| revenge | -hamlet’s father wants hamlet to avenge his death-laertes want to avenge both polonius’s and ophelia’s death-fortinbras wants to revenge for his father’s death and for military losses |
| madness | -relates to hamlet, ophelia, and possibly Claudius-goes hand in hand with truth vs. deception because whether hamlet’s madness is real or feigned remains an open question throughout the play |
| thought vs action | -hamlet seems like a man of thought through much of the play but by the end he finds balance between the two-life strikes a balance between thought and action |
| truth vs deception | -the deceitful way by which Claudius came to power underpins the entire play-polonius willing to spread rumors of laertes in france -the company of players-claudius’s motivation in bringing R & G and their true mission -the presence of the ghost- truth or figment of hamlet’s imagination |
| morality | -central theme of hamlet -ghost of hamlet’s father-hamlets contemplation of suicide-ophelia’s suicide-the players performance -the gravediggers-the numerous deaths in the final scence |
themes of hamlet
August 26, 2019