Dysfunctional Families and the Inadequate Role Played by Parents in "Hamlet"

Through its various readings, "Hamlet", has enticed more controversy than any other Shakespearean play. Written in Elizabethan times, Shakespeare succeeded in creating a tragedy that still holds relevance to the affairs of today, four hundred years after its initial appearance. Perhaps justifying its endless success, is the argument that there is no invited reading of the play, leaving it to the individual to determine an interpretation. However recently, dominant readings of the play have emerged …

…characters, it can be fair to say that the parental figures in Hamlet are quite less than perfect. Each parent possesses their own imperfections, which in today's society would label them as bad or inadequate parents. The impact bad parenting and dysfunctional families have on the individual is portrayed through Hamlet, who evidently suffers throughout the play. Shakespeare's certainly succeeded in constructing a play that's relevance is identifiable despite what age it is read in.