'Hamlet is primarily a personal rather than a political tragedy' - To what extent do you agree with this statement?

... 'Hamlet is primarily a personal rather than a political tragedy.' To what extent do you agree with this statement? There is no doubt that Hamlet is both a political and personal tragedy but there is room for argument as to which sort of play it primarily is. It is a play based on universal emotions and a play that anybody can relate to. The title of the play in the first printed editions was 'The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark', which implies that the play was a historical and political tragedy, rather than a personal one. However, Hamlet was written in an era of intrusive violent censorship when plays touching political and religious subjects were banned, suggesting the play should not be considered a political one. In addition, Coleridge summed up Hamlet as 'a psychological study of a man who could not bring about a balance between his inward

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