What Is the Political Situation in Denmark? What Crises Have Already Occurred, and What Crises Seem to Be Looming?

1. What is the political situation in Denmark? What crises have already occurred, and what crises seem to be looming?

The political situation in Denmark is that Old King Hamlet killed the King of Norway and now young Fortinbras, King Norway’s son, wants to avenge his father’s honor and regain the lands that were lost years ago to King Hamlet. Crisis that have already occurred was King Claudius killing King Hamlet. The crisis to be looming is an impending war against Denmark and Hamlets death. 

2. When and why does Hamlet decide he needs to avenge his father’s murder by killing his uncle? Might he have other reasons for wanting to murder Claudius?

Hamlet forms a play to act out his father’s death to see is uncle’s reaction. After his uncle watches the play he proves his uncles guilt and is when he decides to avenge his father’s killer, since now he has made sure his uncle is to blame. His other reason for wanting to kill his uncle is his involvement in the death of Hamlets mother. So now his uncle has now murdered both of his parents. 

3. Why does Hamlet delay taking action? What reasons does he cite for his uncertainty about how, or whether, to proceed with his plans? When and why does he change his plans?

 Hamlet delays taking action because of two reasons. One is that he is not quite ready to commit a sin such as murder, and two is that he wants to be completely convinced that Claudius is guilty. The reason he has uncertainty is that when he goes to confront Claudius he finds him praying and decides that if he were to kill him while he was praying he would go to heaven because he was seeking forgiveness and this is not what Hamlet wanted. He changes his plans when he sees that his uncle, along with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, have betrayed him.

4. What strategies does Hamlet employ to try to assure himself of Claudius’s guilt? How effective are these strategies?

Hamlet sets traps for Claudius to test his guilt, the most effective being the play that Hamlet puts on. Hamlet puts on a play where the storyline is a king who is killed by his brother, who then marries his brother’s wife. This proved to be effective enough, as Claudius asked for the play to end Hamlet felt confident enough that Claudius had killed his father.

5. How would you describe Hamlet’s relationship with Ophelia? Does he, or did he at any point, love her? What does he seem to want from her?

 I would describe Hamlets relationship with Ophelia as dysfunctional, emotionless, and cruel. Their relationship almost seemed forced which is not uncommon back in those times. Royal families usually had arranged marriages. At first, I would have answered no that he did not love her on (pg.1391-1392) Hamlet tells Ophelia that “I loved you not” and that she should go to a “nunnery” because he will not marry her. But as the play commenced you can envision how troubled and detached Hamlet had become trying to avenge his father’s death, that he had completely lost sight of who he once was. At Ophelia’s funeral, we see Hamlet re-claim and remember what he and Ophelia once had as he declares his love for her (pg.1434) “I loved Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers could not with all their quantity of love make up my sum.”