Thursday, December 23, 2010

Hamlet: What does the end of the play convey to the audience? (Specifically Act 5. Scene 2)

The end of the play seems to signify the idea that anyone who contributed to the "something rotten" in Denmark has to be eliminated in order for the country to move on and prosper again.  Gertrude has to die because of her disloyalty to her first husband (shown by her hasty remarriage) as well as the fact that she has committed incest (biblically speaking) by marrying her brother-in-law.  Claudius has to die because he is a murderer (and has committed incest with his sister-in-law).  Laertes must die because he has behaved dishonorably in his dealings with Hamlet (by tipping his sword with poison during their duel).  Hamlet must die because he is responsible for the deaths of many relatively innocent individuals: Ophelia, Polonius, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern.  In short, the heart of the Danish court has become a rotten, corrupted Eden, from which everyone who has committed sins must be cut out.  In the end, Fortinbras assumes power and it seems as though he will honor Hamlet's better qualities as well as restore order to the court and country.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thomas Jefferson's election in 1800 is sometimes called the Revolution of 1800. Why could it be described in this way?

Thomas Jefferson’s election in 1800 can be called the “Revolution of 1800” because it was the first time in America’s short history that pow...