Question

one key theme of hamlet is the nature of relationships between fathers and sons. what other father-son pairing seems to parallel thebof prince hamlet and his father, king hamlet?

Answer 1

'Hamlet'

Revenge is one of the most common themes in William Shakespeare's tragedies. In 'Othello', Iago manipulates Othello because he believes Othello has slept with his wife. In 'Macbeth', Macduff seeks to avenge his family by overthrowing Macbeth. Richard III is killed when his victims grow tired of his tyranny and seek revenge. The same thirst for vengeance is what drives the plot of 'Hamlet'.

Answer and Explanation:

In the beginning of 'Hamlet', it is clear that Hamlet is unhappy with his current circumstances. His father is dead, and his mother has already married his uncle. However, his melancholy turns into motivation when his father's ghost appears and confronts him with the truth behind his death. According to the ghost, Hamlet's uncle, Claudius, poisoned him in his sleep in order to steal his crown and his wife. This revelation spurs Hamlet into seeking revenge against his uncle. The rest of the story is built upon this single scene.

Without the ghost's appearance, it is likely that Hamlet would have never discovered that his uncle murdered his father. Prior to the ghost's arrival, he had decided to stay at the castle and try to hide his anger towards his uncle and mother for their hasty marriage. He would not have come up with the plan to fake madness which led to Polonius' involvement. If Polonius had not gotten involved by trying to diagnose the source of Hamlet's insanity, he would not have died at Hamlet's hand. Ophelia would never have lost her father and decided to kill herself, which means that Laertes would have stayed in France instead of coming back in search of vengeance.