In the play Hamlet , by William Shakespeare, Hamlet's father, the king of Denmark, dies and Hamlet's mother marries his uncle. Hamlet then falls into a deep sadness, confusion and anger. He then sees a ghost, who seems to be the spirit of his father, that tells him that his father was murdered by his uncle. The ghost then places a heavy command on Hamlet: he tells him to revenge his father by killing his uncle. Thus, taking him even further away from his old life's happiness. Hamlet sets out to kill his uncle and goes through many transitions and changes along the way.

Shakespeare uses the "bright sky" as a symbol several times in Hamlet's speeches. The bright sky could portray Hamlet's previous life: he had a loving family, he was going to collage, he was in love with a woman (Ophelia) who loved him back, was very smart, and he was going to become a great king. Hamlet tries to get back to that happy previous life throughout the play. His loving family was broken apart by the death of his father and his mother marrying again to his uncle. Hamlet loves Ophelia and despite his father's command, that separates him from her, he still cares about her deeply, thus holding on to the "bright sky". Hamlet is a slave to revenge and really wants to get back to his happiness in his old life. At the end of the play, Hamlet starts the process of returning to that old happiness, by making a mends with the people he loves and he becomes happier. During this whole play Hamlet struggles, fights and tries not to let his "bright sky" be clouded over. The "bright sky" is what Hamlet is fighting for, to preserve it and regain it.

In the beginning of the play, when the public changes from mourning over the late king's death, to celebrating for the marrige of Hamlet's mother and his uncle, Hamlet is questioned by his uncle. Hamlet's uncle says, "why is it that the clouds still hang on you?" Hamlet says, "not so my lord I am too much in the sun." This is Hamlet expressing that he shouldn't be the only one mourning, and expressing his anger at his mother, uncle and country. The "bright sky" is being represented by the people that don't mourn for his father, showing that Hamlet thinks his old life has changed for the worse. When Hamlet sees the ghost, that's when the clouds really blanket Hamlet's bright sky. The ghost uses Hamlet's anger at the clouds that covered up his sky (his uncle), by giving him the idea that when he kills his uncle he will have his life back, but that is not necessarily.

Hamlet loves Ophelia, and he had to give up that loving relationship when his uncle and father doom him to a life of revenge. When Hamlet is talking to Polonious (Ophelia's father) about his daughter(Ophelia), He says, "let her not walk in the sun. Conception is a blessing, but, as your daughter may conceive, friend, look to 't." Hamlet thinks his family has become so dark and dangerous that anyone born into this family will be the same, so if Ophelia gets into a relationship with him and has a child with him, her baby will be bad, so he is saving her. Another interpretation of this quote is that Hamlet has been burned by the "sun" (his old life), because his mother betrayed him by re-marrying, and his father died. Hamlet loves Ophelia, so he doesn't want to see her get hurt. He has stared to look at his old life in a bad way because of what it "did to him".

Hamlet is trying to revenge his father with honor but he really wants to live his own life and not just be a slave to revenge. In a part of the play, Hamlet's old friends come to find out what is wrong with him, because he seems like he's going crazy. Hamlet says to them, "this most exelent canopy, the air, look you, this brave o'er-hanging firnament, this majestical roof, fretted with golden fire - why, it appearith nothing to me but a foul and pestilent congregation of vapors." In this qote Hamlet is portraying that he wants to be part of his old life again. He's saying that he has been seperated from his old life by something that he doesn't say, and it's not fair.

At the end of the play Hamlet starts to regain his old life, by reestablishing his relationships. Hamlet makes a mends for the mis-communication with his mother, and he makes a mends with Leartes (Ophelia's brother, who was angry at Hamlet for killing his father). He kills the king (to revenge his father). He proves to Denmark that he is not crazy (that he was just trying to forfill his father's command. He becomes free of the deed that layed heavy on his soul. He can now be himself. Free to love. Free to live.

The big message in the "bright sky" symbol, is to "make the sky shine bright again". To never let the bright sky be clouded over. Fight for your right to live. Fight for your love. Fight for your life. Fight for your happiness. Hamlet learns that by revenging his father, he will not necessarily get his life back. He has to reastablish the relationships he had in his "bright sky", because that's what his "bright sky" was based on in the first place.