The Death Of King Hamlet Essay Example

The Shakespearian play Hamlet is full of death, incredible right? The foundation of the story is set upon the tragic death of King Hamlet and his son Hamlet’s plot to uncover the truth behind his father’s passing. King Hamlet’s death delivered a cloud of darkness over Hamlet’s life, but those around him including his mother, seemed to move on quite briskly. The death of King Hamlet is essential to the story, highlighting the internal conflict Hamlet battles and the external conflict he begins between himself and Uncle Claudius; additionally, this death becomes the catalyst to Hamlet’s own demise. 

At the beginning of the play, Hamlet’s melancholy heart is apparent to those around him. His sorrow after the loss of his father causes him to clothe himself in dark colors and resent his newly married mother. This angst is the first bit of inner conflict that Hamlet endures. Following an encounter with his mother and Claudius where they advise him to cast away his feelings of sadness, Hamlet recites his first soliloquy. This soliloquy puts the spotlight on Hamlet’s internal conflict where his position in the world feels undesirable and painful, and he contemplates the “melting of flesh,” or suicide. Hamlet embodies Protestant values of Christianity which is why this depression is taking an even larger toll on his function because he knows any form of self harm is a sin. Soon after, Hamlet has his first encounter with the ghost of his father. The ghost of the late King informs Hamlet that Claudius had murdered him for the throne and it was Hamlet’s responsibility to avenge his death. Hamlet feels like a slave to his fathers honor when he asks him to murder Claudius. This is a pivotal point in the play because Hamlet chooses to mask his internal sadness with madness in order to plot revenge against King Claudius. This characterization of Hamlet is complex for it is difficult to distinguish between Hamlet pretending to be mad, or if he is actually going insane. Despite the fact that Hamlet has chosen to mask his feelings, the initial inner conflict he faces is a vital factor in his characterization and the events to come later on.

The death of King Hamlet sparked strain between Prince Hamlet, Queen Gertrude, and King Claudius. Hamlet resented his mother from the moment she agreed to wed her late husband’s brother. While Hamlet did love his mother, he was still upset with her actions and he focused on playing the role as a madman as he planned revenge. This role of “madman” sparked additional external conflict with the father, Polonius, and brother, Laertes, of Hamlet’s love interest, Ophelia. This conflict is a result of Hamlet’s disheveled, unannounced intrusion into Ophelia’s room one evening. Polonius sees this type of behavior as a result of Hamlet’s madness and love for Ophelia because she had just recently rejected Hamlet’s letters without explanation. Yet again, we see Hamlet displaying insanity in order to deviate those around him from believing he was in a stable mentality. Laertes, on the other hand, is a foil to Hamlet beginning in Act l when he advises Ophelia, to stay away from Hamlet. What starts as a virtually nonexistent relationship between the two men becomes one based upon irrational behavior and distrust that Laertes feels towards Hamlet for murdering his father. This conflict that arises between Hamlet and Laertes is a major factor in the demise of many major roles in the play.

Hamlet begins with death and ends with death, and it is safe to say that the death of King Hamlet caused a domino effect of tragedy. After mistakenly killing Polonius, thinking he was Claudius, Hamlet had caused further distress between himself and Laertes, and giving Ophelia such agony that she physically drowned herself in sorrow. Polonius’ death urges Claudius and Laertes to work together as they plan to kill Hamlet during a fencing match. The fencing match is the final scene of the play and hosts the most tragedy. The main characters of the play, Queen Gertrude, King Claudius, Laertes, and Hamlet, all die in the final act of the play. This ending is extremely tactful for it solves Hamlet’s dilemma of avenging his father and avoiding sinful nature. Hamlet feels fairly certain that he is in the hand of God, whose providence navigates his life, otherwise how would he be communicating with his late father. Both characters are successful in avenging their father's deaths, but do so in a symmetrical way that it “cancels each other out” in a sense. Although Hamlet did avenge his father’s death, he did so in a manner that was harmful to many people alongside himself. This is a direct parallel to Hamlet’s fatal flaw which is procrastination. His inability to coordinate his thoughts and actions resulted in a greater tragedy than Hamlet intended. Ultimately, Hamlet and Laertes both realize that forgiveness and mercy are more important than revenge. This exchange of forgiveness is certainly a pull from divine nature and one that is imperative in the achievement of holy status beyond death.

The theme of death is apparent in Shakespeare’s, Hamlet. The main character Prince Hamlet withstands a wave of emotions from deeply depressed to vengeful and unstable. The opening Act of the play, depicting the death of King Hamlet, is essential to the development of Prince Hamlet’s inner and external conflicts; additionally the prevailing theme of death led to the entirety of major characters facing their own tragic ending.