To understand Priam and Pyrrhus in
Hamlet, we first have to identify the two men who are mentioned in
the allusion.
The characters are from the stories of the
Trojan War. For this allusion to be effective, most of the Elizabethan audience the play
was performed for would have known of the story. Priam is killed by Achilles'
son Neoptolemus (also known as
Pyrrhus).
It is possible that
Hamlet is comparing Pyrrhus to his uncle, Claudius. Some sources record the presence of
Piram's wife, Hecuba, who helplessly stands by watching the murder. Hamlet wonders if
perhaps Gertrude stood by and watched while Claudius murdered King Hamlet. By doing so,
Gertrude might knowingly have aided Claudius in the murder. But this idea is swept aside
when the ghost of Old Hamlet speaks to his son while Gertrude (not
seeing the ghost) watches. The ghost confirms that murder was not her sin. Instead, the
ghost tells Hamlet that judgement for the crime she has committed—marrying her
brother-in-law (seen as incest by the Elizabethans)—should be left to
heaven.
The comparison that Hamlet makes seems clear
enough. It is, however, ironic and provides an instance of sad foreshadowing (of which
Shakespeare most certainly would have noticed and used intentionally) that Priam also
kills Pyrrhus' son. By the end of the story, through conniving treachery, Hamlet
has been poisoned by Claudius and
dies.
In terms of the choice of Priam and Pyrrhus, Hamlet
is drawing a parallel between the murder of Priam by Pyrrhus, and the murder of his
father, Old Hamlet, at the hands of Claudius, who then "steals his throne and
wife."
Ultimately, it is impossible to be exactly sure how
Shakespeare intended to use his reference to Priam and Pyrrhus, but it is clear that he
is drawing attention to the idea of one man killing another.
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