Hamlet

Critics have long called Hamlet a problematic, difficult, even undramatic play. Shakespeare appears less interested in conventional plot development, or even character development, and instead focuses on a specific theme: the difficulty of action, the corruption of the soul and of the world, and eternal consequences. But for all that Hamlet is one of the most theatrical and self-conscious of Shakespearean plays. The play-within-a-play is but the most obvious example of how Shakespeare removes the actors from the audience.