Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, is one of the world’s most famous pieces of literature. It’s a play that delves into the darker parts of human nature, from corruption, to revenge, to an individual’s descent into madness. It has been reproduced over and over again and has long since been hailed as a literary masterpiece. However, what exactly was Hamlet about? And how can we, as writers, use the themes and ideas in Hamlet to benefit our own writing?

Hamlet is about a young prince named Hamlet, who was recently visited by the ghost of his murdered father. His father, the previous King of Denmark, tells his son to kill his uncle, Claudius, and avenge his death. Hamlet decides to test whether or not the ghost really is his father, and acts insanely until then. Because of this act, Laertes warns his sister, Ophelia, to stay away from Hamlet. As the play progresses, and Hamlet begins watching Claudius, who hasn’t revealed much other than the fact he seems like a devout Christian. As such, Hamlet decides not to act for the time being. Meanwhile, Ophelia, Hamlet’s love interest, tries approaching Hamlet, but he refuses her, focusing rather on his father than a potential lover. This, however, changes when Hamlet goes to England as an ambassador. The prince later finds out that Claudius had sent him to England to be murdered. He heads back to Denmark, leaving his friends, whom he had accompany him, to die. After Hamlet’s return, Claudius tries to kill Hamlet again by getting Laertes, Ophelia’s brother, to kill him in a duel. Because of Hamlet’s rejection of Ophelia, she had gone insane and drowned herself, causing Laertes to act. Although both are severely wounded, Hamlet still manages to kill Claudius. He dies then, alongside Claudius and Laertes.

Hamlet was written during a time when the English Reformation was taking place. It was the Catholic way versus the Protestant way, and the play reflects that. Both Ophelia and the ghost of the former king were buried by Catholic traditions, with the king even stating he was in Purgatory. However, the play was set in Denmark, which during that time was Protestant. This could seemingly emphasize that Catholicism was a reference to the old ways that, to the current audience, were dead. This would usher in Protestantism because the characters who were Protestant were still alive. 

What’s more, according to scholars, as a character Hamlet seemed to take a more existential point of view. He views things not as the will of a divine being, but what you make of it. Hamlet’s thinking reflected a particularly famous Renaissance philosopher by the name of Michel de Montaigne, a humanist. Montaigne believed that men were God’s most beloved creation because he believed that God created men in His image, as well as the fact that He gave men free will. Yet there is another philosophical undertaking here of feminism, specifically the critical analysis of Ophelia. Ophelia was famous for going mad after the love of her life had rejected her. However, this stems from the fact that Hamlet had such disdain for his own mother, and that led him to treat not just Ophelia but all women as if they were nothing but whores. She was seen as weak in many feminist circles, though she isn’t without advocates. Elaine Showalter pointed out that most of Ophelia’s loved ones were gone, and she had to bear the brunt of the consequences of her decisions, including Hamlet’s own desire to kill Claudius. 

Since Shakespeare’s time, Hamlet has been mentioned over and over again in modern literature. Not only has it inspired the likes of John Milton and Henry Fielding, but it has also laid the groundwork for a new generation of writers, artists, and actors. The play has been seen many times throughout the centuries. Nowadays, it is studied by various academics and continues to be praised for its contemporary ideas.