The Tragedy Of Hamlet, Prince Of Denmark! Poem by Shahzia Batool

I write with sorrow -real and stark-
'The Tragedy Of Hamlet Prince Of Denmark'

Like Othello, The Tempest and king Lear
It's a marvel by the pen of Shakespeare

Who paints the perils of his life...
Stretched by caution, crushed by strife

He cries for the matters of the Prince
Laden with sorrows, full of sufferings

Caused by the death of Hamlet, the king
Whose love was the song he used to sing.

His mother, the queen named Gertrude
Was frail n fickle but not so rude...

Again she married Claudius, the rake,
Her brother-in-law for passions sake;

Began new life with joys and rest
Which was for all a damned incest...

Black robe clad young Hamlet alone
Was tense for the honor of Danish throne.

His mourning thoughts eclipsed his looks
Fondness for books n sports forsook...

Being in grief he lost his mirth-
Lost the pleasures touching his worth

A horrid rumour reached his ears,
shook his mind, enhanced his fears

Based on a report of three sentinels
That a ghost appeared from flames of hell

Resembling the warring late Monarch
Who fought Fortinbras, an enemy of Denmark.

No sooner he heard about this wonder
decided to watch it despite the thunder.

With guards he reached the post n then
The clock struck one and shocked the men

The ghost then appeared, beckoned the son
Who trod ahead and left everyone...

He followed it in fondness and fear
in a really tough and tense atmosphere

The heaven and earth did try to observe
His limbs as hardy as Nemean lion's nerve.

At once the Ghost disclosed with frown
That Claudius killed him for his crown

By pouring potion his life he stole
Then Queen and throne gained as goal.

So slept the king by the brother's hand
And left forever this mortal land

For the Queen he said, 'despite her dodge
Leave her to thorns, in her bosom lodge.'

After narrating the murder so foul
The Ghost, in pain, began to howl

Demanded from him revenge of the act
If he had, by nature, a gut to react

The Prince, then, tried to check his might
Found himself as unable to fight

Lacking stimulus to take revenge
His teeth and fists, he used to clench

At last decided in utter sadness
To leave his rest by putting on madness

Wished he hadn't been born at all
To set things right whether big or small.

Now rise the curtains in room of Polonius
The state's counselor, old and loquacious

Beside a son, he had one daughter
Whose love for Hamlet, he used to slaughter

Possessing a heart precious as pearls
Fair she was of all Shakespeare's girls

Like gorgeous Perdita, but unlike Cordelia
Submissive she was -the fair Ophelia

Reported she once to her father with fear
About the Prince's odd behavior

Who strangely came in her private closet
With sleeves inside out, eyes out of sockets

Made with sighs some painful sounds
cast a glance so piteous, so profound

Her heart bled at this odd view
But the old man found another clue

He termed it as an ecstasy of love
In stature though Hamlet was far above

He thought it fit to tell the king
that the Prince was out of reason's ring

He took her hand and left the room
To put his daughter's fate in gloom.

Right away he went to the Danish court
To tell the royal pair of this report

In short they decided to secretly spy
And used his daughter as a decoy

But Hamlet was a sane insane
He understood their efforts vain.

Maltreated her despite his love
Though knew her well as pretty dove.

By manner changed, he broke her heart
Like actor's good, he played his part.

Ophelia was compelled to think
Of their past love and worthy link.

So cautious then young Hamlet was
Of Guidenstern and Rosencrantz;

'Cause they were sent to check his mind
By the Queen and king seemingly kind

They felt themselves so much helpless
Bent their heads and did confess.

Then Hamlet said to them, 'on earth
I know not where I lost my mirth.'

For cure of mental grievous layers
The Prince was told of city players.

He keenly took interest in them
With open arms he bade welcome.

The players had prospects shining bright
In whom he used to take delight

Requested he to an actor boy
To recite the tragedy of the king of Troy.

That passage was a fiery one
Impressive was its tragic tone

The scene incited him to think
Of Hecuba and the player's link.

If he had his pains and fears
he'd have drowned stage with tears.

For making Claudius his only prey
The prince conceived a plan to play

Based on one Gonzago's life,
Stung by treachery of his wife

Just to avoid certain mishap
He named it as a mousetrap.

The play was the only pregnant thing
To read the mind of the guilty king.

Now Guildenstern informed the king
That he didn't notice anything

And could not find any proof
Because with a craft he kept aloof

Asked the Queen with motherly passion:
'Did he talk in a normal fashion? '

The servants of the royal court
Replied and gave that new report:

'To stage a play the Prince intends,
Invites your grace with all your friends

To watch the play arranged by him'
(In fact to be really caught by him.)

The king replied with a cunning art
That he would go with 'all his heart.'

With all the lords he left the scene
Along with the pretty foolish Queen.

Now Hamlet appeared on the stage
With a tinge of sorrow and of rage

He knew not whether to live or die
His mental state had gone awry.

While he was lost in painful thought
Then all his gifts Ophelia brought

Tried to give them back to him
With teeming eyes and voice so dim

She said that, 'for to the noble mind
Gifts lose worth if giver is unkind.'

The genius prince advised the girl
That 'honesty is like a pearl

So save your pearl and be a nun
Leave this world and everyone.'

With changing tone he said at once:
'Not now but I did love you once.'

The girl in her excess of grief...
lost her comforts and relief...

Recalled with pain his state of mind
So fair and fine, so nice and kind

She thought of Hamlet's wretched tone
That a noble mind was overthrown

Who, once, was a flower of the state
The glass of grace and finer taste

But he had lost his wisdom's range
She sobbed and wept over this change

Then entered the king with crafty men
And hurriedly disclosed his plan.......

To send the Prince in stark exile
By art, by force or by some guile.

Now Hamlet had the only way,
To check the king, he staged a play

The scenes, in fact, did resemble
His father's murder by his uncle

The players did enact on the stage
At which the king expressed his rage

He left the hall with temper lost
with shivering heart and senses frost

The play removed his outer layers
And credit went to all the players

There wasn't anything to hide
Hamlet was quite satisfied...

His heart and conscience had no fear
The great confusion was now clear

He got a message from the Queen
Who was under impact of spleen

Meanwhile came the king so stern
With Rosencrantz and Guildenstern

Ordered them to leave the land
With Hamlet and a dispatch by hand

They promised and then left the king
With aching heart and eyes running

When the king was left alone there
In melancholic atmosphere

His conscience started pricking him
In prayers he tried to utter a hymn

His prayers were full of confession
With no prospects of his salvation

So bad and foul was his offense
He found no shield for his defense

His sin was foul as black as death
He prayed to God with broken breath

When Hamlet saw him lost in prayers
Thought of his incestuous pleasures

He thought, 'I 'll kill him for his crime
That would be much better time

While he would be asleep or drunk
Or in rage he would be sunk....'

While thinking this, his flaw subdued,
Delayed his act, and left the lewd;

Proceeded to his Mother's chamber
To speak bitter words like dagger

Present was Polonius there.........
Of his fate quite unaware..............

Hid himself behind the curtain
Neither life nor death was certain.

Hamlet called her not his mother
but loving wife of husband's brother.

His rashness caused her louder shriek
Harassed the Queen as a freak

Severely tried to show her a glass
The Man was shocked behind the arras

That voice raised in him a storm
He stabbed at where the cry came from

The man (behind) , cried again
In painful voice, 'O, I am slain.'

So justly killed was the king's friend
And act of spying became his end.

Hamlet's thoughts were not sinister
But he became his scourge n minister

By dagger words he op'd her eyes
His wretched voice shook the skies

Convinced her, and disclosed atlast
He wasn't mad 'but mad in craft.'

He told her in his accent flat:
'I must to England, you know that? '

He painfully this news revealed
That letters of the king were sealed

Then dragged the body of the man
In grief there did Queen remain...

She told the king of 'the heavy deed, '
So then he started taking heed..........

He said, 'I see it writ on wall...
His life is full of threats to all.'

By ready hands at once he wrote
To the king of England a cunning note

Touching Hamlet's present death
Till then he wont take joyous breath.

For those who know Shakespeare's art
This story has another part..............

Young Fortinbras came there at last
For Hamlet served a big contrast.

That tender Prince, a man of mission
Was burned by fire of great ambition

Without any reason-big and sound
Went to Poland for a patch of ground;

Suffering from the thirst for fame
Not profit but for the sake of name.

This act opened Hamlet's eyes
The hidden flames began to rise.

He thought then that, 'from this time forth
My thoughts be bloody or be nothing worth.'

A gentleman informed Gertrude
About Ophelia's madness as a fruit

Of her father's sad demise;
Entered she with half-shut eyes.

Nobody there could bear so long
The grief reflected from her songs.

A noise was heard from outside the hall
Which confused every big and small.

The mob was crying against the king
By, 'Laertes shall be the Danish king.'

Laertes full of fiery passions...........
Ordered them to have patience

Entered with full zest and wrath
From the mouth flowed angry froth

Blamed the king for the father's murder
Spoke to him with a mighty thunder.

The vile king was good at game
Laertes, by him, was easily tamed

By cunning words turned all attention
Towards Hamlet moved his tension.

Hamlet, who was sent to England,
by chance couldn't reach that land.

Piracy -an ugly, criminal act,
Became for him a lucky fact.

He left his ship to fight with pirates
His 'fellows'unknowingly then left.

He got saved from being killed
By king of England 'against his will.

England killed on orders stern
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern-

On fortunes favors who can depend?
By hands of justice, they met their end.

He told it all to Horatio-his friend
That there's a power that shapes our ends.

On the death of both these men
He said that life is like to say 'one'.

Then, Dear Readers! towards his goal
Started moving his ' prophetic soul.'

Claudius made, then, a plan to snatch
His life, he arranged a fencing match-

Sent his message by a courtier
To prepare his dagger and rapier.

Clear of guilt, the Prince at ease
Accept the challenge by Laertes.

A scheme there is in a sparrow's fall
So 'on my part, the readiness is all.'

Prepared were table, trumpets, drums-
Claudius called, 'come, Hamlet, come.'

Fencing match was a scheme in fact
In which he used then all his tact.

He really poisoned Laertes ' mind
with revengeful thoughts bloody n unkind

Hamlet spoke, ere the fight began
To laertes, 'you are a gentleman

I've done you wrong but not in rudeness
I tell you that it was my madness.'

With these words, prepared to play
There death started a game to play

Laertes struck with poisoned weapon
None could understand what happened.

He himself was wounded badly -
Thought that he was killed but justly.

Envenomed drink was also there
Which was drunk by his Mother.

All that happened for no reason
All were crying, 'treason, treason'

Hamlet, wounded, thought to avenge
killed the king and took revenge.

He cried, 'incestuous, murderous Dane!
Fall! but never to rise again...............'

Alas! he saw that sergeant Death
Had come to take his last breath..

He felt that passed the Golden moments,
'the Time is up, the rest is silence.'

Cease my pen! don't speak of glory
who can dare to read his story?

An unjust act, a foul practice-
Revenge, O Prince! is a wild justice.

With all my heart, I remember you
Would you believe that I LOVE YOU...? ? ?