Revenge in Hamlet Revenge is a major theme in the Tragedy of Hamlet. Revenge causes one to act blindly through anger, rather than through reason. It is based on the principle of an eye for an eye, but this principle is not always an intelligent theory to live by. Young Fortinbras, Laertes, and Hamlet were all looking to avenge the deaths of their fathers. There were three major families in the Tragedy of Hamlet. These were the family of King Fortinbras, the family of Polonius, and the family of King Hamlet. The heads of each of these families are all slaughtered within the play. Fortinbras, King of Norway, was killed by King Hamlet; slain by sword during a man to man battle. "our valiant Hamlet-for so this side of our known world esteem'd him-did slay this Fortinbras." This entitled King Hamlet to the land that was possessed by Fortinbras because it was written in a seal'd compact. Polonius was an advisor to the King, and father to Laertes and Ophelia. He was nosy and arrogant, and he did not trust his children. He was killed by Young Hamlet while he was eves dropping on a conversation between Hamlet and his mother. "How now! A rat? Dead, for a ducat, dead!" King Hamlet was the King of Denmark, and Hamlet's father. He had killed King Fortinbras, only to be killed by his brother, Claudius."My offense is rank, it smells to heaven; A brother's murder" Each of these events effected the sons of the deceased in the same way, it enraged them. Every one of the three eldest sons had one thing in common, they all wanted revenge for a slaughtered father. In the time in which this play is set, avenging the murder of a father was part of one's honor, and had to be done. All of the three sons swore vengeance, and then acted towards getting revenge for the deaths of their fathers. Young Fortinbras was deeply enraged by the death of his father, and he wanted revenge against Denmark because of this occurrence. Fortinbras wanted to, by force, regain the lands that had been lost by his father to Denmark. "Now sir, young Fortinbrasas it doth well appear unto our state-but to recover of us, by strong hand and terms compulsative, those foresaid lands so by his father lost" Claudius sends messengers to talk to Fortinbras' uncle, the new King of Norway. He forbid Fortinbras to attack Denmark, and instead convinced him to attack the Poles to vent his anger. "His nephew's levies, which to him appear'd to be a preparation 'gainst the Polack; But better look'd into, he truly found it was against your highnessOn Fortinbras; which he, in brief, obeys, receives rebuke from Norway, and, in fine, makes vow before his uncle never more to give the assay of arms against your majesty." Laertes found out about his father's death, and immediately returned home. He confronted the King and accused him of the murder of his father. Claudius told Laertes that Hamlet was responsible for his father's death. He then decides to kill Hamlet to avenge the death of his father. He and Claudius concoct a plot to kill Hamlet. Hamlet dies of wounds from the poisoned tipped sword Laertes used. "Hamlet, thou art slainThe treacherous instrument is in thy, unbated and envenom'd" Hamlet was deeply sorrowed by his father's death. He spoke to a ghost, and this ghost stated that his father's death was a murder, by the hand of his uncle, Claudius. "The serpent that did sting thy father's life now wears his crown." Hamlet was astonished, and then swore vengeance for his father's death. He then proceeded to try and prove his uncle's guilt, and then finally kills him while he himself is dying of poisoned wounds inflicted by Laertes during their duel. "The point envenomed too! Then venom, to thy workHere, thou incestuous, murderous, damned Dane, drink off this potion,-is thy union here? Follow my mother." This left the King dead, and his father's death avenged. The lack of thought used in exacting the revenge led to the deaths of both Laertes and Hamlet. Laertes planned with Claudius to kill Hamlet with the poisoned tipped sword, but they had not thought that the sword might be used against them. With Laertes believing the King's accusations that Hamlet had murdered his father, he was in a blind rage, and would not listen to Hamlet's explanation and apology. "I am satisfied in nature to my revenge I stand aloof and will no reconcilementBut till that time, I do receive your offer'd love like love, and will not wrong it.". He fights Hamlet, and wounds him once with the poisoned tipped sword; but unfortunately, their swords are switched, and Hamlet wounds Laertes with the sword. That is the wound by which Laertes dies. Hamlet had many chances to kill his uncle, but his rage outweighed his intelligence; and he chose to wait until the lord could see no good in Claudius, and then strike him down into a world of eternal damnation. "Now might I do it pat, now he is praying;A villain kills my father; and for that, I, his sole son, do this same villain send to heaven." Hamlet waits until he can kill his uncle while he is performing a sin, unfortunately for Hamlet, the sin is the poisoning of his own son in law. Hamlet dies of his poisoned wound. Young Fortinbras regains his fathers land, without use of violence, or death to himself. Hamlet names him new ruler of Denmark before he dies, and Fortinbras regains all of his father's lost land, and becomes King of Denmark. Since the Heads of the three major families were each murdered, the eldest sons of these families swore vengeance, and two of the three sons died while exacting their acts of vengeance, revenge is a major theme in the Tragedy of Hamlet. As a theme, revenge was present in all parts of the play. It seems ironic that Claudius, Laertes, and Hamlet all died of the same sword. It is also ironic that the first the seek revenge against Claudius, Fortinbras, becomes King of Denmark. Revenge was the driving force behind three of the main characters of the play, for two it led to downfall, and for the other it led to greatness.
Throughout the novel, The Red Badge of Courage, written by Stephen Crane, a theme is portrayed within a battle that takes place during the Civil War. It is that each person must find the courage to win his or her won battle for maturity or adulthood. A soldier, who is also the main character, Henry Fleming, exemplifies this theme.
His father was killed by Hamlet and his sister was driven insane due to the series of events that took place because of Hamlet. Like Hamlet, Laertes wants to avenge his father by killing the man who killed Polonius. As described earlier, Hamlet is slow to act. Laertes, on the other hand, acts quickly and with precision, wasting no time in acquiring his target and formulating a plan. Robert Palfrey Utter, Jr., puts it best, Hamlet and Laertes both come to the same conclusion that murder must be carried out, but Hamlet reaches that conclusion only “after he has had a few minutes to think it over.” (140) Once Laertes finds out that the man who killed his father was Hamlet he is ready to charge in and kill him as soon as possible. He is only stopped by Claudius, who advises him on a more subtle approach. Straight off the bat it is clear how efficient Laertes is compared to Hamlet. Hamlet wastes a large amount of time scheming up complex ideas on how to get a confession out of Claudius and how to kill him. Laertes on the other hand wastes no time in getting a straight and to the point plan that he can execute immediately. After spending more than half the play watching Hamlet squirm around on the stage getting almost nothing accomplished, the audience would be acutely aware of the stark difference between Hamlet and Laertes even though they share the same motivations. Laertes has his speed but he shares in Hamlets lack of critical thinking when he gets hot headed. He is in such a blind rage that he doesn’t think on what he is agreeing to do with Claudius. Just like Hamlet, his brash actions cost those around him his life. In carrying out the plan, the King, the Queen, Hamlet, and he all die to the poison that was used in the duel. Hamlet was slow and reckless while Laertes was quick and reckless. Wilds sums up the relationship between Hamlet and Laertes perfectly, “Laertes and Hamlet have been foils to each other
Throughout the story many settings appear, the most important one is the battlefield. The time is 1862, which is the period of the Civil War. The story begins at dawn on a cold morning when the army rests by campfires on some hills. As a tall soldier, who later becomes known as Jim Conklin, washes his shirt at the river, he hears a rumor. He rushes to tell his comrades that the regiment will move the following day. When the loud soldier, Wilson, hears this rumor, he argues with Jim that it is a lie. While this argument is taking place, the youthful soldier and main character in the story, Henry Fleming, is listening attentively.
In the play of Hamlet the main theme is the theme of vengeance and the need of the characters to protect their family's honor. This does not only have to do with Hamlet himself but is also illustrated in two other important characters of the play, Laertes and Fortinbras. All three of these characters are faced with the problem of having to avenge their nemesis who had previously hurt their family or their family's name. The idea of vengeance for the sake of family honor causes great destruction throughout the play and causes many more people get caught up in this circle of destruction and vengeance.
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, Laertes’s father. Laertes uses all the power he has to get revenge on Hamlet. The corruption of these characters result the deaths of each major character.
Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, wants revenge on the present King of his nation, his uncle, who executed Hamlet's dad, the first King, keeping in mind the end goal to take the crown and wed the Queen. At the point when attempting to reprisal his dad by murdering his Uncle, Hamlet incidentally slaughters Polonius, the father of one of his closest friends Laertes. In turn, Laertes needs to reprisal his dad's passing by murdering Hamlet. Hamlet's dad's most despised adversary, the King of Norway, was murdered by Hamlet's dad in battle. The King of Norway's son, prince of Norway, Fortinbras, in this way needed revenge on Denmark. As the play starts, Hamlet is in a lamenting period over the passing of his dad. What aggravates it is that lone a couple of weeks after the appalling and less than ideal passing, Hamlet's mom, the Queen of Denmark, remarries Hamlet's uncle, the perished King's brother. "Thrift, Horatio. The memorial service prepared meats did coldly outfit forward the marriage tables," Hamlet shouted to his best friend Horatio. The burial service of his dad and the wedding of his mom and uncle were so near one another, the remaining sustenance from the memorial service was utilized for the marriage. Hamlet is visited by the phantom of his dad, who tells Hamlet that his uncle is the person who slaughtered his dad and that Hamlet ought to reprisal his dad's
Laertes is consumed by his anger and acts accordingly, but Hamlet takes his grief to heart and plots how he will eventually avenge his father’s murder. When Laertes learns that Hamlet has killed his father, he immediately goes along with the king’s plan to kill Hamlet. Laertes agrees to “be ruled” by the King so that Hamlet “shall not ...
In conclusion, Hamlet became the object of revenge himself by Claudius. He also caused the indirect and direct deaths of Polonius, Ophelia, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, Gertrude, Claudius, and Laertes. Although Laertes told Claudius that nothing could stop him from acting out his revenge, he was easily manipulated by Claudius into doing his dirty work for him, and ultimately, his poisoned sword was pointed back at himself. In the end, the unexpected occurred, plans were foiled, and revenge was bittersweet.
In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the theme of revenge is very palpable as the reader examines the characters of Hamlet himself, as well as Laertes, son of Polonius, and Fortinbras, prince of Norway and son of the late King Fortinbras. Each of these young characters felt the need to avenge the deaths of their fathers who they felt were untimely killed at the bloody hands of their murderers. However, the way each chose to go about this varies greatly and gives insight into their characters and how they progress throughout the play.
Revenge almost always has the makings of an intriguing and tragic story. William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a perfect example of how revenge unfolds and what it unveils. The play tells the story of Hamlet, the prince of Denmark. Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle, marries his mother soon after his father’s death. Hamlet greatly disapproves of the hasty marriage and suspects foul play. His suspicions are confirmed when the ghost of his father appears and tells him that Claudius murdered him. Hamlet’s father asks him to take revenge upon Claudius, and soon everything takes a drastic change. The courses of revenge throughout Hamlet surround each character with corruption, obsession, and fatality.
Consequently, Fortinbras eventually conquers Denmark and becomes the ruler, fulfilling his father’s final wish. Hamlet’s anger and hatred create internal conflicts with each of his family members, leading to their demise. In Act IV Scene ii, before killing Claudius, Hamlet rages “Here, thou incestuous, murderous, damnèd Dane, / Drink off this potion. Is thy union here? / Follow my mother”(356-357). This shows Hamlet’s bitterness towards Claudius for seducing and poisoning his mother. In order to destroy Claudius, Hamlet’s actions lead to the death of all his family members. However, for Fortinbras, when the whole royal family dies, he says, “For me, with sorrow I embrace my fortune. / I have some rights of memory in this kingdom/ which now to claim my vantage doth invite me.”(V. ii. 431- 433). As a result, even though Hamlet avenges his father, he lost everything, while Fortinbras conquers this whole entire kingdom, finally avenging his father’s
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An eye for an eye will more likely make the world blind, rather than healing all the wounds from the past. Revenge is a destructive weapon used to return evil for evil, which can satisfy one’s desire while causing more harm and suffering. Revenge is one of the dominant themes in tragedy, and there is no exception in Hamlet. Shakespeare develops the theme of revenge by portraying Hamlet, Laertes and Fortinbras as the victims who are plagued with the desire for revenge, allowing the audience to explore their emotion and reaction. Revenge rises up when Hamlet is driven by the ghost to avenge the death of his father, later consumes almost the entire cast of characters when Laertes has to avenge the senseless slaughter of his father and the mysterious
Revenge causes the downfall of many people. Its consuming nature causes one to act recklessly through emotion of anger and not reason. Hamlet is Shakespeare’s longest play and among the most powerful and influential tragedies in English literature. The plays is capable of engaging the audience through the many displays of vindictiveness. The play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, is primarily a tragedy of revenge as the characters Hamlet, Laertes, and Fortinbras all seek vengeance for their fathers' deaths, which leads to chaos.
Revenge is the core theme in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Death of loved ones cause the characters to act blindly through anger and emotion which cause them to carry out revenge. Hamlet has opportunities to kill Claudius, but he waits until the time is right to kill him. Hamlet, and the Laertes both accomplishes their task. Their obsession and need for revenge lead them to their downfalls.