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Critical analysis on the theme of revenge on hamlet
Critical analysis on the theme of revenge on hamlet
Critical analysis on the theme of revenge on hamlet
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In Denmark, the country is riddled with revenge and death omnipresent in the followings of woeful, tragic hero Hamlet. It is by purposeful intentions that result in an incessant chain of revenge and death that allows for betrayal-- from the moment King Hamlet was murdered before the play Hamlet begins to the very end of the play when Hamlet is slain as well. Ultimately, the succession of betrayal truly begins with the unlawful killing of King Hamlet by his near and dear brother Claudius. In his private and truthful monologue, Denmark’s seemingly new, capable, and intelligent king reveals his inherited guilt along with the reaped benefits of “[his] crown, [his] own ambition, and [his] queen,” which provides context as to why Claudius usurped …show more content…
Killing the king at that instant would have been “hire and salary, not revenge,” which would accomplish the exact opposite: Claudius surely would have been sent to heaven after being killed in the midst of praying and repentance. Since King Hamlet was killed by Claudius without the opportunity to pray, Hamlet must suffer in purgatory; therefore, if Claudius is killed when he is “fit and seasoned for his passage,” Hamlet would be giving Claudius a means for cheating purgatory for the murder of his father (III.iii.91). Continuing, once Hamlet is summoned by his mother after his choice in not killing her new partner, he comes to the encounter potentially believing that his mother may have had some involvement in his father’s murder. Because Hamlet appears belligerent with his sword, Gertrude has reason to believe that her son has gone mad and is trying to slice her up to “see the inmost part of” her (III.iv.25). She then calls for the guards and hidden Polonius also calls for concealment. At this point, Hamlet impulsively draws his sword and thrusts it through the areas, mistaking Polonius for Claudius. Because of Hamlet’s evil intentions in wanting to avenge his father’s death by murdering the murderer become unruly, Hamlet hastily kills Polonius by accident which then leads to Laertes seeking revenge
Early on in Hamlet, a guard slightly mentions that there is “something rotten in the state of Denmark” (Shakespeare, I.iv.90). The tranquility of Denmark is suddenly shattered by Claudius’s marriage to Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother, only a short time following the death of King Hamlet. To Hamlet was revealed the murder of his father and becomes determined to avenge his father’s death no matter the cost. This sets off a trail of pretending, backstabbing, plotting, luring, and deadly accidents that ultimately lead to a clash of hatred between the characters and the doom of Denmark. Shakespeare animates the characters with these sinful deeds and vengeance to illustrate that these corruptions strips the innocence and sanity in human kind. Had Hamlet not gone on a tangent and lost his mind about the murder of his father, there might not have been a domino effect of madness knocking down everyone else in this royal chain. Hamlet pretends to have app...
Vengeance, redemption, and desire plague Denmark’s royal family in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet after a haunting family secret forces Prince Hamlet to choose between morality and honor. After Hamlet’s father dies, the kingdom hastily adjusts to his uncle Claudius’ reign; however, Hamlet remains devastated and loyal to his father. When his father’s ghost unveils that Claudius poisoned King Hamlet, the prince’s devastation mixes with a fervent desire for revenge that eventually dictates his every thought. Despite being ostensibly committed to avenging his father’s death, Hamlet habitually discovers reasons to delay action. As Hamlet’s procrastination persists, his familial relations deteriorate and ultimately cause him to reevaluate his position in society. Furthermore, Hamlet becomes chronically paranoid and calculates each aspect of his plan; therefore, the audience doubts his ability to successfully exact revenge. This paranoia escalates exponentially and fuels an uncontrollable obsession with perfection that usurps his sanity. Although Hamlet remains devoted to his murdered father, his perpetual procrastination eventually leads to mental degeneration through decaying relationships, prompting incessant paranoia, and fostering uncontrollable obsessions.
By most accounts, this passage would be taken to mean that he does not kill Claudius because at this time the King is praying, and when praying one's soul will ascend to heaven if one should die. Hamlet wants Claudius to burn in hell; for him to go to heaven would make his revenge void. He will avenge his father's death when Claudius is engaged in some other less holy act, in order to insure the King's place in hell.
Throughout Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, the revelation of Claudius’ betrayal of the late King Hamlet becomes the causation of a slippery slope of events that revolve around a revenge on Claudius for his betrayal against the late King. Consequently, this key act of betrayal forms the plays overall theme of revenge while also showing the connection between power and corruption and the idea that ‘”what goes around, comes around.”
Both Hamlet’s and Laertes’ fathers were killed. When Laertes discovered that his father’s been murdered he immediately assumes that Claudius is the killer. As a result of his speculation he moves to avenge Polonius’ death. Laertes lines in Act IV Scene 5 provide insight into his mind displaying his desire for revenge at any cost. “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 IV Scene 5 lines 136-141) In contrast to Laertes speculation of his father’s killer, Hamlet assumes the individual spying on his conversation with Gertrude is Claudius. “Nay, I know not. Is it the King?” (Act III Scene 4 line 28). Without thinking, Hamlet automatically thrusts out attempting to kill who he believed was Claudius and actually kills Polonius. Fury and frustration instigate Hamlet’s and Laertes’ indiscreet actions and causes them not to think of the consequences that may follow.
“An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind,” Ghandi said, in an attempt to show how revenge will not end once it has begun. Throughout Hamlet this theme is addressed, extremely clearly, and the conclusion, the death of so many characters, many due to revenge, shows how a world filled with extensive revenge cannot exist as a world at all. Hamlet is a deep philosophical story, however, the theme of revenge lies just below the surface, if you look at all of the deaths, you may see that there was a high degree of hatred, bitterness, and anger throughout Denmark.
Hamlet’s sanity began to deteriorate when learned that his father’s death was not an accident, but rather a foul deed committed by the newly crowned King of Denmark. “If thou didst ever thy dear father love – Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” [Act I, v l .23-25]. As a mysterious ghost appeared in the terrace, Hamlet learned of a murderer that would prove his fealty towards his father. As he contemplated the appalling news recently brought to his attention, the control Hamlet had over his actions was questioned. “O villain, villain, smiling, damned villain! My tables meet it is I set it down, That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain. At least I am sure it may be so in Denmark,” [Act I, v l. 106-109]. Hamlet’s hatred toward his father’s killer caused him to relate the tribulations between murder and the aspects of Denmark as a country together. As with most of the conflicts Hamlet faced, his lack of ability to avenge his father’s death, furthered the deterioration of his life and surroundings.
While Claudius’ qualities are not as thoroughly explored as Hamlet's, the treacherous King of Denmark is a complete character. When we first see Claudius, he strikes us an intelligent and capable ruler. He gives a speech to make his court and country proud, addressing his brother's death and the potential conflict with Norway. Claudius knows that a change in government could ignite civil unrest, and he is afraid of possible unlawful allegiances and rebellion. His speech juxtaposes the people's loss with the new beginning they will have under his care, and he uses the death of Hamlet's father to create a sense of national solidarity, "the whole kingdom/To be contracted in one brow of woe" (I.ii.3-4). Claudius has assumed the role of the chief mourner, and the people can unite behind a collective suffering. He can now concentrate on his kingly duties, and he takes immediate and decisive action by sending Cornelius and Voltimand to appease the Norwegian king. He also deals skillfully with Laertes' request to leave for France. "On the whole, then, there emerges a King who is well qualified for his office...there continually appears on the stage a man who is utterly unlike the descriptions, and this in turn gives to Hamlet's words their real value." (Lokse, Outrageous Fortune, 79).
He claims that he does not want Claudius to go to heaven, so he would rather kill him when he is committing a sin. If this is the case, then why doesn't he simply wait till Claudius has completed his prayer, accuse him of the murder and kill him in his sin of denial? Instead, Hamlet goes to the chamber of his mother and passes up his best opportunity at revenge. The argument can be made, however, that it is not a fear of death that causes this inaction. He does not display an inability to end someone's life when killing Polonius.
There's a sort of rage a man feels when he's been deceived where he most trusted. It compares to no other anger. - Orson Scott Card. Betrayal is an act of disloyalty, treachery, violating trust, or breaching confidence. Betrayal is a reoccurring theme in the tragic Shakespeare play, Hamlet. Many of the characters deceive one another as well as deny their own feelings, betraying themselves. The secrecy and dishonesty of the characters show that the actions of humans do not always relate to their appearances in society. Hamlet by William Shakespeare was said to have been inspired by the death of Shakespeare’s only son Hamnet. Shakespeare often wondered if God had betrayed him. Hamlet struggles with betrayal and betraying others in this play. The idea of betrayal is universal, seen throughout classic literature, cinema, and even everyday issues such as divorce and adultery.
Claudius is the king of Denmark, who is a very powerful and assertive man. He is the type of person that will do anything to get what he wants and everything in his power to stay king. He will do what it takes to get his way, even if that means betraying the person he is supposed to be committed to and love, his wife Gertrude. Gertrude is the mother of Hamlet, who she deeply cares for and loves. She is convinced that Claudius does as well. In order for Claudius to stay as king he must keep Gertrude happy and pleased. He accomplishes this by pretending to love Hamlet in front of Gertrude when in reality he wants to kill Hamlet. Claudius faces the truth that his secret got out and Hamlet knows he killed King Hamlet. Not wanting to ruin his reputation and of course stay king he plans to have Hamlet killed. He lets Gertrude believe...
... the only way to honour his father Polonius is by killing Hamlet. In addition, as Claudius reads the letter from Hamlet to Laertes he says “'Tis Hamlet’s character. “Naked” And in a postscript here, he says “alone.” Can you advise me?” (IV, VII, 52-53). This shows that Claudius takes advantage of Hamlet’s return alone as an opportunity for Laertes to kill him. Through Claudius’s actions the readers observe how he deceives Laertes into killing Hamlet for his own benefit without getting blood on his hands. Furthermore, Claudius’ desperation to kill Hamlet leads to him losing sight of what is important, which is being the king of Denmark, what he originally wanted, instead the lies he told and the manipulation he spread is now taking over. To conclude, it is evident through the play that the words and actions of Claudius have only lead to the spread of deception.
Prince Hamlet, son of the dead king and nephew of the usurper, is a popular and well-regarded individual throughout Denmark. Claudius knows “[h]e’s loved of the distracted multitude” (Shakespeare IV.iii.4) and Ophelia, his love interest, describes him as “[t]h’ expectancy and rose of the fair state” (III.i.166). However, his character changes after his father’s death. His mother quickly weds Claudius, whom Hamlet sees as “little more than kin and less than kind.” (I.ii.67) This incestuous marriage disgusts Hamlet, who loses all hope in women because of his mother’s unfaithfulness to her dead husband. “[F]railty, thy name is woman” (I.ii.150) he cries. His relationship with Ophelia abruptly ends, as he cannot trust her, but tells her to go to a “nunnery” (III.i.131), rather than become “a breeder of sinners.” (III.i.132) This misogyny fits in with Hamlet’s feigned madness as he tries to investigate the ghost claims of his father’s murder. Upon confirming this theory, he goes to tell his mother and proceeds to “wring [her] heart” (III.iv.43) and “speak daggers to her” (III.ii.429). The unn...
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.
While Hamlet is trying to avenge his father’s death Polonius is next on his list to get out of his way, Hamlet tries to shake Polonius off his tail because he knows he is spying for the King but it actually makes the King more concerned ( II,ii, 40-53). Hamlet may not be aware but by him leading Polonius on to thinking that he is mad so he go back and feed the King information will lead to his demise. With Hamlet running around acting mad Polonius wants Queen Gertrude to talk to Hamlet, Polonius spies behind the curtain so he can report to the king , ( III,iv, 1-7), while speaking to his mother Hamlet ends up killing Polonius ( III, iv, 20-25). This act only gives King Claudius ammo to get rid of Hamlet and it puts a target on his back for Laertes to shoot