Hamlet Essay
In Hamlet there is no tragedy until the first death. The deaths occur in this order: Polonius, Ophelia, Gertrude, Claudius, Laertes, and Hamlet. All but one of deaths could have been a voided. The one unavoidable death is that of Claudius, but it could of ended differently.
The first death is that of Polonius. Polonius is in Gertrude’s bed chamber, there to spy on her and Hamlet’s conversation. Polonius stands behind a tapestry listening in on the conversation. During the conversation Gertrude calls for help, and then Polonius calls out for help as well. Then Hamlet, thinking that it is Claudius, runs his sword though the tapestry and the Polonius‘s chest, killing him.
Now the death of Polonius could have been avoided. Hamlet could have pulled back the tapestry to see that it was Polonius and not Claudius. Then the following deaths would not have occurred. Then Ophelia would not have gone mad, and Laertes would not have any quarrel with Hamlet. Then the duel that results in the deaths of Gertrude, Laertes, and Hamlet would not have taken place.
The second death in the play is that of Ophelia. She dies by drowning in a brook by the palace, while gathering flowers. Ophelia’s death is very controversial, no one knows for sure if she intended to fall in or if it was an accident. This death was avoidable if Hamlet had not killed Polonius.
The third death in the play is that of Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude. She dies by drinking the poisoned wine, made by Claudius, intended to kill Hamlet during the dual. This death, like all the others, could have been avoided if Hamlet had not killed Polonius. Another way that this death could have been is if Hamlet had killed Claudius after the play within the play.
The forth death in the play is that of Claudius. He is killed by Hamlet during the dual. This death could have happened a different way, in which Hamlet kills Claudius after the play The Murder of Gonzago. Hamlet does not kill...