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I would certainly agree with the statement that the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare is relevant to a modern day audience. The play contains various themes which still appear in modern life, such as the themes of death and particularly suicide, corruption in society, family relationships and people‟s struggle with morality. People still die to this day by different means. Death is one of the leading themes in Hamlet and many of the main characters, including the title character himself, die in the play. One main part in the theme of death in this play is suicide, and people‟s views on the subject. In the play, it was believed by many that Polonius‟ only daughter Ophelia had taken her own life when she drowned in a river, after her world was torn apart because of her father‟s murder. The gravediggers in Act 5, Scene 1 harshly claim that: “If this had not been a gentlewoman, she should have been buried out o' Christian burial.” In today‟s society, suicide is still an unfortunate issue, just like in Hamlet. There is also often a reproach to suicide today, much like in Shakespeare‟s play. A second example of this would be when Hamlet asks “Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles.” To this day, what becomes of us in the afterlife is still a mystery, much like in Hamlet. In his most famous soliloquy, Hamlet himself wonders about life after death. “To be, or not to be, that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles.” (Act 3, Scene 1). In the end, Hamlet concludes that to him, death would be desirable if he knew what occurs beyond life in “the undiscover'd country.” In modern society there is also a lot of corruption, such as political corruption. This could be compared to the corruption in Hamlet. Perhaps the most notable example of corruption in the play is the character of Claudius. Claudius murdered his own brother, King Hamlet, by poisoning him to become king. He shows little remorse for this act as he received “My crown, mine own ambition, and my queen.” (Act 3, Scene 4) Corruption at its finest. Claudius also used his manipulative streak as a means of corruption, for example when he used Laertes‟ anger at Polonius‟ death to his advantage and turned Laertes‟ anger at him towards Hamlet. (“It warms the very sickness in my heart, that I shall live and tell him to his teeth, „Thus didest thou.‟” Act 4, Scene 7) Through this Claudius corrupted Laertes and helped concoct a plan to end Hamlet‟s threat to his crown.

Today there is a lot of varying relationships between families, as in Hamlet. Not one family relationship is the same. There is Hamlet‟s revulsion to his mother Gertrude and father-in-law Claudius‟ relationship, and the contrast between the loving relationship between Laertes and his sister Ophelia, among others. We can see Hamlet‟s revulsion to Gertrude and Claudius throughout the play, such as when he expressed his disgust towards their „o‟er hasty‟ marriage, claiming: “The funeral bak'd meats did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables.” (Act 1, Scene 2). From the beginning of the play, Hamlet‟s revulsion is clear when he refers to Claudius as “A little more than kin and less than kind.” (Act 1, Scene 2) Hamlet also claimed that their relationship was „incestuous.‟ This is in contrast to the loving relationship we see with the likes of Laertes and Ophelia. The two siblings care deeply about each other, such as when Ophelia tells Laertes to “wreck not [his] own rede” in reply to his advice to her regarding Hamlet‟s displays of affection. The love in their relationship can be seen especially after Laertes returns from France in an act of vengeance and is deeply concerned for Ophelia‟s welfare after she appears before him in a deluded state. (“Too much of water hast thou, poor Ophelia, and therefore I forbid my tears.” Act 4, Scene 7) In modern times people struggle with right and wrongdoing, much like in Hamlet. The struggle with right and wrongdoing is a greatly recurring theme in Hamlet. We see it in Hamlet‟s continuous procrastination, we see it in Gertrude and even in the likes of the “smiling, damned villain” Claudius. For Hamlet, making the decision whether or whether to not kill Claudius in revenge for his father‟s murder was Hamlet‟s greatest struggle throughout the play, in my opinion. This struggle causes Hamlet to procrastinate on many occasions. A notable example of this procrastination would be when he sees Claudius praying alone in a courtyard. Previous to this scene, Hamlet had proven Claudius guilty of murdering King Hamlet due to his panicstricken reaction to a play of The Murder of Gonzago. Hamlet is given a perfect opportunity to end Claudius‟ life, but procrastinates and doesn‟t do so, asking: “Am I then reveng'd, to take him in the purging of his soul, when he is fit and seasoned for his passage? No.” I believe Hamlet claiming that it not being the right to kill Claudius at this point was because he was simply afraid to take another person‟s life, as it is something any moral, righteous person would be hesitant to do.

We can see that Gertrude also struggles with her morality in the closet scene in Act 3, Scene 4. Hamlet confronts Gertrude in regards to her „o‟erhasty‟ marriage to Claudius, and for the first time, we see remorse in Gertrude regarding her remarriage when she confesses: “O Hamlet, speak no more: Thou turn'st mine eyes into my very soul; And there I see such black and grained spots.” We now see that deep down; perhaps Gertrude does feel like her remarriage was immoral, therefore showing her struggle with right and wrongdoing in life. The key scene in which we see the “smiling, damned villain” Claudius‟ struggle with morality is in his soliloquy in Act 3, Scene 3. Here we see Claudius trying to repent and ask God for forgiveness for murdering his brother for the title of king: “O, my offence is rank it smells to heaven… My stronger guilt defeats my strong intent.” It is the first sign we see of his guilt and contrition, and by seeing this side of Claudius, it shows his own battle with morality and the difference between right and wrongdoing. Though hundreds of years have passed since William Shakespeare wrote Hamlet, the play is definitely still relevant to a modern day audience. This is achieved by Shakespeare through the themes used in the play. I think it is a credit to Shakespeare as a writer to include common themes which relate to every person. Every person experiences death, struggles with morality and has special relationships, much like the characters in this play; thus why Hamlet is still to this very day such a cherished play by the modern day audience. Austin O’Donnell (5B), Cross and Passion College, Kilcullen