The Theme of Duty in William Shakespeares Hamlet - Literature Essay Sample

William Shakespeares Hamlet has a number of themes, but none involves all the characters as much as that of duty. Each of the main characters in the book is motivated by one factor of the other to fulfill their obligation to either one or more individuals, or in some rare occasions to themselves. From Hamlet to the Ghost to Reynaldo, who is one of the minor characters, each of these individuals serves a duty to others, a function which contributes to the play but is also used to deliver other themes and concerns, most notably the themes of revenge and morality.

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Hamlet is the protagonist and title character in Hamlet. As Prince of Denmark, he owes his duty to many people, but none more than the royal family and, specifically his father, whose legacy he must carry on and improve. After the Ghost appears and mentions the King's death at the hands of Claudius, Hamlet becomes indebted to his father, with his primary duty being to avenge his father's murder. Evidence of Hamlet's awareness of his obligation to his father can be seen in this quote: "And so am I revenged. That would be scann'd:/ A villain kills my father; and for that,/ I, his sole son, do this same villain send/ To heaven. (Shakespeare 83). As can be seen in the words "his sole son", Hamlet feels bound by honor to kill his father's murderer. This action, to him, is a high and necessary duty to his father who, he believes, did not have to die at all. To a lesser extent, Hamlet acknowledges that it is his mandate to protect his mother Gertrude from Claudius whom he believes as a potential threat to the woman, having killed her husband and married her. This is why he is quick to answer Rosencrantzs call of his mother, saying, We shall obey, were she ten times our mother in order to show his obedience and care for his mother (Shakespeare 79). Thus, the reason why he stabs Polonius, in Gertrude's chambers while under the impression that it is Claudius. More specifically, Hamlet's sense of duty provides an indispensable fuel for the conflict in the play.

The sense of duty exhibited by Prince Hamlet is shared by Laertes, the son of Polonius and brother to Ophelia. Laertes' charge is, just like Hamlet's, focused on his family and steeped within need to avenge his family. Interestingly, he feels like his responsibility would be accomplished if he kills Hamlet who, by no design of his own, brings about the deaths of Polonius and later his daughter - Hamlet's own love - Ophelia. In full acknowledgment of his duty, Laertes can be heard saying, "And so have I a noble father lost;/ A sister driven into desperate terms,/ Whose worth, if praises may go back again,/ Stood challenger on mount of all the age/ For her perfections: but my revenge will come (Shakespeare 110). At a deeper level, Fortinbras - Prince of Norway - is bound by an almost identical obligation to his father as the one shared by Hamlet and Laertes because he feels the need to attack Denmark and avenge his father, King Fortinbras, who was killed by Hamlet's father, King Hamlet. The duty of both Laertes and Fortinbras is what makes them distinct and even menacing foils to Hamlet.

Elsewhere, Polonius has a massive sense of responsibility to his daughter Ophelia, so that he urges her to spy on Hamlet for both of them to know Hamlet's endeavors so that he can manipulate him partly to her benefit. He also acknowledges his duty to his son, whom he has sent to France, when he advises him to be of good character in the assertion that "Beware/ Of entrance to a quarrel, but being in,/ Bear't that the opposed may beware of thee./ Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice;/ Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgment (Shakespeare 22). More importantly, Polonius has a duty to the King, Claudius, and the royal court in general. Notably, he is the chamberlain of King Claudius' court, which means that his highest job is to serve the king in all possible capacities. Needless to say, this is the reason why he is at the King Claudius beck and calls so much that Hamlet kills him thinking it is Claudius. In the same light, Horacio, who is Hamlets good friend, shares a similar sense of responsibility for Hamlet as Polonius has for the King. This best manifests when he advises Hamlet in the Act V of the play: "If your mind dislike anything, obey it: I will/ forestall their repair hither, and say you are not/ fit. (Shakespeare 134). His sense of duty is, undoubtedly, best demonstrated when he remains behind to tell Hamlets story after the passing of the latter.

Gertrude, Hamlets mother, openly acknowledges her duty to protect her son fearing that the murderers of her husband may also bring about the demise of her son. In this regard, when she sees him pining away with the knowledge of his father's death, she gives him a motherly opinion as follows:

Good Hamlet, cast thy nighted colour off,/ And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark./ Do not for ever with thy vailed lids/ Seek for thy noble father in the dust:/ Thou know'st 'tis common; all that lives must die,/ Passing through nature to eternity (Shakespeare 12).

In the above quote, Gertrude expresses motherly love and concern to her son, even though she does not understand the exact reason for his despair. However, her new husband and the incumbent King of Denmark, Claudius, does not feel indebted to anyone at all. His commitment is only to himself, as it can be seen by the more than one person he pits against Hamlet with the primary objective of eliminating the man who is a threat to his rule. Apparently, Claudius' sense of duty is wholly directed to the self, because he does not even care enough about Gertrude to know that it would hurt her if he killed her son, who is his rival for power. Notably, Gertrude's concern for Hamlet and Claudius helps to build suspense and complicate the conflict in the play.

In conclusion, the sense of duty of the individuals mentioned above is not just a thematic concern but also a means through which the wright has added both aesthetic and functional weight to the play. Markedly, most of the obligations of the major characters analyzed above are juxtaposed. To this extent, duty becomes one of the primary tools with which Shakespeare cultivates the themes of revenge and morality while building suspense and constructing a conflict for the play.

Works Cited

Shakespeare, W. (2014). The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. In E. Gainor, S. Garner, Jr. & M. Puchner, Norton's Anthology of Drama Shorter Second Edition (2nd ed.). New York: W.W. Norton & Company.