Sunday, November 11, 2012

How does Hamlet relate to the theme of isolation?

Hamlet is basically isolated from everyone at the court. The only real friend he can trust is Horatio. Even Hamlet's own mother has married his uncle and Hamlet does not really know her degree of involvement, if any, in his father's death.

Ophelia is too close to her father, Polonius, to be trusted. After all, all Polonius has to do is tell her not to see Hamlet and she obeys him. This sense of isolation must lead to both desperation and depression for Hamlet, who is trying to find out the truth about his father's death before he does anything.

After the play, "The Mousetrap," Hamlet discovers what he thinks is the truth but he is still alone in his search for revenge. Horatio can listen, but he is not a member of the royal family, and therefore has no real power to help Hamlet. Then he is sent to England with Rosencranz and Guildenstern, two so-called friends that he does not trust. His suspicions are confirmed once he gets ahold of the letter Claudius is sending to the King of England, asking the English king to execute Hamlet.

He returns to Denmark, only to find Ophelia dead, Laertes his enemy and still only Horatio to confide in. His sense of isolation must be almost total towards the end of the play. I think that is one of the reasons he accepts whatever fate has planned for him during the sword fight with Laertes. Even if he had survived the sword fight and Fortinbras' challenge, life as the King of Denmark would have made him even more isolated than before because leadership by itself is isolating.

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