Hamlets Relationships Essay -- essays research papers

In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, the character of Hamlet has many relationships with all characters. The theme human relationships is very strong in this play. A human relationship is a logical or natural association between two or more people. Hamlet has many of these associations with King Hamlet's Ghost, Gertrude, Claudius, Ophelia, Polonius, Horatio, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Many of his relationships are just and unjust according to the character's flaws and feelings. The ghost of King Hamlet played an important role during the book. The first interaction between King Hamlet's Ghost can be simply called extreme. Hamlet is extreme when he goes with the ghost that looks like his father even though his friends warn him that the ghost may be evil and ". . .tempt you toward the flood . . . Or to the dreadful summit of the cliff . . ." (Act 1, Scene IV, Lines 69-70). If the prince was thinking right he would not have gone with the ghost that resembled the old ". . . King, father, royal Dane . . ." (Act 1, Scene IV, Line 45) Hamlet's radical actions let him find out about Claudius' devious murder of his brother, King Hamlet . The ghost of King Hamlet has described Claudius as "...that incestuous, that adulterate beast" (Act 1, Scene V, Line 43). King Hamlet wants Hamlet to get revenge against Claudius for killing him, but he does not want Gertrude to get hurt while this is going on. Hamlet therefore delays in killing Cl audius because he needs to find out if his mother has anything to do with the treachery. Hamlet took this relationship cautiously and did this correctly because ghosts were thought as underhandedly evil. The relationship between Hamlet and Gertrude is interpreted as the Oedipus complex. The Oedipus complex refers to the thoughts some men have regarding their mother or maternal figures. Many scenes from the play can prove Hamlet did have these thoughts about his mother, such as acts one and three. Gertrude's fondness and helpfulness to protect her son is also displayed throughout the play. This can be seen in the play many times, even up to when Gertrude is about to die. She tries to save Hamlet from drinking the poison himself. Also when Hamlet tries to get Gertrude to believe him that Claudius killed King Hamlet, she thin... ... breath with your mouth,". (Act 3, Scene II, Lines 348-349) As the play continues Hamlet is sent off to England with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern for him to pay for his crimes. Hamlet finding the letter to England changes it to say kill the possessors of the letter. Hamlet on the way to England gets supposedly kidnapped by pirates, while Rosencrantz and Guildenstern go to England and get executed. Hamlet felt they got what they deserved when they followed out the king's plan of action. With all of the corruption and back stabbing in Denmark, Hamlet thought out every decision with great intelligence. Hamlet's human relationships with the ghost, Gertrude, Claudius, Ophelia, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were all very just and deserving. As Hamlet finds out they all contain lies and have hidden intentions within them. Hamlet's blinding rage against Polonius was very hurtful and unjust. Hamlet's friend, Horatio, was his only true friend and he helped Hamlet until the end. As Marcellus said it best, "Something is rotten in Denmark." (Act 1, Scene 4, Line 90) That being the lies, which have replaced or covered the true state of each character.