Hamlet Discussion Themes
by Ryan Miller
1. Ladies of the Play
1.1. Is Shakespeare using the women of the play as a tool to show the true depravity and flaws of man
1.2. Are Ophelia and Gertrude degrading female characters
1.3. Is Gertrude supposed to be a very stupid character, or is she an evil manipulative genius
1.3.1. Were her feelings at Ophelia's funeral genuine or a lie
2. Reality vs. Non Reality
2.1. Is Hamlet's father's ghost real, or is it a figment of Hamlet's and Horatio's imaginations
2.2. Is Horatio even real
2.3. Does the fact that the ghost doesn't appear at the end of the play prove that it wasnt real to begin with
3. Claudius = Villian
3.1. Is Claudius really guilty of these crimes, or is it all a lie brought on by Hamlet's "ghost"
3.2. Why does Claudius not admit fault for his actions at the end of the play
3.3. Does Cladius actually better Denmark as king, or does he damages Hamlet's fathers work
4. Laertes vs. Hamlet
4.1. Why is Laertes allowed to do everything that Hamlet wanted to do in the beginning of the play
4.2. Hamlet's murder of Polonius and the death of Ophelia causes a lot of tension between the two
4.3. The final realization of Laertes and his forgiveness of Hamlet shows the reader just how similar the two characters are
5. Insanity Vs. Sanity
5.1. Is Hamelet acting or no
5.2. Does the ghost stem from Hamlet's Insanity
5.3. Is Ophelia really crazy or is she copying Hamlets act
6. Hamlet = Tragic Hero
6.1. What is Hamlet's tragic flaw, is it his indecisiveness
6.2. To be or not to be speech
6.2.1. Shows Hamlet is indecisive to the point of contemplating suicide