This one’s a reread but my first time was like forever ago that although I remember the big stuff like “To be or not to be,” ghosts, betrayal and but there’s so much in between that I’d forgotten. I think I wasn’t too big a fan of revenges, betrayals and sad endings and that had clouded my whole experience with the book but I think I can appreciate it better now?
I mean the whole revenge thingy is wayyy too long and drawn out but it also is kinda sufficient proof that being all vengeful or holding up grudges doesn't really take you anywhere in life. It's sad that Hamlet had to die at the end of it all but I was happy that both Claudius and Gertrude both die too. I think the saddest one of all for me personally would be Ophelia because she just gets caught up in this whole mess unnecessarily.
I don't think anyone was really a winner in this. Claudius got what he wanted by getting rid of Hamlet but at the expense of himself. Hamlet got what he wanted by getting revenge for his father's (and mother's) death but again, at the expense of his own life. Everyone gets what they want but they have to die for it. We didn't get any answers on whether the ghost was real but I'm leaning towards it not being. There are a few theories on what the ghost could've been and I'd definitely be interested in reading up on those more because the different interpretations all add something different to the text. I think I'd appreciate this more performed as opposed to written but the premise itself has some interesting elements.
All in all, I think The Mousetrap and the whole 'play within a play' might honestly be one of my favourite parts and then we get to the absolute chaos like it's almost comical how it all unravels with just everybody dead. Also, poor Horatio. He’s just standing there like, “I’m the only one left alive to tell this insane story.” It’s all so tragic but also so Shakespeare.