Purpose of Plays/Art = to Point Out Society's Flawed Nature?

I both agree and disagree with Hamlet's opinion of the purpose of plays and/or art. I know that in many cases, plays and art do a stupendous job of pointing out society's flawed nature, but at other times, it seems as if it does anything but. Take for example the play "The Nut Cracker"; while one could come up with some ideas as to how the play points out flaws in society, I do not think that the main purpose of the play is to point that out. The play is about a young girl who falls asleep with her new nut cracker, given to her by her grandfather, and finds herself in a fantasy world with her now real life nut cracker. Nowhere in the whole play is the sole purpose to point out flaws withing society. On the flip side of the coin, we have such things as musical art. Take for example Tupac Shakur; many of his songs and poetry dealt with problems in society. In the song "Dear Mama", Tupac says,

"Now ain't nobody tell us it was fair

No love for my daddy 'cause the coward wasn't there

He passed away and I didn't cry, cause my anger

Wouldn't let me feel for a stranger

They say I'm wrong and I'm heartless, but all along

I was lookin for a father he was gone

I hung around with the thugs, and even though they sold drugs

They showed a young brother love

I moved out and started really hangin

I needed money of my own so I started slangin"

Pac does a great job of explaining a flaw of today's society, that flaw being single-parent homes where mothers are left to raise the children all on their own. So once again, I both agree and disagree with Hamlet.

How Much of a Threat Does Claudius Consider Hamlet?

I think Claudius considers Hamlet a formidable threat, because it seems that he is a little too overly concerned about Hamlet and why he has gone crazy. It is perfectly natural for a parent to be concerned and try to figure out what is causing this change, however I think Claudius goes a little overboard. It seems that no matter what is going on around him, he wants to know about Hamlet. A great example of this is in Act 2, Scene 2, when Voltimand brings news that Fortinbras does not want to fight him anymore, but rather wants safe passage through so they can go fight the Polish. Instead of tending to this important business, Claudius tells Voltimand, "at our more considered time we'll read, answer, and think upon this business"(81-82). If Claudius does not consider Hamlet much of a threat, I do not see why he would have blown off national matters in order to tend to personal matters. Hamlet is a big enough threat to Claudius to cause him to abandon his responsibilities and duties as King. I do not believe that Claudius knows Hamlet saw his father's ghost, however it seems he believes Hamlet knows a little more than he would like.

I do believe that Hamlet was truly in love with Ophelia. My reasoning behind this lies in Act 2, Scene 2, Lines 118-122, when Polonius reads Hamlet's letters that he has written to Ophelia aloud. In the letter, Hamlet declares, "But never doubt I love(119)" and just two lines ahead, he tells her, "But that I love thee best, O most best, believe it." Now, it is quite possible that this is Hamlet's crazy side and he really doesn't mean what he says, because we all know that he has been acting a little "Coo-Coo for Cocoa Puffs" since discovering how his father truly died. However, I do believe that Hamlet wrote the letter with a clear mind and meant everything that he said to her. So, if we were to make an educated decision as to whether or not we think Hamlet truly loved Ophelia, then based on Hamlet's own words, I would have to assume he still loved Ophelia.