Hamlet - Cultural Identity

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context and circumstances, is one which encourages him to seek revenge for his murdered father. For Hamlet to be perceived as a noble and worthy son, he would have to kill his father's murderer, and his actions would be supported by society as long as the murderer was believed to be guilty. In Hamlet's first soliloquy after the encounter with the ghost early in the play, when the ghost tells him that he must seek revenge, Hamlet quickly acknowledges his duty as a son.
Hamlet: I'll wipe away all trivial fond records,
All saws of books, all forms, all pressures past...
And thy commandment all alone shall live
Within the book and volume of my brain,
Unmixed with baser matter. (I.5.99-104)

Hamlet seems to decide with determination that he will "wipe away" all of his memories of "youth", and all "past pressures" so that the ghost's "commandment" to seek revenge would be his only focus, without the distraction of "baser matter". Hamlet's duty as a son is shown clearly at this point ...

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duty to his dead father.

Society's view of murdering a king as the most sacrilegious crime of all is illustrated by Claudius when he reflects on his own actions in killing his brother, King Hamlet. An understanding of the conflict facing Hamlet that leads to his isolation occurs because there is a direct link between Claudius' murder of King Hamlet and Hamlet's planned murder of Claudius. In both situations, a man kills a king, who is also a close relative, albeit for different reasons. This intensifies the moral dilemma and horror concerning these murders. Claudius highlights the 'unholiness' of these crimes in his first private speech:


King: O, my offence is rank. It smells to ...

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