Hamlet Close Reading - Katherine Hunt

Shakespeare has been recognized for his language with its artistic and poetic abilities. Often, because his words are known to be filled with ambiguity. How one must perceive Shakespeare’s plays are up to interpretation, allowing different methods of perspective, which is the root of a strong text.

In fact, without certain lines from his famous books, the power of Shakespeare's writings would mean absolutely nothing. Take his famously known book Hamlet for example. One aspect that drives him mad throughout this book no one understands, but Hamlet himself. These are the words of the Ghost, stated in Act 1. Sc. 5, lines 49-59.

At this point in the play the apparition of Hamlet’s father visits Hamlet to inform him of the wicked  ways of his brother, otherwise known as Hamlet’s uncle, the new King. In the line “Ay, that incestuous, that adulterate beast,” this refers to the sexual relations between Hamlet’s uncle and the Queen after the death and possibly before the death of Hamlet’s father. Part of the new King’s “witchcraft” was giving him the gift of power. Witchcraft means that one sustains great control in considerance to enchantment, which happened to be the power to seduce the Queen. Hamlet’s father never expected his wife to do this to him as he states,“ The will of my most seeming-virtuous queen O Hamlet, what a falling off was there!” This shocked Hamlet’s father to know that his wife didn’t take his vows seriously. Death did in fact do them part due to the shameful lust of the new King and Queen. However, no one knows that this is what drives Hamlet to the edge.

Hamlet even questions his life throughout his soliloquy “To Be or Not To Be”, in Act 3, Sc. 1, due to the general disappointment that human nature has caused upon him with his father’s death and other widespread aspects. “Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer. The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles...” The apparition coming forth to Hamlet caused him to have major self conflicts because he didn’t know how to deal with this situation. He goes from not trusting the ghost in the play stated in the lines “Be thou a spirit of health or goblin damn'd, Bring with thee airs from heaven or blasts from hell,”(Act 1, Sc. 4, lines 40 & 41), where he believes the ghost is a demon to swearing to the ghost that he will remember his existence when saying ”It is 'Adieu, adieu! remember me.' I have sworn 't.” (Act 1, Sc. 5) If Hamlet would have never met the ghost, these issues that he knows wouldn’t exist.