Hamlet Theme Analysis

Getting revenge does not always guarantee a satisfactory win in the end. In the famous play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, returns from school after learning that his father, the king, has died. He later discovers that his uncle has actually killed Hamlet’s father in order to take his throne and wife. Instructed by the ghost of his father, Hamlet seeks out to get revenge on his uncle. In this play, the revenge of Hamlet’s father affects Hamlet’s relationships, actions, and state of mind.

Revenge is a dangerous downfall. Revenge has caused people to do incredibly stupid and recklessly acts. The worst part of revenge however, is how easily people can justify and rationalize their actions, an eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth. Hamlet is no exception. Throughout Shakespeare’s Hamlet, revenge is an almost suffocating theme. Fortinbras, Laertes, and Hamlet are all seeking retribution for the deaths of their fathers. However, while seeking such revenge, they rely on their emotions which drive them to make gambles. Gambles that in the end lead to death save one. Fortinbras father was slain by King Hamlet during battle as seen in the text, "...valiant Hamlet for so this side of our known world esteem'd him did slay this Fortinbras." Fortinbras son was so angered by his father's murder that he not only sought revenge against King Hamlet, but against all of Denmark. Young Fortinbras empowered by his rage planned to take back

Hamlet’s need for revenge begins in act 1 when the ghost tells him what happened. In the play, the ghost of King Hamlet appears and tells his son, Hamlet, that he is his father’s spirit, “I am thy father’s spirit…” (act I, scene v). The ghost is talking to Hamlet and tells him how he was really killed. He says, “Now, Hamlet, hear. 'Tis given out that, sleeping in my orchard, A serpent stung me; so the whole ear of Denmark Is by a forged process of my death Rankly abus'd; but know, thou noble youth, The serpent that did sting thy father's life Now wears his crown” (act I, scene v). King Hamlet’s spirit explains to his son that the serpent

without the guidance of either of their fathers. Laertes, on one hand, is more concerned about the moral justice that would be achieved by avenging his father’s death. “I am satisfied in nature,/ Whose motive in this case should stir me most/ To my revenge” (Act V, scene ii, 3882-3885). Hamlet, on the other hand, is lost in his madness and unable to clearly define how he can justify his actions, and make things right again in Denmark.

However despite the insidious actions of Laertes in proposing the challenge of a duel with Hamlet, Laertes is without the cruelty and vindictiveness of Hamlet. Hamlet not only wants to avenge his King Hamlet's death, he wants Claudius to be eternally punished, therefore Hamlet does not slay Claudius in the scene where Claudius is praying, as there is a chance Claudius might have had a chance to confess. Laertes wants revenge, he is not concerned with punishment. Laertes is concerned with the physical

Hamlet begins to react upon his feelings and does away with his reason as he says to the ghost that he will do away with all knowledge and memory and keep within his mind the want to revenge his fathers’ murder. “Yea, from the table of my memory I’ll wipe away all trivial fond records, All saws of books, all forms, all pressures past That youth and observation copied there, And thy commandment all alone shall live”, (1.5.96-103). Hamlet begins to exhibit the argued theme that revenge causes people to act recklessly

Both Laertes and Hamlet experience similar events in their lives. Both men lose their father to murder. Both men know who murdered their father, and both men desire revenge. Laertes exclaims that he will “be revenged / Most throughly for [his] father.” (4.5.153-154).

Hamlet meets the ghost of his father and he is shaken by what he hears. Hamlet’s father relays to him that Claudius is indeed his murderer. The ghost strictly instructs Hamlet to get revenge on Claudius, not mentioning the correct moment to do it. With Hamlet’s warrior side active, he relays his thoughts that

Although deeply sorrowed by his father?s death, he did not consider payback as an option until he meets with the ghost of his father. The ghost tells Hamlet King Claudius, his own brother, murdered him. The ghost then tells Hamlet ?to revenge his foul and most unnatural murder? (I.v.25). Although murder was an acceptable form of revenge in Hamlet?s time he is uncertain about killing Claudius. However, upon his father?s command, Hamlet reluctantly swears to retaliate against Claudius. Hamlet does this not because he wants to, but because his father makes it clear that it is his duty as a son. Hamlet promises to prove his love and duty by killing Claudius.

In this case, Hamlet is obsessed with yet unable to act out his revenge since he is a man of thought and reflection, not of action and impulsiveness. "Revenge, said Francis Bacon in his essay on the subject, is a kind of wild justice, and something in Hamlet is too civilized for stealthy murder," says Northrop Frye (Frye). While he knows it is his duty to avenge his father's murder, Hamlet's desire to fulfill this obligation constantly wavers. In self-pity he cries, "O cursed spite / That ever I was born to set it right!" (1.5. 188-189), and yet in rage he utters, "Now could I drink hot blood / and do such bitter business as the day / Would quake to loot on," (3.2. 397-399). Hamlet hesitates numerous times to fulfill his duty to avenge his father, and in the end he must actually convince himself to kill Claudius. "... I do not know / Why yet I live to say 'This thing's to do', / Sith I have cause, and will, and strength, and means / To do't... / ... / O, from this time forth, / My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth!" (4.4. 43-46, 65-66). This unusual flaw leads to Hamlet's inevitable demise, and is the most convincing evidence that Hamlet is, indeed, a tragedy. The protagonist, however, is not the only character in the play that experiences a want for revenge. Shakespeare uses all three of the sons seeking vengeance to reveal the complexity of the human yearning for

Laertes is very angry and admits that no matter what, he will get revenge for his fathers death when he says “To hell, allegiance! vows, to the blackest devil! Conscience and grace, to the profoundest pit! I dare damnation. To this point I stand, That both the worlds I give to negligence, Let come what comes; only I'll be revenged Most thoroughly for my father. (IV. v. 104-10) Laertes is very quick to act, we see this when he automatically jumps to the conclusion that Claudius was whom murdered Polonius, and is ready to attack. But when Claudius tells him that it was Hamlet’s doing, he is fuming and ready to strike back at Hamlet for causing his family so much grief. Laertes and Claudius create a plan to kill Hamlet and make it look like an accident, but their plan fails when they are blind sided, forcing them to make a new plan. Their new plan isn’t spoken about, but we see it unravel before our eyes as the story goes on, after the death of Ophelia, Hamlet agrees to a fencing match with Laertes. Laertes being a impulsive young man, doesn’t think out the possibilities of putting poison on his sword, and when it comes back to bite him, it ends up ending his life as well as Hamlet’s, Claudius’ and

Realising the gravity of his actions, Laertes uses his last breath to ask for forgiveness. Even though, in their society, it is normal to take arms and kill for revenge, Shakespeare chooses to show that it is wrong through Laertes’ lines. In the end, revenge only brings death to Laertes, but he has the right intuition in his dying moments: “Exchange forgiveness with me, noble Hamlet./Mine and my father’s death come not upon thee” (5.2.361-362). Young Hamlet, the protagonist, understands the dilemma of having to take another’s life. Hamlet already disliked his uncle for marrying his mother when the ghost of his father tells Hamlet to avenge him by killing his uncle (1.5.14-31): GHOST:

What is Hamlet about? Maybe a summary of the plot could answer this question but it wouldn’t do it justice. However it’s impossible to narrow down any of William Shakespeare’s work to one theme. The fact is, that all of Shakespeare’s plays are about many things. There are many ways to look at a Shakespearean play, and none are wrong of course, but it is not entirely true to say that one theme is the most important. Some of the more common and dominate themes that can be found in any of Shakespeare’s works are: conflict, appearance and reality, order and disorder, and change.

    Within the Shakespearean tragic drama Hamlet there are a number of themes. Literary critics find it difficult to agree on the ranking of the themes. This essay will present the themes as they are illustrated in the play – and let the reader prioritize them.

The death of Hamlet’s father and his mother remarrying two months after his father’s death are two scenarios that instill revenge into Hamlet’s brain. Throughout the play, the readers see how Hamlet’s personality and mental state evolves while revenge is still on his mind. Hamlet rationally thinks about revenge and the consequences to come by contemplating killing Claudius for a great amount of the play. Ever since Hamlet discovered that Claudius killed his father by pouring poison down his ear, Hamlet became obsessed with the idea of death and revenge. King Hamlet encourages Prince Hamlet to take action immediately against Claudius and ultimately leaves it up to Hamlet to figure out the revenge plan (1.5.7-41). Hamlet solely focuses on getting revenge even if it is the last thing he does. Because King Hamlet left his fate up to his son, Hamlet had to make complicated decisions on his own, which altered his mental state as the play progressed. Shakespeare tactically builds up the beginning of Hamlet, only to have Hamlet question the authenticity later in the play, which is where his paranoia begins. In the article “Revenge and Vengeance in Shakespeare’s Hamlet: A Study of Hamlet’s Pursuit and Procrastination Regarding Revenge,” the author, Haque, states that “Hamlet was actually considered to be an indecisive person who always used to think much but act too little,” meaning that the conversation with the ghost telling him to get revenge would not be the only time Hamlet was indecisive, which delayed his revenge process. The readers see that Hamlet is eager planning the revenge on Claudius, but when the time comes, Hamlet is unable to