How Does Shakespeare Present Generational Conflict In Hamlet

Hamlet is a tale of despair and murder. Throughout the play, Shakespeare weaves a web of death, love, and betrayal that intrigued people of the time period and is still read widely today. The tale tells of the death of a king, and it follows his son Hamlet, the prince of Denmark. Hamlet's uncle, Claudius, takes the throne and marries his dead brother's wife only a month after his death. Soon after the ghost of the old king appears to young Hamlet and tells him he was murdered by none other than his brother Claudius, the new king. Hamlet then tries to prove Claudius' guilt and begins to slip slowly into madness. The key points in the plot of Hamlet are the meeting with the ghost, proving Claudius' guilt, and the ironic and untimely deaths of different characters. In the play Hamlet, Shakespeare draws a picture very complex and intriguing using imagery and diction.

   William Shakespeare worked in the genres of tragedy, comedy, and history. Shakespeare's Hamlet, talks about a dark story of twisted love and ends in tragedy. Families have their differences but not going as far as to plot revenge and murder. The play has family members killing within their own family and plotting revenge and to kill more, and the content shows dark and depressing moments. Hamlet, son of Gertrude and the late King Hamlet, and Claudius, brother to late King and married to Gertrude, have several differences but some similarities. However, their differences is what creates the tension and divide between their characters. The comparison between Hamlet's and Claudius's manipulation, ambitions, and the false impressions they give off about their characters is what keeps the play interesting.

Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a tragic play about murder, betrayal, revenge, madness, and moral corruption. It touches upon philosophical ideas such as existentialism and relativism. Prince Hamlet frequently questions the meaning of life and the degrading of morals as he agonizes over his father’s murder, his mother’s incestuous infidelity, and what he should or shouldn’t do about it. At first, he is just depressed; still mourning the loss of his father as his mother marries his uncle. After he learns about the treachery of his uncle and the adultery of his mother, his already negative countenance declines further. He struggles with the task of killing Claudius, feeling burdened about having been asked to find a solution to a situation that was

Hamlet is mourning over the death of his father, he is in a depressed mood. He is mad at his mother Gertrude for marrying his uncle Claudius.

When the audience first meets Hamlet he is grief-stricken and upset with his mother for her hasty remarriage to his uncle. Directly preceding Hamlet’s first soliloquy he is firmly scolded by his mother and uncle for mourning his father and is denied permission to return to the University of Wittenberg. In his soliloquy, Hamlet says, “O, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt,/Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew,” (1.2.133-134.) Hamlet is expressing his desire to die, but is unwilling to kill himself because he does not want to be sent to Hell. In this statement, the audience is able to see that Hamlet is deeply depressed and ready for death. Also in the first soliloquy, Hamlet says, “O, most wicked speed, to post/With such dexterity to incestuous sheets,” (1.2.161-162.) Hamlet makes this statement in order to reflect his anger with his mother for marrying her brother-in-law, a marriage he deems incestuous, within a month of his father’s death. This statement shows that Hamlet’s depression is not only caused by his father’s death, but also by his mother’s apparent betrayal of his father. Hamlet’s first soliloquy shows him to be very depressed and establishes a strong base for his character to develop.

The speech of Hamlet “O that this too sullied flesh would melt, … But break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue.” (1.2.129-159) is where we can see Hamlet’s sadness towards his mother, Gertrude and his uncle Claudius and feels disappointed about their decision of getting married. Hamlet is seen to be too upset after his father’s death. It’s not even a month has passed and he gets to hear another news about his mother Gertrude and uncle, Claudius getting married. In the beginning of Act 1 Scene 2, King Claudius gives a speech to his courtiers, telling them about his recent marriage to Gertrude, mother of Hamlet and his brother’s widow. Claudius says that he mourns his brother but has chosen to balance Denmark’s mourning with delight of his marriage. He also mentions in his speech that young Fortinbras has written to him, rashly demanding the surrender of the lands King Hamlet won from Fortinbras’s father, and dispatches Cornelius and Voltimand with a message for the King of Norway, Fortinbras’s elderly uncle.

People are under immense societal pressures when making decisions; friends, coworkers, and family members input their opinions on what they believe is best. This external force exerts pressure on them to conform to their ideas. In addition to others imposing their opinions, people can impact others through tragic events such as a death in the family. These can test their core values and cause them to re-evaluate their ideologies. In Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, Hamlet’s father dies and his mother, Gertrude, remarries soon after the death. Hamlet is initially bothered not only by the death of his father, but by his mother’s quick remarriage, because he felt as though Gertrude did not fully pay her respects and honor his death. However, after meeting and speaking with the ghost of his father, he learns the terrible truth. Hamlet’s father was killed at the hands of Claudius, his uncle and now stepfather, with the intent to obtain the throne. In a plea for vengeance, Hamlet’s father tries to convince him to kill Claudius. Claudius, on the other hand, presses Hamlet from the opposite side to fulfil his own visions for him. In Hamlet, society, as exemplified by his father and Claudius, causes Hamlet much distress as he’s torn between two versions of who he could be. This leads him to explore the act of suicide as an option to escape the new realities of his problematic existence. Ultimately, Hamlet’s realization and acceptance that it is impossible to meet society’s expectations

When Hamlet seeks revenge, he begins the inter­generational strife, but Claudius takes a less than direct method of fighting back. Rather than confront Hamlet with either words or weapons, Claudius attempts to turn Hamlet’s piers against the prince. In so doing, Claudius seems to believe that change the war from an inter­ generational one to a intra­generational one which involves only the young would leave him inculpable and safe in the throne. His methods are extraordinary, but Hamlet’s familiarity with his own generation protects him from this generational treason until the final moments of his life. After killing the elder Hamlet, Claudius attempts to restore order in his generation, and hopes to prevent conflict between him and the young.

Intergenerational conflict has been an ongoing issue in literature, and real life. We see intergenerational conflict in Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights”, William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”, and even in modern literature like Annemarie MacDonald’s “Fall on Your Knees”. More specifically, in Shakespeare’s plays we are introduced to many different forms of conflict. One of the most prominent is intergenerational conflict, especially in “Romeo & Juliet”, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, and “I Henry IV”. Examples of intergenerational conflict in these plays include Romeo’s defiance of his parents, Juliet’s conflict with her father, Hermia’s paternal conflicts, and King Henry’s disappointment with his son, Hal.

This a brief synopsis of the play; Hamlet is the son of King Hamlet who died before the play begins. King Hamlets brother, Claudius takes the throne and marries his wife. The story largely tracks the revenge sought by Hamlet after the murderer who is, by GREAT surprise, King Hamlet's brother, Claudius.

Early in the play readers are exposed to the very first act of cruelty that unveils true characteristics. This act was Claudius killing his own brother. By murdering, Claudius had revealed to the audience that he felt neglected. As a younger brother of the famous King Hamlet, Claudius felt as if all the limelight was on his brother. To deal with this negligence Claudius kills his own brother to get attention.

'Tis unmanly grief. It shows a will most incorrect to heaven, A heart unfortified, a mind impatient, an understanding simple and unschooled” (Hamlet I. ii. 93-98). In order to stay in power, Claudius will have to make Hamlet move on from his father’s death. To achieve this goal, he insults Hamlet numerous of times.

In Act I Scene II of Hamlet, the scene is introduced by a speech held by King Claudius explaining the death of his brother; his marriage to his brother’s wife, Gertrude; and the situation with Young Fortinbras of Norway and his troops coming to invade Denmark. It is then followed by Claudius and Gertrude questioning Hamlet’s black-clad attire and emotional state of being, both rather confused, but not concerned, as to why Hamlet is depressed. Due to this, Claudius comments that it’s unmanly of Hamlet to still be mourning for his father for this long, saying, “In obstinate condolement is a course of impious stubbornness; ‘tis unmanly grief (pg. 9)...” Claudius’s remark arouses Hamlet’s anger and sadness, thus leading to his soliloquy. During this conversation with Claudius and his mother, Hamlet shows parts of his complex, contemplative personality and his disapproval of his uncle through his witty, yet eloquent remarks.

First of all, the plot of Hamlet is driven by the prince of Denmark’s desire for revenge, after his father was killed by his uncle, Claudius, who then marries Hamlet’s mother, the Queen of

Shakespeare’s depiction of the relationship between Hamlet and Claudius aids him in implying that his statement refers to Claudius’ impact on Denmark, rather than a more literal account of a garden. The first instance the two share a scene, it is clear that Hamlet does not appreciate what Claudius undoubtedly believes to be words of wisdom. Hamlet’s father died less than two months prior to the beginning of the story, yet Claudius insists, “But to persever in obstinate condolement is a course of impious stubbornness; ‘tis unmanly grief. It shows a will most incorrect to heaven…” (Shakespeare 1.2.92-95). Here, Claudius displays a lack of sympathy for Hamlet’s grief, which both fuels Hamlet’s dislike of him and initiates his lack of trust, for Hamlet undeniably views Claudius’ absence of grief as an alarming oddity. Hamlet later laments about how quickly his uncle wed his mother: “Within a month, ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears had left the flushing in her gallèd eyes, she married” (Shakespeare 1.2.153-156). This untimely union again highlights Claudius’ lack of sorrow, for less than a month after his brother’s death, he chose to marry Gertrude. Hamlet’s anger is a result of his mother’s ill-timed remarriage, but it is a product of Claudius’ insensitive involvement in it as well. Furthermore, although Hamlet does not directly come to this conclusion,