It Is Reasonable To Wonder What Shakespeare Had In Mind While Writing

It is reasonable to wonder what Shakespeare had in mind while writing Hamlet. After all, Shakespeare wasn't a philosopher or historian, or even a literary critic. He was a playwright. He didn't leave critical essays examining his work. It is left to us to examine his work and decide for ourselves, if we care to, what Shakespeare was thinking. Did he know that he was writing a drama of deep psychological significance, a play which would eventually be viewed and read the world over, produced many times over hundreds of years, taught in schools, and thought of as one of the world's greatest plays? I, for one, imagine him crossing the t in the last word of the play, putting down his pen, and saying, I hope it runs a year. Yet Hamlet is an extremely complex play. To appreciate the imagination which went into the creation of this tragedy, let's first delve into what is putatively Shakespeare's most complex tragedy, King Lear. Lear has three daughters: Cordelia, who is faithful and unappreciated by Lear, and Regan and Goneril who receive everything at his hands and betray him. These themes of misplaced love and filial betrayal are mirrored in the subplot of the play, the relationship between the Earl of Gloster and his two sons, Edmund, who is supported and approved by Gloster and betrays him, and Edgar, who unjustly becomes a fugitive from his father's wrath. The mirror is whole. In it we view Cordelia's reflection and see Edgar, while Regan's and Goneril's reflections, which are of one face, show us Edmund. In the main plot of Hamlet, Hamlet's father has been murdered. Hamlet swears revenge, but feign's madness and delays. In the subplot, the chamberlain, Polonius, is murdered by Hamlet. One of Polonius's children, Laertes, swears revenge, while the other, his daughter Ophelia, goes mad. Here, the mirror is cracked. Hamlet's reflection is splintered. We see one part of him, his revenge motive, in Laertes' action, and we see his pretended madness in Ophelia's piteous condition. More than this, Hamlet's image is dimmed compared to those of his counterparts. Hamlet speaks of revenge, but procrastinates; Laertes instantly raises and army and attacks the kingdom, but he must be satisfied over his father's murder. Hamlet only acts mad; Ophelia's madness is too real. Shakespeare presents us with a play dealing with striking human similarities and differences-and a protagonist who is more than a character, but is a compendium of the qualities of the minor characters. Hamlet's unrealized potential throws the fully-realized actions of Laertes and Ophelia into relief. If the play were about Laertes and Ophelia, Hamlet would be the perfect foil. In Hamlet's fibrillating performance we appreciate Laertes boldness. Viewed against Hamlet's affected loss of wits, Ophelia's true madness is the more pitiful. But to consider Hamlet a foil for Laertes and Ophelia is to miss the point. After all, Hamlet is the hero. The play is, more than anyone, about him. Mirrors can be deceptive. One can lose sight of what is real and what is merely image. Claudius is a case in point. We could never mistake Claudius for the protagonist of the play. Could we? He is Hamlet's antagonist. But, In fact, Claudius has several characteristics common to Shakespeare's tragic heroes. Using *A. C. Bradley's definition, let's examine Claudius's qualifications to be the protagonist of Hamlet. ? The tragic hero is a person of high degree or great importance. Claudius qualifies here. He is the king. As his fortunes go, so go those of all who surround him. As he is cheerful, the court is cheerful. As his brow is contracted in woe, so the Danish court suffers. ? The tragic hero has a predisposition in some particular direction, accompanied by an inability to resist the force which drives him or her. Claudius is ambitious. His ? ambition drives him to murder his brother, the former king. ? Claudius is evil. But the tragic hero need not be good. Consider Macbeth and Richard III. ? By their acts, Shakespeare's tragic heroes hope to achieve intended outcomes. But what they achieve is not what they intended; it is terribly unlike it. Claudius's murderous act brings him only short-lived happiness. As the play opens, Claudius's situation is secure. He