throne.
2. Critical Analysis of Hamlet
A. Psychological Depth
Hamlet is a study in procrastination, self-reflection, and the complexity of
human emotion. His vacillation between action and inaction has been interpreted
as both a tragic flaw (hamartia) and a philosophical resistance to
rashness.
B. Revenge Tragedy Tradition
Influenced by the Senecan revenge play, Hamlet
contains murder, ghosts, madness, and moral questioning—but Shakespeare deepens
the form by emphasizing psychological realism over bloodshed.
C. Political and Moral Corruption
Elsinore’s court mirrors the “rottenness” of Denmark. Claudius’s regicide
represents a breach of both divine and natural order (Elizabethan belief in the
“Great Chain of Being”).
D. Ambiguity and Interpretation
·
Ghost’s nature: Is it a spirit
of truth or a demon tempting Hamlet?
·
Ophelia’s death: Suicide or
accident?
·
Hamlet’s madness: Genuine
mental instability or calculated performance?
E. Feminist and Psychoanalytic Readings
·
Feminist view: Gertrude’s and
Ophelia’s limited agency reflect patriarchal suppression.
·
Psychoanalysis: Freudian
critics have read Hamlet’s hesitation as tied to the Oedipus complex—unconscious
desire for Gertrude.
3. Major Themes
1. Revenge
and Justice
o
Moral implications of revenge; Hamlet’s
hesitation questions whether personal vengeance can be morally justified.
2. Corruption
and Decay
o
“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark”
symbolizes moral, political, and spiritual corruption.
3. Appearance
vs. Reality
o
Hamlet’s madness, Claudius’s false piety, and
the play within the play blur truth and deception.
4. Mortality
and the Meaning of Life
o
Hamlet’s soliloquies (“To be, or not to be”)
explore existence, death, and the afterlife.
5. Madness
o
Feigned madness as a strategy versus Ophelia’s
genuine breakdown.
4. Important Quotes
·
“To be, or not to be: that is the question”
(3.1)
·
“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark”
(1.4)
·
“The play’s the thing / Wherein I’ll catch the
conscience of the King” (2.2)
·
“Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio” (5.1)
5. MCQs (UGC NET Style)
Q1. Which of the following characters is NOT killed in the
final scene of Hamlet?
A. Hamlet
B. Laertes
C. Horatio
D. Gertrude
Answer: C. Horatio
Q2. The play within the play in Hamlet is
called:
A. The Mousetrap
B. The Murder of Gonzago
C. The Tragedy of Elsinore
D. The Trap of Denmark
Answer: Both A & B are correct (Hamlet calls it “The
Mousetrap”; its original title is The Murder of Gonzago).
Q3. “Frailty, thy name is woman” is spoken by:
A. Claudius
B. Hamlet
C. Polonius
D. Horatio
Answer: B. Hamlet
Q4. Which literary device is used in the phrase “Something
is rotten in the state of Denmark”?
A. Hyperbole
B. Synecdoche
C. Metaphor
D. Irony
Answer: C. Metaphor
Q5. Which revenge play convention is subverted in Hamlet?
A. Swift vengeance by the hero
B. Appearance of a ghost
C. Presence of a play within a play
D. Final act bloodbath
Answer: A. Swift vengeance by the hero
6. Previous Year UGC NET Questions
PYQ 1: Arrange the following plays in chronological order
of their publication:
I. Hamlet
II. King Lear
III. Othello
IV. Macbeth
Answer: I → III → II → IV
PYQ 2: “Give me that man / That is not passion’s slave, and
I will wear him / In my heart’s core” — In Hamlet, to whom does Hamlet
speak these lines?
Answer: Horatio
PYQ 3: Identify the correct sequence of deaths in Hamlet:
A. Hamlet, Polonius, Gertrude, Claudius, Laertes
B. Polonius, Ophelia, Gertrude, Laertes, Claudius, Hamlet
C. Polonius, Gertrude, Laertes, Claudius, Hamlet
Answer: B
PYQ 4: Which philosopher’s ideas resonate most in Hamlet’s
existential soliloquy?
Answer: Michel de Montaigne
No comments:
Post a Comment