TheplayHamletiswrittenbyWilliamShakespeare,thegreatestdramaaswellasthegreatestpoetintheworldliteratureinTheEnglishRenaissance.Hamlet,oneofthefourtragediesamongShakespeare’slifetimeworks,isgenerallyregardedashismostpopularplayonthestage,forithasthephilosophicalexplorationoflifeanddeath.
TheplayopenswithHamlet,PrinceofDenmark,istheleadingrole,appearinginamoodofworld-wearinessoccasionedbyhisfather’srecentdeathandbyhismother’shastyremarriagewithClaudius,hisfather’sbrother.Whileencounteringhisfather’sghost,HamletisinformedthatClaudiushasmurderedhisfatherandthentakenoverbothhisfather’sthroneandwisdow,Hamlethasstrongrevengewish.Thus,Hamletbegantoseekrevengeforhisfather.ButHamlethasnoneofthesingle-mindedbloodlustoftheearlierrevengers.Itisnotbecauseheisincapableofaction,butbecausethecastofhismindissospeculative,soquestioning,andsocontemplativethataction,whenitfinallycomes,seemalmostlikedefeat,dimishingratherthanaddingtothestatueofthehero.Onesideismurderedhisfather'stoothpain,fatherdeadsoundcollection,theothersideisthelifevalueofseriousthought,bornwithamelancholytemperament.Hamletliesbetweenthetwohardwander.Trappedinanightmareworldofspying,testingandplotting,andapparentlybearingtheintolerateburdenofthedutytorevengehisfather’sdeath,Hamletisobligedtoinhabitashadowworld,tolivesuspendedbetweenfactandfiction,languageandaction.Hamletviewedeverythingwithsuspicion:humanhypocrisy,heaven'sinjustice,finally,finallyreachedthissuspicionstatevertex:"tobeornottobe".Hislifeisoneofconstantrole-playing,examingthenatureofactiononlytodenyitspossibility,forheistoosophisticatedtodegradehisnaturetotheconventionalroleofastagerevenger.
Hamletonceisanoptimistic,happyprince,whilebecomesheavyheartedafterhisfather’sdeathandmother’sremarriage.Itrightlyturnsoutausualsayingthataperson’scharacteristicchangeuptothecircumstancestoberight.Forinstance,Hamlet’sremarks“tobeornottobe,that’sthequestion.”isconstantlybeenquotedwhenmodernindividualsarehardtomakeaharddecisionwhethertogiveupornot.
Thepersonalitydecidesdestiny,thisisthetruth.Thetragedyofthetragicfateofhischaracterburiedaforeshadowing.Inthischaracter,ideashewastryingtotormentrevenge.Hebecamethefullvengeance.Andallthisleadshimtoweakmothermoodis,onthebelovedwomantopaynoheed,leadinghimtokilllover’sfather,ledtohiseventualfallintothetrapsetbytheenemies.Finally,thedesireforrevengeisfinallyachieved,butallgoodthingsarebroken:Hamlet'sloftyidealsandhighaspirations,lovelikelife,motherfragileexistence.Theendingismiserable,allthemaincharactersdie,whileitdeservesthinkingdeeply.
Thisisatragedy,withitsrootsintheHamletirresoluteandhesitantcharacter,thisisthetragiccharacter.Hamletgivesusagreattouch,inhischaracter,Hamlethascreatedahumantragedy.ReadingHamletisaquietvaluableexperienceinwhichIunderstandalot.