Hamlet Themes

Hamlet by William Shakespeare illustrates foreshadowing through its characters
to keep the reader interested throughout the play. An example of foreshadowing
is Hamlet’s depressed state of mind which foreshadows his motivation to find
out the truth about his father’s death. A second example of foreshadowing is
when Hamlet’s father comes to him as a ghost and informs him about his murder,
this causes rage within Hamlet that foreshadows his revenge. A third example of
foreshadowing is when Hamlet asks the players to perform “The Mousetrap”
which might prove Claudius’ involvement in King Hamlet’s murder and
foreshadows Hamlet’s revenge. Another example is Hamlet’s sudden unusual
behavior towards Ophelia which foreshadows a fatal outcome for the lovers.

Finally, the concluding example is Laertes’ anger and pain towards his
father’s death which foreshadows his revenge towards Hamlet, his father’s
murderer. So these five examples of foreshadowing keep the reader interested and
eager to continue reading the play. In the beginning of Hamlet there is an
immediate introduction to Hamlet’s grief and gloominess which foreshadows his
need for revenge. Hamlet’s lovely personality and pleasantry were gone and he
found himself dissatisfied of the world around him. His world was falling apart
in front of him. His father’s death was a bitter wound in his heart he
couldn’t be forgotten. King Hamlet was an excellent king who loved his wife,
Queen Gertrude, deeply. But Hamlet couldn’t understand how his mother who
would “hang on [her husband]/as if increase of appetite had grown” could
forget about him so quickly (1.2.147-148). It seemed to Hamlet as if they both
loved each other immensely. However, before Gertrude’s “unrighteous
tears/had left the flushing in her galled eyes/she married” her husbands
brother (1.2.159-161). It was only two months after the funeral and she was
married. This hurt Hamlet a lot because he felt his mother didn’t seem to love
her deceased husband as much as he loved her. She proved this by marrying his
brother which was considered improper to Hamlet and others. Hamlet’s
depression and madness were not only caused by the death of his father but by
his mother’s remarriage. His love for his dear father motivated him to seek
the truth. Hamlet does find out the truth when his father’s ghost comes and
tells him he was murdered. So Hamlet has a mission to find his father’s
murderer and get revenge. Another example of foreshadowing Hamlet’s revenge
occurs when he speaks to his father’s ghost. Hamlet had heard from the
soldiers who worked as night watchers that they had seen an image resembling the
king. The soldiers said the King’s spirit would come exactly at twelve
midnight. They explained he was dressed in a full suit of armor and very pale.

Hamlet stood guard with Horatio and Marcellus on the platform awaiting his
father’s spirit. Hamlet was in awe at the sight of the ghost and he couldn’t
help but be scared. He became relaxed as he noticed the ghost, his father, was
eager to speak with him. He wondered why his father “revisits thus the
glimpses of the moon” since his death (1.4.58). King Hamlet came to inform his
son he was “stung by a serpent” and the “serpent that did sting [his]
life/now wears his crown” (1.5.43,46-47). He explained that his brother
Claudius arranged to have him poisoned in his sleep with the poision being
poured into his ear. Consequently, Claudius murdered his brother to gain his
brother’s crown. He told Hamlet if he loved him he would get revenge on his
murderer. This incident foreshadows Hamlet’s revenge. Hamlet plots a way to
have Claudius admit he killed King Hamlet. His plan was to have the players
perform the play “The Mousetrap” which was an allusion to the truth.

Claudius gets angry during the play which proves he was the murderer. For that
reason Hamlet eventually gets revenge and kills Claudius. Hamlet was obligated
to his father to seek revenge on his murderer which foreshadowed the death of
Claudius. He felt that the longer he waited to capture the truth and bring
justice to his father’s death he was dishonoring his name. Therefore, Hamlet
plotted a plan to make Claudius confess. He asked the players to performed
“The Mousetrap” which was really a way of solving the mystery of his
father’s death. The play was a story about the murder of a Duke in Vienna. The
Duke was murdered by a family member and soon after the Duke’s death the
family member gained his crown. Hamlet selected this play since it was an
allusion to