This presentation is an analysis of the themes of William Shakespeare's Hamlet.

1. Tragedy Drama Analysis:
Theme and Sub-themes of
William Shakespeare’s
HAMLET
by: Andini Azis

2. Abstract
In this writing, the writer tries to analyze the instrinsic
element of Hamlet by William Shakespeare. The purpose of this
analysis is to understand the theme and sub-themes in the
drama. The writer uses the theory of theme with close reading,
listening and viewing methods in analyzing the drama. The
writer finds that revenge, as one of the themes of Hamlet, leads
the characters of Hamlet to their own downfalls. In conclusion,
after analyzing the themes of Hamlet, we know that Hamlet by
William Shakespear is cruel, full of sorrow and complex, yet so
fascinating drama.
Keywords: drama, tragic, theme

3. INTRODUCTION
Drama is one of genres in literature. It is a work of
literature which is being performed on the stage. Drama has
several types; comedy drama, tragedy drama and tragedy-
comedy drama. All genres of literature, including drama, have
intrinsic elements in common, like theme, character, setting,
and plot. Hamlet itself is a famous tragic drama which is known
as one of the best dramas of Shakespeare. Hamlet as the
example of tragedy drama shows us the tragedy that happens
in the life of its protagonist, Hamlet.

4. Biography of Shakespeare
There is no exact date of
William Shakespear’s birth. However, it
has been accepted that Shakespear
was born on April, 1564, in Stratford-
upon-Avon in Warwickshire, England.
He never recorded attending university,
but he was ever educated in Stratford, at
the King’s New School, a free grammar
school. In 1582, Shakespear married
Anne Hathaway, and had three children
with her. His work, whether it is poem or
play, was played all over the word, and
he was known as the greatest dramatist
of all time. However, he himself is
somewhat a mistery

5. Summary of Hamlet
The ghost of King Hamlet, Hamlet’s father, haunts
the Elsinore Castle in Denmark. He tells Hamlet that the
new King, Claudius, is the one who kills him. The fact that
Claudius is the murderer of his father and Claudius’
marriage with Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother, build a strong will
that he needs to avenge. This feeling grows stronger when
the betrayal of Claudius is proven. The revenge eventually
leads to the deaths of the major characters.

6. DISCUSSION
Revenge is the main theme of Hamlet; however, Hamlet itself has
several sub-themes which are madness, loyalty and betrayal.
O Revenge
Hamlet play is known widely as a tragic bloody revenge play.
From here, we can know that revenge itself is the most prominent
theme of the play. It can be seen clearly that the main motif of the
events in the play is revenge which leads to the deaths of the major
characters. Hamlet, Fortinbras and Laertes who come from three
different families feel that they need to avenge the deaths of their
fathers. As the heads of their families have been killed, they have a
willingness to take a revenge in order to bring back the honour of their
families. For example, Prince Hamlet; he has eagerness to make his
uncle, the new King of Denmark, pays the price for poisoning his father,
the former king.

7. OMadness
The theme of madness is portrayed by several
characters in the play. Throughout the play, Hamlet pretends
that he is mad. His madness is being questioned by people
around him although the truth is Hamlet just wants to make
Claudius suffers for his sin; killing King Hamlet. From the
beginning, we can know that Hamlet is not insane, but he is
really sad about his fathers’s death and his mother’s
remarriage until he makes a plan to kill Claudius by
pretending to be mad first. Meanwhile, after his father’s
death, Ophelia becomes mad and falls in a great depression.
She also thinks about Hamlet who changes towards her. She
can’t take the weight of her life anymore after that great loss,
and her madness leads her to a suicide.

8. OLoyalty
Through their acts and words, we can find out that
several characters have great loyalty to their families,
especially to their fathers; Hamlet, Fortinbras and Laetres
are cases in the point. They are very loyal to their fathers
until they are be able to take a revenge. Horatio also shows
his loyalty and faitfulness towards Hamlet, while
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are in the other side, they
give their loyalty towards Claudius.

9. OBetrayal
The theme of betrayal is showed clearly by several
characters like Gertrude, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern,
Claudius and Polonius. Claudius betrays his own brother,
King Hamlet, by poisoning him and taking his throne. While
not too long after King Hamlet’s death, Gertrude decides to
marry Claudius which makes Hamlet disappointed with her.
As for Polonius, he betrays his son’s faith by sending a spy
to France in order to make sure that his son doesn’t lie to
him. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, on the other side,
betray Hamlet by being loyal to Claudius.

10. CONCLUSION
Hamlet is one of the greatest drama of William
Shakespeare. Hamlet is one of the greatest tragedy drama in
regard to its prominent characters, its complex plot and
themes, its fascinating dialogues and its moral value. This
drama is cruel, full of sorrow and complex, yet so fascinating.
From here, we can understand that we musn’t repay anyone
evil for evil, but evil with good. Living a life without committing
everyday sins is impossible, indeed, but as long as we can
keep ourselves from doing evil things, and even we learn to do
a good things everyday, our lives will be better.