It is part of Human Nature to seek revenge to hurt those who have hurt them. Men destroy their loved ones by seeking revenge. Has anyone ever made you so angry that you just want to punch them in the face? You just plot it out in your head for the next time, BAM, that’s what revenge is. I don’t blame you, though, you are only human, it is in your nature. In Hamlet, revenge is portrayed to be deceitful, scheming, unscrupulous, and deadly.
In a society which idolizes success, it is no wonder that people are willing act in selfish ways in order to benefit themselves. Afterall, a person can theoretically reach a goal simply through self-benefitting actions and actions to eliminate competition. In the midst of such a cut-throat society, emerges the idea of revenge. While some may see revenge as an equalizer in a scenario of actions done to benefit oneself and harm others, revenge can also be seen as an unfortunate part of human nature from a moral perspective. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, revenge is portrayed as immoral, as it attempts to justify wrong doings with depravity and causes ruination to both the innocent and the avenger himself.
When wronged, it is in human nature to punish those who wronged us, thus revenge is born. In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, revenge is not only the catalyst of the play but a major theme as well. Upon hearing the truth regarding his father’s death, Hamlet Jr. instantly begins investigating and plotting his revenge against Claudius, which leads to all the events which unfold in the play. Upon hearing about his father’s death, Hamlet Jr. declares that he will “sweep to [his] revenge” (Shakespeare I.v.37). Hamlet Jr.s’ eagerness to take revenge and revenge’s prevalence in the play illustrate it as a major theme in the play. This mirrors the beliefs of the Psychoanalytical school of literary criticism, specifically the fifth tenant which states that “conflicts between our conscious and unconscious minds can create mental disturbances” and the sixth tenant which states that “in order to free ourselves of unconscious material we need to use skilled guidance to bring it to our conscious selves” (Rulli).
In the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, the actions done by Hamlet are driven on revenge. After his father’s murder the ghost of his father comes to Hamlet with a request. The ghost wants Hamlet to murder Claudius because he is responsible for his father’s death. Hamlet is clueless to the affects of revenge. He never stops to think about how revenge will not only himself but also those around him. Even without any knowledge of what revenge can do to a person Hamlet obliges to the ghost’s request. The outcome of Hamlet’s journey left me wondering does revenge do any good for either sides?
Storming into the palace and throwing accusations at Claudius, Laertes reveals he is impulsive. Laertes anger is due to the dishonor that has been inflicted on his family by Polonius’s murder. Claudius takes advantage of the sudden appearance of Laertes, by provoking Laertes into assisting him in plotting Hamlet’s murder. Shakespeare uses Laertes not only as a catalyst in the story, but as a contrast to the pensive Hamlet.
Revenge of The Ghost
‘’The memory be green’’ (1.2.0-5). It has not been much time since Hamlet Sr. died, his memory stays fresh, but his brother, Claudius, has already married his wife and taken his kingdom. Claudius says he does it for the good of the Denmark, in The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare. In addition; Hamlet cannot stop his hatred and anger toward his mother and uncle. He gets devastated and goes in grief by the loss of his father.
Forgive and forget; words to live by right? Not in the world of Hamlet. Revenge can cause people to go to extreme lengths in order to get even with a person who has wronged them or someone they love in some way. The ghost of King Hamlet wants revenge on his brother Claudius because he murdered him in order to become the new King of Denmark (Shakespeare 23). The ghost tells his son Hamlet to avenge his death by killing Claudius, and tries to convince him even more so to kill Claudius by telling him what he wants to hear; that Claudius is an adulterous, incestuous beast (Shakespeare 24).
Shakespeare’s Hamlet is titled after its main character, a perfectly crafted figure to represent the struggle between thoughts and actions. In the play, Hamlet is visited by a ghostly figure of his father, telling him the story of his unjust demise. Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle, had poisoned his brother and chained him into Purgatory, and this inequitable murder fuels Hamlet throughout the story. Hamlet develops a taste for vengeance that he carries with him, but is held back by hazy thoughts and nebulous introspection.
Hamlet shows no regret throughout the play once his mind has been corrupted with revenge. He doesn’t care about what others think of him, only of himself. He starts to say offensive things towards others and then pretends like it never happened, feeling no guilt behind his words. As described in Shakespeare’s play when Hamlet’s mother wishes to speak to him after upsetting his uncle with his own play, Polonius hides behind a curtain to tell the queen what to say to her son and report to the king, Hamlet’s responses. When Hamlet’s mother begins to panic thinking that her son is would try to kill her, Polonius mimics her response and Hamlet slashes at the curtain with his blade thinking it’s a spy, killing Polonius. Once Hamlet gazes upon the
I also agree with this statement. In the end, the resolution of each revenge plot does highlight the inadequacies of revenge. Hamlet is focused on seeking revenge. In the play, the ghost, Hamlet’s father, tells Hamlet, “Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” (1.5, 31). These words convince him to seek revenge. This decision of seeking revenge leads him to unexpected events which affect his life and creates many consequences. His love life gets wrecked due to his rush to gain revenge. There’s an incident where he kills his love's, Ophelia’s father. During his conversation with Gertrude, Hamlet believes that Claudius is behind the tapestry and says, “How now, a rat? Dead for a ducat, dead!”(3.4.24). He kills Polonius, an innocent man. Hamlet’s