Hamlet Themes

Hamlet Themes

1. MADNESS

   • Hamlet pretending to be mad
     • 'To put an antic disposition on'
   • The ambiguity behind whether Hamlet is really mad
     • When Hamlet tells Marcellus and Horatio that he intends to act mad, Horatio already things he is acting strangely.
       • Horatio describes Hamlet's words as: 'wild and whirling'
   • Ophelia's madness
     • Suggests that Hamlet is actually mad: her story is a slight parallel, their madness both began due to the grief of their father's murder. However Ophelia's madness is constant whereas Hamlet's comes and goes. We see areas of intelligence.

2. MORALITY

   • How does Hamlet justify revenge if he is so moral?

3. REVENGE

4. FAMILY

   • The Oepdius Complex
     • BOTH Gertrude and Ophelia are sexualised by the men in their family - even when they are being protective.
     • THE FREUDIAN THEORY:
   • An incestous marriage
     • Hamlet is completely disgusted by this marriage, not only did it happen to quickly after his father's death, he feels it is morally wrong. Hamlet is very morally aware - follows the Bible
       • The Book of Common Prayer forbade a woman being her 'husband's brother's wife'
   • Women as property
     • Ophelia is told by Laertes she is a 'chaste treasure', both him and their father Polonius have no trouble telling Ophelia she is a sexual object she must protect.
     • Hamlet also has no trouble how she should behave. Part of this is because he is disgusted with her behaviour, and wants to help her repent her soul. However some of this is Hamlet using his power as a man to exert his anger and grief onto her. Lots of imperatives are used in their exchange in Act 3 Scene 4
       • In Act 3 he tells her that she must 'go not to my uncle's bed'.

5. RELIGION

   • Hamlet is miserable, he would have considered suicide but he does not think it is morally correct: a sin in the Bible.

6. LIES AND DECEIT

   • Spying on each other
   • Play-acting

7. POWER

   • Claudius loves power
   • Fortinbras

8. WOMEN

   • The control men exert over women
     • Hamlet's use of imperatives to Gertrude: 'Look here'
       • To Ophelia:
   • Women are seen as distrustful and deceitful, Hamlet is reluctant to trust his mother and Ophelia
     • 'I have heard of your paintings' 'God hath given you one face and you make yourselves another' - the idea of using cosmetics to disguise their true selves.