Hamlet Revenge Tragedy Essay

HAMLET is undoubtedly one of the most famous, most arguable yet most enacted tragedies written by William Shakespeare which is a revenge saga. The protagonist is very contradicting in the sense that he is reckless yet cautious, tender yet ferocious, thoughtful yet driven. Hamlet is an insight into the turmoil of emotions which forms the basis of revenge, the psychological dilemma of a bereaved son. Prince Hamlet seeks revenge from his uncle, King Claudius for the ruthless murder of his father and his subsequent marriage to his mother, Queen Gertrude.

Hamlet really wanted the revenge on Claudius but was really on the fence of what to actually do to follow through with then plan. Claudius was brave to feel so free, as Hamlet had opportunities to take advantage of him and had plenty of hate towards him for more than one reason. The action Hamlet may want and outcome of it, may be completely different as to what his father would do or like him to do.

As Hamlet became increasingly mad about the situation he tried to get any opportunity to try and expose and kill Claudius. Hamlet sets up a play that everyone attends to try and expose Claudius. When the play goes on, Claudius stands up and removes himself when the death is revealed, and that was enough exposure for Hamlet. Hamlet later finds Claudius in the confession booth and thinks that is the perfect time to kill him. Hamlet puts the knife

A ghost appears and says he is Hamlet’s father. The ghost says he was murdered, and wants Hamlet to get revenge on who is responsible for his death. Hamlet is hesitant because he doesn’t know if the ghost is telling the truth. Hamlet must find out the truth and deal with his actions along the way. The ghost has a very impactful and important role in the play, and is the driving point in the play.

Hamlet seems obsessed with the concept of death. Along with his slipping sanity Hamlet is not able to find any hard evidence making him act rash where he stages a play to make his own evidence. Claudius seems to suspect Hamlet because of Hamlet’s plan to be mad with love and sends two former friends of Hamlet to spy on him. Hamlet believes he is in control though when he tells them, “I do not well understand that. Will you play upon this pipe” (III.ii.313). Hamlet realizes what Guildenstern and Rosencrantz are up to and tells them nothing. Feeling that his uncle s up to him, Hamlet uses the play to judge Claudius’s reaction and proceed from there. This scene could be considered the climax of the play where Hamlet knows for sure Claudius killed the late king and Claudius knows Hamlet knows. This scene might seem like Hamlet’s actions caused the mistake, but Hamlet’s inability to confront his uncle makes Hamlet to act with hesitation. The cause of Hamlet’s losing sanity is the king. Claudius seems to be the origin point for almost all of Hamlet’s problems: his dead father, his faithless mother, and the target for a revenge plan he do seems hesitant on. Even when Hamlet confirms the fact that Claudius killed his father, Hamlet does not act fast with a murder plan. It seems that Hamlet wants to avenge his father, but he does not want to murder for there

Hamlet feels unable to take revenge unless he is absolutely sure of Claudius ' guilt. Hamlet fears that the Ghost is not his father but an evil spirit sent to tempt him to Hell. So he devises a plan to gather evidence and facts before he kills Claudius. Hamlet comes out of character in order for the plan to work and loses himself in the process.

In Hamlet, a play by William Shakespeare, the protagonist Hamlet seeks to avenge his father’s death. The ghost of his father appears and tells Hamlet that Claudius murdered him. Claudius poisons his brother so that he can take the throne. Hamlet responds to the injustice of his father’s murder with his brand of justice, revenge.

Hamlet had every reason in the world to kill his uncle turned stepfather, Claudius. Once he would have been able to explain the truth about his uncle’s dirty deeds, nobody would have been upset with his actions. So the question remains, why did Hamlet take so long to take action? For the majority of the play, Hamlet thinks up and talks about all the ways he could get revenge, but it isn’t really until act three that Hamlet takes the first step in exposing Claudius’ treacherous ways. “If the prince had gone naturally to work in the first act, the play would have ended right there,” said Thomas Hammer (Nardo 61). Hammer couldn’t have been more accurate. Without Hamlet’s

    In Elizabethan times, a type of play known as a "revenge tragedy" became popular. These plays revolved around, "... the revenge of a father for a son or vice versa, the revenge being directed by the ghost of the murdered man..." (Harmon and Holman #6). Other characteristics include real or pretend insanity, philosophic soliloquies, hesitation on the part of the protagonist, conspiracy, and the use of horror. William Shakespeare's Hamlet fully satisfies each of these traits, making it an excellent example of a revenge tragedy. Certainly, the most critical theme in the play by far is that of revenge; it fuels the plot and story of Hamlet, reveals the hamartia of the protagonist, and is used successfully to

Overwhelmed with responsibility to his late father and conflicted by the morality of murder, Hamlet fails to capitalize on his first opportunity to kill Claudius, and he asks himself, “am I then revenged / [t]o take him in the purging of his soul, / [w]hen he is fit and seasoned for his passage? / No” (III.iii.89-92). While Claudius is praying in the castle, Hamlet forgoes the opportunity to end Claudius’s life as he does not want Claudius to receive acceptance by God. Hamlet knows he must overcome his flaws of doubt, procrastination and indecisiveness so that his goal of revenge can be achieved.

The play, Hamlet by William Shakespeare, surrounds the central idea of revenge and betrayal. Revenge drives the characters and determines their actions throughout the play, which results in several instances of betrayal. With revenge, the friendship and loyalty of characters are tested and conflicts are established between characters. Hamlet’s father, the king of Denmark, was helplessly poisoned by his own brother, Claudius. Hamlet, the protagonist, becomes aware of his father’s death and finds himself seeking revenge and starting a cycle of hatred. Hamlet embarks on his journey for revenge by displaying an act of craziness. Throughout the play, there were several moments where Hamlet’s actions caused confusion and made it difficult for

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a tragedy that involves murder, deception, and vengeance. The storyline begins with Claudius killing the King of Denmark, Hamlet. When revealed to his son; young Hamlet, he vows to have revenge on Claudius. As the story goes on Hamlet began to act crazy with madness. While this holds true, many scholars and critics question whether or not he was truly mad.

Hamlet is Shakespeare’s most famous work of tragedy. Throughout the play the title character, Hamlet, tends to seek revenge for his father’s death. Shakespeare achieved his work in Hamlet through his brilliant depiction of the hero’s struggle with two opposing forces that hunt Hamlet throughout the play: moral integrity and the need to avenge his father’s murder. When Hamlet sets his mind to revenge his fathers’ death, he is faced with many challenges that delay him from committing murder to his uncle Claudius, who killed Hamlets’ father, the former king. During this delay, he harms others with his actions by acting irrationally, threatening Gertrude, his mother, and by killing Polonius which led into the madness and death of Ophelia.

Deceit, mystery, murder, and betrayal are all very captivating and together have the makings for a daytime soap opera. In this case, however, they are a part of the tragedy of Hamlet. The most regaling aspects of this play, despite the entertaining and compelling qualities just mentioned, are the revenge and the surprisingly unappealing nature of the main character, Hamlet. Throughout the play, Hamlet makes stupid choices that will ultimately lead to his own death, and the death of many around him. Hamlet should not be identified as a courageous hero seeking to avenge his father but instead as a coward lacking determination.

Shakespeare goes to great measures to convey countless tragedies in Hamlet to make it the most popular and known tragedy ever written. Not only did Hamlet have to surpass the tragedies life threw at him, but he also had to consider his conflicting views. Shakespeare also writes the play to show how Hamlet’s hesitation to get revenge on Claudius leads other characters to their death. The tragic theme of Hamlet stems from Hamlet procrastinating revenge, while Laertes and Fortinbras immediately sought revenge for their father’s death, creating a foil between the three characters.