“To be or not to be, that is the question,” is a famous quote from Shakespeare’s revenge tragedy called Hamlet. Detailing the prospects surrounding Prince Hamlet, this play portrays Hamlets return home and disappointment with his mother for marrying his Uncle Claudius. Shakespearean writing comes alive in this play about friends and foes while developing several elements in the play. The essence of act ii scene ii lines 352-580 take into the consideration of the development of the theme, plot, characters and of Hamlet as a whole.
Hamlet contains many underlying themes that sum up the story in a simple phrase. The most visible theme in Hamlet is the mystery of death. The mystery of death is a thematic element in Hamlet because after his father’s death, Prince Hamlet himself becomes obsessed with death and the spiritual aftermath around it. Hamlet in turn is even visited by his father’s ghost which mysteriously tells him important information surrounding his death. “…and the devil hath power / T’ assume a pleasing shape” (2.2.561-562). The apparition that visited Hamlet is in the form of his father and it is mysterious yet pleasing that the devil himself would take this form. King Hamlet’s death was a mystery to the people of the kingdom. “I’ll have the grounds / More relative than this” (2.2.565-566). They did not know it was Claudius who killed him and the prince…
Towards the end of act two, Hamlet starts to hatch a plan that helps to develop the plot. This plan is to create a play that will make Claudius feel so guilty that he will confess to the murder. “–Hum, I have heard / That guilty creatures sitting at a play / Have, by the very cunning of the scene, / Been struck so to the soul that presently / They have proclaimed their malefactions,” (2.2.551-555). This advances and develops the plot while helping the storyline to flow better by adding in important information and key…