Hamlet Family

One of Shakespeare's most famous plays was Hamlet, written between 1599-1601. It tells of a young man, named Hamlet, who tries to avenge his father’s death. There are multiple stories going on at once, which perhaps made the play so popular. Hamlet’s uncle killed King Hamlet and then married Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother. Hamlet’s lover, Ophelia, is told by her brother, Laertes, and father, Polonius, that Hamlet does not actually like her. All the while, Prince Fortinbras, of Norway, wants to avenge his father’s death, King Fortinbras, who was killed by King Hamlet. The story has many twists and turns, and in the end, a lot of deaths. The deaths of nine different characters in Hamlet stems from the problems that started within families. Family
The theme of family throughout the play Hamlet demonstrates how important families are in the everyday life and how much a person’s family life influences their character, morals, and actions. There are three main families within the story of Hamlet. The first family is Prince Hamlet’s family. Hamlet’s father is King Hamlet of Denmark, Hamlet’s uncle is Claudius, and Hamlet’s mother is Gertrude. The second family is the family of Ophelia, who is Hamlet’s love interest. Ophelia’s brother is Laertes and Ophelia’s father is Polonius, a friend of King Claudius. The third family is that of Prince Fortinbras of Norway. His family consists of his father, King Fortinbras, and his uncle, the then current king of Norway. There are two deaths that happened prior to the play, and those are of King Hamlet and King Fortinbras. King
There are many, many statistics showing that teenagers and young adults that end up in jail, doing drugs, or committing other crimes have a direct link to a poor family life. It starts with the parents. Whether a kid’s parents are together or not, or happy or not, directly reflects on a child’s behavioral problems, social skills, depression, and how hard they work at school (Moore). This relates to Hamlet in that because of his father’s death, then his mother marrying Hamlet’s uncle, Hamlet does not have much trust in his family, thus leading to him acting crazy. Also, it is proven that a father-son relationship is extremely critical when a boy is growing up and learning to become a man. When a father is highly involved in a child’s life, that child tends to have increased mental dexterity, empathy, and self-control (Abramovitch). Hamlet, whose father is dead and his Uncle married to his mother, has no older man in his life to act as a guide. This is true for Prince Fortinbras and Laertes as well. Parent-child relationships have an extreme influence on their children’s lives. Having a good home life from the beginning of a child’s life can teach them from an early age how important their family is. In the play Hamlet, family, and the absence of a strong one, is the reason the deaths start and the reason nine main characters end up