Hamlet Essay

There are many things that critics say make Hamlet a "Great Work," one of which is the way that Shakespeare masterfully incorporates so many sub-plots into the story, and ties them all into the main plot of Hamlet's revenge of his father's murder. By the end of Act I, not only is the main plot identified, but many other sub-plots are introduced. Among the sub-plots are trust in the Ghost of King Hamlet, Fortinbras, and the relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia. These three sub-plots are crucial to making Hamlet the master piece that it is.

In the times that Shakespeare lived ghosts were a readily accepted idea, but one had to be wary of them because it was difficult to decipher a good ghost from a bad one. Horatio, Hamlet's best friend, first brings that question into our mind when the Ghost is asking Hamlet to follow it.

Horatio warned:
What if it tempt you toward the flood, my lord,
Or to the dreadful summit of the cliff
That beetles o'er his base into the sea,
And there assume some other horrible form
Which might deprive your sovereignty of reason
And draw you into madness' Think of it. (68)

Hamlet disregarded Horatio's warnings, followed the Ghost of his father, and heard of the murder that took place. This is where he learned of his quest to revenge his father, the main plot of the play. But Hamlet still wasn't sure of the validity of the Ghost, so he decided to put the Ghost's accusations to a test. "There is a play tonight before the King: One scene of it comes near the circumstance Which I have told thee of my father's death. . . Observe my uncle. If his occulted guilt Does not itself unkennel in one speech, It is a damned ghost that we have seen" (156). By having a group of players reenact his father's murder, he was able to tell from Claudius' (the murderer of King Hamlet) reaction that the Ghost was not of the devil. To take this sub-plot out would have left the reader/audience with many questions, especially in Shakespeare's time. People would wonder if the ghost was of good intent, and if Hamlet was wise in revenging his father.

In many versions of Hamlet, the character of Fortinbras is taken out. Fortinbras is the heir to Norway, but his father lost almost all of his inheritance to King Hamlet. Fortinbras wanted revenge, but he was told he could not take it because the land was lost fairly in an agreed contract. Fortinbras represents Hamlet after he has learned of his father's murder, the only difference is that he does not take revenge because King Fortinbras was not murdered. Although what he contributes can easily be omitted from the play, many feel that it ruins the play at the end. After all of the heirs to the Denmark throne have been killed, Fortinbras comes to Denmark from a victorious conquer of Poland. In his dying breath Hamlet said, "But I do prophesy th'election lights On Fortinbras. He has my dying voice" (308). Because much of the Denmark land once was Fortinbras' inheritance, Fortinbras was enable to claim the kingdom. This ending is needed to make the play a true tragedy. According to Aristotle, a tragedy is a "a conflict between the protagonist and a superior force, . . . reaching a sorrowful or disastrous conclusion that excites pity or terror while leaving one with a sense of reconciliation rather than one of horror by presenting a view of life in which the idea of justice is central" (Handout, emphasis added). Knowing that he will make a good king, and having Hamlet's blessing, Fortinbras taking over the kingdom creates the sense of reconciliation that the reader/viewer needs.

There are lines through out the play that make the reader/audience question Hamlet's true feelings for Ophelia, but everyone agrees that they did have a relationship together. The relationship is first brought up in Act I, Scene 3 when Laertes, Ophelia's brother, warns her about it, and later on in the same scene, her father, Polonius warns her again. Laertes seemed to believe that Hamlet had affection for his sister, but he doubted if Hamlet could act on his affections: "But you must fear, His greatness weighed, his will is not his own. For he himself is subject to his birth" (54). On the other hand, Polonius at first doubted Hamlet's feelings. He told Ophelia, "These blazes, daughter, Giving more light than heat, extinct in both. . . You must not take for fire. . . Believe so much in him that he is young, . . . Do not believe his vows; for they are brokers. . ." (60). He then forbade her ever to speak to Hamlet again. Later on, however, Polonius thought it a good reason for Hamlet's madness, and thought he would use Ophelia to test his idea. This ties the relationship into the main plot of the story because Hamlet is acting mad because of his knowledge of his father's murder. In this time Hamlet both says that he loved her and denies it, but he is acting in such a mad way that Polonius is unsure of Hamlet's true feelings towards his daughter. In the final act Hamlet says again that he loved Ophelia, in front of all those attending her funeral. In Hamlet, Ophelia represents innocence and one without knowledge. She is the image of Hamlet before he discovered the truth of his father's death. If the relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia were to be taken out of the play it would ruin the flow, and it would take away other sub-plots that also relate to the main plot, especially Laertes' revenge on Hamlet for Polonius' death.

For many authors, to take so much as a word out of their work it is destroying it. For plays though, it is meant for words to be changed and added, but not for whole plots and sub-plots. To take out such a big section of a play is disastrous because it leaves the reader and audience with unanswered questions. The sub-plots add to the plot complexity, let the audiences become more involved, and let them all leave feeling that they had seen some characteristic of themselves in the play. This is what makes a play great, and makes the audience want to see it over and over again. Even a seemingly needless character can relate to someone. The more sub-plots (ones that are well worked into the play) the more people that can relate, the better the play.
________________
Our professional custom writing service can provide you with a 100% non-plagiarized custom essay, research paper, term paper, thesis, dissertation or other assignment of high-quality. All custom papers are written from scratch by professional academic writers. Any topic, any discipline, any deadline. Feel free to order a custom essay on Hamlet now.