Abstrakt
Hailed as the greatest playwright in history, Shakespeare and his works have evolved with the passing of the generations to become a cultural token which is acknowledged all across the globe. He had earned his fame mostly due to his infamous tragedies that is thought-provoking and filled with the themes of betrayal and misfortune. Among this collection of plays, the most notable of all is the all-time favourite revenge tragedy Hamlet, which deals with the legal matter of succession in Denmark and ends up with every character lying dead on the stage, which must have satisfied the bloodlust of the 16th century British audience. This paper explores the riveting concept of a curious mix of the legal system of succession of monarchy according to Danish history and a reflection of the English law of Elizabethan England through the critical analysis of the role of the Christian themes in regards to the idea of justice that is an essential element of the play. In addition to that, I will also be discussing about the extremely important factor of gender and social hierarchy that influences the legal system and method of achievement of justice. I will be mostly focusing on how the ultimate revenge in Hamlet has been achieved through a powerful impact of emotions such as grief, betrayal and deceit with the matter of succession being thrown into question and receiving an uncertain resolution later, in the hope of being able to shed some light on how the law in the plays of Shakespeare like Hamlet is manipulated and the way in which justice is served through the consideration of such factors of gender, religion and emotion.
