Intro: A famous quote from Ghandi says, “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.” This is a quote that applies to the characters in Hamlet who are driven by revenge. To put in simple terms, an eye for an eye means whatever you do someone will be done to you. The characters acted through their anger and emotions, rather than with thorough thought, because they were insistent on getting revenge on those who did them wrong.
Thesis: When a character in Hamlet is too focused on revenge, it causes them to act destructively which eventually leads to their tragic deaths.
Intro to three topics:
Argument 1: A major conflict in the story of Hamlet is the inner conflict that takes place in his mind. His feelings of grief, and betrayal for the
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He sends Hamlet’s old friends from school to see what is causing his grief. Upon meeting Hamlet, they fake their good intentions, but Hamlet quickly finds out they were sent by the king and queen.
“You were sent for; and there is a kind of confession….”
The shift in Hamlet’s language shows the betrayal he feels after finding out G & R’s intentions weren’t genuine; he starts speaking to them more sarcastically and with less respect.
Hamlet also feels betrayed by the women in his life, his mother and girlfriend Ophelia. He is angered over the haste of his mother and uncle’s marriage, right after his father’s death. With Ophelia, Hamlet senses her unfaithfulness; she is helping her father, Polonius spy on him.
From all the deceit he’s experienced, Hamlet is overcome with grief, consequently leading to his downfall. In a chain of destruction, Hamlet accidentally kills Polonius, convinces everyone he’s insane, and drives Ophelia to insanity and to her suicide (only to realize after that he really loved her). In the end, he is kills both Laertes and Claudius, only to suffer his own
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He acts with immediate violence, demanding to kill whoever killed his father; however, pursuing his desire for revenge without thinking leads to his own death in the end.
Upon his return to Denmark, he enters the castle furious at the king, who he believes is the one who killed his father.
“That drop of blood that’s calm proclaims me bastard…”
This quote is an example of the theme of honour in the play. Laertes, like other male characters, wants to do what he believes to be honourable, by protecting the name of his family. At that moment, he thinks of himself as a bastard, or cowardly, for not taking action in avenging his father’s death (because he’s been away in France).
Subsequently, the king convinces him that Hamlet is all to blame for his father’s death, but to protect his own honour, he can’t kill Hamlet since the public and the queen love him. The king harps on the grief of Laertes, who is also grieving for his sister who’s gone mad, and lures him into his plan to kill Hamlet.
Laertes says,
“I dare damnation: to this point I stand, that both worlds I give to negligence, let come what comes; only I’ll be revenged most thoroughly for my
Shakespeare questions the value of revenge as a means of finding closure and justice, suggesting that it often leads to more harm than good. To draw a conclusion, the tragedy of revenge in Hamlet is a prominent theme in the play, demonstrating the destructive nature of seeking vengeance. Hamlet’s relentless pursuit of revenge causes internal conflicts, brings about a cycle of violence, and ultimately leads to tragic consequences for himself and people around him. Shakespeare’s exploration of this theme raises profound questions about the nature of revenge and its deeper effects on both individuals and
In the play, “Hamlet”, revenge is shown as the device that moves the plot along and revenge is what helps develop the plot. Near the beginning of the story, Hamlet meets the
This leads him to believe that his God-given reasoning is meant to be used and acted upon, and in this play he uses that reasoning to justify murder. This turning point in the play spurs Hamlet into murdering the king in the following act. The justification of murder through religion reveals the underlying themes of religion and revenge in the text of Hamlet. Hamlet reflects on honor and greatness in this soliloquy. It ties into the theme of revenge, as he thinks his greatness lies in getting revenge for his father being murdered by his uncle.
Throughout the play Hamlet continues to act insane and even dies with the act continuing. Even after Hamlet gathers all the evidence that proves Claudius is the murder, Hamlet continues to behave in a strange way. When he mistakenly murders Polonius he does not react as a sane person would. This act enrages Laertes, who then wants to avenge his father’s death. Driven to madness by the murder of his father, Laertes, with the help of Claudius conspires to kill Hamlet.
Then, Laertes chooses to become a participant in the killing of Hamlet. As aforementioned, this plan for death is a success, but causes many other deaths along with Hamlet to fail.
Hamlet Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare is a deep dark revenge tragedy of love and family betrayal. The revenge that Hamlet wants for the death of his father at his uncle’s hand consumes him so much that he loses his mind and causes everyone including the innocent to die. Hamlet is angry over the betrayal he feels when in discovers his uncle Claudius, who is now king killed his father. His mother marrying his uncle who, he now sees as a whore and Ophelia his true love repels his love.
The main character of William Shakespeare’s tragedy is actually a confused person that’s stuck between two choices. Some may argue that he feels guilty for his father’s death and so it’s his duty to avenge it. While others may disagree and conclude that he is just a maniac who is both violent and dangerous. Hamlet passes through the lane of hesitancy, where he hesitates to kill King Claudius. As a matter of fact, the main conflict of Hamlet is that he feels both the need to solve the crime and punish the responsible.
Within the classic Shakespeare play of Hamlet, many overarching themes can be found. However, when one looks more closely, they can see that the idea of revenge has huge impacts on the plot. When watching the movie adaptations, one directed by Franco Zeffirelli in 1990 and the other by Kenneth Branagh in 1996, some discrepancies can be seen throughout the story. The way the directors depicted certains scenes has changed the way the views see the ideal of revenge. By analyzing the depictions of Hamlet’s personality throughout all three versions of Hamlet, the audience realizes the importances of revenge in the plot.
The personality of such characters as Hamlet from William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet is much remarked upon. However, it is even more meaningful to analyze changes in Hamlet’s character throughout the play. As Hamlet becomes more driven in his revenge, his actions lose morality and gain consequences. In fact, Shakespeare uses the relationship between a character’s cruelty and the meaning in the pain they cause to comment on the cyclically destructive nature of cruelty.
The character of Hamlet is expressed as a protagonist. His irritated attitude towards Claudius in scene 2 of act 1 leaves the audience with a clear first impression of his nature. He is deceitful of the king, his uncle Claudius who is now the ruler of Denmark after his brothers “death”, and disgusted of his mother marrying his uncle. Hamlet is an example of someone who has compromised his happiness, in order to avenge his father’s murder.
Mine and my father’s death come not upon thee, Nor thine on me,” here Laertes is saying that the revenge was not worth it for either of them, and he does not blame Hamlet for the outcome of Laertes’ revenge but himself. While Hamlet’s and Laertes’ revenge are the two major revenges in the play, there is another smaller revenge which plays big into the
As if what Hamlet was living was not extreme enough, the ghost of his father begins to appear to demand revenge for his death. Hamlet found out through his father’s goth that he was murdered by Hamlet’s uncle. It is very difficult to imagen the level of pain, anger, and desire of revenge after losing both parents under so bizarre circumstances. The evil actions of the uncle to take control of the throne, I have no doubt,
He calls him a murderous villain, heartless, disloyal, and lustful. Hamlet’s insanity can be seen in this soliloquy because his mind is so caught up with everything and anything. He is so distressed with insignificant things as well as his desire for revenge. Hamlet’s mind is racing and he is filled with several emotions which he feels one after another, from distress and confusion to self-pity
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 throughly for my father” (Shakespeare 99). Without knowing who killed his father, Laertes bursts into a rage that threatens the murderer to hell. His immediate need for revenge guarantees that his emotional wounds will not heal.
Hamlet continuously goes back and forth on whether or not he should carry out his revenge against his uncle. One display of Hamlet’s indecisiveness is when he says “O curséd spite/ That I ever was born to set it right!” (I.5.193-194). Hamlet has already at this point decided to kill his uncle, but in this line he begins to rethink what he was sure about before.