Hamlet is trapped due to certain situation. Hamlet finds that his father has died and is trapped when the Ghost commands him to kill Claudius and take revenge on his father 's death. This was not Hamlet’s fault and this scenario traps him in emotional attachment with his father where that 's his duty to get revenge on his father’s murderer. Hamlet tells himself, “ I 'll wipe away all trivial, fond records, All saws of books, all forms, all pressures past, that youth and observation copied there(Hamlet, 1.5.106-108). At this stage, he has to think because what if the Ghost is wrong and someone else is murderer.
So he is a villain not because he intended to do harm but because he is willing to use people as collateral damage as long as he achieves his goal. In order to convince the court of Denmark that he is indeed insane he walks around taking to himself, being cryptic and cruel and he basically calls Ophelia a whore when they are watching the play together. ___________. Then he goes and stabs Ophelia’s father Polonius, just because he happened to be in the wrong
Hamlet had many opportunities of killing his uncle. He constantly hesitated and came up with reason of why and why not. Infact the entire sequence of the play Hamlet procrastinates because he wants a proper death for Claudius in revenge for killing his father. This is heavy evidence for Hamlet’s respect and honor (or love) he had for his father and the fact that his mother had quickly remarried and married his uncle offended him. That alone was enough for Hamlet a reason to kill his uncle even before knowing what his uncle had done.
The emotional aftermath of carrying out an immoral deed is a contributing factor to why retribution should be left up to justice or a higher power. Laertes is an additional great example of vendetta over the loss of a loved one. He loses both his sister AND his father to Hamlet’s rampage which expectedly infuriates him. “And so I have a father lost; and a sister driven to desperate terms… but my revenge will come.”. Laertes comes home to the destruction of his family and immediately begins plotting with Claudius to kill Hamlet.
This complaint unequivocally accuses Claudius for the murder of King Hamlet. The “unnaturalness” of the betrayal is vividly captured by the phrases “a brother’s hand/Of life” that evoke the intimacy and trust accorded to Claudius by King Hamlet as his own flesh and blood. The betrayal in Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet evokes internal and interpersonal conflict that permeates a human’s life. Internal conflict pitches a human being subconscious thoughts and intentions against his/her moral duty to the family or the larger society. This play characteristically shows the internal conflict in
Soon after, his sister Ophelia is pronounced dead which only intensifies his anger towards Hamlet. Laertes bellows at Hamlet, “The devil take thy soul!”(5.1.243), uncovering that he accuses Hamlet for the passing of his dad and now sister. This drive is what prompted Laertes to collaborate with Claudius in Hamlet’s murder yet ultimately leading to his own death. This thirst for vengeance causes him to act quickly and abruptly, unintentionally getting poisoned by his own sword. Though Laertes surely illustrates how revenge can lead to one’s downfall, there is one character that proves this to be true even more so.
Laertes, furious with Hamlet, falls into collusion with Claudius’s plan to kill Hamlet by poison “with this contagion, that, if [Laertes] gall[s] him slightly, it may be death”(Shakespeare IV. vii. 146-147). Both Claudius and Laertes want to kill Hamlet and an easy way to kill him is to use poison tipped swords. Laertes wants Hamlet to die by experiencing “nightmarish experiences for [a] man’s soul” through the poison (Rosenberg).
What makes the motives of the two young men so ironic is the fact that Hamlet just so happens to kill Polonius, father of Laertes, while in the process of trying to get revenge on his father. Due to the fact that Hamlet is being so adamant in avenging his father’s death, he speaks to his mother in a way that makes it seem as if he wishes to bring some form of harm to her. His mother calls out for help in fear Hamlet will kill her. Polonius is near and calls for help. When
Furthermore, in ancient times, no special stage effects could have been used to make the scenes seem real, while being safe. Oedipus blinds himself because he doesn’t want to see the damage he’s caused for his country and family and wants to live in darkness forever so he can’t see his failures. He doesn’t want to see his children because he believes he is an unworthy father and half-
In Hamlet, Prince Hamlet’s flaw is very evident when he states, “To take him in the purging of his soul/ When he is fit and seasoned for his passage?/ No./ Up, sword, and know thou a more horrid hent” (III. iii. 86-89). The whole entire play after Hamlet finds out that his Uncle Claudius murdered his father, he plots the execution of his selfish uncle. However, Prince Hamlet had the opportune time to avenge his father’s murderer but his recurring indecisiveness continues to get the best of him.