Revenge and Vengeance in Shakespeare's Hamlet - Revenge

Hamlet: Revenge

Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, is a tragic play consisting of numerous

deaths. The deaths that took place played a very important role in the

unfolding of the play. In reading this play the reader can almost guess who was

going to die.

A prince named Hamlet is the main character. Hamlet is a college

student who one day planned to take over the throne in Denmark, but treachery

would spoil all of Hamlet's plans. The King, Hamlet's father, was found dead in

an orchard where he spent much of his time. All of the King's subjects,

including Hamlet, thought his majesty died because of a snake bite. Hamlet was

devastated when he learned of his father's death, but what made him more uneasy

was the fact that Gertrude, Hamlet's mother, remarried so quickly to the brother

of the dead King. The brother would be the one who would betray Hamlet.

Horatio, a loyal friend to Hamlet, was on night watch outside the castle,

he told the prince of an incident when they saw an apparition who resembled

King Hamlet. Hamlet came out the next night hoping to see the ghost. Sure

enough, the ghost appeared and called to Hamlet, wanting to speak with him. The

spirit talked about how Claudius poisoned the King while he was sleeping, "Tis

given out that, sleeping in my orchard,/ a serpent stung me² (1.5, 36) but it

was not a snake that the ghost is referring to. The spirit wanted the prince to

avenge his murder.

All was quiet in the kingdom until the start of Hamlet's supposed

insanity. The Prince was with his mother talking when the prince noticed

someone in the room. Hamlet thought it was Claudius, "How now? A rat? Dead

for a ducat, dead! " (3.4,25) Indeed Hamlet killed someone; but it was not

Claudius, twas Polonius who was slain.

Time had gone by and supposedly Hamlet was getting worse, so Claudius

decided to send Hamlet to an asylum in England. Hamlet escaped and returned to

Denmark and hid. While Hamlet was away, Ophelia, Hamlet's girlfriend, was

acting strangely.

Although it was never admitted, Ophelia had become insane. It was her

insanity that.

As Hamlet was hiding in the graveyard, a funeral procession approached

him, but he did not know whose funeral it was. Hamlet finally found that it was

Ophelia who had died. Even though Hamlet was hurt emotionally, Laertes was the

one who was hurt the worst. Laertes had these worlds to say, "O treble woe/

Fall ten times treble on that cursed head/ Whose wicked deed thy most ingenious