Revenge and Emotions

In the world today, many people face family problems every single day, but there are few people who face adversities as tough as those in William Shakespeare’s plays. Coping with family problems can cause a person to do vile things to themselves as well as to others. Shakespeare’s famous play revolves around revenge, which is the desire to do harm in return for a wrong. His play shows how the loss of loved ones can affect people. He builds up the idea that people do harmful things through anger rather than reasoning. In the play Hamlet, the characters face emotions that lead to revenge because they are unable to cope with the death of love ones.

Hamlet’s Uncle Claudius kills his father, but he has no knowledge of this. The ghost says, “I am thy father’s spirit, doomed for a certain term to walk to the night, and for the day confined to fast in fires, till the foul crimes done in my days of nature are burnt and purged away” (I.v.9-33). The ghost tells Hamlet that he is his father and that a foul crime has been committed. He also tells him that the crime is forgotten. Hamlet finds out that his uncle kills his father by pouring poison in his ear while he is sleeping. Ghost says, “List, list, O, list! If thou didst ever thy dear father love —” (I.v.21-23). At this point, the ghost is saying to Hamlet if he has any love for his father he will avenge his death. The ghost states, “Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” (I.v.25). Hamlet’s father is telling him to get revenge for his death. Hamlet ‘s initial reaction is to avenge his father, a reaction that is brought on by a sudden shock of the ghost’s confession.To prove that Hamlet has love for his father he is going to avenge his father’s death.

“Haste me to know’t, that...

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...and wounds the king. Hamlet finds out that the king poisoned the drink that killed his mother. Hamlet is full of rage and runs his uncle through with the poisoned sword. Hamlet states, “Here, thou incestuous, murd’rous damned Dane, drink off this potion. Is thy union here? Follow my mother” (V.ii.304-306). Hamlet makes the king drink the same drink that kills his mother. Hamlet has fulfilled the ghost’s wishes. The theme of revenge reaches its conclusion when Hamlet kills Claudius.

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.