Hamlet Themes

The main themes in Hamlet are deception and false appearances, spirituality and revenge, and misogyny and gender.

  • Deception and False Appearances: Many characters in the play practice deception, and Hamlet himself feigns madness to uncover the truth about Claudius's crimes.
  • Spirituality and Revenge: Hamlet's desire for revenge is complicated by his spiritual questions, and Hamlet spends much of the play contemplating the meaning of life and death.
  • Misogyny and Gender: As women in a patriarchal court, Ophelia and Gertrude must navigate the oppressive and contradictory expectations of the men around them, and their powerlessness ultimately leads to their tragic ends.

Deception and False Appearances

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Marcellus notes in act 2 that "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark." Indeed, in Hamlet, the truth is rarely easily discerned, and audiences quickly learn that an undercurrent of corruption, violence, and revenge runs just beneath the veneer of civility and order in Denmark’s court. From the very first scenes, Hamlet is shown to be keenly aware of and bothered by the superficiality that he witnesses at court, particularly that of Gertrude and Claudius, whose professed grief for the late king is perceived by Hamlet as insincere. Despite his apparent disdain for false appearances, Hamlet goes on to spend much of the play trying to convince the court that he has gone mad so that he can buy time to evaluate Claudius’s guilt. Even this overt deception may not be what it first appears: Hamlet claims he is merely pretending to be mad, but as his actions and behavior become increasingly erratic, audiences are left to wonder to what extent Hamlet’s madness is not feigned, but real.

Of course Hamlet is not the only character to trade on false appearances: A ghost appears who claims to be Hamlet's deceased father, yet the veracity of the ghost's statements is not certain, and Hamlet knows not whether it is a “spirit of health” or “goblin damned.” Claudius has committed regicide—of his brother, no less—yet he poses as an honorable king and pretends to mourn his brother after stealing his throne and wife. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two of Hamlet's old friends, show up at the castle under the pretense of wanting to spend time with Hamlet, yet they have actually been ordered by Claudius to spy on Hamlet. This complex web of deception poisons the court from within, culminating in a public and violent display in the play’s final scene, where the characters’ secrets, grudges, and manipulations are finally brought to light. At the play’s end, the stage is littered with bodies, and even more characters—including Polonius, Ophelia, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern—lay dead offstage. Ultimately, the effects of the deceptions practiced throughout the play extend to the audience as well, casting doubt on the motivations and reliability of most of the characters and thus making it difficult to judge with certainty where the blame for all this death and destruction rightfully belongs.

Spirituality and Revenge

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In act 1, a ghost claiming to be Hamlet’s father accuses Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle, of having stolen the crown, the queen, and the late king's life. Claudius’s punishment, the apparition says, must be death. Murdered before he had the chance to repent for his earthly sins, Hamlet’s father has been sent to purgatory, a state between heaven and hell where he is "confined to fast in fires / Till the foul crimes done in [his] days of nature / Are burnt and purged away." The ghost’s tormented existence in purgatory presents Hamlet with a perplexing and difficult choice: to sin by murdering Claudius may expose Hamlet’s soul to the very same divine punishment his father speaks of, yet to allow Claudius’s sins to go unpunished would mean betraying his deceased father and king. This conflicting choice weighs heavily on Hamlet, whose contemplative nature leads him to reflect at length upon his spiritual and moral obligations. Even when he catches Claudius in an unguarded moment, seemingly at prayer, Hamlet's opportunity to achieve a swift and perfect revenge is thwarted by his religious questions: if Claudius is killed while praying, Hamlet wonders, will Claudius be sent to heaven? This uncertainty stays Hamlet’s sword—though unbeknownst to Hamlet, Claudius's guilt prevent him from engaging in true prayer.

As the play progresses, Hamlet appears to shed his concerns about the spiritual implications of his revenge, a shift that perhaps signals his own mental deterioration. He murders Polonius without regret; manipulates and abuses Ophelia, likely contributing to her madness and death; and vengefully orchestrates the demise of his former friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, dismissing their fate as "not near my conscience." In the graveyard in act 5, Hamlet reflects once again upon what it means to die, yet now he appears preoccupied with the finality and inevitability of physical death rather than what awaits in the spiritual afterlife. 

Hamlet is ultimately a product of his religious and social context, which are brought into conflict throughout the play. He has been raised to be a nobleman of honor and loyalty, yet this same honor puts him in the impossible position of choosing between upholding his religious ideals and remaining loyal to his father. As he lays dying, Hamlet says that "the potent poison quite o'ercrows my spirit," referring literally to his fast approaching death but also perhaps figuratively to the corrupting effects of revenge on his immortal spirit.

Misogyny and Gender

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Hamlet was written and first performed in a deeply patriarchal society, and this social context is well-represented in the play itself. Through Gertrude and Ophelia, the only two women in the play, modern audiences can come to understand how the limited and challenging gender roles of this period left little hope for a woman’s personal happiness or fulfillment.

Hamlet idealizes his mother and father’s relationship and harshly judges Gertrude for remarrying so soon after his father’s death. It is quite possible, however, that Gertrude's marriage to Claudius was an act of survival rather than of love; Gertrude may have seen an alliance with Claudius as a way to escape her precarious social position as the widowed former queen. Instead of considering the complexity of Gertrude’s situation, Hamlet judges his mother's grief as false, noting the "unrighteous tears" in her "galled eyes." He accuses his mother of weakness, a complaint he then extends to all women: "Frailty, thy name is woman!" In act 3, Hamlet directly confronts his mother, using harsh and, at times, graphically sexual language to accuse her of immodesty and hypocrisy. Confused, Gertrude tells her son that his words are like "daggers" entering her ears and that he has "cleft [her] heart in twain." It is never revealed to what extent Gertrude is aware, if at all, of Claudius’s crimes, but her genuine shock in this scene suggests that she is likely ignorant of his treachery. In the final scene of the play, Gertrude eventually falls victim to Claudius's scheming herself.

Ophelia, a young and innocent beauty who was once the object of Hamlet's affection, finds herself powerless and trapped by the contradictory expectations of the men around her. To her family, Ophelia must embody purity and chastity, whereas Hamlet sees her as an object of desire and romance. The contradictions inherent in Ophelia’s position are highlighted in the conflicting instructions of her family, who initially urge her to reject Hamlet’s romantic advances but then later demand that she exploit Hamlet’s love to further their plans. Once Hamlet realizes that she has been drawn into the schemes of the king, he, too, uses Ophelia as a pawn, toying with her emotions and insisting that his earlier professions of love were lies. He belittles her and dismisses her misery, insisting that women are deceptive by nature. After Hamlet kills her father, Ophelia is driven to madness and dies, presumably by suicide. In her madness, Ophelia’s disjointed stories and songs often touch on themes of sex, betrayal, and innocence, implicating the dueling manipulations of Polonius, Laertes, and Hamlet in her mental breakdown. Ophelia’s apparent suicide, though condemned as a sin, is perhaps the only point in the play where she takes control of her own life's trajectory—though her deteriorated mental state leaves the true extent of her agency unclear.

Life and Death

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The theme of life and death is central to Hamlet, exploring the inevitability of mortality and the moral consequences of actions. Shakespeare uses various elements, such as the graveyard scene, the murder of King Hamlet, and the contemplation of Yorick's skull, to delve into these themes. The play examines how death affects the living and the universal truth that all must face their end.

The graveyard scene in Act V highlights the theme of death's universality. As the gravediggers prepare Ophelia's grave, they discuss whether she deserves a Christian burial, given her suicide. This conversation underscores social distinctions but also sets the stage for Hamlet's reflections on mortality. Observing the gravediggers' casual treatment of skulls, Hamlet muses on how even great figures like Alexander the Great return to dust. This moment emphasizes that death is the great equalizer, affecting all regardless of status.

The theme of murder and death is woven throughout the play, beginning with King Hamlet's murder by his brother Claudius. This act of ambition sets off a chain of events leading to multiple deaths, including Polonius, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, Gertrude, Laertes, Claudius, and Hamlet himself. These deaths explore themes of revenge and the moral implications of taking a life. The play questions the value of life when weighed against the pursuit of power and vengeance.

Yorick's skull serves as a powerful symbol of death's inevitability. When Hamlet encounters the skull, he reflects on the shared fate of all humans. This moment marks a shift in Hamlet's understanding of death, moving from existential despair to acceptance. The skull is a memento mori, reminding Hamlet and the audience of life's transience. Hamlet's acceptance of death is evident in his words to Horatio before the fencing match:

If it be now, ’tis not to come. If it be not to come, it will be now. If it be not now, yet it will come—the readiness is all. Since no man of aught he leaves knows, what is ’t to leave betimes? Let be. (5.2)
This acceptance allows Hamlet to face his fate with a sense of readiness.

Corruption

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In Hamlet, corruption pervades the state of Denmark, symbolizing moral decay and the disintegration of social and political order. Shakespeare uses vivid imagery of disease and decay to illustrate the pervasive corruption, which is rooted in Claudius's usurpation of the throne and his incestuous marriage to Gertrude. This theme is woven throughout the play, highlighting the destructive impact of corruption on individuals and the kingdom.

Shakespeare frequently employs disease imagery to convey Denmark's moral corruption. Hamlet describes the air as "a foul and pestilent congregation of vapours," suggesting the pervasive nature of the corruption. The imagery of ulcers, pustules, and other ailments underscores the idea of a nation in decline. Even virtue is not immune, as Hamlet notes, "Virtue itself 'scapes not calumnious strokes: The canker galls the infants of the spring, Too oft before their buttons be disclosed." This imagery extends to mental illness, as Hamlet's "wit’s diseased" reflects the psychological toll of the corruption.

Claudius and Gertrude are central to the corruption in Denmark. Claudius's murder of King Hamlet and his subsequent marriage to Gertrude establish a corrupt regime. Claudius's deceitful nature and schemes to eliminate Hamlet further entrench the kingdom's moral decay. Gertrude's complicity, seen in her lack of remorse and willingness to spy on Hamlet, exacerbates the corruption. Together, they create an environment that Hamlet likens to a prison, with their actions contributing to the kingdom's "rotten" state.

The theme of corruption is also evident in the interactions between characters. Laertes's warning to Ophelia about Hamlet reveals the hypocrisy and authority within the court. His speech, echoing his father Polonius's authoritative tone, highlights the "something rotten" in Denmark. Ophelia's response, "Do not, as some ungracious pastors do, Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven," exposes the duplicity in Laertes's advice, further illustrating the pervasive corruption.

Shakespeare underscores the theme of corruption and decay to emphasize the gravity of Claudius's crime and its impact on Denmark. From Horatio's assertion that something is "rotten in the state of Denmark" to Hamlet's reflections on Yorick's skull, the play is steeped in imagery of decay. This theme highlights the moral disintegration at Denmark's core and Hamlet's obsession with mortality. Through this pervasive theme, Shakespeare illustrates the destructive power of corruption on both the state and the individual.

Expert Q&A

What is the significance of this Hamlet passage: "My father's brother, but no more like my father / Than I to Hercules"?

1 Educator Answer

What is the significance of this passage from Hamlet?

My father's spirit in arms! All is not well.
I doubt some foul play. Would the night were come!
Till then sit still, my soul. Foul deeds will rise,
Though all the earth o'erwhelm them, to men's eyes.

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