Hamlet: Moral Order In Shakespeare's Hamlet, a very clear moral order is established as the protagonist, Hamlet, completes his journey through the phases which define a Shakespearean tragedy. The play begins with Hamlet encountering his father's ghost, at which point he learns his father had in fact been murdered by his own brother, Claudius. It is Hamlet's wish to avenge his father that causes all other moral dilemmas in the play, and this is what defines the play's particular moral order: As the play progresses, the gravity and seriousness of Claudius sins lessen, and Hamlet's grow, although never reaching the moral plateau on which Claudius rests. In the beginning of the play, Hamlet is