"Hamlet is the solitary, unknowing to all the places he will afflict. He walks about, ...he denies others by looking at them, and even without willing it spreads death about him. 'The black presence of the doubter causes this poison' " (Edwards P. on Mallarme's essay
             Crayonne au Theatre (1886) in Coyle 1992,page 21)
             Shakespeare, with his character of Hamlet has provided one of the most complex, though intriguing characters in the history of literature. The most striking aspect of his character is the question of whether he was really mad or just acting to his advantage, and the dilemma he faces. This dilemma is the heart and soul of the play, to choose between avenging the death of his father or to think about the consequences on the ones he so dearly loves if he follows through. This has been subject to analysis from the day many different people of different attitudes and from different times first performed it. Elizabethans would see any result of Hamlet's actions as a moral lesson whilst a modern person would see it a violent play but also as Shakespeare's most philosophical work.
             In the 17th Century when the play was first performed, it was popular for the reason that belonged to the category, or genre of theatre that had began to emerge called Revenge Tragedies. This originated in the first century, from the works of the Roman playwright, Seneca and then reborn in the works of Thomas Kyd in the 16th Century. There was a certain kind of formula for such plays, which usually consisted of a hero who seeks revenge for something which has happened to himself or to someone close to him. There are usually supernatural elements to let this hero know what happened and who caused it and the hero usually had a 'tragic flaw' which delays him from taking revenge (in Gibson 2000).
             With Shakespeare, this construct was most certainly upheld with Hamlet's tragic flaw ...