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Hamlet

(Fathers and Sons, Mothers and Daughters, Friends and Lovers)  

“Hamlet” is one of the greatest works of William Shakespeare. It was created in the period between 1599 and 1601 years. The action is laid in the kingdom of Denmark, and the background story is the old tale about Prince Hamlet exacting revenge on his uncle Claudius for murdering the old king Hamlet, Claudius’s brother and Prince Hamlet’s father, and then succeeding to the throne and marrying Gertrude, king Hamlet’s window and mother of the Prince. 

 

The patterns of upbringing a young man and woman belonging to nobility vs the upbringing of a young prince

Firstly, I would like to compare the patterns of upbringing of Laertes and Ophelia. Both of them have good and really close relations with their father, Polonius. Ophelia is a girl, so she is brought up in the family circle. This was absolutely normal for that time. Laertes in his turn has more freedom than his sister. He can leave the kingdom for France and even study abroad. Yet his father tries to keep him at home, and not to drift apart. 

Secondly, I am going to analyse Hamlet’s upbringing and compare it with the patterns of upbringing of Polonius’s children. Hamlet has got his education abroad, and everything shows that he has been brought up far from his family. Hamlet is a broad-minded person, yet he seems to lack something of family warmth. In those times only rich people had an opportunity to travel around the world and to get their education abroad. The others, including nobility as well, were usually brought up in their families. These young men and women had stronger bonds within the families, than the others, who stayed abroad like Hamlet. Perhaps this is why Laertes and Polonius warn Ophelia against marriage and any communication with Hamlet. 

Thus, in Hamlet’s times there were two different ways of upbringing children of the nobility: one was abroad, far from the family, and the other was inside the family circle. So it is no surprise that Laertes and Ophelia are both very close to their father, whereas Hamlet is a stranger in his own family. 

 

The issue of father and children, with the families of different social status

In the end, many characters end up dead on the stage and several even go mentally insane on their way to death. However, I believe this to be the expression of loyalty in the father and son relationships. This is the case between Polonius and Laertes. Polonius shows that he is reluctant to let his son leave, and it also shows that he is protective of his son. Though they may not have had the best relationship before Polonius was murdered, it is clear that Laertes felt it to be essential to prove his love for his father after he had passed. Thus Laertes always did respect his father, but he wanted to live for himself and not be told how to live his life by his wise father.  

Polonius 

When the news about Polonius`s murder reached Laertes in France, he stormed back to Denmark to revenge for his father’s death. He just wanted to gain a little bit of freedom, but a son must always keep his loyalty to his father.  

The play is really about bonds, honor, and loyalty. It is clear that Polonius and Laertes loved one another, yet sadly they were never able to let each other know how they felt.  

Although they may exhibit some similar traits, all fathers and sons are individuals. This development is based on life experience, which is never the same for any two people. In the case of King and Prince Hamlet, this also holds true.  

King Hamlet must have been a good father for his son to be so devoted and loyal to him. It almost seems that the Prince made an idol of his father. In Prince Hamlet's first soliloquy he described his father as an excellent king, a god-like figure and a loving husband.  

As for the relationship between Claudius and Hamlet, the former tries to act like a loving "father" to Hamlet. He even has a "man to man" chat with his nephew telling him that one day the kingdom will be his. This serves as a sharp contrast to what he says when Hamlet is not present. Claudius just pretends and fears for his own safety, not for the good of Denmark. 

 

Motherly love towards her son vs fatherly love towards his daughter

I think the relationships between parents and their offspring play a crucial role in the development of the plot in “Hamlet”.  

 

The relationship between Ophelia and her father show how wretched the relationship can become. Polonius considers himself to be the boss over Ophelia while Ophelia, who is intimidated, considers herself to be obliged to obey Polonius's orders. Polonius shows that he acts in his own interest rather than in Ophelia's. Polonius may seem to be more concerned about his position in court than his own daughter's well-being. Polonius forces Ophelia to depend on him. His intention is to make himself appear to be a great father, but Ophelia's dependence on Polonius is what eventually causes her to go mad after his death.  

 

The other issue is motherly love towards her son, which concerns Gertrude and Hamlet. He resents her for marrying her husband's brother, Claudius, after he murdered the King. According to Hamlet, Gertrude scarcely mourned her husband's death before marrying Claudius. Although Hamlet shows clear distress about his mother's marriage to Claudius, his relationship with her is mostly positive. Even though Claudius's marriage to Gertrude is one of Hamlet's most important reasons for willing to kill his uncle, he clearly has no desire to kill his mother. In her own turn, Gertrude seems to care deeply for Hamlet. Gertrude is most likely an honest queen and a passionate mother. 

 

As for the psychological interpretation of the issue, I cannot help mentioning Freud’s approach. Freud concludes that Hamlet has an "Oedipal desire for his mother and the subsequent guilt preventing him from murdering the man who has done what he unconsciously wanted to do". Confronted with his repressed desires, Hamlet realizes that "he himself is literally no better than the sinner whom he is to punish".  

 

However, I think that any Oedipal undertones are a needless over-interpretation of the text. I really feel that Hamlet acts both like an angry lover and a jealous son. Hamlet loves his mother a bit too much.  

 

qhh3 Life prospects opened to young people belonging to the royalty and the nobility as described in Hamlet qhh3 

One of the issues relates to the ways the young persons of royal and noble origin would have followed if there had not been the tragic ending. 

At the beginning Laertes appears to be an inexperienced young man judging by the fact that Polonius gives him useful council (not to lend money, not to dress too extravagantly etc.) before returning to France. He also has a strong weakness for drinking, hazard games and women. Laertes is a hotheaded young man (just like Hamlet) and after coming back to Denmark he is keen to revenge on Hamlet for his father’s death and also, for the death of his sister, Ophelia. After the fencing match Laertes and Hamlet forgive each other before they die. 

Taking into account Laertes’s features he would, in all likelihood, have stayed in Paris which he loved so badly. Being funded by his rich father Laertes would have lived a passionate and short life. It is rather improbable that the son of the chief counselor would have trodden in his father’s steps, for Polonius (a serious and moderate person) is the very opposite of his son. 

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are both courtiers and childhood friends of Hamlet, who actually spy on the latter (Claudius sends them to find out what the cause of Hamlet’s strange behavior is). After Hamlet manages to see through their plan, their relationship breaks. In the end Rosencrantz and Guildenstern arrive in England where they are supposed to escort Hamlet, being equipped with the letter from King Claudius. On board the ship Hamlet rewrites the letter in which Claudius requires his death and manages to leave the ship during the fight against the pirates. As a consequence, the courtiers are killed in England. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are to blame for their own deaths. If they had not chosen to serve King Claudius, they would have lived. As true friends, they could have helped Hamlet to solve the problem which had tortured his mind.  

Hamlet and Ophelia, Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1858-9) 

A most important relationship is between Hamlet and Ophelia. Hamlet loves Ophelia and brings her various gifts. Polonius thinks Hamlet is looking only for entertainment, and Ophelia is also unsure about Hamlet’s intentions. Polonius changes his mind when Hamlet enters Ophelia’s chamber looking like mad. If King Claudius had not killed his own brother just to obtain power to rule Denmark, Prince Hamlet would have become the king in future and he would have certainly got married to Ophelia, as both loved each other indeed. Together they would have lived merry and successful lives.  

Thus we can deduce that one filthy deed committed by King Claudius destroyed the future of the young people. Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” is an example of how one thing can easily ruin the whole worlds of others. 

Anna Mironova, Maria Bekhteva, Katia Petriv and Samuel Chellar
3rd-year students
 

 



Читаем

William Shakespeare:

«The purpose of playing <…> both at first and now, was and is to hold, as ‘twere, the mirror up to nature; to show virtue her own feature, scorn her own image, and the very age and body of the time his form and pressure».  

(Hamlet. Act 3, scene II.)