When the audience next see Hamlet he meets and speaks with the ghost which was first seen by Horatio in Act 1 Scene 1. Shakespeare carefully builds Sympathy for Hamlet as it comes to Hamlets attention that his Father was killed by his Uncle Claudius. The audience sees Hamlet in many different states from depressed at the beginning to mad he reveals “Antic disposition” Hamlet is explaining he will pretend to be mad and finally take revenge on Claudius for killing his Father.
When hamlet acts mad the audience are questioning appearance and reality this is a main theme within the play for Hamlet to other characters can appear mad but in reality Shakespeare does not reveal whether or not he is mad. “The time is out of joint. O cursed spite, that ever I was born to set it right” this is Hamlets final words before he meets with Horatio again. This particular quotation is expressing the pressure Hamlet is now under to take revenge upon Claudius for his father. Hamlets words of born to set it right suggest he feels it is his purpose to do this task.
As the play continues so does hamlets false Madness in front of characters such as Claudius, Polonius, Gertrude and Ophelia carry the theme of appearance and reality. It can be argued that Hamlet looses the audience’s sympathy especially in the way that he treats Ophelia for she explains to her Father Polonius that Hamlet claims to love her. “To be, or not to be, that is the question:” this famous quotation in Act 3 scene 1 presents a form of madness for Hamlet is questioning suicide whether to live or to not. “I never gave you aught” Hamlet meets with Ophelia she asks to return gifts but she can rapidly see he has changed for he is denying giving her gifts or anything. Sympathy at this point is lost for the Prince for he is treating the women he once loved badly. As Claudius and Polonius watch the meeting between Ophelia and hamlet, Claudius decides he needs to test whether or not hamlet is Mad in love or just plain Mad he orders Polonius to hide whilst Gertrude meets with her Son Hamlet.
Sympathy can begin to be built and also be lost at the same time during Act 3 scene 2 for the Play organised by Hamlet to show how Claudius killed King Hamlet is shown. During the play Ophelia speaks with Hamlet he makes rude comments and references towards her “that’s a fair thought to lie between maids legs” this is further abuse to the women whom hamlet once treated so well sympathy for Ophelia from the audience is built in an apparent way at this point. Shakespeare keeps an element of sympathy going throughout the play for the women for Ophelia especially as she dies tragically due to the way she is treated by Hamlet and Gertrude for she is treated badly by her own son, she is deceived by her husband for he killed her previous husband. “Madam, how like you this play?” Hamlet addresses his mother she replies “the Lady doth protest too much, methinks” this is a key quotation for Gertrude is unaware that the woman in the play is based on her hamlet is testing his mother.
It can be argued that Shakespeare keeps sympathy for the hero throughout the play despite his lack of remorse for the murder of Polonius “intruding fool” this is blaming Polonius for spying on hamlet and his mother talking. The lack of remorse looses the sympathy from the audience for although it was an accident the murder was not necessary. Hamlet becomes responsible later for Ophelia’s death when she commits suicide for she has been driven mad she speaks in riddle and rhyme to her brother Laertes who has learnt of his fathers death and has returned to get revenge for the murder of Polonius. At this time Claudius believes hamlet is in England away from Denmark not causing anymore troubles at this time there is still a hint of sympathy for hamlet.
“What, the fair Ophelia!” Shakespeare brings about a sympathy for hamlet again at this point for the use of punctuation with the explanation mark suggests that he truly is distraught to think that Ophelia the women he once loved is dead. “I lov’d Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers could not with all their quantities of love make up my sum.” this particular quotation shows hamlets true feelings for Ophelia Shakespeare appears to want the audience to feel sympathy for hamlet as he has lost the women he loved due to the way he treated her this quotation also gives the impression that he did not mean to treat her the way he did which also brings to question hamlets madness.
Sympathy returns when hamlet eventually dies for laertes has got revenge for the killing of his father Polonius. “Here, thou incestuous, murd’rous, damned dane, drink off this potion.” Hamlets words as the king has died for hamlet has now completed what he set out to do again Shakespeare has subtly brought in the theme of appearance and reality. Hamlet is challenged by Laertes to a fight but the sword has been poisoned for Claudius plotted to kill Hamlet. “It is the poison’d cup: it is too late” Claudius has accidentally killed his wife with the drink meant for Hamlet.
“To punish me with this and this with me,” Hamlet explains this to laertes by doing so the audience form a new respect for hamlet for he has admitted in a way he should and is to be punished for the death of Polonius. It may be argued that at the end of the play due to the fact that the stage is full of bodies that hamlet did not deserve any sympathy for he created a lot of unnecessary acts against people such as Ophelia treating her the way that he did and Polonius the way hamlet killed him and showed no remorse. Sympathy may have occurred at the end of the play due to the fact that Hamlet died and showed a form of remorse. Shakespeare subtly made hamlet the main character whom the audience like and dislike.