Interpretation

In the following sections, you can find advice for your interpretation of The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William  Shakespeare.

We will take a closer look at the main themes of the play: revenge, death, love and politics.

In Hamlet, physical objects are rarely used to represent thematic ideas. One important exception is Yorick’s skull, which Hamlet discovers in the graveyard. It is the symbol of death, and the scene when Hamlet takes the skull and looks at it can be interpreted as staring death directly in the face. Also, the discovery of the skull represents that the level of death is the same for everyone, no matter if they are rich or poor.

Other symbols used in the play: the Ghost of his father, the flowers handed our by Opheli…