The Role of Duty In William Shakespeare's Hamlet Killing a person is not something that anyone can take lightly. In the story of Hamlet, the uncle of the play's focus character, Prince Hamlet of Denmark, has murdered the prince's father, stolen the crown, and weds his mother. The ghost of king Hamlet comes to the prince and tells him that he must avenge his murder. The play follows Hamlet's quest of revenge against his murdering incestuous uncle. The question that's left to the reader to answer is whether or not the final killing of Claudius was an act of duty or desire for young Hamlet. Some may suspect that the reason he went through with h