John Marsden Hamlet Critical Analysis

Although it is a word that can define people in a number of different ways including being used as a derogatory comments towards somebody else in a way of showing irrational hatred, crazy is a word used to describe an individual whose behaviour has manifested into something that is wild or aggressive. Hamlet, a novel, is an adaptation of the popular William Shakespeare play The Tragedy of Hamlet written by John Marsden. The story tells of a young prince who is struggling to come to terms with the death of his father, the remarriage of his mother to his uncle, Claudius and his confusion for his love towards Ophelia. After discovering that his father’s death was a murder, Hamlet soon seeks revenge upon his uncle at the costs of his loved one’s …show more content…
Since the early days of his childhood, we are shown through certain events of chapter nineteen that as a young prince, Hamlet has always been vulnerable to the pressures of being born into royalty. Within chapter nineteen, the author John Marsden provides a flashback from Ophelia’s perspective which showcases Hamlet as a twelve year old boy struggling to end the misery of a wounded despite being urged to do so by Ophelia and Horatio but eventually leads to the young prince brutally murdering the badger. “Hamlet realised the enormity of his mistake and stabbed wildly now… breath was leaving the spasming animal.” – (Page 112). This scene of the book is significant as it purposely written within the book to foreshadow an event coming later in the when Hamlet becomes hesitant towards murdering Claudius. In this chapter, the badger that is badly injured symbolises Claudius, Ophelia represents the demand of King Hamlet to murder his brother and the deceitful thoughts of Horatio symbolise Laertes. Due to the pressures Hamlet is forced to deal with as well as the expectations that comes with being a member of a royal family, we are shown that although in this chapter and throughout the story, Hamlet’s sense of duty are strong leading him to resort to …show more content…
The major reason for Hamlet resorting to committing revenge was because the prince was a man dealing with an impossible situation as he attempted to please the ghost of his father after discovering his unnatural death. Although Hamlet’s is starting to show signs that he is emotionally struggling, he has proven that for somebody dealing with the idea of grief he is actually a very sane man after openly admitting to Horatio his plans to reveal the truth of his uncle’s murder at the play. “Watch him with the eyes of your soul. I tell you this, Horatio, the ghost who visited me on that dreadful night brought me a story which may have come from the devil… you must think the unthinkable, old friend.” – (Page 83). This is an important thing to note, as it shows that although he is upset at the loss of his, he is still able to control himself when he knows he needs to. Another indication that shows the reader that Hamlet hasn’t completely lost his mind is in chapter twenty when Hamlet finds his uncle Claudius distracted in the middle of a pray becoming intrigued in the idea of killing him then and there. Hamlet was shown preparing his sword as he had become ready to complete his quest for revenge before slowly hesitating for a moment and backing away. “Prayers! Praying! What was he thinking?... Hamlet was about to send the murder of his father to