Hamlet has a number of different themes, but complex familial relationships help to make the play what it is. The play deals with the different family dynamics that can result, and the impact that they can have on different characters. In particular, the play is a demonstration of the many different ways that the father and son dynamic can play out.
Laertes and Palonius demonstrate what many might see as a typical father and son relationship. Laertes is, above almost anything else, a loyal servant to his father’s wishes. Their relationship demonstrates that often times, the very fact that the father and son relationship exists can make the son respect the father’s wishes.
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The situation with Fortinbras demonstrates that in certain situations, the father and son relationship can cause a son to do things he normally might not do. For instance, Fortinbras Jr. wants to wage war against Denmark in order to avenge the death of his father. This is a demonstration of the spark that loyalty can ultimately bring in the context of these relationships. When the ghost is quoted as saying, “So by his father lost: and this, I take it, Is the main motive of our preparations, The source of this our watch and the chief head Of this post-haste and romage in the land” (1.1-95-107), he provides a picture of how motivated Fortinbras was by his father’s death.
Hamlet’s situation is similar. He is more motivated by ego than anything else, but when he finds that his father has been murdered, he has a conflict. On one hand, he is driven by loyalty and ego to avenge the death, just as Fortinbras was. On the other hand, he wants to summon strength in order to live up to what he believes his father might want. He seeks to bridge this gap, and to find balance, which is a very difficult thing for him to do in the context of this particular situation.
- Alexander, Peter. Hamlet: Father and son. Oxford, Clarendon P, 1955.
- Shakespeare, William. The tragedy of Hamlet. University Press, 1904.
