In the play "Hamlet", by William Shakespeare, the playwright addresses the economic influence of war and power. Hamlet's dynamic soliloquy in Act VI Scene 4, targets the Elizabethan audience, referencing the importance of war and the sacrifices they've all made in order to remain a powerful nation. This is reflected in Hamlet's powerful, masterful soliloquy which is the turning point of the play and the driving force that aids him to finally find revenge against the man who killed his father. .
After encountering Fortinbras, Hamlet is forced to recognize his flaws and how long he has procrastinated from getting revenge against Claudius. Fortinbras is prepared to go at war with Poland, over ". a little patch of ground that hath in it no profit but the name." (4.4.17-18) At risk are the lives of thousands of men - mere pawns in game played over a worthless piece of land. This demonstrates the expectations of pride and power during the Elizabethan era. Hamlet witnesses the courage the men have, willing to rush into the face of death for no legitimate reason. While Hamlet justifies his actions, he has a reason to seek revenge, due to the loss of his father. He contemplates himself as a man because he lacks the courage and powerful traits that Fortinbras and his army have.
The determination that Fortinbras and his army have is no surprise to the Elizabethan audience .
because they understand the significance of war, because during these times, power was everything. .
Weather it meant fighting over scraps of land, the title the country would hold in the end would be .
priceless. The army demonstrates a willingness that Hamlet lacks, which is why Hamlet contemplates .
himself as a man;and even compares himself to an animal, he says, "What is a man if his chief good.
and market of his time/ be but to sleep and feed? A beast, no more." (4.4.33-34). Hamlet acknowledges his cowardly hesitation by lacking ambition to carry on with his revenging plot.
