The stage is awash in the aftermath of a fateful battle. A lifeless king rests among the corpses of his family and followers, killed for his sins. His nephew, Hamlet, has just taken the life of the man who stole King Hamlet's crown and leaves with the certainty that he has just freed his nation, Denmark, from an oppressive ruler. Unfortunately, what Hamlet fails to grasp is the amount of incalculable sacrifices that led him to succeed in wresting the crown from Claudius. In fact, the lack of animosity in Claudius' character and the utter destruction resulting from Hamlet's journey to avenge his father constitute evidence of the poignant truth: Hamlet was responsible for the decadence of his country and cannot be considered the savior of Denmark. Conversely, others would tend to argue that Hamlet, the protagonist of what is perhaps the most illustrious English text in existence, could actually be vindicated by being called a savior. The standard definition of “savior” is one who saves another, a person or object, from danger. It could be argued that Hamlet's nation of Denmark is under pressure as the young Prince Fortinbras of Norway threatens to occupy the country under the false justification that he is attempting to conquer Poland. Since Fortinbras recently lost his father in the Danish-Norwegian War, this could prove to be evidence of an attack on Denmark; therefore, in this context, Denmark fell into danger. Alexander Crawford claims that King Claudius of Denmark is useless in his efforts to protect his nation from invasion, going so far as to employ diplomats to speak for him. “This weakness,” he writes, “is in contrast to the times of old Hamlet, when Danish royal power was feared and respected...... middle of paper ......o&d=6140459>.Knight , G .Wilson. "The Embassy of Death: An Essay on Hamlet." Shakespeare Through the Ages by Bloom. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Infobase, 2008. 264-277. Print.MacCary, W. Thomas. "Amon and the character." Hamlet: A Guide to the Opera. Westport: Greenwood, 1998. 70. Questoa Online Library. Network. March 28, 2011. .Macdonald, George. "Old Hamlet." Shakespeare Through the Ages by Bloom. Ed. Harold Bloom. 1875. New York: Infobase, 2008. Page no. Print.Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: Simon, 2009. Print.Shmoop Editorial Team. “Claudio in Hamlet”. Shmoop.com. Shmoop U, Inc., November 11, 2008. Web. March 28, 2011. .- - -. “Fortinba in Hamlet”. Shmoop.com. Shmoop U, Inc., November 11, 2008. Web. March 28. 2011. .