Drama Analysis on Hamlet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Drama Analysis on Hamlet - Essay Example And even when love is present, it is suppressed and treated as a stumbling block in one’s quest for control such as the case of Hamlet who denied himself the love of Ophelia. The characters’ obsession of who would be in control was so intense that the old Hamlet, the former King of Denmark was killed by his own brother Claudius just to assume his position as King and to take over his court. Familial relationship or any form of kinship was secondary to the consideration of who would take control and this could be nonchalantly disregarded when it impedes the objective of getting the crown. Old Hamlet was slain by his own blood brother, and to aggravate, his death was covered by lies that he even enjoin the kingdom to mourn with him. And to make things worse, Claudius, old Hamlet’s murderous brother Claudius married his wife Gertrude who was technically Claudius sister-in-law before Claudius murdered his brother Hamlet. This is to gain control of the king’s f amily in addition to seizing control of the King’s court by being crowned as King (Churnin). Apparently, the contest of who would be in control extends beyond the grave. The old King Hamlet will not be put away just like that even if he was murdered. This act of reappearing even as a ghost is beyond the quest of justice but rather a refusal to relinquish power and control (Lewis 611) by planting hatred in the heart of Prince Hamlet by letting him know that old Hamlet died of crime which is evident in these lines; Doom'd for a certain term to walk the night, And for the day confined to fast in fires, Till the foul crimes done in my days of nature ... dent in these lines; Doom'd for a certain term to walk the night,     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   And for the day confined to fast in fires,     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Till the foul crimes done in my days of nature That instead of asking the young Hamlet to bring Claudius his uncle to justice, the ghost Hamlet instead asked for revenge quoting; Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder Claudius on the other hand put a show of having crocodile tears on the death of his brother Hamlet so that people will not prosecute him as a murderer but will instead become sympathetic to him by his show of grief which he in turn can use to gain control over the court. Claudius elaborate show of grief even enjoins the whole kingdom to mourn as if it was not him who murdered the old Hamlet by saying; Though yet of Hamlet our dear brother's death   The memory be green, and that it us befitted     Ã‚  To bear our hearts in grief and our whole kingdom     Ã‚  To be contracted in one brow of woe,     Ã‚  Ye t so far hath discretion fought with nature     Ã‚  That we with wisest sorrow think on him,     Ã‚  Together with remembrance of ourselves. This cunning device to deceive the public was Claudius effort to gain control on the throne (Roe 376). But the old king will not just easily give up control on the throne as he showed himself to the young Hamlet to tell him that he was murdered. More than justice, it was control that the old king was after as he does not want his murderer to assume control of the kingdom. This revelation has a profound effect towards the young Hamlet as he is now preoccupied with hatred to avenge his father that he could no longer think of anything else except revenge. He could have been happy by diverting his attention to other things that could make him happy such as being with the woman he love such as