The Floundering Monarch, Essay Example

Set in Denmark, the literary masterpiece offers a narrative of a monarch full of twists and turns, where the king is murdered by his brother, whose murder is after that plotted by the former king’s son, whose assassination is later also planned by the brother who murdered the king alongside the brother to the former king’s son’s suitress William Shakespeare, arguably the world’s most successful playwright of all time, wrote his longest literary work Hamlet between 1600 and 1601. This paper wishes to discuss several elements of the play, including Hamlet’s purported insanity, the stance of the play regarding the monarch, and the playwright’s trademark trap setting.

Hamlet’s Insanity

From the play, the reader can tell that Hamlet is a very intelligent character, often plotting schemes that mostly turn out successful. Upon listening to the Ghost, which he had been told about earlier by his friend Horatio, he discovers that his evil uncle was responsible for his father’s demise. He then decides to feign madness, in a plot that would eventually end up with him avenging his father by murdering the evil uncle who had turned king. He strategically shows up at Ophelia’s door half naked, knowing that rattling her would get her to report the incident to her father, who was the King’s advisor, who would, in turn, seek the king’s audience and counsel on the matter.

Secondly, the writer also uses soliloquies to convey messages to the audience, ideas and words that could not be transmitted through normal conversation throughout the play. It also allows the writer to reveal ideologies that are difficult to squeeze into conversations and provides the audience with a new perspective on viewing things. It provides them with first-hand accounts of the characters, and they can find out how they feel regarding particular aspects. For instance, through the play’s fifth monologue, the audience gets to discover Hamlet’s plot of revenge for his father’s death. One of the play’s most famous monologues, “To be or not to be,” is a speech involving Hamlet contemplating death and suicide. This is a great example of ideologies that could not be conveyed through normal conversation in the play, and here, the audience sees that Hamlet is indeed sound of mind and not insane, as he wants it to be believed.

The Play’s Stance on the Monarch

Upon close analysis of the play to determine whether it supports or criticizes the monarch, it seems apparent that it is criticizing the monarch. First, Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle, becomes king, but the author portrays him as a weak and incompetent king. One instance is when they are watching the play commissioned by Hamlet. One of the characters pours poison into the king’s ear, effectively killing him; Claudius becomes extremely uncomfortable, bolts up, and storms out. The other instance is when after this scene, he talks to himself about the possibility of him repenting for killing his brother and taking his wife. He is then seen dropping to his knees in despair.

The other part where the monarch is seen as incompetent is how it deals with murders. Aside from the death of Hamlet’s father, which would have traditionally been followed with his son being made king, the king’s advisor’s death was also handled haphazardly, with Hamlet being described as dragging the corpse around and then later on coming to the king and joking to him about the advisor’s death. Lastly, it is also questionable how, following the death of the royal family, including Hamlet, the mother, and the uncle, how a man from a foreign land, who is not even king in his land, comes and takes over the throne (Höfele 232). This shows a lack of organization, structure, and identity.

Shakespeare’s Trap Setting

Shakespeare is well known for his trap settings, and this play also packs a handful of them. When Hamlet starts feigning his madness, Claudius is unsure of the madness and sends Rosencrantz together with Guildenstern to help him determine whether the madness is legitimate. However, due to Hamlet’s smartness, he can detect that the king has sent them, so he refrains from revealing his plan for killing the king to them. Also, one of the clearest uses of this technique in the play is when Hamlet tricks actors into re-enacting his father’s murder with his uncle watching. Hamlet’s strategy was to ensure that Claudius was responsible for his father’s demise and that the ghost was not making false claims. Claudius reacts to Hamlet’s satisfaction after watching the scene on stage, bringing to light his guilt. Hamlet also orchestrates the other trap setting after Claudius sends him to England, expecting him to be killed by England’s king. Instead, Hamlet tampers with the letter addressed to the King, effectively replacing his name with his student acquaintances. By doing so, he ensures his survival and their eventual murder.

In conclusion, this paper has discussed William Shakespeare’s longest play, Hamlet, which was set in Denmark, and involves the twists and turns of the royal family. The paper has discussed Hamlet’s insanity following his father’s passing, revealing more than one instance where he claims to feign insanity to avenge his father’s murder. Apart from this, the paper has also analyzed the play’s stance on the monarch, revealing that the play paints the monarch as weak and unstructured. Lastly, the paper has also touched on Shakespeare’s effective use of the trap-setting technique in the play and its significance.

Works Cited

Davie, T. M. “Hamlet’s “Madness”.” Journal of Mental Science 88.372 (1942): 449-450.

Höfele, Andreas. “Fortinbras.” Poetica 53.3-4 (2022): 231-252.

Lewis, Rhodri. “Hamlet, Metaphor, and Memory.” Studies in Philology, vol. 109 no. 5, 2012, p. 609-641. Project MUSE, doi:10.1353/sip.2012.0041.

Nardo, Anna K. “Hamlet,” A Man to Double Business Bound”.” Shakespeare Quarterly 34.2 (1983): 181-199.

Sacks, Andrew J. “Shakespeare’s Hamlet III. ii. 338–41.” The Explicator 35.1 (1976): 18-18.

Stephenson, Henry Thew. “Hamlet’s Mouse-Trap.” The Sewanee Review 13.1 (1905): 30-34.