The Webster dictionary’s definition for revenge is “a desire for vengeance or retribution.” Revenge is a very common theme in the book of Hamlet. There are many different cases of revenge that prove this. Hamlet talking to the ghost about how if Hamlet truly loved his father then he would avenge him by killing his murderer, Hamlet tells Ophelia that men can’t be trusted listing all of the different faults of men revenge being one of them. Last but not least the fact that Laertes has to avenge his father by exacting revenge upon Hamlet. These three points prove that each of these characters are driven by their lust for revenge.
At the beginning of the play we see a ghost, but we aren’t told who it is. As the play goes on the ghost states that
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Hamlet is surprised and angry. Hamlet then says to the ghost that he is going to do whatever it takes to exact his revenge upon the murderer of his father.
“Haste me to know’t, that I with wings as swift
As meditation or the thoughts of love
May sweep to my revenge.” (1.5.29-31)
During this scene it is very obvious to the audience that Hamlet has a want for revenge. Hamlet hunting down and plotting the revenge of Claudius is one of the biggest parts of the entire book. Hamlet killing Claudius is is something that was fueled entirely by hate and revenge, which further proves the revenge is the main theme of this book.
At the beginning of act 3, the audience is met with Ophelia, along side, the King, the Queen, Polonius, and Rosencrantz. The act begins with those characters having a conversation. Once they leave, Ophelia is all on her own. This is when Hamlet enters. Hamlet doesn’t notice Ophelia at first, but once he does, he asks her to pray for him. She says to Hamlet that she would like to return the gift that Hamlet had given her.
“My lord, I have remembrance of yours
That I have longed long to
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I dare damnation. To this point I stand,
That both the worlds I give negligence,
Let come what comes, only I’ll reveng’d
Most throughly for my father.” (4.5.129-135)
It is at this point that King Claudius has realized that he can use this revenge that Laertes has in his eyes to finally defeat Hamlet. So he organizes a duel so that he can kill Hamlet, and make it look like an accident. This scene brings out the revenge in two different characters. This scene shows us that the only thing in Laertes mind is revenge for his father, and that King Claudius wants his revenge on Hamlet, and he will do whatever it takes. Proving yet again how big of a theme revenge is within this book.
Hamlet is a book based solely around revenge. It is so clear that the big theme of this book is revenge because of three things. Hamlet tells the ghost of his dead father that he stop at nothing to get his revenge, Hamlet tells Ophelia that she can’t trust men because all of them have revenge in their eyes, and when Laertes tells the King that he will stop at nothing to get his revenge upon the man who murdered his father, Polonius. These three points clearly show the audience that revenge is the main theme in
Hamlet questions what may or may not happen however Laertes just wants the revenge fast and effective. Although these characters have different standards when it comes to revenge, they both immediately blamed and directed their anger towards Claudius when they found out their father’s were dead. Hamlet’s reason to blame Claudius is simply because he is his father’s murderer. In 1.5 while Hamlet is talking to the ghost of his father he says, “Haste me to know ’t, that I, with wings as swift/As meditation or the thoughts of love/May sweep to my revenge” (Shakespeare 1.5.31-33). At first is seems as if Hamlet would seek revenge right away because he seems eager to find out who the killer is and when he does find out he says he knew it was Claudius all along. He is furious and after this part in the play, Hamlet’s anger is mainly focused on Claudius. On the other hand when Laertes found out Polonius is dead he went straight to Claudius assuming it was him. By doing this he shows that he is controlled by his impulses unlike Hamlet who waited until he got proof to act on his fury. Laertes also blamed Claudius for not giving his father a proper burial, which can relate to Hamlet’s anger too because Hamlet felt as if there was not enough mourning for his father death. Not only did they both lose their fathers, but they both lost Ophelia, a female figure in their lives that they both loved.
Hamlet contains three plots of revenge throughout the five acts of the play. Young Hamlet, after getting a shocking realization from his father’s ghost, wants to enact a plot of revenge against his uncle. Laertes, who was struck twice in quick succession by the death of his father and sister, wants to kill Hamlet. Away in Norway, Fortinbras wants to take revenge on the entire nation of Denmark for taking his father’s land and life. These three sons all want the same thing, vengeance, but they go about it in wildly different ways, but as Lillian wilds points out, “he also sees himself in the mirrors of Fortinbras [and] Laertes.”(153) It becomes clear that the parallels presented throughout the play are there to further illuminate the flaws of
We read in act 1 scene 5 about the murder and that takes care of the father’s murder subject. “Haste me to know't, that I, with wings as swift, As meditation or the thoughts of love, May sweep to my revenge.” Act 1 scene 5 lines 2931. In this quote Hamlet is saying that he is going to prove his feelings for his father and fulfill his duties, he wants to know the story of the murder then he will seek his revenge. Hamlet
Hamlet was a hero trying to do the right thing, but his tragic flaws turn everything around when everyone including himself dies. Hamlet goes back and forth throughout the play between pondering and procrastination to sudden acts out of anger and passion. Hamlet is extremely philosophical and contemplative which leads to his over thinking side. It's Hamlet's ability to reason that keeps him from killing Claudius at one of the prime opportunities in the play. And yet it is Hamlet's act of wrath that leads to Polonius' death. Which than later leads to Ophelia’s death. I think the play establishes that revenge is a wrongful act and not only should it be delayed, it should be dismissed. Everyone in the play would have lived if revenge wasn’t an issue .
Laertes is looking to seek revenge on Hamlet for killing his father and eventually his sister later in the play. "I dare damnation. To this point I stand, that both the worlds I give to negligence, let come what comes, only I 'll be reveng 'd Most throughly for my father." (4.5.132-135). Laertes is very different in the way he is going about seeking revenge, he is willing to kill any and everybody with no hesitation to revenge his father’s death unlike Hamlet, who is contemplating throughout the play on if he should or shouldn’t kill the necessary people in order to seek revenge.
After the queen falls and dies, Laertes states to Hamlet “Hamlet, thou art slain:.here I lie, never to rise again: thy mother’s poison’d: I can no more: the king, the king’s to blame” (5.2.306-313). Laertes tells Hamlet that he is going to die due to the poisoned blade, also that he himself is also going to die for the same reason and that Gertrude is also going to die for drinking the poisoned cup that was intended for Hamlet. He also states that Claudius is the one who devised everything. This line symbolizes how Hamlets prolonged revenge caused the deaths of so many innocent lives that had nothing to do with his father’s death. If he killed Claudius in the church or before that, then Hamlet wouldn’t have had so many lives lost during the cross-fire.
Revenge is a major theme throughout William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet. This theme provides motivation for characters to murder each other throughout the play, whether or not characters seek revenge for themselves. Because Laertes and Hamlet are so absorbed with wanting to exact revenge upon certain people, they ultimately cause the deaths of all of the main characters in the play. Revenge is the main root of evil in this play.
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. Hamlet, Laertes and Fortinbras are similar in the fact that each had love, or at least respect, their fathers. Enough to make an attempt to wreak revenge upon their fathers murderers at the risk of their own reputation, freedom, and souls.
Revenge has caused the downfall of many a person. Its consuming nature causes one to act recklessly through anger rather than reason. Revenge is an emotion easily rationalized; one turn deserves another. However, this is a very dangerous theory to live by. Throughout Hamlet, revenge is a dominant theme. Fortinbras, Laertes, and Hamlet all seek to avenge the deaths of their fathers. But in so doing, all three rely more on emotion than thought, and take a very big gamble, a gamble which eventually leads to the downfall and death of all but one of them. King Fortinbras was slain by King Hamlet in a sword battle. This entitled King Hamlet to the land that was possessed by Fortinbras because it was written in a seal'd compact. "…our valiant Hamlet-for so this side of our known world esteem'd him-did slay this Fortinbras." Young Fortinbras was enraged by his father’s murder and sought revenge against Denmark. He wanted to reclaim the land that had been lost to Denmark when his father was killed. "…Now sir, young Fortinbras…as 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 becomes aware of Fortinbras’ plans, and in an evasive move, sends a message to the new King of Norway, Fortinbras’ uncle.
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).
The first major action of the third act is the arranged meeting between Hamlet and Ophelia. During this meeting, Hamlet seems to turn on Ophelia, denying that he ever loved her. This apparent reversal of feelings towards Ophelia may appear as a peripeteia at first, but under closer examination will prove to be a continuation of Hamlet's pretense of madness. Hamlet is aware that Ophelia is being used to draw out information from him about the source of his insanity. This becomes evident when Hamlet inquires where Ophelia's father is. At the end of his soliloquy, Hamlet comments on Ophelia's beauty as he sees her approach. This illustrates that he still has affection for her, but in his current state o...
In the play, there are several characters wanting vengeance like that of Hamlet. Throughout the play, Hamlet, Laertes, and Fortinbras all had a tragic death of a family member which caused their decision for revenge. Consequentially, these revenges caused the demise of two characters and the rise of power of another. The retaliation shown by the Prince of Denmark, as well as Laertes led to the downfall of their government. In the play, Hamlet seeks revenge on his uncle Claudius.
Throughout Hamlet, each character’s course of revenge surrounds them with corruption, obsession, and fatality. Shakespeare shows that revenge proves to be extremely problematic. Revenge causes corruption by changing an individual’s persona and nature. Obsession to revenge brings forth difficulties such as destroyed relationships. Finally, revenge can be the foundation to the ultimate sacrifice of fatality. Hamlet goes to show that revenge is never the correct route to follow, and it is always the route with a dead
The main character, Hamlet, is the first character to show signs of being influenced by the motives of revenge. Finding the truth behind his father’s death, Hamlet, follows his late father’s orders and plots revenge against his uncle. He planned to act insane to make his
Themes that any and every person on this planet can relate to. Death, guilt, and the overall concept on how far you will go to get revenge. Hamlet truly tests the boundaries and certainly blurs the lines on good and bad. Safety and danger. Retribution, and devastation.