Justice In Hamlet

On the other hand, Laertes wants to revenge his father’s death. Therefore this mistake murder leads Hamlet to his downfall as Claudius and Laertes want to kill him.

Laertes also brings revenge and betrayal out of Hamlet. Though an enemy, Laertes is a foil to Hamlet. Laertes helps in the development of Hamlet through the similarities they share. These include anger over the death of their fathers, and desire to exact revenge. Betrayal is also relevant because Laertes betrays Claudius in the end, revealing his plan to kill Hamlet. Hamlet betrays his father by verbally abusing his mother, against the wishes of his father. The differences between the two men are very strong. Hamlet would not kill Claudius in the church because he was praying. Laertes, however stated that he would kill Hamlet in a church, praying or not. Another difference is that Hamlet cannot be a man of action and a man of thought at the same time. He does not use his mind when he acts. He just acts. When he is pondering something, he is unable to act out his thoughts, and keeps quiet. Laertes, however, is able to act while thinking. He finds out that Hamlet killed his father and immediately devises a plan to kill him. This flaw makes Hamlet dangerous to himself, and is ultimately his downfall.

Many fictional characters are presented with unique circumstances that dictate their life long search for justice, often coming up empty-handed. One character that exemplifies this model of a person in searching for justice appears in Shakespeare’s novel, Hamlet. The title character, Hamlet, understands justice in terms of a noble revenge, but fails to take action, due to his weak disposition to act on his thoughts. Hamlet’s search for justice was not successful because his sense of “justice” was flawed, ultimately leading not only to his own death, but to Laertes who had a very similar mission to that of Hamlet. Hamlet’s fatal flaw leads to the question concerning what differentiates real justice from faux justice.

    In Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, the characters of Laertes and Hamlet both display impulsive reactions when angered. Once Laertes discovers his father has been murdered, he immediately assumes the slayer is Claudius. As a result of Laertes' speculation, he instinctively moves to avenge Polonius' death. "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 worlds I give to negligence, let come what comes; only I'll be revenged most thoroughly for my father." Act 4 Scene 5 lines 128-134 provide insight into Laertes' mind, displaying his desire for revenge at any cost.

To begin with, Laertes is the most similar foil to Hamlet when it comes to circumstance and rage. They both want revenge for their father’s death, though their method of revenge are different. Laertes is a man of action and wants to get revenge right away after learning that his father Polonius has been killed. In contrast to Laertes, Hamlet does not even make public knowledge of his father’s murder. Laertes doesn’t procrastinate his attempt at revenge like Hamlet. However, he is very shallow and Hamlet is a genius in comparison. Hamlet thinks of ways to plan his revenge against Claudius, though it is his tendency to overthink that leads him to his tragic flaw. He himself realizes that Laertes is put in a similar position to himself. “I’ll be your foil, Laertes: in mine ignorance your skill shall, like a star i’ the darkest night, Stick fiery off indeed” (V.ii.5-7). Rage is another emotion the characters have in common. When Laertes learns of his father’s death, he gets enraged and wants to get revenge instantly. "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 worlds I give to negligence, let come what comes; only I'll be revenged most thoroughly for my father." (Act 4 Scene 5 lines 128-134). Laertes says to Claudius that he will honor his father when he says that he was “in deed his father’s son more than in words” and that he will kill Hamlet. “To cut his throat i’

In “Hamlet” however, this clear symmetry is replaced with a more muddled intertwinement. Rather than maintaining two relatively separate plot threads in the journeys of Lear and Gloucester, Shakespeare opts to interweave the motivations and fates of Laertes and Hamlet, using their conflict as the central dynamic, while their parallels take a reduced role. In this sense, while King Lear is driven solely by the dualism of the story, Hamlet relies on the clash of the two plots to suggest injustice. This injustice, through conflict, is shown most prominently in Hamlet’s and Laertes’ duel at the end of the play. Hamlet, describing Laertes as a “a very noble youth.” (5.1.231), reveals a respect towards his foe that suggests that it is circumstance, not choice, that forces his hand. Similarly, Laertes’ singular goal, “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.” (4.5.151-154) shows that his wrath is fueled solely by duty, such that his pursuit of revenge imparts upon him a single-minded myopia that drives him inexorably towards the final conflict. Ironically, upon meeting Claudius after hearing of his father’s death, Laertes asks “How came he

Throughout time, people have served justice for the wrongs of others, often through revenge. Because of this, some people see justice as taking an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is no exception. The primary form of justice throughout the play is through revenge. There are three characters who demand and successfully achieve the justice by taking revenge on the wrongdoer. Hamlet seeks justice for his father’s murder, Laertes for the death of his father and sister, and Fortinbras for both the death of his father and the loss of his land.

In the play Hamlet there are many themes that were brought to our attention; Madness, Revenge, Mortality, Religion, Incest, Family, and Death. In this essay we will be discussing two of these themes that we found intriguing, the two themes are Death, and Revenge.

Betrayal was also a similarity shared by the two.  Hamlet betrayed his father when he speaks spitefully toward his mother in her chambers.  Laertes betrays King Claudius in the end when he tells of the plot to kill Hamlet.  The two characters had many things in common but they also had differences.  The biggest difference between the two was their haste at revenging their fathers.  Hamlet thought a lot about how and when to kill Claudius.  Hamlet was concerned about much more than just the revenge of his father.  He was worried about his own salvation and the salvation of King Claudius.  Laertes did not contemplate at all about the revenge of his father.  He first thought it was King Claudius that killed his father and brought a rebellion to the castle to kill the King.  When Laertes found out that it was Hamlet he just wanted to kill him, it was King Claudius who devised a plan and thought out the murder of Hamlet.  The biggest difference in their attitudes toward revenge is shown by the fact that Hamlet would not kill Claudius in prayer because he might go to heaven, but Laertes didn't care and said that he would kill Hamlet in the church.  This clearly differentiates the amount of thought put into revenge between the two characters.  The similarities between the characters allow the audience to compare them, but the more important use of this foil is the difference.  Aristotle

Laertes serves a foil to Hamlet, although they are not similar in birth, they are similar in that they both have a dear father murdered. Using this parallel, Shakespeare uses Laertes to show what Hamlet should be doing, contrasting Laertes’s words of action to Hamlet’s own words of action. We see this most clearly when Laertes is talking with Claudius and he says that he will “cut [Hamlet’s] throat i' th' church” to avenge his father, this contrasts directly with Hamlet who decides not to kill a praying Claudius when he has the chance (4.7.144). Laertes also serves as external conflict as he challenges Hamlet to a fight and is convinced by Claudius to kill Hamlet with a poisoned sword. Without this fight, who knows if Hamlet would have gotten around to kill Claudius? But when we really look at Laertes’ words and consequent action, we see another similarity with Hamlet, both are rash and passionate. This is significant because

In sources of literature, authors illustrate different themes to advance the plot. This is definitely the case in Shakespeare's play, Hamlet. The author presents the theme of morality through many characters. Also, in many scenes of the play, the audience witnesses the theme of revenge. Furthermore, Deceit is another theme that is seen in the play from the beginning until the end. In the play, Hamlet, the theme of revenge, morality, and deceit are portrayed within the characters.

In the revenge play of Hamlet, the idea of poetic justice can be seen throughout the play various times. Shakespeare allows the reader to understand the mistakes of each character by killing them off in a justly manner. While seeking revenge, the main characters of the play earn their poetic ending, permitting Shakespeare to restore the karmic balance of the play. Claudius, Leartes, Polonius, are all killed poetically as a direct result of their actions, while Ophelia is used to reiterate the poetic justices in the other character because of the fact that she is not killed poetically.

    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.

Even though Hamlet is in the perfect situation to obtain revenge for his father’s murder, he still recognizes the importance of religion and the effect it will have on the outcome. Instead of killing Claudius at a time when he will go to heaven, he instead decides to wait until he catches Claudius doing something sinful so that he will go to hell. Hamlet’s recognition and respect of religion is in exact contrast with Laertes reaction to the idea of killing someone during prayer. In response to Claudius asking Laertes what he is willing to do for revenge he exclaims that he would “…cut his throat i’th’ church”(4.7.139). This reaction is in direct contrast with Hamlets reaction. Laertes is willing to kill the guilty at any time, no matter of the religious consequences on either him or the target. Shakespeare utilizes this direct contrast to highlight that although they both face the same issue, Hamlet recognizes the religious consequences of his actions while Laertes does not.

Death can be defined as; the permanent and irreversible cessation of the vital functions that result in the end of one’s life. Death itself can have many different causes such as disease, old age or even something as gruesome as murder. In the Elizabethan era, it seems as though murder was commonly used to solve problems as in several of William Shakespeare's plays, characters are killed so that more dominant characters can obtain what they truly desire. In William Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet death is a prominent theme that is explored in depth throughout the play. Within the play, there are many examples of death; such as the suicide of Ophelia, the unnecessary murder of numerous characters and even Hamlet’s untimely death itself.