Hamlet: a play of death

A detailed Summary of Hamlet: a play of death

Death is an integral part of life and is present in most literature, including Hamlet. William Shakespeare's, Hamlet takes death to the extreme, the reader is always kept thinking about death. This is illustrated through the ghost of former King Hamlet, the premature demise of Ophelia, and the mass death at the end of the play. There are elements of death everywhere throughout the play and the reader is always aware of the element of death.

The ghost of the former King, Hamlet Sr., is a character who stays in the mind of the reader throughout the play. The reader is required to contemplate the ghost's death and his current state in the after-life. This is the first time in Hamlet that the reader is subject to the topic of death. The appearance of the King's ghost is an indication that many deaths may follow throughout the play. The ghost actually gives a message to young Hamlet that he should go out and avenge his father's death. The King remarks, "Let not the royal bed of Denmark be / A couch for damned luxury and incest" (Shakespeare, I. v.). He is telling him that he should go out and retake the thrown by whatever means necessary. This is a signal to the reader that more death will ensue throughout the play and that

Ophelia's death is one of the causes for the mass death at the end of the play. Hamlet, Laertes, the Queen, and Claudius all die. This is the final scene involving death in Hamlet, but it is also the one with the most lasting impact. It instills an image of death about the entire play in one's mind and that is what is taken away from Hamlet. Hamlet was the only character who is supposed to die in the final scene, however, many others parish alongside him. Laertes is assigned the task of killing Hamlet, but does not do his job effectively. To ensure Hamlet's death, Laertes and Claudius plot to slay Hamlet with an unblunted, poisoned sword and encourage him to drink poisoned wine. Hamlet is supposed to drink from the wine after scoring points on Laertes, but refuses the drink until after the duel. Queen Gertrude offers to drink on her son's behalf and quickly succumbs to the poison. Laertes strikes Hamlet with the poisoned sword, but Hamlet steals the poisoned sword from Laertes and wounds him. To tell that both Laertes and Hamlet had been cut by the sword, Horatio exclaims, "They bleed on both sides" (V. ii.). The Queen then falls to the ground and exclaims, "The drink, the drink! I am poison'd" (V. ii). Hamlet is enraged with Claudius for killing both his parents and will not die without avenging their deaths. Hamlet slays the evil king wit

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Approximate Word count = 917
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English