King Hamlet's Murder
The play establishes dramatic irony as early as the first act, when the ghost tells Hamlet that Claudius killed him by pouring poison into his ear while he slept. For the rest of the play, only Hamlet and the audience are aware of this history. The other characters' lack of knowledge about the truth regarding King Hamlet's death places the responsibility of avenging his father firmly on Hamlet himself, who wavers constantly under the pressure.
Hamlet's Predicament
The central conflict in Hamlet is, arguably, and internal one, as Hamlet questions what to do with the knowledge that his uncle murdered his father. This revelation thrusts Hamlet into an anxious and tortured state, a fate that, on the early modern English stage, was typically predicated by some sort of fatal flaw or decision. Hamlet, by contrast, is a relatively innocent figure at the beginning of the play. The plot – which ultimately culminates in Hamlet's death – therefore ironically suggests that fate is impervious to morality and innocence.
Ophelia's Madness
After being rejected by her lover, Hamlet, and after learning of her father's death, Ophelia appears on stage handing out ceremonial flowers to passers-by. Later in the play, she is found dead in a body of water, and the play is ambiguous about whether her death was suicide or not. For many years, critics interpreted Ophelia's behavior as a descent into madness that culminates in her demise. However, more recent scholarship suggests that Ophelia's "unraveling" was simply her unconventional response to societal pressures that tore her in a number of different directions. That the audience themselves is unsure of whether to characterize Ophelia as "mad" creates a situational irony that is never resolved in the play.
Yorick's Fate
When Hamlet finds Yorick's skull in the graveyard, he comes to understand a central irony of human life: that no matter someone's wealth, social status, or what they meant to others, everyone eventually ends up as a decaying corpse in the ground. This realization leads Hamlet further into his inquiries about whether life is even worth living if everyone eventually dies.
