Hamlet as it relates to thehuman condition is dependent on character. It is often argued that Hamlet was written as a tragedy of the human spirit. Others argue that it is atragedy of destiny, or the hero. At any rate, during the time of the Elizabethan era, it wasentertainment. However, William Shakespeare exceeded the obvious entertainment endeavour, andachieved almost every writer's natural quest: reflection from the audience. This reflection is perhaps ameasure for all writers, provided that it is an audience whom the work is for. In almost every hero's quest for the truth, none is more apparent than that of young Hamlet. Thissearch for truth is borne of the passing of young Hamlet's father. It is at the critical moment ofrevelation by the Ghost of Hamlet that young Hamlet is destined for revenge. Although the conceptof revenge may be considered an evil justice, it is evident that the importance here lay within thecontext of carrying out the fate. "But why in the world did not Hamlet obey the Ghost at once, andso save seven of those eight lives?" (Bradley p.93) In a more appropriate sense, the questionbecomes: "When will Hamlet kill Claudius to avenge the death of his father?" The how and when ofthis vengeance becomes increasingly critical in the development of Hamlet the character as opposedto Hamlet the play. To fully comprehend the true essence of Hamlet as a son, a discoverer, and a destroyer, one mustanalyze each individual characteristic as revealed to the audience by Shakespeare. Incredibly, it isbecause of Shakespeare's, perhaps unknowing consideration for the audience that reveals muchabout the characters in Hamlet, or any other play written by him for that matter. It was not enoughthat Shakespeare just wrote the play, he also emphasized the character's thoughts and emotionsthrough the soliloquies. In fact, the whole idea of drama is to feel, to an extent, what the characterfeels. This premise should not be mistaken, in that...
