Hamlet fighting with fateMan has, and will always fight, continually struggling to draw the line between fate and chance: the fork in the road along which it is believed that there is order and purpose that guides all beings towards a final destination in the universe, and the other believes that there are only possibilities and coincidences that result from each individual's next action. As Charles K. Cannon indicates, "The game continually looking inward to observe itself as a game - suggests a pattern of diminishing concentric circles moving from what appears to be real to what appears to be an illusion." (Cannon, 208). The academic critic emphasizes the cycle and predestined path that Hamlet's characters follow, while the real characters of the kingdom of Denmark each take their own path in a spiral of death and ruin. Shakespeare's play follows Hamlet's revenge with the preconception that each character introduced is already on their way to their own personal death. But on the other side of the coin, AC Bradley supports the idea that Hamlet and the surrounding characters are simply subject to the next random spin of the wheel of fortune. For example, when Hamlet encounters the pirate ship while looking for transportation back to Denmark, he views the event as divine providence; however, A.C. Bradley continues to believe that it is simply luck and luck that allows Hamlet to find favorable pirates willing to grant him passage. Thus, in Shakespeare's Hamlet, the characters – especially Hamlet – struggle between the two forces of Fate and chance, with Fate ultimately prevailing over the simple mortal representations of the story. At the beginning of Shakespeare's play, Hamlet is introduced to both Fate and Chance. the spirit that is thought......middle of paper......everything. Since no one knows what he leaves behind, what does leaving early mean? Leave it alone” (v.ii.233-238). Hamlet realizes that fate will have its way, eventually taking his life, no matter how hard he fights to swim against the current. As Preston Thomas Roberts, Jr., published author of The Journal of Religion at the University of Chicago, reminds us, "[Hamlet] is finished because he is more involved in the course of events and meanings than a wise man should be" (Roberts , 368). This identifies Hamlet as a direct victim of fate. Hamlet has the ability and intelligence to know better, but he still follows Destiny and ultimately comes to terms with the predestination of all humanity. From these two scenes, Hamlet understands that there is much more to life than living in safety, and decides to accept fate as it leads him into the bloodbath that looms within the walls of Denmark's palace..