The supernatural
● The ghost of Hamlet’s father, the dead King Hamlet, appears several times in the play.
He is a credible figure as there was strong belief in ghosts at the time the play was
written.
● He demands revenge for his death and is responsible for Hamlet’s agonies throughout
the play.
● Hamlet tests the ghost by staging the play and it confirms that what the ghost says is
true.
Politics
● Threat of war in the background.
● The clearest political theme is that of power and Claudius has gained his through
murder. He must now keep that power.
● Set in Denmark but written for an English audience.
● The plot of Hamlet is set in motion by Claudius's murderous ambition to supplant his
brother, the King. It ends with his replacement by Young Fortinbras, the Norwegian
prince, as King.
● All political power in Denmark is concentrated on the throne. Although Denmark is an
elective monarchy, in the play we see Claudius nominate his successor and Hamlet (who
is technically, very briefly, the King) nominate his, without reference to anyone else.
● Referring to his questionable marriage to his sister-in-law, Claudius claims that the
council has freely gone/With this affair along (I.2.15–16) but Shakespeare nowhere
shows anyone voicing this approval and the fact that when Laertes returns intent upon
challenging the King's authority, he rapidly whips up overwhelming support, his
supporters proclaiming: Choose we! Laertes shall be king. (IV.5.106) suggests that
Claudius was never a popular or very secure king.
● He laments that the distracted multitude much prefer Hamlet (IV.3.4) and tells Laertes
(IV.7.18) that the general gender love Hamlet so much he dare not proceed against him
in the law courts. Hamlet, who despises Claudius as an inferior type of creature from his
father, tells Rosencrantz and Guildenstern that people mocked Claudius whilst Old
Hamlet was alive (II.2.335) though now they queue up to buy his picture in little
(II.2.336).
● For all these reasons, Claudius is a politician who is acutely aware of the need to
manage public opinion.
● Old Hamlet, like his son, was an idealist, with a strong commitment to traditional notions
of right and wrong.
● Claudius is a pragmatist: he acts as if he believes that the end justifies the means. He
has no compunction about breaking the Ten Commandments by killing his brother and
making men work on the Sabbath or defying convention and biblical authority by
marrying his sister-inlaw and failing to observe the appropriate period of mourning for a
dead king.
● He intimidates Laertes by citing the Divine Right of Kings (IV.5.124–5) but apparently
had no qualms about killing a king himself. However, his soliloquy explores the tensions
between what he appears to believe and what his conscience tells him. Religion
● The ghost of Hamlet’s father, the dead King Hamlet, appears several times in the play.
He is a credible figure as there was strong belief in ghosts at the time the play was
written.
● He demands revenge for his death and is responsible for Hamlet’s agonies throughout
the play.
● Hamlet tests the ghost by staging the play and it confirms that what the ghost says is
true.
Politics
● Threat of war in the background.
● The clearest political theme is that of power and Claudius has gained his through
murder. He must now keep that power.
● Set in Denmark but written for an English audience.
● The plot of Hamlet is set in motion by Claudius's murderous ambition to supplant his
brother, the King. It ends with his replacement by Young Fortinbras, the Norwegian
prince, as King.
● All political power in Denmark is concentrated on the throne. Although Denmark is an
elective monarchy, in the play we see Claudius nominate his successor and Hamlet (who
is technically, very briefly, the King) nominate his, without reference to anyone else.
● Referring to his questionable marriage to his sister-in-law, Claudius claims that the
council has freely gone/With this affair along (I.2.15–16) but Shakespeare nowhere
shows anyone voicing this approval and the fact that when Laertes returns intent upon
challenging the King's authority, he rapidly whips up overwhelming support, his
supporters proclaiming: Choose we! Laertes shall be king. (IV.5.106) suggests that
Claudius was never a popular or very secure king.
● He laments that the distracted multitude much prefer Hamlet (IV.3.4) and tells Laertes
(IV.7.18) that the general gender love Hamlet so much he dare not proceed against him
in the law courts. Hamlet, who despises Claudius as an inferior type of creature from his
father, tells Rosencrantz and Guildenstern that people mocked Claudius whilst Old
Hamlet was alive (II.2.335) though now they queue up to buy his picture in little
(II.2.336).
● For all these reasons, Claudius is a politician who is acutely aware of the need to
manage public opinion.
● Old Hamlet, like his son, was an idealist, with a strong commitment to traditional notions
of right and wrong.
● Claudius is a pragmatist: he acts as if he believes that the end justifies the means. He
has no compunction about breaking the Ten Commandments by killing his brother and
making men work on the Sabbath or defying convention and biblical authority by
marrying his sister-inlaw and failing to observe the appropriate period of mourning for a
dead king.
● He intimidates Laertes by citing the Divine Right of Kings (IV.5.124–5) but apparently
had no qualms about killing a king himself. However, his soliloquy explores the tensions
between what he appears to believe and what his conscience tells him. Religion
