Is Hamlet A Villain Essay

Commonly, a hero is considered as a representative of morality, justice and power. Also, people have various ways to evaluate their own heroes. Especially children, as they grow up, are more likely to create their heroes who are usually brave, strong, righteous and indestructible. However, villains are the opposite side of heroes, and they are evil, demoniacal and cruel. Some of those heroes would easily turn into villains when they are trying to get revenge because their hearts are filled with hatred. The play Hamlet by Shakespeare tells the tragic story of a prince avenging the death of his father. In the play, the main character Hamlet changes from a hero into a villain through his immoral and repellant actions.

Hamlet is a villain with

In the play, Hamlet is a tragic hero since he does not try to stop the war but conduct a revenge that becomes a vicious circle. He is unable to make a decision whether he should revenge on the death of the elder King or not, losing the characteristics that heroes have. Surprisingly, Hamlet kills Polonius in a moment, meaning he kills other people’s father as well. He detests the behavior of Claudius, now he has become another Claudius. Thus, Polonius’s son, Laertes starts getting revenge for his father’s murder. Laertes states, “To hell, allegiance! Vow, to the blackest devil! Conscience and grace, to the profoundest pit! I dare damnation. To this point I stand that both the worlds I give to negligence. Let come what comes, only I’ll be revenged most thoroughly for my father.” (4.5 129-134) Hamlet wants to get revenge for his father because he is experiencing the loss of a loved one; however, he causes other people suffering the same pain. Comparing the two people taking revenge, Laertes displays more characteristics of a hero and is more manly than

In the first place, he does not respect his mother and verbally hurts her by saying, “A horrible act- almost as bad, my good mother, a killing a king and marrying his brother.” (3.4 29-30) After that, Gertrude says, “O Hamlet, thou hast cleft my heart into twain.” However, Hamlet feels no shame and guilt about what he said and what he did to his dearest mother, showing he lacks conscience and responsibility. Furthermore, Hamlet says, “And so he goes to heaven, and so am I revenged. That would be scanned: A villain kills my father, and I, my father’s only son, send this same villain to heaven. Seems like I just did him a favor.” (3.3 75-79) He does not want to murder Claudius since he is thinking about sending him to the hell. Due to the revenge, he has become a man who is full of