The Importance Of Revenge In Hamlet

Hamlet has lived through plenty of ups and downs throughout his childhood. He has been lost and confused within himself, but knew he wanted one thing, which was revenge on his fathers killer, Claudius. His passion of hate developed for Claudius as he married Hamlets mother shortly after the king’s death. Hamlet could not decide on the perfect decision for himself, his mother and father as well as the best way to follow through with the best consequence for Claudius that would impress his father. His everyday life, along with his love life, left him with an empty heart, which slowed the process of the revenge down. Hamlet never expected to be captured and kidnapped by pirates, as he was sent overseas as a young man. His inside thoughts were attacking and overwhelming Him, leaving him depressed and anxious. Hamlet’s life has been leading him to negative thoughts that he cannot process or act accordingly to, due to the excessive amount of issues and options involved in his life at a young age, him being overwhelmed lead him to delaying the process of avenging his fathers killer.

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

The play “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare is about a guy named Hamlet going through a hard time in life, after the death of his father, and the remarriage of his mother to his uncle. Throughout the play were are able to get a greater understanding of who Hamlet really is. The actions of Hamlet in Shakespeare's master piece “Hamlet” proves him to a revenge seeker, emotional, and crazy.

Revenge is the great motivator of men and women alike. People are compelled to seek justice for themselves and for the ones they love and many will commit atrocities to achieve their retribution. Revenge, and its role in Hamlet, is established early in the play with the presentation of the character Fortinbras, the Prince of Norway. Fortinbras is introduced as a hot headed, merciless, and revenge obsessed man who is assembling a private army to reclaim the land that his father, the former King of Norway, died for. The theme of revenge is further established in Act I when Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, is convinced by the ghost of his father, the former King of Denmark, to avenge his death by killing the man who murdered him, Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle and the current King of Denmark. Revenge continuously acts as a major motivating force for the actions of Hamlet and Fortinbras, and even affects Laertes, Hamlet’s old friend. When Laertes’ father is killed by Hamlet, he is convinced that he will find justice for his father by killing Hamlet. Love is the uniting force among these men, they all love their fathers and demand justice for their murder. The theme of revenge in Hamlet by Shakespeare shows how human emotion drives: Hamlet, Fortinbras, and Laertes to commit horrendous acts in the name of “justice”.

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

So far, the reader sees Hamlet as a young man that has lost his mentor and seems quite devastated. Shakespeare adds a twist to the play when Hamlet encounters his dead father’s ghost who speaks to him, “Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder. ”(Act I Scene V, Line 25).

Justifying the act of revenge is often a difficult thing to do. It is commonly said that two wrongs don’t make a right and committing an act of revenge is very rarely going to end up being a morally good decision. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, we see many different characters attempting to get revenge and the effects revenge has on them. Further evidence of character’s change due to revenge can be found in Goddard’s contemporary criticism of Hamlet. Finally, in the episode Act V of This American Life, inmates in prison provide a relatable perspective of Shakespeare’s characters and help contextualize their motivations with real experiences. Among the stories of revenge present in the play, Hamlet’s task to kill Claudius causes the most drastic change in his character. We see Hamlet grapple with false madness and his own morals as his life collapses around him. As Hamlet struggles to complete his goal his ideals shift and he is finally able to enact his revenge and kill Claudius. The desire for revenge and the actions towards carrying out that revenge can completely change an individual’s character.

“While seeking revenge, dig two graves - one for yourself”, as is what happens to those who take revenge, buried in their own unforgiveness. Francis Bacon’s idea of revenge attempts to bypass this problem of unforgiveness, with the forgiveness of the perpetrator. But not all revenge can be simply forgiven, which is the case in Hamlet; Francis Bacon also knows about this problem, but describes it in his own words with “The most tolerable sort of revenge is for those wrongs which there is no law to remedy; but then let a man take heed the revenge be such as there is no law to punish”(Francis Bacon 15). Sir Francis Bacon’s idea of revenge relates to Hamlet in how revenge is handled, the repercussions of acting in revenge, and its ability to change a person's thought process.

In today's society, the media often portrays revenge as an acceptable option. This is not outright stated, but rather implied. Characters often seem to think that revenge is the only way to get closure from a bad experience, and when this is acted on, negative consequences are not shown. Rarely is the fact that vengeance is hypocritical and wrong brought up. People need to wake up and realize that revenge is always hypocritical and illogical. As Christ said, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” (John 8:7)

Here, Hamlet is fully set on killing Claudius. He has entrenched his father’s words in his brain that he cannot think about anything else rather than obeying his commands. Hamlet is now aware that Claudius is the villain and he must be avenged. The Ghost portrays this sense of responsibility to Hamlet to take revenge of his father’s murder. The Ghost makes Hamlet feel inertly confused, and leads his mind to a struggle between morality and duty.

Hamlet and the Issue of Revenge in William Shakespeare's Play The question of why Hamlet does not immediately avenge his father's death is perhaps one of the most perplexing problems faced by an audience. Each generation of viewers has come up with it's own explanation, and it has now become the most widely known critical problem in Shakespearean studies. A rather simplistic, yet valid standpoint to take on this problem is that it was essential to the tragedy's narrative progression. As Hanmer said "had he gone naturally to work, there would have been an end to our play!".

The Play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare is considered to be one of the greatest literary works of Shakespeare. In the opening scenes, the Ghost of Hamlet's late father shares the truth in which King Hamlet died. He explains to Hamlet that his father's death was caused by Claudius pouring poison into his ear. Hamlet is urged by the ghost to avenge his wrongful death, telling him that Claudius has tainted Denmark and Gertrude, having seduced her in lust of their sinful marriage, but Hamlet is unsure if he can trust the ghost because he is not sure if he is a good or evil spirit. Later on in the play Hamlet was ready to take his revenge on Claudius but he was praying and hamlet did not want to kill him in prayer. Hamlet needs to gather more information before seeking revenge, and he procrastinates through discovering that revenge is easier said than done.

Revenge is something most people seek when they are hurt by someone or a loved one of theirs is hurt. Revenge can be a physical or verbal action toward someone. In William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, the play has a major theme of revenge. Many of the characters in the play are seeking revenge, such as Hamlet, Claudius, and Laertes. Some of the characters are seeking revenge due to their father’s deaths, and others are encouraging someone to seek revenge. The theme revenge can lead to death is seen when Hamlet’s revenge led to Polonius’ death, Claudius’ revenge led to Gertrude’s death, and Laertes’ revenge led to Hamlet’s, Claudius’, and his own death.

A forest fire starts and gradually grows uncontrollably. It consumes everything in its path. Revenge is similar to this devastation. Revenge is an act based on anger with no reasoning, and it’s not over until the act is completed. William Shakespeare, in Hamlet, built his play on this idea of an eye for an eye, which is revenge. Hamlet and Laertes are both out to avenge their fathers’ deaths. They go about it differently, but their motivation is the same. Shakespeare uses the characters Hamlet and Laertes, in their acts of revenge, show how the theme is developed throughout the play.

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.