Can you get a more classic story than Hamlet? After all one of the highest-grossing Disney movies of all time is an adaptation of it, one we can all tie happy memories back to. In spite of how tragic the source material is Hamlet itself is a classic tale of betrayal, revenge, friendship and madness that has leeched out into hundreds of other stories. It is classed as one of the most powerful and influential tales of tragedy in the English language. Not only that but was it originally just a play and since then has expanded greatly. It has now been adapted into every possible form of media to make room for the storyline.
The plot is based on a Norse legend and it follows a Danish prince. In the story he is struggling to come to terms with the betrayal of his uncle Claudius. Claudius has killed the king to seize the throne and marry Hamlet’s mother. This basic tagline has been adapted and used consistently and has themes that even regular people can find similar to in their lives.
Talking about Hamlet in an essay form can be fascinating because you can choose from various formats to get your point across effectively. There’s always the classic essay structure of five paragraphs (introduction, three body paragraphs, conclusion), or you can play around with different forms, some of which still end up looking similar, to highlight the themes and importance of Hamlet.
Hamlet is the kind of classic tragedy that has informed the narrative of many different stories that revolve around duty and betrayal. This provides a huge variety of topics for an essay on Hamlet.
• The role of revenge in Hamlet
• The symbolism of the ghost in Hamlet
• How Shakespeare showed us Hamlet’s indecisiveness
• How women are treated in Hamlet
• The theme of corruption in Hamlet
• The theme of appearance vs. reality in Hamlet
• The impact of Hamlet’s procrastination on the plot and characters
• A psychological exploration of Hamlet’s character
• The role of humor in Hamlet
If you are stuck or need ideas for an essay on Hamlet, feel free to use samples from this page to ace your paper!