Hamlet, By William Shakespeare Essay

Revenge is a recurring theme in Hamlet. Although Hamlet wants to avenge his father’s death, he is afraid of what would result from this. In the play Hamlet, Hamlet’s unwillingness to revenge appears throughout the text; Shakespeare exhibits this through Hamlet’s realization that revenge is not the right option, Hamlet‘s realization that revenge is the same as the crime which was already committed, and his understanding that to revenge is to become a “beast” and to not revenge is as well (Kastan 1).

In modern society humans stand up and fight for what they think is right and fair. Human beings have the desire to avenge what they think is wrong. The theme of revenge has a major effect in the play Hamlet and is a constant throughout the play, it underlies almost every scene. In the play Hamlet, William Shakespeare examines the theme of revenge through the erratic thoughts and actions of the characters Hamlet, Laertes, and Fortinbras. The main revenge plots in the play is Hamlet’s aim to avenge his father, Hamlet Sr, Laertes’ aim to avenge the murder of his father, Polonius, and Fortinbras’ aim to avenge the death of his father, Fortinbras. Having lost their fathers, Hamlet, Laertes and Fortinbras take vengeance on the people that killed them. These plots play a major role in the play presenting the theme of revenge to the audience.

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”.

The relevance and significance of the revenge tragedy is in the way it explores human nature and forces audiences to evaluate ideologies such as revenge and justice. The concept of revenge is accompanied by moral conflict and Shakespeare demonstrates that by acting immorally society is likely to be riddled with corruption. Hamlet seeks to avenge the death of his father but struggles with the ramifications of seeking righteous revenge through an immoral act. The imposition of revenge instills the existential questioning on Hamlet as it contradicts his with his social expectation. His

William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” is a world renowned work in English literature. Presently schools across the globe use its themes and characters to teach and draw insight on aspects of human nature. One of the most important of those aspects is the need to seek revenge, and the effects different reactions to that need can have. Shakespeare displays this exceptionally through the actions of the characters Hamlet, Laertes, and Fortinbras. Each of the characters seek vengeance for the murder of his father. Though they share this common goal, each man reacts in a different way from the others. In this respect, Laertes and Fortinbras, who react swiftly and decisively at the news of their fathers’ murders, are completely opposite Hamlet who delays

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.

Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, portrays a recurring theme of revenge. As we know, revenge without a brain can be extremely detrimental, it can turn a person inside out--making them act irrational and do the unthinkable. However, in times of trouble, Hamlet uses his scholarly characteristics of reasoning and logic that he has obtained from Wittenberg University to actively think through situations first, then proceed with his vengeance. Hamlet’s vengeance stems from Claudius for marrying his mother shortly after the death of his father. In Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, Hamlet’s twofold mindset of scholar and warrior both contribute to his decisions; one cannot survive without the other to obtain justice.

Shakespeare’s play tells of how Hamlet’s need for revenge affected his relationships.  Hamlet’s revenge has put his relationships with Polonius, Ophelia, Laertes, Gertrude and even Claudius in very dangerous positions. Hamlet feels that what he has done justifies him being   right to achieve vengeance, but in reality what he has done to justify his revenge is not an act of honor for his ruthlessness.  Hamlet has not taken into consideration what pain it has caused for his family and the people he knows. Hamlet does not know what the ending of all his situations will cause for the future to come.

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.

Appearance can be defined as a superficial aspect; a semblance; or pretending something is the case in order to make a good impression. Reality on the other hand can be defined as the state of being actual or real; the state of the world as it really is rather than as you might want it to be. It is undeniably noticeable that throughout Shakespeare’s Hamlet many characters are playing roles: acting rather than being. This unquestionably reminds the reader of reality, where a person can play various roles. In reality, as well as in the play, it is not always easy to distinguish what is true from what only appears to be true. Throughout Hamlet, Shakespeare illuminates the theme of appearance versus reality by portraying principal characters.

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, revenge is the driving force behind the plot. Hamlet is charged with avenging his father’s murder at the hands of his uncle and quickly this quest affects everyone in his life. Eventually, almost everyone in the play dies as a result of Hamlet’s quest for vengeance. At first, however, Hamlet’s indecision over killing his uncle seems to be the source of trouble, not the revenge itself. He cannot decide what he wants, and that has a detrimental effect on the people around him. When Laertes returns after the death Polonius, the audience is given a character like Hamlet but without the indecision. However, his quick corruption by Claudius eventually shows he is not the positive character initially introduced. Overall, the play presents a negative view of revenge by showing that even Laertes, who is without Hamlet’s issues, is damaged by it.

Revenge is one’s desire to retaliate and get even. Human instincts turn to revenge when loved ones are hurt. But, these misdeeds of taking upon revenge may lead to serious consequences. In William Shakespeare’s tragedy “Hamlet,” Fortinbras, Hamlet, and Laertes’s each show how their desire for revenge unavoidably leads to tragedy. The loss of their loved ones caused these characters in Hamlet to take action. Young Fortinbras has built an army to get back the lands his father lost to King Hamlet and Denmark. His actions can be compared to the measures Hamlet is willing to take upon Claudius. Hamlet wants to kill his uncle, Claudius, for killing his father to gain royalty status. Laertes has the same anger as Hamlet killed Polonius,

When Hamlet sees the ghost of his father, his father beckons him to seek revenge for his

After reading Shakespheres “Hamlet” it was evident that the theme of the play was revenge, which was illustrated throughout the play by the characters actions. Revenge causes the characters in Hamlet to act blindly through anger and emotion, rather than through reason and morals. It is based on the principle of an eye for an eye this action is not always the best means to an end which clearly shows at the end of the play. Fortinbras, Laertes, and Hamlet were all looking to avenge the deaths of their fathers, which lead them to do unethical and immoral things which in the end of the play ends Ironic. They all acted on emotion driven by the want for revenge for

Hamlet is one of Shakespeare’s most well-known tragedies. At first glance, it holds all of the common occurrences in a revenge tragedy which include plotting, ghosts, and madness, but its complexity as a story far transcends its functionality as a revenge tragedy. Revenge tragedies are often closely tied to the real or feigned madness in the play. Hamlet is such a complex revenge tragedy because there truly is a question about the sanity of the main character Prince Hamlet. Interestingly enough, this deepens the psychology of his character and affects the way that the revenge tragedy takes place. An evaluation of Hamlet’s actions and words over the course of the play can be determined to see that his ‘outsider’ outlook on society,