Hamlet As A Revenge Tragedy In Shakespeare's Hamlet

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. At the beginning of Hamlet, the audience is already aware of a tragedy when the king of Denmark dies. The death of prince Hamlet’s father, king Hamlet, is the source of his thirst for revenge throughout the entire play. As the play progresses, Hamlet has an encounter with his father's ghost, leading Hamlet to believe that his uncle Claudius is responsible for his father's death, "And so I am revenged. That would be scann’d:/ A villain kills my father; and, for that,/ I, his sole son, do this same villain send/ To heaven."

“Hamlet,” Critical Essay Alexander Pope believed that, “to be angry is to revenge the faults of others on ourselves.” I think this is pertinent to “Hamlet,” by William Shakespeare because the main character is portrayed to bring great mental suffering upon himself in his search for revenge. Shakespeare enhances the reader’s appreciation of the play by effectively conveying its theme of revenge through characterization and plot in addition to other literary techniques. “Hamlet,” tells the story of a Danish prince who aims to avenge his father’s murder after his ghost appears before Hamlet and reveals that he was murdered by his own brother. To Hamlet’s disgust, his uncle, Claudius, has stolen Hamlet’s place as King by marrying the prince’s mother, Gertrude. In Hamlet’s search for the truth, he makes the fatal error of stabbing Polonius, the King’s advisor.

Shakespeare in the play Hamlet, is trying to make this a play on revenge between many characters and also show the insecurities of Hamlet as he tries to seek revenge. In the play several characters are compelled to restore family honor by exacting vengeance. Fortinbras tries to reclaim his father’s honor by reclaiming territory, Hamlet must get back at Claudius for killing his father, and Laertes must get back at Hamlet to avenge his father and sister. Each character is driven in the play to get revenge at someone. Hamlet is

He is telling Hamlet that he will want or need to get revenge after the story he is about to hear. A few lines later the ghost tells Hamlet, “Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” (1.5.25). This is a critical point in the play because the ghost is telling Hamlet that he must get revenge for the horrible murder that had occurred. As for Shakespeare’s supposed fi... ... middle of paper ... ...and Revenge Tragedy in the London Theater, 1576-1980. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1986.

Yet, the Ghost of Hamlet 's father has required revenge for precisely the kind of killing that the villain of the play is about to commit. Reality or cliché? -- Irritated with the bad acting of the antihero in the play, Hamlet calls out, "Come, 'the croaking raven doth bellow for revenge '" (3.2.253-254). The literary device that is highlighted within this quote consist of a metaphor. This quote reveals that Hamlet is giddy as he gives away his plan, although Claudius does not end up realizing the truth behind what he said.

The Ghost taunts Hamlet, telling him that it is part of every man’s honour to avenge his death. Hamlet then becomes a part of Denmark’s foulness and wretchedness when he agrees to avenge his father’s death. This is the beginning of a vicious cycle of hatred, death and revenge that destroys many lives. Soon after Claudius marries Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude, Hamlet feigns madness as a ploy to cover up his attempts to avenge his father’s death and to bring him closer to Claudius. One of the first things Hamlet does in his attempt to prove Claudius’ guilt is to have ‘The Mousetrap’ performed in court.

The reason for Hamlet wishing to seek revenge is defined right at the start of the play. Hamlet learns of an act, which requires vengeance from a ghost who visits him. The genre of the play emphasises the character of Hamlet. There are many events within the play that cause us to question whether Hamlet is a 'tragic figure of revenge'. Although we are aware that he is seeking revenge, Hamlet seems to play with the idea, doubting his ability to commit murder.

This definition fits Hamlet almost perfectly. Hamlet’s revenge plot starts when the Ghost of Hamlet’s father visits him from the dead, “ Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder.. Thus was I, sleeping, by a brother’s hand Of life, of crown, of queen, at once dispatched” (I.v.23-25). This starts the main plot of Hamlet, which is for him to avenge his father’s death by killing the new king, his uncle, Claudius. Hamlet at first did not know whether he should believe the ghost or not, questioning whether it was really his father or a devil sent from hell.

Shakespeare’s play Hamlet is considered one of his four great tragedies. This play not only uses unearthly characters to instill fear, but it also uses foil characters to show the possible outcomes for the protagonist, Hamlet, himself. The crucial contrast Shakespeare creates between “what is” and “what seems to be” causes Hamlet, along with many other characters, to act in order to create the outcome they 9-want. However, no matter their attempts the play still ends with an inescapable tragedy for all of the characters. After his father’s ghost visits Hamlet, he learns he must avenge his father’s death.

Two of the main revenge plots within the play are Hamlet 's aim to avenge his father’s death by killing his uncle, Claudius, and Laertes ' aim to avenge the murder of his father by killing Hamlet. These two revenge plots play a major role in presenting to the audience the theme of revenge. But, the audience may not realize that within the play, Hamlet’s quest for justice gets lost in his quest for revenge. The justice