When one man dies, a nation falls
The betrayal of a brother, the death of a king, the revenge of a prince. This sequence of actions led to the downfall of Denmark in William Shakespeare’s renowned play Hamlet, 300 years before a similar set of events led to a catastrophic world war that resulted in the death of 17 million people.
So, what exactly happened to set World War I in motion, and how is this related to the story of Prince Hamlet?
Archduke Franz Ferdinand, like Prince Hamlet, was first in line to the throne of his homeland, Austria. His assassination caused Serbia and Austria to relinquish ties and formally enter what was soon to be World War 1, one of the most destructive and significant wars in human history. Over 30 countries took part in the battle, with countless casualties over the span of just 4 brutal years. In the end, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, which was of mere significance given the scope of the extremity of World War 1, led to the collapse of several nations and Austria-Hungary, the nation he was to rule.
Shakespeare was able to understand how one man’s death was able to cause chaos within an entire nation. In the play, the fragile set of events that occurred, along with the aid of supernatural elements and high-strung emotions, was able to transform this fictional Denmark from a dominating and war-ready nation into one that crumbled to its demise. All because of the death of one man.
From the very start of the play, the mood of Denmark was portrayed as tense and suspenseful following the death of King Hamlet. This is shown through the firm and doubtful nature of the guards who have to “stand and unfold [themselves]” upon every interaction. This unsettling nature is prominent throughout the starting scenes of the play to suggest that there is “something rotten in the state of Denmark.” Here, it is seen that the country is preparing for war as there is a “daily cast of brazen cannon” and “foreign mart for implements of war.” This is similar to the state of Austria-Hungary after the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, where the country began preparing for war and further tried to instigate it, by sending Serbia a list of harsh commands they could not fulfil.
Claudius murdering King Hamlet was the trigger to the sudden change of mood in Denmark. The discovery that King Hamlet was murdered by his brother caused Prince Hamlet to start a plan for revenge. This plan involved the infliction of more death, which ultimately shows that death leads to more death, especially because it stemmed from revenge and corruption. Here, we can draw some similarities to World War I, when the Serbian nationalist killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Austria-Hungary sought revenge, which erupted the tension between both countries and led to over 17 million deaths.
The collapse of a nation in both World War I and Hamlet is not just because of the assassination of one person, but rather the compounding effects of corruption and greed.
In World War I, countries instigated war in order to further establish their status and gain territory. In Hamlet, on the other hand, the greed of individuals leads to destruction and chaos. This greed was the leading factor for Claudius to murder his own brother, an “offence [so] rank” it “smells to heaven.” Claudius’ corruption leads him to marry his “sometime sister, now queen”, Gertrude, directly replacing King Hamlet in all of the positions he occupied during life which Claudius desired. This also prevents Prince Hamlet from naturally succeeding his father on the throne after his death.
In a final show of corruption, Claudius tells Laertes to duel Hamlet with “a sword unbated” and poisoned, however, this plan backfires as Laertes is nicked by the sword as well. The second part of Claudius’ plan, which was for Hamlet to drink out of a poisoned cup, leads to his own downfall as both Claudius and Gertrude drink to their death from this cup. As a result of Claudius’ corruption and his foiled plans to murder Hamlet, the royal family of Denmark was no more, and the throne fell into the hands of an enemy nation.
Here, young Fortinbras and the revenge of Norway as a result of King Hamlet “slay[ing] this Fortinbras” is clearly shown. It all began with young Fortinbras trying to avenge his father, like Hamlet, by conquering Denmark. After Claudius sent a letter to the King of England, he declared peace on both Denmark and Norway. However, young Fortinbras, who “of unimprovèd mettle [is] hot and full,” ends up fulfilling his previous intentions of taking over Denmark. This is juxtaposed with the “casual slaughters” scattered around in the denouement of the play, including a dead son who could not avenge his father along with a brother who could not defend his position at the throne. However, the similarities between Prince Hamlet and young Fortinbras are quite awe-striking, and Shakespeare’s message about father-son relationships is further enforced here.
Furthermore, young Fortinbras’ greed can be compared to that of the countries involved in World War 1. Although young Fortinbras had Prince Hamlet’s word of acceptance of being the King of Denmark before he died, it was young Fortinbras’ greed that pursued him to take over the country and not only avenge his father but gain power and land, which were the main motives of the countries involved in World War 1 as well. Germany epitomises the greed that countries had for gaining power and land during World War 1, going as far as committing several war crimes known as the German Atrocities in order to obtain this power.
There have been certain moments where one person and the actions related to them have shaped history. Although history repeats itself, the similarities between the events of World War I and Hamlet are striking and boil down to the same motives — revenge and greed. However, perhaps what is most striking is the way they have the same beginning and end. The downfall of an entire nation. All because of the death of one man.
Bibliography:
These sources were only used to find the quotes necessary and to understand more about WW1. Apart from this, the essay and the essay topic are completely original.
Google.com. 2021. Before you continue to Google Search. [online] Available at: <https://www.google.com/search?q=what+happened+in+world+war+1&rlz=1C1CHBF_en-GBAU926AU926&oq=what+happened+in+world+war+1&aqs=chrome.0.0l4j69i60j69i61j69i60j69i61.4041j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8> [Accessed 14 July 2021].
Google.com. 2021. Before you continue to Google Search. [online] Available at: <https://www.google.com/search?q=what+was+the+letter+that+austria+hungary+sent+to+serbia&rlz=1C1CHBF_en-> [Accessed 14 July 2021].
H, D., murray, W. and Grossmutter, J., 2021. Crap joke thread…. | Page 228 | KombiClub Australia Forums. [online] Forums.kombiclub.com. Available at: <https://forums.kombiclub.com/threads/crap-joke-thread.2785/page-228> [Accessed 14 July 2021].
Medium. 2021. Artistry Beyond the Arts — A True Villain’s Contentions. [online] Available at: <https://medium.com/@savvalifebas/artistry-beyond-the-arts-a-true-villains-contentions-1c1ea9f8e2fd> [Accessed 14 July 2021].
HISTORY. 2021. Austria’s Archduke Ferdinand assassinated. [online] Available at: <https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/archduke-ferdinand-assassinated#:~:text=The%20archduke%20traveled%20to%20Sarajevo,should%20be%20part%20of%20Serbia.> [Accessed 14 July 2021].
2021. [online] Available at: <https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-is-the-importance-of-denmark-in-hamlet-135267> [Accessed 14 July 2021].
SparkNotes. 2021. No Fear Shakespeare: Hamlet: Act 4 Scene 7 Page 6 | SparkNotes. [online] Available at: <https://www.sparknotes.com/nofear/shakespeare/hamlet/page_268/> [Accessed 14 July 2021].
School History. 2021. Gavrilo Princip | Facts, Biography, The Assassination & Outcome. [online] Available at: <https://schoolhistory.co.uk/notes/gavrilo-princip/#:~:text=On%20July%2025%2C%201894%2C%20Gavrilo,Christian%20Orthodox%20and%20was%20poor.> [Accessed 14 July 2021].
Owlcation. 2021. Hamlet’s First Soliloquy (Act 1, Scene 2): Text, Summary, and Analysis. [online] Available at: <https://owlcation.com/humanities/Hamlets-1st-Soliloquy> [Accessed 14 July 2021].
