Hamlet

Although written in the seventeenth century, Shakespeare's Hamlet is adaptable to all eras, relating to each individual who views the play. The story follows a young Prince Hamlet's quest to avenge his father's murder. Hamlet discovers his father's sudden death was not caused by a poisonous snake bite like everyone thought, but by the dead king's own brother, Claudius, who is now king. The reader witnesses Hamlet's discovery of the murder told by the dead king's ghost and Hamlet's struggle in deciding what is the right action to take. The influential Shakespeare knew which qualities a play must possess in order to draw in his audience of all ages and social classes, making Hamlet by far one of the most famous of his tragedies. There are many reasons that could be used to explain why Hamlet is one of Shakespeare's most performed plays, but two of the best qualities of Hamlet are the exploration of the afterlife and ¬the plot of revenge.

Readers and audiences find Hamlet's enigmatic character is mysterious and puzzling in his actions and words. In each scene, Hamlet constantly switches from being calculating to brooding to being capable of murder without any sign of remorse. What intrigues the audience and keeps them at the edges of their seats is how uncertainly Hamlet will act. However, Hamlet's indecipherable character is only what propels the play forward, not the element that enables the reader to vividly remember the play. Hamlet's insecurity allows the reader to experience the suspense Shakespeare intends to convey. How Hamlet goes about executing his plan is, in itself, more important than how Hamlet reacts to situations. Although the audience enjoys Hamlet's antics and reactions and draws in the audience, they soon realize that if it were not for the execution of his plan that his nature would not be brought out.

Some readers, however, feel that the main reason