The Effect of Allusions in Hamlet
Sometimes it takes a clearly conveyed comparison to fully understand a difficult concept. The greatest authors of all time create novels with important points that are not quite so obvious, and the reader has to do a little digging to grasp the intended meaning. When regarding Shakespearean plays, readers will surely notice that they are riddled with enigmas. How does Shakespeare give the reader clues to help grasp the novel? He uses allusions, carefully-placed references to something else. One of the finest places to look for Shakespearean allusions is Hamlet, a tragedy about the negative effect of ambition and revenge. The result of William Shakespeare incorporating allusions into Hamlet is the readers have a more sophisticated understanding of themes, characters, and conflicts.

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, he uses allusions in order to develop themes in the play. One of the major themes in the play is action vs. inaction. In Act 1, Scene 5, Hamlet talks with the ghost of his father about the cause of his death. The ghost informs him that it was his uncle Claudius, as he suspected, and that it is imperative that he seek revenge at once. The ghost says, “I find thee apt. And duller shouldst thou be than the fat weed that roots itself in ease on Lethe Wharf, wouldst thou not stir in this.” The ghost sees that Hamlet is eager to get revenge, but little does he know, this allusion is a prediction of what is to come. The ghost’s statement alludes to the Lethe River, found in Greek Mythology. It is said that anyone who drank from the Lethe River would forget all their memories of being alive. The King’s ghost supposes that Hamlet would be as lazy as a weed on the shore of the river of forgetfulness if he did not agree to avenge his father’s death. When the time comes for Hamlet to murder Claudius, his morals get in the way and he doesn’t want to kill Claudius as he prays. Hamlet proves to be quite similar to a weed on the Lethe Wharf, because he is almost too late to murder Claudius. As he is dying of a poisoned stab wound by Laertes, Hamlet quickly stabs Claudius with the same poisoned sword. In the end it is Hamlet’s inaction and indecisiveness that kills him, because the more decisive and vengeful Laertes gets him first. Shakespeare’s use of the Lethe River allusion in the start of the play opens the readers up to one of the most outstanding themes of Hamlet.

To fully understand Hamlet, it is necessary to understand the characters in it, and Shakespeare develops characters through the use of allusions. By analysing these allusions, readers can get a more complete understanding of Hamlet’s characters and how they change throughout the play. As the play goes on, readers must wonder if not all of Hamlet’s madness is just an act. In Act 3, Scene 2, Hamlet plans to visit his mother and tell her the truth about his strange behaviour and his father’s death. He says to himself, “Soft now to my mother. – O heart, lose not thy nature, let not ever the soul of Nero enter this firm bosom. Let me be cruel, not unnatural.” Nero is a well-known Roman Empire who murdered his mother for poisoning her husband, Emperor Claudius. Hamlet wants to be brutally honest with his mother, even cruel, but he does not want to go as far as Nero and kill his mother. As if he has little control over his emotions, Hamlet begs himself not to harm his mother like the Roman Emperor Nero did. In the scene, Hamlet is alone, so he is not feigning madness as he does around his family and friends. Hamlet has no reason to act mad now, yet he still worries about his lack of control over his emotions. By understanding this allusion, readers can see that there is more to Hamlet’s personality than meets the eye and it may not be so different from the act he is putting on as one might think.

Through the analysis of one major allusion, readers can understand the source of the play’s conflict as it escalates. In Act 3, Scene 2, Hamlet puts on a play to try to determine Claudius’s guilt over the death of King Hamlet. The play is called The Murder of Gonzago and it tells a story much like the ghost’s story of the king’s murder. In The Murder of Gonzago, a king and queen lie together and when the king falls asleep, the queen leaves him to rest. As the king sleeps, his nephew, Lucianus sneaks in and pours poison into the kings’ ear and takes his crown. Hamlet got the idea for this play from real events in the Trojan War, where Pyrrhus goes to Troy to avenge his father’s death and kill Priam, the King of Troy. If Hamlet had not created The Murder of Gonzago, conflict between himself and Claudius would not have escalated. Hamlet misinterprets Claudius’s outcry in the theatre for guilt, instead of fear. Claudius is truly afraid for his life because he believes that the play was a message to him, warning him that he would be killed by his nephew, just as the King in the play was. Because of his suspicions brought on by the play, Claudius arranges for Hamlet to be killed in England, and when that fails, he plans the sword fight between Hamlet and Laertes. By understanding the background behind the Murder of Gonzago, one can understand not only what conflict begins to unfold, but why it does.

In conclusion, it is important for modern-day readers of Hamlet to analyse allusions of this play, because it allows for a deeper understanding of the themes, characters and conflicts. Being a 21st century reader of Shakespeare often comes at a disadvantage to being an Elizabethan audience member. Understanding takes more effort, since what Shakespeare alludes to is not common knowledge today. However, this disadvantage does not need to exist if one reaches out to obtain knowledge.