Shakespeare Hamlet Essay

ENG 165: British Literature from Hamlet to Hamnet

Here are a few ideas for your first essay, due 2 / 15. You do not need to write about one of these,
but you may appreciate some help finding a topic:

The Renaissance was a time when humans rediscovered their potential for scientific, historical,
linguistic, geographic, and other kinds of discovery. The natural world yielded insights into the
workings of the human body; texts in ancient languages were recovered and translated;
engineering feats such as the great dome over Florence’s cathedral were completed; previously
unknown regions of the world were visited and mapped. There seemed to be no end to what the
human mind could achieve. At the same time, people feared there were limits to what we should
attempt to achieve. Was there a boundary to the pursuit of knowledge? Could the quest for
knowledge have some terrible consequences? Renaissance writers were fascinated by the legend
of Dr. Faustus, a medieval scientist who sold his soul to the devil in exchange for boundless
knowledge, wealth, and pleasure. Faustus thought himself clever enough to escape the devil’s
contract, but the devil finally claimed his soul and carried Faustus off to hell. Christopher
Marlowe, one of Shakespeare’s contemporaries, wrote a tragedy, Doctor Faustus, based on the
legend.

But long before Marlowe and Shakespeare, the Greek playwright Sophocles wrote a tragedy
exploring the limits of the human quest for knowledge during a similar period when the sciences
and arts flourished. Oedipus Rex is about a king proud of his ability to solve puzzles and resolve
mysteries. He sets out to find the murderer of his city’s previous king but is warned by a prophet
not to continue. He persists, only to discover that he was the murderer. Oedipus inflicts on
himself the penalty of exile he had imposed on the undiscovered criminal and blinds himself to
compound his suffering. Sophocles clearly warns contemporary Greeks not to stray beyond the
limits of reason imposed by the gods. (If you have studied ancient myths, you can think of other
stories, such as those of Prometheus and of Pandora, with similar lessons.)

In many ways, Hamlet is related to this enduring theme. Hamlet is “great” because he is what
today we call a “Renaissance Man” as Ophelia describes him: a soldier, a scholar, a courtier. He
is, above all, the cleverest person at court, sparring verbally with his mother and stepfather and
mocking the uncomprehending Polonius, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern. Even the “scholar”
Horatio is unable to communicate with the ghost of King Hamlet, but Hamlet converses with the
spirit and learns the identity of his murderer. While mistrusting the ghost—is it a devil?—Hamlet
tries to prove its revelation by disguising himself as a madman and provoking Claudius to reveal
his guilt at a play. But when Hamlet finally acts, he mistakenly kills an innocent spy, Polonius,
instead of the king. Hamlet is caught in a chain of events that ends in Claudius’ death but also
those of Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, Ophelia, Laertes, Gertrude, and himself. The most brilliant
man in Denmark has unwittingly destroyed the royal dynasty, paving the way for a Norwegian
successor. Is this a story about the possible consequences of brilliance? Hamlet tries to prove the
truth or falsity of a spirit’s story; he hesitates to violate the sanctity of Claudius’ apparent prayer
but mistakes the king’s posture for penitence; the play is full of references to people trying, often
failing, to pierce behind appearances. (In the case of Polonius’ death, he is literally pierced while
hiding behind a curtain.) In the case of “The Mousetrap,” Hamlet apparently succeeds, but even
this scene is ambiguous—does Claudius rise because he is guilty or because he feels threatened by his nephew? Is
Shakespeare inviting us to consider the limitations of our reasoning power? That there may be some mysteries we
cannot solve? Unforeseen consequences of our discoveries?

Write an essay considering this way of looking at Hamlet. Is this a topic we still find “relatable”
today? When you consider all the brilliant technological innovations of the past few decades,
such as Amazon, Google, Facebook, Twitter and the rest, have there been unanticipated bad
consequences? What would Shakespeare say about the pursuit of ever-more-sophisticated
technology? Are the famous Titans of Tech the modern equivalents of Faust? Of Hamlet? You
can probably think of many pursuits, such as the quest for never-ending youth or longevity, that
recall the older cautionary tales, so feel free to respond based on your personal interest and
information.

On a related topic, write an essay about the phenomenon of spying in Hamlet. In Elizabethan
Britain, networks of spies were employed to foil real and imagined plots by Catholic rulers
against the British throne. Spies worked in all the noble households, for example, trying to
discover treason and unearth hidden Catholic priests. Thinking about all the references to spies
and spying in Hamlet, what do you think Shakespeare is saying to his audience about the dangers
of espionage to a healthy state? Does spying have anything to do with the play’s main plot and
its conclusion?

Another topic would be to write an essay about Hamlet and Claudius as “mighty opposites,” two
men locked in a battle—one to conceal, the other to reveal, the previous king’s murderer. How
does Shakespeare construct Claudius as the worthy opponent of his nephew? Or, in your opinion,
is the king a weak opponent, and in that case, why would Shakespeare characterize him that
way?

We discussed Laertes and Fortinbras as “foils” of Hamlet. In your opinion, why does Laertes
come to a bad end while Fortinbras inherits the Danish crown? The two characters are
similar—what if anything distinguishes Fortinbras? Or if they are parallel, why do you think
Shakespeare includes both of them in the play as foils?

We did not discuss Gertrude and Ophelia in depth, but they are worth considering as additional
foils to the main male characters. Shakespeare was a conservative writer (patronized by the
court), so his female characters usually have traditional personalities. Good women are
nurturing, innocent, loving; bad women are cruel, aggressive, conniving. Young virgins are
allowed a period of flirtation and adventure, but once married, they adopt traditional manners.
Shrews must be tamed. With this background in mind, what are the roles of Gertrude and
Ophelia within this plot? While Hamlet and Claudius are spying and plotting revenge or murder,
what do the plots involving either or both ladies reveal about the principal men in the play? Or
about the position of women at court? In British society?

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