Themes in Hamlet Essay example -- GCSE English Literature Coursework

Themes in Hamlet      Ã‚  Ã‚   Within the Shakespearean tragic drama Hamlet there are a number of themes. Literary critics find it difficult to agree on the ranking of the themes. This essay will present the themes as they are illustrated in the play – and let the reader prioritize them.    Michael Neill in â€Å"None Can Escape Death, the ‘Undiscovered Country’† interprets the main theme of the play as a â€Å"prolonged meditation on death†:    How we respond to the ending of Hamlet – both as revenge drama and as psychological study – depends in part on how we respond to [the most important underlying theme] of the play – that is, to Hamlet as a prolonged meditation on death. The play is virtually framed by two encounters with the dead: at one end is the Ghost, at the other a pile of freshly excavated skulls. The skulls (all but one) are nameless and silent; the Ghost has an identity (though a questionable one) and a voice; yet they are more alike than at first seem. For this ghost, though invulnerable â€Å"as the air,† is described as a â€Å"dead corse,† a â€Å"ghost . . . come from the grave,† its appearance suggesting a grotesque disinterment of the buried king. The skulls for their part may be silent, but Hamlet plays upon each to draw out its own â€Å"excellent voice† just as he engineered that â€Å"miraculous organ† of the Ghost’s utterance, the †Å"Mousetrap.† (112-13)    The interpretation of the main theme of the play as revenge is popular among literary critics: Phyllis Abrahms and Alan Brody in â€Å"Hamlet and the Elizabethan Revenge Tragedy Formula† decide on revenge as the dominant theme:      There are ten deaths in Hamlet, if we include the death of Hamlet’s father and the â€Å"make-believe† death of the Player-King. The cause of ... ...eath, the ‘Undiscovered Country’.† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. from â€Å"Hamlet: A Modern Perspective.† The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. N. P.: Folger Shakespeare Lib., 1992.    Pitt, Angela. â€Å"Women in Shakespeare’s Tragedies.† Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Excerpted from Shakespeare’s Women. N.p.: n.p., 1981.    Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/hamlet/full.html    West, Rebecca. â€Å"A Court and World Infected by the Disease of Corruption.† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. from The Court and the Castle. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1957.    Themes in Hamlet Essay example -- GCSE English Literature Coursework Themes in Hamlet      Ã‚  Ã‚   Within the Shakespearean tragic drama Hamlet there are a number of themes. Literary critics find it difficult to agree on the ranking of the themes. This essay will present the themes as they are illustrated in the play – and let the reader prioritize them.    Michael Neill in â€Å"None Can Escape Death, the ‘Undiscovered Country’† interprets the main theme of the play as a â€Å"prolonged meditation on death†:    How we respond to the ending of Hamlet – both as revenge drama and as psychological study – depends in part on how we respond to [the most important underlying theme] of the play – that is, to Hamlet as a prolonged meditation on death. The play is virtually framed by two encounters with the dead: at one end is the Ghost, at the other a pile of freshly excavated skulls. The skulls (all but one) are nameless and silent; the Ghost has an identity (though a questionable one) and a voice; yet they are more alike than at first seem. For this ghost, though invulnerable â€Å"as the air,† is described as a â€Å"dead corse,† a â€Å"ghost . . . come from the grave,† its appearance suggesting a grotesque disinterment of the buried king. The skulls for their part may be silent, but Hamlet plays upon each to draw out its own â€Å"excellent voice† just as he engineered that â€Å"miraculous organ† of the Ghost’s utterance, the †Å"Mousetrap.† (112-13)    The interpretation of the main theme of the play as revenge is popular among literary critics: Phyllis Abrahms and Alan Brody in â€Å"Hamlet and the Elizabethan Revenge Tragedy Formula† decide on revenge as the dominant theme:      There are ten deaths in Hamlet, if we include the death of Hamlet’s father and the â€Å"make-believe† death of the Player-King. The cause of ... ...eath, the ‘Undiscovered Country’.† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. from â€Å"Hamlet: A Modern Perspective.† The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. N. P.: Folger Shakespeare Lib., 1992.    Pitt, Angela. â€Å"Women in Shakespeare’s Tragedies.† Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Excerpted from Shakespeare’s Women. N.p.: n.p., 1981.    Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/hamlet/full.html    West, Rebecca. â€Å"A Court and World Infected by the Disease of Corruption.† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. from The Court and the Castle. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1957.