Fearful Symmetry: Shakespeare’s <i>Dramatis Personae</i> in <i>Hamlet</i>

Abstract

This research aims to make a parallel and determine the symmetry between the main male characters of the Shakespearian play “The tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark”. For this purpose, each important character is analysed in-depth with the use of the primary text and other critical views. The approach used in this paper was based on the primary source, by the employment of quotes and lines, verses and how they manage to be interpreted regarding the portrayal of the cast. There are a variety of ways in which quotes like “A little more than kin and less than kind” might be emphasized, and through the stylistic art of interpretation, the reader as well as the critic can bring new senses and meanings to a certain something. There are also the religious and philosophical aspects of the characters that are exploited in the paper and analysed through metaphorical and figurative language. Applying a developed conceptual framework combined with the opinion of other critics of Shakespeare leads to the multiple interpretations and variables of this play. Not only is it full of symbols and presents an aspect of universality unlike any Shakespearean tragedy, but it also introduces the reader to a combination of Baroque Disenchantment and typical Elizabethan drama. The emphasis of the paper is on the specific characteristics of each character in relation to the general frame and in relation to the other characters. The aim of the paper is to dissipate the blurred lines between appearance and essence and to focus on the in-depth analysis of the characters, who create the symmetry and parallelism which widens the Shakespearean universe of knowledge and literary creation. “Hamlet”, as a literary piece, is Shakespeare’s most complex tragedy. The rationale for choosing it is to highlight the universality of the play, to make the reader sympathise and look at their own reflection and think about the instances where their actions overlapped or coincided with the characters’. Tragedy, like any other literary genre, was born out of real-life situations, and readers should be aware that fiction can surpass the page and turn into reality.