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estranger0 's review for:
Hamlet
by William Shakespeare
HAMLET, like MACBETH and KING LEAR, needs no introduction. It's one of the most renowned and sought-after plays of all time, frequenting the lists of best plays, stories, characters, and themes of all time relatively often, and for good reason. Hamlet is full of rich characters, expert dialogue, philosophical questions, and profound deaths, all that have been reproduced and reimagined by nearly every piece of media ever, whether or not they're familiar with the play or not. Hamlet is historically significant that we can see so many themes here in this 17th-century play that are so common in today's media that it's hard to not feel a deep admiration for such a masterfully crafted tragedy.
Hamlet is Shakespeare's most existential play, featuring, as mentioned earlier, a lot more philosophical themes and universals than other plays by the man. Hamlet as a character is one of the most successful portrayals of mankind I've ever seen, with his constant indecisiveness leading to many character's deaths and much of the conflict in the novel. His deep sorrow over the death of his father and his uncle Claudius' quick marriage to the Queen deeply angers Hamlet, and makes him plot revenge on the new king for the rest of the novel, serving as an example of how losing a loved one could ruin our psyche and lead us to make rash, irrational decisions. Hamlet's constant displeasures in his life lead him straight to confusion, rarely finding him an answer. The tragedy is not only Hamlet's, but those of many characters, including those of the the misunderstood Ophelia, the illegitimate Claudius, the raging Laertes, the other characters for who I've not named, all hold their own dear problems that we can all relate to and we can all suffer too, only immortalized in play for the pleasure of us all.
"To be or not to be, that is the question."
The philosophy in this play I adore more than anything, besides from excellent character writing. The scene with Yorick's skull where Hamlet compares the bare and familiar skull to that of every human to ever walk the Earth, lawyers, jesters, kings, all face death one day, wanted or unwanted. The madness of Hamlet that eventually destroys the lives of nearly everyone in the play is also something I appreciate so much, since it depicts how easily one person's troubles can effect the people around them and how consequential they could be.
I may sound like a parrot echoing the things everyone loves about this play, and to be honest, this play is nothing compared to the multiple analyses of it around the internet, but I'd still like to share my appreciation for this wonderous work of art 400 years later.
Hamlet is Shakespeare's most existential play, featuring, as mentioned earlier, a lot more philosophical themes and universals than other plays by the man. Hamlet as a character is one of the most successful portrayals of mankind I've ever seen, with his constant indecisiveness leading to many character's deaths and much of the conflict in the novel. His deep sorrow over the death of his father and his uncle Claudius' quick marriage to the Queen deeply angers Hamlet, and makes him plot revenge on the new king for the rest of the novel, serving as an example of how losing a loved one could ruin our psyche and lead us to make rash, irrational decisions. Hamlet's constant displeasures in his life lead him straight to confusion, rarely finding him an answer. The tragedy is not only Hamlet's, but those of many characters, including those of the the misunderstood Ophelia, the illegitimate Claudius, the raging Laertes, the other characters for who I've not named, all hold their own dear problems that we can all relate to and we can all suffer too, only immortalized in play for the pleasure of us all.
"To be or not to be, that is the question."
The philosophy in this play I adore more than anything, besides from excellent character writing. The scene with Yorick's skull where Hamlet compares the bare and familiar skull to that of every human to ever walk the Earth, lawyers, jesters, kings, all face death one day, wanted or unwanted. The madness of Hamlet that eventually destroys the lives of nearly everyone in the play is also something I appreciate so much, since it depicts how easily one person's troubles can effect the people around them and how consequential they could be.
I may sound like a parrot echoing the things everyone loves about this play, and to be honest, this play is nothing compared to the multiple analyses of it around the internet, but I'd still like to share my appreciation for this wonderous work of art 400 years later.