What are the themes in Hamlet?

Major themes in the play, Hamlet, include death, intrigue, language, madness, and subjectivity to name a few. For a detailed look at the themes of Hamlet, check out GradeSaver's theme page.

The major theme in Hamlet is: Duality. Not only is doubling a large part of the play, Shakespeare doubles his other themes such as Image and Reality; God and Beasts; Love and Lust; Hot Blood and Cool Reason; Action and Delay; Remembrance and Oblivion; Eyes and Ears. Shakespeare has all his themes interweave with each other fairly tightly. So for example Gertrude represents lust for Claudius much like a rutting beast that lacks reason which is why she cannot see the ghost. She has forgotten the memory of her first husband King Hamlet. All the while she portrays the image of poise and regal authority.