Hamlet is considered to be the greatest play ever written.

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Hamlet is considered to be the greatest play ever written. The themes of the tragedy are death, madness, murder and revenge. The protagonist, Hamlet, like all tragic heroes, dies due to a combination of circumstances.

The revenging son Hamlet is grieving his father's death. Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, starts of as an admired and noble young man. However, fate and the turn of events lead the tragic hero to the depths of his fortunes. The tragedy starts with the death of the heroic King Hamlet. His brother, Claudius is the successor as King of Denmark and married the protagonist's mother. When a ghost of the late King Hamlet appears, Hamlet downfall begins. The ghost demands Hamlet to kill his uncle, Claudius, in order to avenge the late king's demise. Hamlet puts on an antic disposition to act insane so that he to will not be murdered. King Claudius senses something suspicious about Hamlet and sends for Hamlets two friends, Rozencrantz and Guildenstern to spy on his behalf. When a team of actors come to perform a play, Hamlet tells the players to perform a murder scene just like the one of his fathers. Meanwhile, the Claudius and Polonius force Ophelia, Hamlets recent ex-lover, to talk to Hamlet so that they can listen to what is said. When the conversation ends. In a soliloquy Claudius's suspicion of Hamlet grows and decides to send him to England (to be executed). When the play is performed, the King rises and the play breaks up. Hamlet goes to his mother's room. As the tension rises, Gertrude calls for help. When a voice, from behind the curtain, joins Gertrude's plea for help, Hamlet takes his sword out in rage and kills the man, thinking it was Claudius. To Hamlets utter surprise it turns out to be the prime minister, Polonius.

Hamlet tells his mother about the murder. Gertrude is shocked and promises that she knew nothing of it, she promises to be true to Hamlet and pulls away from Claudius. Whilst Hamlet leaves Denmark, Laertes returns to seek revenge for the murder of his father, only to learn that his sister, Ophelia has gone mad. Laertes and Claudius arrange to kill Hamlet, Gertrude interrupts with the poignant news that Ophelia has died. Hamlet has escaped from the ship to England and is faced with a fencing match with Laertes. Although he senses something shady, he agrees. The play ends with the death of the protagonist and other characters, leaving Horatio to tell the story and Young Fortinbras to be king in Denmark.
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In Hamlet, Shakespeare has a theme of madness. Shakespeare's tragic hero, Hamlet and his sanity are still discussed. Many parts of the play support the loss of control in his actions, while other parts suggest the belief of an 'antic disposition.' Whether Hamlet is ever mad, ever pretending to be mad, or is considered mad by people at certain times is something which the audience argue long and hard. It is difficult to ponder the thought of whether all of Hamlet's insanity is an 'antic disposition.' The case would have been much more simple if Hamlet did not ...

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