Hamlet 921at times that he hates being around people, there
is evidence to suggest at the end of the book that
he does come to terms with the fleeting nature of
relationships and human existence, as Phoebe finally
provides him with companionship and fosters some
brief moments of happiness in his life. Indeed, the
novel’s final passage is an almost “mature” under-
standing of the fleeting nature of relationships, as
Holden implores the reader, “Don’t ever tell anybody
anything. If you do, you start missing everybody.”
Thus, perhaps he begins to realize that the time he
has to spend with people is precious and not to be
wasted.
We see another instance of Holden taking an
interest in others’ lives when he becomes concerned
about two boys at the museum trying to find the
mummies. Although he professes that one of his
plans is to move out West and be a mute, his concern
for the boys’ well-being and willingness to help them
indicates that, at least in the case of children, Holden
has made some effort to establish links with others.
Thus, his isolation from his classmates, friends, and
society is largely self-imposed, as he often alienates
others through rudeness or belligerence.
Jeff Pettineo
SHakESPEarE, wiLLiam Hamlet
(1603)
The story begins by filling the audience in on the
back story of the elder King Hamlet’s victorious
killing of King Fortinbras of Norway. This history
sets the stage for the recurring references to young
Fortinbras, who is on the march with his army to
regain the lands his father lost to Denmark. We hear
of the ghost of King Hamlet, and then we are intro-
duced to the dead king’s son, Hamlet, who has been
called back to Elsinore Castle in Denmark from his
studies at Wittenberg to attend his father’s funeral.
Within two months of King Hamlet’s death, his
brother, Claudius, married the dead king’s wife,
Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude. Hamlet is mourning
his father and is upset by his mother’s marriage to
his uncle.
Hamlet’s friends tell him they have seen a ghost,
but before Hamlet can see the ghost for himself,
Shakespeare introduces us to Ophelia, Hamlet’s
“girlfriend,” and her father, Polonius, the king’s
adviser. We also meet Ophelia’s brother, Laertes,
who is about to leave for Paris. Polonius, who deliv-
ers numerous clichés of wisdom to his children,
advises his daughter to reject Hamlet, who does not
appear to be taking his courtship of her seriously.
Then, the ghost reappears, and Hamlet follows
him and hears the story of his father’s death: King
Hamlet had been murdered while asleep in the gar-
den by Claudius, who had poured poison into his
ear. The ghost expects Hamlet to avenge his death.
In act 2, four months have passed. Hamlet begins
acting in a rather deranged way at this juncture, and
Polonius attributes his behavior to Ophelia’s rejec-
tion of him. In the meantime, Hamlet has been con-
templating how to avenge his father’s murder, and
Claudius is feeling suspicious of the young man’s
changeable behavior.
The plot thickens in act 3, when a meeting
between Ophelia and Hamlet is set, and Polonius
and Claudius watch from a hidden place. Hamlet
now brutally rejects Ophelia. From this point on,
we understand, Ophelia goes into an emotional and
mental decline. Laertes will learn of Ophelia’s situa-
tion, and his outrage will bring him back to Elsinore
to make Hamlet accountable for what he has done
to Ophelia.
Hamlet goes to his mother’s chamber to talk
to her about his concerns, and he is so intense that
Gertrude cries out. Polonius, with Claudius’s per-
mission, has been hiding behind a curtain to eaves-
drop on their conversation, and when Gertrude cries
out, so does he. Hamlet, thinking the eavesdropper
is Claudius, stabs him through the curtain. He
discovers his mistake and, after the scene with his
mother, will hide Polonius’s body.
In act 4, Claudius learns from Gertrude about
Polonius’s death, and although Gertrude maintains
that Hamlet is simply mad, Claudius decides to
send Hamlet to England right away. In a moment
of foreshadowing, we hear news of Fortinbras of
Norway, who is crossing Denmark with his army to
fight the soldiers of Poland, and Hamlet wishes he
had Fortinbras’s sense of honor and military energy.
Laertes returns to Elsinore and learns of his
father’s death. Then Gertrude describes the drown-
ing death of Ophelia, who had gone mad with grief