Questions of morality

Questions of morality is a theme in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Morality is about the extent to which an action is right or wrong. In Hamlet, people constantly lie and even try to kill each other, which makes this theme relevant.

Hamlet

Hamlet is presented with a moral dilemma when the ghost of his father demands that he take revenge on his own uncle, Claudius, for killing his late father. This provokes the question: Is it morally right to kill another human being - particularly when that person is your uncle and your mother’s husband?

Hamlet wrestles with the decision throughout the play, and he even becomes so frustrated at times that he considers suicide. Gradually, his anger and desire for revenge grow, and once he has accidentally killed Polonius, there seems to be no way back for him. In fact, Hamlet displays no remorse for killing Polonius or for having his old friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern executed. He later kills Laertes and Cl...