by Anonymous Logician, Copyright October 08, 2006, all rights reserved. 1358 views
The Tragedy of Hamlet–possibly Shakespeare's greatest play–engages the reader or viewer on multiple levels. The story draws us deeper and deeper into a sea of masks, a world in which the characters are themselves actors and, as Al Pacino might say, "nothing is what it seems."
This context of deception brings Hamlet, prince of Denmark, to a crisis point, revealing two major facets of his personality. First, Hamlet's crisis reveals him to be resourceful in a pinch and capable of creative and strategic leadership. Hamlet's intricate facade of madness allays his enemies' suspicions while he hatches his revenge. Hamlet is "but mad north-north-west"; when the wind is southerly he knows "a hawk from a handsaw" (2.2.374). His cleverness can also be seen in his using a dramatized version of his father's murder to "catch the conscience of the king" (2.2.593-594) as well as well as in swapping a forged letter for the one carried by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, thus sealing their deaths instead of his own (5.2.30-63).
But crisis also exposes the vengeful streak that runs through Hamlet's plans. From the time he sees his father's ghost, Hamlet is obsessed with the murder, with Claudius the murderer, and with his own plans for retribution. Hamlet's plans surpass a simple quest for justice and even make us wonder to what extent Hamlet's madness is an act.
The action moves swiftly and dynamically, beginning with the abrupt appearance of the king's ghost and hurling us into a spinning series of events that constantly force us to judge between appearance and reality, between madness and sanity. Shakespeare does a marvelous job in showing us the inner workings of Hamlet's tortured soul. He also probes the nature of justice and revenge, raising important questions. Which of these is Hamlet seeking? Is he after both? What are Hamlet's blind spots? What is Shakespeare's basic message?
Shakespeare demonstrates how the prince's obsession with punishing Claudius and Gertrude eventually led him to identify himself with his plans; when his plans came to an end, so did Hamlet–a victim of his own vengeance. We witness the downward pull of bitterness, which eventually consumes the person who tries to feed off it.