In Shakespeares Hamlet, lineage is as important an element as plot and character. Hamlet and Fortinbras, in particular, share a royal lineage that places exceptional responsibility upon their characters. Indeed, it is the precise nature of the various familial relationships within the play that create the intensity of feeling, tension, and tragedy. Hamlet himself is forced to be at the center of the action in the play distinctly because of family. How other characters interact with him, and the role they play in the ultimate end, are also dictated by family.
