2012.

“And, after all, our surroundings influence our lives and characters as much as
fate, destiny or any supernatural agency.”--Pauline Hopkins, Contending Forces.
Choose a novel or play in which cultural, physical, or geographical surroundings
shape psychological or moral traits in a character. Then write a well-organized essay
in which you analyze how surroundings affect this character and illuminate the
meaning of the work as a whole.

Shakespeare's possibly most recognized play, Hamlet, is renowned, among other reasons,
for how well it portrays the tensions present in a royal environment set during the
renaissance. This essay explores how Prince Hamlet’s decisions and world views are
affected by his social context, and how this adds richness to the work as a whole.

From the very beginning of the play, Hamlet is in psychological tension mostly due to his
cruel social context. His uncle, Claudius, who has taken the throne after his father’s recent
death, tells him that his grief is a “fault to heaven, A fault against the dead, a fault to nature”,
starting the first conflict between these two characters. If it hadn’t been for the cruel,
oppressive place in time Hamlet was living in, he wouldn’t have been so passive to his
uncle’s manipulation. Claudius’ argument that “obstinate condolement is a course Of impious
stubbornness”, which evidently wouldn’t work if the play was set slightly further in the future,
is accepted by Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude. This ends up distancing Hamlet from the both of
them, even leading him to compare her to a “beast, that wants discourse of reason”.
Evidently, the cruel social period and context Hamlet lives in lead him to think in a very
dangerous, isolated way, which will cause him to make horrible decisions later on.

The story of Hamlet is severely complicated not only because of how his family functions in
this context, but also how some traditions make Hamlet take radically new directions. When
his father’s ghost appears and tells him that it was Claudius who is responsible for his “foul
and most unnatural murder”, he also tells him to avenge him by assassinating Claudius.
Instead of sending his uncle to a trial, or trying to remove him from power through politics, as
would be expected in modern royal families, Hamlet is urged to apply the now obsolete “eye
for an eye” reasoning, causing an unnecessary bloodshed later in the play. In fact, when
Hamlet gets the opportunity to assassinate Claudius and avenge his father, he is stopped by
the catholic reasonings of his time. Because of the fact that Hamlet finds Claudius praying to
God, he refuses the stab him because he figures that if he does, Claudius “goes to heaven”,
which is “scann’d”. Evidently, in the context of a cold-blooded murder, this argument would
be unreasonable in most any other socio-historical context. As such, Hamlet’s surroundings
are one of, if not the most important element which lead him to otherwise ridiculous
decisions, and eventually the deaths of virtually the entire Danish monarchy.

Contrary to popular belief, however, the limitations and seemingly absurd decisions Hamlet
must take due to his social context add a great richness and meaning to the play. Because
of Shakespeare’s dedication to add the ethical and moral understandings of his time so
strictly, it becomes understood that the fall of a monarchy isn’t due to a simple
misunderstanding. Rather, it is a process facilitated in great measure by the socio-political
beliefs holding said monarchy together. Politics instead of feelings, religion instead of logical
reasoning, and many more examples, are what cause an entire family, or in this case a pair
of families, to be extinguished. With such richness and meaning added to the work, it is
undeniable that it would be drastically different if put in any different context.
In conclusion, Hamlet is a piece infinitely complicated by the socio-historical context that
Hamlet is placed in. In reaction and accordance with these limitations, Hamlet has no choice
but to take a long route of poorly thought out actions. This however, is also a great source of
the overall meaning and complexity behind the story. Without a doubt, this play wouldn’t be
the same without these elements and the way they shape the protagonist’s violent path.

Evidently, the cruel time and social context Hamlet lives in force him to commit terrible acts,
which will later cause the deaths of virtually the entire Danish monarchy.

,Although Hamlet doesn’t immediately reply aggressively, he reveals in his next soliloquy
that he wishes his uncle resolved “His canon 'gainst self-slaughter!”