The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written

between 1599 and 1601. The play, set in Denmark, re o!nts how "rin e #amlet e$a ts revenge on his !n le %la!di!s, who has m!rdered #amlet&s 'ather, the (ing, and then taken the throne and married )ertr!de, #amlet&s mother. The play vividly harts the o!rse o' real and 'eigned madness*'rom overwhelming grie' to seething rage*and e$plores themes o' trea hery, revenge, in est, and moral orr!ption. Despite m! h literary dete tive work, the e$a t year o' writing remains in disp!te. Three di''erent early versions o' the play have s!rvived+ these are known as the ,irst -!arto .-1/, the Se ond -!arto .-0/ and the ,irst ,olio .,1/. 1a h has lines, and even s enes, that are missing 'rom the others. Shakespeare probably based Hamlet on the legend o' 2mleth, preserved by 13th4 ent!ry hroni ler Sa$o )rammati !s in his )esta Danor!m and s!bse5!ently retold by 16th4 ent!ry s holar ,ran6ois de 7elle'orest, and a s!pposedly lost 1li8abethan play known today as the Ur-Hamlet. )iven the play&s dramati str! t!re and depth o' hara teri8ation, Hamlet an be analy8ed, interpreted and arg!ed abo!t 'rom many perspe tives. ,or e$ample, s holars have debated 'or ent!ries abo!t #amlet&s hesitation in killing his !n le. Some see it as a plot devi e to prolong the a tion, and others see it as the res!lt o' press!re e$erted by the omple$ philosophi al and ethi al iss!es that s!rro!nd old4blooded m!rder, al !lated revenge and thwarted desire. 9ore re ently, psy hoanalyti riti s have e$amined #amlet&s !n ons io!s desires, and 'eminist riti s have re4eval!ated and rehabilitated the o'ten maligned hara ters o' :phelia and )ertr!de. Hamlet is Shakespeare&s longest play and among the most power'!l and in'l!ential tragedies in the 1nglish lang!age. ;t provides a storyline apable o' <seemingly endless retelling and adaptation by others<.=1> D!ring Shakespeare&s li'etime, the play was one o' his most pop!lar works,=0> and it still ranks high among his most4per'ormed, topping, 'or e$ample, the ?oyal Shakespeare %ompany&s list sin e 1@A9.=3> ;t has inspired writers 'rom )oethe and Di kens to Boy e and 9!rdo h and has been des ribed as <the world&s most 'ilmed story a'ter Cinderella<.=C> The title role was almost ertainly reated 'or ?i hard 7!rbage, the leading tragedian o' Shakespeare&s time.=5> ;n the 'o!r h!ndred years sin e, it has been played by highly a laimed a tors, and sometimes a tresses, o' ea h s! essive age. The protagonist o' Hamlet is "rin e #amlet o' Denmark, son o' the re ently de eased (ing #amlet and his wi'e, -!een )ertr!de. While the yo!ng #amlet is away at s hool the re ently de eased (ing&s brother, %la!di!s, is ele ted king and hastily marries )ertr!de. 2 minor s!bplot involves Denmark&s long4standing 'e!d with neighbo!ring Dorway, and the threat o' invasion led by the Dorwegian prin e ,ortinbras. The play opens on a old night at 1lsinore, the Danish royal astle. ,ran is o, one o' the sentinels, is relieved o' his wat h by 7ernardo, another sentinel, and e$its while 7ernardo remains. 2 third sentinel, 9ar ell!s, enters with #oratio, the best 'riend o' #amlet, "rin e o' Denmark. The sentinels try to pers!ade #oratio that they have seen a ghost that

looks like the dead (ing #amlet. ;n the time o' Shakespeare a ghost was merely a spirit that o!ld take on any shape, so when it appears again to #oratio, 9ar ell!s, and 7ernardo, they are are'!l to remark that it merely looks like the 'ormer king. 2'ter hearing 'rom #oratio o' the )host&s appearan e, #amlet resolves to see the )host himsel'. That night, the )host appears again. ;t leads #amlet to se l!sion and reveals that it is the a t!al spirit o' his 'ather and dis loses that he, the elder #amlet, was m!rdered by %la!di!s po!ring poison in his ear. The )host demands that #amlet avenge himE #amlet agrees, swears his ompanions to se re y, and tells them he intends to <p!t on an anti disposition< .pres!mably to avert s!spi ion/. #amlet initially attests to the ghost&s reliability, alling him both an <honest ghost< and <tr!epenny<. #e later raises do!bts abo!t the ghost&s nat!re and intent and laims these as reasons 'or his ina tion. "oloni!s is %la!di!s& tr!sted hie' o!nselorE his son, Faertes, is ret!rning to ,ran e, and his da!ghter, :phelia, is o!rted by #amlet. Deither "oloni!s nor Faertes thinks #amlet is serio!s abo!t :phelia, and they both warn her o''. Shortly a'terwards, :phelia is alarmed by #amlet&s strange behavio!r and reports to her 'ather that #amlet r!shed into her room, stared at her and said nothing. "oloni!s ass!mes that the <e stasy o' love<=A> is responsible 'or #amlet&s madness, and he in'orms %la!di!s and )ertr!de. 7!sy with a''airs o' state, %la!di!s re eives the ambassador o' Dorway who gives ass!ran es o' pea e between Dorway and Denmark. "ert!rbed by #amlet&s ontin!ing deep mo!rning 'or his 'ather and his in reasingly errati behavior, %la!di!s sends 'or two o' #amlet&s a 5!aintan es *?osen rant8 and )!ildenstern*to dis over the a!se o' #amletGs hanged behavior. #amlet greets his 'riends warmly b!t 5!i kly dis erns that they have been sent to spy on him. Together, %la!di!s and "oloni!s onvin e :phelia to speak with #amlet while they se retly listen to the onversation. When #amlet enters, she o''ers to ret!rn his remembran es, !pon whi h #amlet 5!estions her honesty and '!rio!sly rants at her, insisting she go <to a n!nnery< #amlet remains !n ertain i' the )host has told him the tr!th, b!t the arrival o' a tro!pe o' a tors at 1lsinore presents him with a sol!tion. #e will stage a play, re4ena ting his 'ather&s m!rder, and determine %la!di!s&s g!ilt or inno en e by st!dying his rea tion. The o!rt assembles to wat h the playE #amlet provides an agitated r!nning ommentary thro!gho!t. When the m!rder s ene is presented, %la!di!s abr!ptly rises and leaves the room, whi h #amlet sees as proo' o' his !n le&s g!ilt. )ertr!de s!mmons #amlet to her loset to demand an e$planation. :n his way, #amlet passes %la!di!s in prayer b!t hesitates to kill him, reasoning that death in prayer wo!ld send him to heaven. #owever it is revealed that the (ing is not tr!ly praying, remarking that <words< never made it to heaven witho!t <tho!ghts.< Hpon rea hing the 5!een, an arg!ment er!pts between #amlet and )ertr!de. "oloni!s, who is spying on the s ene 'rom behind an arras, onvin ed that the prin e&s madness is indeed real, pani s when it seems as i' #amlet is abo!t to m!rder the -!een and ries o!t 'or help. #amlet, believing it is %la!di!s hiding behind the arras, stabs wildly thro!gh the loth, killing "oloni!s. When he reali8es that he has killed :phelia&s 'ather, he is not remorse'!l, b!t alls "oloni!s <Tho! wret hed, rash, intr!ding 'ool<. The )host appears, !rging #amlet to

treat )ertr!de gently b!t reminding him to kill %la!di!s. Hnable to see or hear the )host hersel', )ertr!de takes #amlet&s onversation with it as '!rther eviden e o' madness. %la!di!s, 'earing 'or his li'e, and 'inally holding a legitimate e$ !se to get rid o' the prin e, makes plans to send #amlet to 1ngland on a diplomati prete$t, losely wat hed by ?osen rant8 and )!ildenstern. 2lone, %la!di!s dis loses that he is sending #amlet to his death. "rior to embarking 'or 1ngland, #amlet hides "oloni!s&s body, !ltimately revealing its lo ation to the (ing. Hpon leaving 1lsinore, #amlet en o!nters the army o' "rin e ,ortinbras en ro!te to do battle in "oland. Hpon witnessing so many men going to their death 'or the brash whim o' an imp!lsive prin e, #amlet de ides that he will no longer plot and s heme, b!t rather 'inish his plan and kill %la!di!s. 2t 1lsinore, '!rther demented by grie' at "oloni!s&s death, :phelia wanders the astle a ting errati ally and singing bawdy songs. #er brother, Faertes, arrives ba k 'rom ,ran e, enraged by his 'ather&s death and his sister&s madness. She appears brie'ly to give o!t herbs and 'lowers. %la!di!s onvin es Faertes that #amlet is solely responsibleE then news arrives that #amlet is still at large* a story is spread that his ship was atta ked by pirates on the way to 1ngland, and he has ret!rned to Denmark. %la!di!s swi'tly on o ts a plot. #is plan is to allow #amlet&s death to appear to be an a ident, taking all o' the blame o'' o' his sho!lders. #e proposes a 'en ing mat h between Faertes and #amlet, as #amlet was Iealo!s o' Faertes prowess with a sword. Faertes, enraged at the m!rder o' his 'ather in'orms the king that he will '!rther poison the tip o' his sword so as a mere s rat h wo!ld mean ertain death. %la!di!s, !ns!re that apable #amlet o!ld re eive even a s rat h, plans to o''er #amlet poisoned wine i' that 'ails. )ertr!de enters to report that :phelia has drowned. ;n the 1lsinore h!r hyard, two gravediggers enter to dig :phelia&s grave, and altho!gh the oroner has r!led her death a idental, so that she re eives %hristian b!rial, they arg!e over it being a ase o' s!i ide. #amlet arrives with #oratio and banters with a gravedigger, who !nearths the sk!ll o' a Iester whom #amlet on e knew, Jori k. ;n this s ene #amlet is revealed to be thirty years old. :phelia&s '!neral pro ession approa hes, led by her mo!rn'!l brother Faertes. Hpset at the la k o' eremony d!e to the deemed s!i ide and over ome by emotion, Faertes leaps into the grave, !rsing #amlet as the a!se o' her death. #amlet interr!pts and pro'esses his own love and grie' 'or :phelia. #e and Faertes grapple, b!t the 'ight is broken !p by %la!di!s and )ertr!de. %la!di!s makes s!re to remind Faertes o' the planned 'en ing mat h. Fater that day, #amlet tells #oratio how he es aped, and that ?osen rant8 and )!ildenstern have been sent to their deaths. 2 o!rtier, :sri , interr!pts to invite #amlet to 'en e with Faertes. Despite warnings 'rom #oratio, #amlet a epts and the mat h begins. 2'ter several ro!nds, )ertr!de toasts #amlet against the !rgent warning o' %la!di!s, a identally drinking the wine he poisoned. 7etween bo!ts, Faertes atta ks and pier es #amlet with his poisoned bladeE in the ens!ing s !''le, #amlet is able to !se Faertes&s own poisoned sword against him, 'atally wo!nding Faertes. )ertr!de 'alls and in her dying breath anno!n es that she has been poisoned. ;n his dying moments, Faertes is re on iled with #amlet and reveals %la!di!s&s m!rdero!s plot. ;n his own 'inal

moments, #amlet, at last, approa hes and slays %la!di!s and names "rin e ,ortinbras o' Dorway as his heir. #oratio attempts to kill himsel' with the same poisoned wine, b!t is stopped by #amlet, who ommands him to tell his story, as he will be the only one le't alive that o!ld give a '!ll a o!nt. When ,ortinbras arrives to greet (ing %la!di!s, he en o!nters the deathly s ene+ )ertr!de, %la!di!s, Faertes, and #amlet are all dead. #oratio asks to be allowed to re o!nt the tale to <the yet !nknowing world<, and ,ortinbras orders #amlet&s body borne o'' in hono!r.

Critical history
,rom the early 1Ath ent!ry, the play was 'amo!s 'or its ghost and vivid dramati8ation o' melan holy and insanity, leading to a pro ession o' mad o!rtiers and ladies in Ba obean and %aroline drama.=CC> Tho!gh it remained pop!lar with mass a!dien es, late 1Ath4 ent!ry ?estoration riti s saw Hamlet as primitive and disapproved o' its la k o' !nity and de or!m.=C5> This view hanged drasti ally in the 1@th ent!ry, when riti s regarded #amlet as a hero*a p!re, brilliant yo!ng man thr!st into !n'ort!nate ir !mstan es. =C6> 7y the mid41@th ent!ry, however, the advent o' )othi literat!re bro!ght psy hologi al and mysti al readings, ret!rning madness and the )host to the 'ore'ront.=CA> Dot !ntil the late 1@th ent!ry did riti s and per'ormers begin to view #amlet as on'!sing and in onsistent. 7e'ore then, he was either mad, or notE either a hero, or notE with no in4 betweens.=C@> These developments represented a '!ndamental hange in literary riti ism, whi h ame to 'o !s more on hara ter and less on plot.=C9> 7y the 19th ent!ry, ?omanti riti s val!ed Hamlet 'or its internal, individ!al on'li t re'le ting the strong ontemporary emphasis on internal str!ggles and inner hara ter in general.=50> Then too, riti s started to 'o !s on #amlet&s delay as a hara ter trait, rather than a plot devi e.=C9> This 'o !s on hara ter and internal str!ggle ontin!ed into the 00th ent!ry, when riti ism bran hed in several dire tions, dis !ssed in onte$t and interpretation below.

Dramatic structure
Hamlet departed 'rom ontemporary dramati onvention in several ways. ,or e$ample, in Shakespeare&s day, plays were !s!ally e$pe ted to 'ollow the advi e o' 2ristotle in his Poetics+ that a drama sho!ld 'o !s on a tion, not hara ter. ;n Hamlet, Shakespeare reverses this so that it is thro!gh the solilo5!ies, not the a tion, that the a!dien e learns #amlet&s motives and tho!ghts. The play is '!ll o' seeming dis ontin!ities and irreg!larities o' a tion, e$ ept in the <bad< 5!arto. 2t one point, as in the )ravedigger s ene,=9> #amlet seems resolved to kill %la!di!s+ in the ne$t s ene, however, when %la!di!s appears, he is s!ddenly tame. S holars still debate whether these twists are mistakes or intentional additions to add to the play&s theme o' on'!sion and d!ality. =51> ,inally, in a period when most plays ran 'or two ho!rs or so, the '!ll te$t o' Hamlet* Shakespeare&s longest play, with C,0C0 lines, totalling 09,551 words*takes over 'o!r ho!rs to deliver.=50> 1ven today the play is rarely per'ormed in its entirety, and has only on e been dramati8ed on 'ilm ompletely, with (enneth 7rannagh&s 1996 version. Hamlet also ontains a 'avo!rite Shakespearean devi e, a play within the play.=53>

Religious
Written at a time o' religio!s !pheaval, and in the wake o' the 1nglish ?e'ormation, the play is alternately %atholi .or pio!sly medieval/ and "rotestant .or ons io!sly modern/. The )host des ribes himsel' as being in p!rgatory, and as dying witho!t last rites. This and :phelia&s b!rial eremony, whi h is hara teristi ally %atholi , make !p most o' the play&s %atholi onne tions. Some s holars have observed that revenge tragedies ome 'rom traditionally %atholi o!ntries, s! h as Spain and ;talyE and they present a ontradi tion, sin e a ording to %atholi do trine the strongest d!ty is to )od and 'amily. #amlet&s on!ndr!m, then, is whether to avenge his 'ather and kill %la!di!s, or to leave the vengean e to )od, as his religion re5!ires.=65> 9! h o' the play&s "rotestantism derives 'rom its lo ation in Denmark*then and now a predominantly "rotestant o!ntry, tho!gh it is !n lear whether the 'i tional Denmark o' the play is intended to mirror this 'a t. The play does mention Wittenberg, where #amlet, #oratio, and ?osen rant8 and )!ildenstern attend !niversity, and where 9artin F!ther 'irst nailed !p his 95 theses in 151A, e''e tively !shering in the "rotestant ?e'ormation.=66> ;n Shakespeare&s day Denmark, as the maIority o' S andinavia, was F!theran.=6A> When #amlet speaks o' the <spe ial providen e in the 'all o' a sparrow<,=6@> he re'le ts the "rotestant belie' that the will o' )od*Divine "roviden e* ontrols even the smallest event. ;n -1, the 'irst senten e o' the same se tion reads+ <There&s a predestinate providen e in the 'all o' a sparrow,<=69> whi h s!ggests an even stronger "rotestant onne tion thro!gh Bohn %alvin&s do trine o' predestination. S holars spe !late that Hamlet may have been ensored, as <predestined< appears only in this 5!arto.=A0>

Philosophical
#amlet is o'ten per eived as a philosophi al hara ter, e$po!nding ideas that are now des ribed as relativist, e$istentialist, and s epti al. ,or e$ample, he e$presses a relativisti idea when he says to ?osen rant8+ <there is nothing either good or bad, b!t thinking makes it so<.=A1> The idea that nothing is real e$ ept in the mind o' the individ!al 'inds its roots in the )reek Sophists, who arg!ed that sin e nothing an be per eived e$ ept thro!gh the senses*and sin e all individ!als sense, and there'ore per eive, things di''erently*there is no absol!te tr!th, only relative tr!th.=A0> The learest e$ample o' e$istentialism is 'o!nd in the <to be, or not to be<=A3> spee h, where #amlet !ses <being< to all!de to both li'e and a tion, and <not being< to death and ina tion. #amlet&s ontemplation o' s!i ide in this s ene, however, is less philosophi al than religio!s as he believes that he will ontin!e to e$ist a'ter death.=AC> S holars agree that Hamlet re'le ts the ontemporary s epti ism that prevailed in ?enaissan e h!manism.=A5> "rior to Shakespeare&s time, h!manists had arg!ed that man was )od&s greatest reation, made in )od&s image and able to hoose his own nat!re, b!t this view was hallenged, notably in 9i hel de 9ontaigne&s Essais o' 1590. #amlet&s <What a pie e o' work is a man< e hoes many o' 9ontaigne&s ideas, b!t s holars disagree whether Shakespeare drew dire tly 'rom 9ontaigne or whether both men were simply rea ting similarly to the spirit o' the times.=A6>

Political
;n the early 1Ath ent!ry politi al satire was dis o!raged, and playwrights were p!nished 'or <o''ensive< works. ;n 159A, 7en Bonson was Iailed 'or his parti ipation in the play The Isle of Dogs.=AA> Thomas 9iddleton was imprisoned in 160C, and his A Game at Chess was banned a'ter nine per'orman es.=A@> D!mero!s s holars believe that Hamlet's "oloni!s poked '!n at the sa'ely de eased William %e il .Ford 7!rghley/*Ford #igh Treas!rer and hie' o!nsellor to -!een 1li8abeth ;=A9>*as n!mero!s parallels an be 'o!nd. "oloni!s&s role as elder statesman is similar to the role 7!rghley enIoyedE=@0> "oloni!s&s advi e to Faertes may e ho 7!rghley&s to his son ?obert %e ilE=@1> and "oloni!s&s tedio!s verbosity may resemble 7!rghley&s.=@0> 2lso, <%orambis<, ."oloni!s&s name in -1/ resonates with the Fatin 'or <do!ble4hearted<*whi h may satirise Ford 7!rghley&s Fatin motto Cor unum, via una .<:ne heart, one way</.=@3> Fastly, the relationship o' "oloni!s&s da!ghter :phelia with #amlet may be ompared to the relationship o' 7!rghley&s da!ghter, 2nne %e il, with the 1arl o' :$'ord, 1dward de Kere.=@C> These arg!ments are also o''ered in s!pport o' the Shakespeare a!thorship laims 'or the 1arl o' :$'ord.=@5> Devertheless Shakespeare es aped ens!reE and 'ar 'rom being s!ppressed, Hamlet was given the royal imprimat!r, as the king&s oat o' arms on the 'rontispie e o' the 160C Hamlet attests.=@6>

Psychoanalytic
;n the 'irst hal' o' the 00th ent!ry, when psy hoanalysis was at the height o' its in'l!en e, its on epts were applied to Hamlet, notably by Sigm!nd ,re!d, 1rnest Bones, and Ba 5!es Fa an, and these st!dies in'l!en ed theatri al prod! tions. ;n his The Inter retation of Dreams .1900/, ,re!d&s analysis starts 'rom the premise that <the play is b!ilt !p on #amlet&s hesitations over '!l'illing the task o' revenge that is assigned to himE b!t its te$t o''ers no reasons or motives 'or these hesitations<.=@A> 2'ter reviewing vario!s literary theories, ,re!d on l!des that #amlet has an <:edipal desire 'or his mother and the s!bse5!ent g!ilt =is> preventing him 'rom m!rdering the man =%la!di!s> who has done what he !n ons io!sly wanted to do<.=@@> %on'ronted with his repressed desires, #amlet realises that <he himsel' is literally no better than the sinner whom he is to p!nish<.=@A> ,re!d s!ggests that #amlet&s apparent <distaste 'or se$!ality<* arti !lated in his <n!nnery< onversation with :phelia*a ords with this interpretation. =@9>=90> Bohn 7arrymore introd! ed ,re!dian overtones into his landmark 1900 prod! tion in Dew Jork, whi h ran 'or a re ord4breaking 101 nights. ;n the 19C0s, 1rnest Bones*a psy hoanalyst and ,re!d&s biographer*developed ,re!d&s ideas into a series o' essays that !lminated in his book Hamlet and !edi us .19C9/. ;n'l!en ed by Bones&s psy hoanalyti approa h, several prod! tions have portrayed the < loset s ene<,=91> where #amlet on'ronts his mother in her private 5!arters, in a se$!al light. ;n this reading, #amlet is disg!sted by his mother&s <in est!o!s< relationship with %la!di!s while sim!ltaneo!sly 'ear'!l o' killing him, as this wo!ld lear #amlet&s path to his mother&s bed. :phelia&s madness a'ter her 'ather&s death may also be read thro!gh the ,re!dian lens+ as a rea tion to the death o' her hoped4'or lover, her 'ather. She is

overwhelmed by having her !n'!l'illed love 'or him so abr!ptly terminated and dri'ts into the oblivion o' insanity.=90> ;n 193A, Tyrone )!thrie dire ted Fa!ren e :livier in a Bones4 inspired Hamlet at the :ld Ki .=93> :livier later !sed some o' these same ideas in his 19C@ 'ilm version o' the play. ;n the 1950s, Fa an&s str! t!ralist theories abo!t Hamlet were 'irst presented in a series o' seminars given in "aris and later p!blished in <Desire and the ;nterpretation o' Desire in Hamlet<. Fa an post!lated that the h!man psy he is determined by str! t!res o' lang!age and that the ling!isti str! t!res o' Hamlet shed light on h!man desire.=@@> #is point o' depart!re is ,re!d&s :edipal theories, and the entral theme o' mo!rning that r!ns thro!gh Hamlet.=@@> ;n Fa an&s analysis, #amlet !n ons io!sly ass!mes the role o' hallus *the a!se o' his ina tion*and is in reasingly distan ed 'rom reality <by mo!rning, 'antasy, nar issism and psy hosis<, whi h reate holes .or la k .man5!e// in the real, imaginary, and symboli aspe ts o' his psy he.=@@> Fa an&s theories in'l!en ed literary riti ism o' Hamlet be a!se o' his alternative vision o' the play and his !se o' semanti s to e$plore the play&s psy hologi al lands ape.=@@>

Feminist
;n the 00th ent!ry 'eminist riti s opened !p new approa hes to )ertr!de and :phelia. Dew #istori ist and !lt!ral materialist riti s e$amined the play in its histori al onte$t, attempting to pie e together its original !lt!ral environment.=95> They 'o !sed on the gender system o' early modern 1ngland, pointing to the ommon trinity o' maid, "ife, or "ido", with "hores alone o!tside o' the stereotype. ;n this analysis, the essen e o' Hamlet is the entral hara ter&s hanged per eption o' his mother as a whore be a!se o' her 'ail!re to remain 'aith'!l to :ld #amlet. ;n onse5!en e, #amlet loses his 'aith in all women, treating :phelia as i' she too were a whore and dishonest with #amlet. :phelia, by some riti s, an be honest and 'airE however, it is virt!ally impossible to link these two traits, sin e &'airness& is an o!tward trait, while &honesty& is an inward trait.=96> %arolyn #eilbr!n&s 195A essay <#amlet&s 9other< de'ends )ertr!de, arg!ing that the te$t never hints that )ertr!de knew o' %la!di!s poisoning (ing #amlet. This analysis has been hampioned by many 'eminist riti s. #eilbr!n arg!ed that men have 'or ent!ries ompletely misinterpreted )ertr!de, a epting at 'a e val!e #amlet&s view o' her instead o' 'ollowing the a t!al te$t o' the play. 7y this a o!nt, no lear eviden e s!ggests that )ertr!de is an ad!lteress+ she is merely adapting to the ir !mstan es o' her h!sband&s death 'or the good o' the kingdom.=9A> :phelia has also been de'ended by 'eminist riti s, most notably 1laine Showalter.=9@> :phelia is s!rro!nded by power'!l men+ her 'ather, brother, and #amlet. 2ll three disappear+ Faertes leaves, #amlet abandons her, and "oloni!s dies. %onventional theories had arg!ed that witho!t these three power'!l men making de isions 'or her, :phelia is driven into madness.=99> ,eminist theorists arg!e that she goes mad with g!ilt be a!se, when #amlet kills her 'ather, he has '!l'illed her se$!al desire to have #amlet kill her 'ather so they an be together. Showalter points o!t that :phelia has be ome the symbol o' the distra!ght and hysteri al woman in modern !lt!re

Analysis of the To Be or Not to Be Soliloquy in Sha#espeare

amlet !y "illiam

The meaning o' the <to be or not to be< spee h in Shakespeare&s #amlet has been given n!mero!s interpretations, ea h o' whi h are te$t!ally, histori ally, or otherwise based. ;n general, while #amletGs 'amo!s Lto be or not to beM solilo5!y 5!estions the righteo!sness o' li'e over death in moral terms, m! h o' the spee hGs emphasis is on the s!bIe t o' death*even i' in the end he is determined to live and see his revenge thro!gh. 7e'ore engaging in the solilo5!y itsel', however, it is important to onsider #amletGs lines that o !r be'ore the passage in 5!estion. ;n the 'irst a t o' the play, #amlet .'!ll hara ter analysis o' #amlet here/ !rses )od 'or making s!i ide an immoral option. #e states, Lthat this too solid 'lesh wo!ld melt, N Thaw, and resolve itsel' into a dewO N :r that the 1verlasting had not 'i$Gd N #is anon Pgainst sel'4sla!ghterO : )odO )odOM .;.ii.1094130/. 2t this early point in the te$t it is lear that #amlet is weighing the bene'its vers!s drawba ks o' ending his own li'e, b!t also that he re ogni8es that s!i ide is a rime in )odGs eyes and o!ld th!s make his a'terli'e worse than his present sit!ation. ;n essen e, many o' #amletGs tho!ghts revolve aro!nd death and this early signal to his melan holy state prepares the reader 'or solilo5!y that will ome later in 2 t ;;;. When #amlet !tters the pained 5!estion, LTo be, or not to be+ that is the 5!estion+ N Whether Ptis nobler in the mind to s!''er N The slings and arrows o' o!trageo!s 'ort!ne N :r to take arms against a sea o' tro!blesM .;;;.i.59461/ there is little do!bt that he is thinking o' death. 2ltho!gh he attempts to pose s! h a 5!estion in a rational and logi al way, he is still le't witho!t an answer o' whether the Lslings and arrows o' o!trageo!s 'ort!neM an be borne o!t sin e li'e a'ter death is so !n ertain. 2t this point in the plot o' #amlet, he wonders abo!t the nat!re o' his death and thinks 'or a moment that it may be like a deep sleep, whi h seems at 'irst to be a eptable !ntil he spe !lates on what will ome in s! h a deep sleep. B!st when his LsleepM answer begins to appeal him, he stops short and wonders in another o' the important 5!otes 'rom Shakespeare&s Hamlet, LTo sleep+ per han e to dream+*ay thereGs the r!bE N ,or in that sleep o' death what dreams may omeM .;;;.i.6@469/. The LdreamsM that he 'ears are the pains that the a'terli'e might bring and sin e there is no way to be positive that there will be a relie' 'rom his earthly s!''erings thro!gh death, he 'or ed to 5!estion death yet again. 2'ter posing this omple$ 5!estion and wondering abo!t the nat!re o' the great sleep, #amlet then goes on to list many s!''erings men are prone to in the ro!gh o!rse o' li'e, whi h makes it seem as tho!gh he is moving toward death yet again. 7y the end o' this solilo5!y, however, he 'inally reali8es, L7!t that dread o' something a'ter death, N The !ndis overGd o!ntry, 'rom whose bo!rn N Do traveler ret!rns*p!88les the will N 2nd makes !s rather bear those ills we haveM .;;;.i.@14@C/. 2ltho!gh at this last moment

#amlet reali8es that many hose li'e over death be a!se o' this inability to know the a'terli'e, the spee h remains a deep ontemplation abo!t the nat!re and reasons 'or death.