Every person has their passionate well-being towards an issue that reflects the ability to satisfy one’s decision. However, there is an unexpected scenario that impacts a person’s well-being, especially if one experienced an activity that negatively impacted their life and routine. For Hamlet, he became passionate about death. The theme of death is what made Hamlet very interested about the cessation of life. Hamlet became obsessed about finding the truth about the issue of death, dying, and living to the other dimension. The problem of determining the truth provides a question to Hamlet on what are the consequences when a person will leave the living and joins the creator. Hamlet’s passion regarding the issue of death wants to increase awareness to the reader regarding uncertainties when a person dies (Shakespeare, 1598).
The main reason why the theme of death became a significant issue for Hamlet is based on his actual experience with his family’s dark activities. Hamlet discovered that his brother was murdered by Claudius, which is his uncle and then marrying his brother’s widow. Claudius then took over the throne to declare himself as the ruler of the kingdom. Basically, Hamlet is the main protagonist of the story while Claudius is obviously the antagonist, terrorizing their own family just to seek for power and authority. The theme of death is represented by greed and criminality as a way to satisfy a vision to become the prominent figure in the community. The hunger for power was an instrument for Hamlet to neutralize all individuals responsible for his family’s sufferings. However, Hamlet sacrificed his life to generate a legendary message to the kingdom as an exchange for the ruthless sufferings from his own family members to preserve peace across the kingdom.
The theme of death signifies a message regarding the value of sacrifice. A sacrifice that usually surfaces when one decides to take a revenge against an individual who made an unacceptable act of taking another person’s life. Hamlet’s theme of death represents a sacrificial structure that presented an act to benefit the general public. He believes that death is one of the best solutions as a legendary practice of a certain individual who wants to leave a legacy to the community. The aim of sacrificing one’s life is to provide a significant benefit for the welfare and security of the society. The theme is beneficial because it presents an anecdotal notion made by the author, which promotes a context that allows the next generation to remember the sacrifices that were made by Hamlet. The death of Hamlet indicates that the welfare of our society becomes peaceful and productive if only governed by a deserving leader, who is always concerned about their future.
It has been learned from this discussion that Hamlet’s theme of death promotes several learning values. The author of the play successfully reminds the readers regarding the significance of family relationships. Revenge usually follows when your immediate family members were intentionally executed by your relatives just to satisfy their greed to achieve power. As the victim, the theme of death is gruesome, but a frustrating scenario because it seeks to value the importance of revenge against individuals responsible for destroying your family. However, being heartless to protect and serve the welfare of the society represents a sacrifice to ensure that the future generation will benefit an optimistic governance of new leaders living in peace.
- Shakespeare, William (1598). Hamlet. London: Routledge