One difficulty in interpreting Hamlet arises out the intimate nature of the obstacles that confront the hero. Most of the conflict Hamlet must overcome results from his internal struggle, not from external obstacles. In addition to all the difficulties that hinder Hamlet from within, however, a fair share of outside impediments also stand in the way of his taking decisive action.
The fact that Claudius holds all the cards and exposes Hamlet "naked" to all Denmark presents an entirely external conflict. The Ghost orders Hamlet to avenge the old king's death, yet no witnesses attest to the fact that King Hamlet did not die of natural causes. King Claudius is the Divine Right monarch and, by killing him, Hamlet will commit high treason and dispatch an emissary from God at the same time. To the world around him, Hamlet seems to be playing out of tune. He is popular and admired by Claudius' Danish subjects, but they have no reason to believe that Claudius is anything but what he says he is, a noble king. If Hamlet knows that his world is "out of joint," that things are not what they appear to be, that "there is something rotten in the State of Denmark," he has no proof and no allies. The King even manipulates Hamlet's own mother and Hamlet's courtship of the fair Ophelia. Except for Horatio, Hamlet is alone.
This CliffsNote is a companion to the play. It cannot serve as a substitute for reading the entire play, watching a live theatrical performance, or viewing the many film versions in theatrical release and on video. Additionally, plays like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead; I Hate Hamlet; Words, Words; The Hamlet Machine; Ten Minute Hamlet; and others offer new insights into Hamlet as they present completely new situations using the familiar plot and characters. Even Walt Disney's The Lion King takes its basis from Hamlet and illuminates Shakespeare's work even as the original illuminates it in return.
(All references to the text are taken from the Cambridge School edition of Hamlet, published by Cambridge University Press, 1994.)
