The Marxist theory plays a critical role in displaying how the nobles gain control of the social, economic, and political aspects of society and its impact on the lower class. Besides, Marxism suggests that human beings’ motivation stems from the social struggle between the upper and lower class. William Shakespeare’s Hamlet demonstrates the division of social classes and the greedy desire to obtain power through manipulation and authority misuse. Essentially, through the Marxist lens, it is evident that the people in Hamlet valued the royal family, which made King Claudius and Hamlet the most powerful. The powerless people in Hamlet were the servants, guards, and women. This paper explores how characters have power in one situation and are powerless in another through the Marxist theory.
Hamlet portrays different social classes, with the highest power being King Claudius, Queen Gertrude, and Prince Hamlet. After his brother’s, King Hamlet, death Claudius quickly marries Gertrude, his sister-in-law, and perceives Prince Hamlet as a threat. He quickly removes him from the court and sends him to England. He uses spies to revenge against Hamlet and commands his wife to observe his son. The main reason for his fear was that Hamlet was the King’s son and was royalty by blood. His desire for total control resulted in corruption in the upper class. He also demonstrates the abuse of power when he confesses to having killed his brother to obtain his crown and the queen, showing his lack of morals to access powers (Hollingsworth & Isecke, 2010). King Claudius was an immoral man and displayed hostility due to his drive to gain political, social, and economic power. His becoming a king after killing his brother makes him less sympathetic. He continues to use his power to do devious acts to maintain his authority, even commanding Ophelia’s murder. Therefore, Claudius with or without power was an unsympathetic man.
In Hamlet, the King urged his son to avenge his death. He says, “If thou hast nature in thee, bear it not; let not the royal bed of Denmark be a couch for luxury and incest” (Hollingsworth & Isecke, 2010). Besides, King Claudius orders the spies to observe Prince Hamlet showing that he was powerful, and Claudius wanted to control him to maintain his power. Moreover, despite not being allowed to date Ophelia due to the social class differences, Hamlet and Ophelia’s relationship motivated his need to use power for revenge. Moreover, on the realization that Claudius was spying on him, Prince Hamlet acts insane to make the spies disregard him, and he continues to work on his vengeance plans. Hamlet wins the duel against Laertes, and Claudius poisons Hamlet’s cup to kill him; Gertrude drinks from it instead. Furthermore, Laertes strikes Hamlet with a poisoned blade, but Prince Hamlet manages to strike him with the blade resulting in Laerte’s death. King Claudius is accused of treason and attempts to run, but Hamlet catches him and kills him though he was a bit hesitant. Prince Hamlet is portrayed as a marvelous leader who understands and values human beings. Even after Claudius assumed powers as King and Hamlet seemed powerless, he uses his wits to redress King Claudius’s political imbalances even as he sought revenge.
In conclusion, the Marxist theory helps understand the ruling class’s various ideologies and the dominant system of values and beliefs. In Hamlet, King Claudius uses his power to acquire possessions for his benefit. His unquenchable desire to maintain power makes him do immoral acts, including murder and corruption. In contrast, Prince Hamlet uses his power to seek revenge for his loved ones while questing for a political balance for his people. However, in the end, the royal family dies, and the instruments of government fall, causing the country to be led by foreigners.
Reference
Hollingsworth, T., & Isecke, H. (2010). The tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Teacher Created Materials.