Hamlet: the embodiment of timeless literature“If all the plays suddenly disappeared and only Hamlet miraculously survived, all the theaters in the world would be saved. They could all stage Hamlet and succeed” – Vsevolod Meyerhold (Russian director). Why could Hamlet single-handedly save theaters? This could be the basic, underlying story: the king kills his brother in order to gain the throne, forcing his son to take revenge. This key factor can be interpreted differently depending on who is reading the piece, leading to its timelessness and universality. Based on an old Norse play by Kyd, Shakespeare took the "Revenge Play" and made it modern for its time. Although it followed the same pattern; a king is killed by his brother who then marries his wife, meanwhile the prince must avenge his father while avoiding being killed by the new king. Shakespeare's innovation of adding the political aspect made the play a success in every decade. People can always relate to deception, and Shakespeare did so both politically and personally. It begins with political deception upon discovering that the king is dead and Claudius has taken the throne. In the days of monocracy, this was always a concern because there was always the question of whether the new ruler would be a tyrant and repressive. In modern application terms, this could amount to corruption in our government. When running for office, if one has unfairly and dissolutely (e.g. by paying bribes) taken control of a position over an opponent, this can be like "assassination." policy of it. There is also a lot of personal deception throughout Hamlet. This is done primarily through espionage and secrecy. At first, Claudi... middle of paper ... to make choices about how they wanted to play these scenes. Nevertheless, the ghost is an important part of the play that will always raise questions in the readers' minds. Does the ghost drive Hamlet mad or is it the madness within that causes the ghost to reveal itself? Is it the ghost that drives Hamlet to seek revenge or the truth about Claudius' murder? These questions may change with each generation, but as some questions are answered, others arise, leading the audience to always be captivated by Hamlet. Today we can see vestiges of Hamlet throughout modern literature and television. Before children even know who Shakespeare is, they learn the underlying theme of Hamlet by watching "The Lion King." Sitting in for Monday night drama Heroes, millions around the world watch revenge stories based on Hamlet, brought to life..