Today's Dysfunctional Family Relationships In Hamlet

Shakespeare’s Hamlet is about a grief-stricken prince whose uncle secretly murders his father, marries his mother, and takes his throne. Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, causes more conflict within himself and the characters around him through his actions and dialogue. Hamlet’s themes such as Hamlet’s crippling obsession with death, assumed responsibilities, and dysfunctional family dynamics relate to today’s social scandals and family misfortunes. Hamlet’s deep interest with death foreshadows the tragic deaths of characters that ensue in the plot and ultimately his own fate. Hamlet slowly loses self-control and his wit because he believes his primary responsibility is to avenge his father’s death and eliminate any obstacle in his path. Hamlet …show more content…
Excluding incest, Hamlet gives the ultimate foundation of family matters and how the members deal with them: “While most preteens and teens can’t relate to all the murder and intrigue in Hamlet’s story, they certainly can relate to dysfunctional family dynamics, which is, essentially what Shakespeare’s Hamlet is all about.”(Armstrong). Armstrong strongly agrees that Hamlet’s plot and situation between the fictional characters is a realistic predicament that one might be found in. When a family’s status could change for the worse and they cannot adapt to the conditions, it isn’t ideal, but is common among families …show more content…
Gertrude stands out among the rest because she does not fall into the drama and refuses to see the stained family image that hurts Hamlet immensely. Gertrude’s denial of family conditions and her monotone personality contrasts with all the other characters, Hamlet himself, and the story overall: “Gertrude is the antithesis of her son. Hamlet is a scholar, and brightly witted, where Gertrude does not think before she acts, she simply does.” (St. Rosemary). Unlike Hamlet, where each character has a motive of some kind and are caught up in the royal family crisis, Gertrude is going on as if everything seems to be completely normal. Gertrude does not know self-contemplation and well-thought out actions; whereas Hamlet seems to over think his way into