Shakespeare’s masterpiece, Hamlet, in its simplest form, is a story of revenge. King Hamlet, poisoned in his sleep by his power-hungry, incestuous brother, returns as a ghost to beg of his son to avenge his death. For most of the play, Hamlet senior and his traitorous brother are portrayed as polar opposites, allowing viewers to easily justify to themselves Prince Hamlet’s vengeful actions. However, these brothers are not as different as they seem. King Hamlet, viewed by some as an ideal, honest leader, has a guilty conscience, This beloved Norwegian figure has dark secrets, and the evidence is clear enough that many people, including some characters in the play, have begun to realize. The supernatural, although a common feature in many of …show more content…
to walk the night” (1.5.15), describing his current situation as a “prison house” containing his dark secrets (1.5.19). As Grace Tiffany points out, Shakespeare’s audience would have been fully aware of the reasons for which the former King is suffering this eternal torment. In his life, this man committed some type of foul deeds - sins. He even admits this to his son, discussing the “foul crimes done in my days of nature” (1.5.17). Many critics choose to blame Hamlet’s suffering on his brother; He was murdered in his sleep, and received no chance to have his sins forgiven. The King uses this exact excuse as to why he was sentenced to purgatory. Tiffany writes, “to the Ghost, among the worst aspects of his brother's sin is the way it has prevented him from confessing and atoning for his own.” By citing this excuse, Hamlet admits again that he had sins that were in need of forgiveness. Some dark secret that he had never told anyone died with him the day he was poisoned. It was this secret that he was …show more content…
Grace Tiffany describes the brothers as “anamorphically linked, joined by their mutual use of oxymorons.” In his soliloquy, the ghost uses couplets such as “wicked wit” and “traitorous gifts” (1.5.43-44). Similarly, Claudius uses “defeated joy,” “mirth in funeral,” and “dirge in marriage” (1.2.10, 12). Tiffany also remarks that each of these segments come from sections of the play where that character is discussing the murder, “which haunts the thoughts of each man.” Shakespeare through these actions and devices is subtly showing viewers that these men are not opposites; instead, they are as similar as one might expect brothers to