ipl-logo

Why Does Hamlet Kill Claudius Essay

1173 Words5 Pages

Why does Hamlet delay in his revenge upon his uncle Claudius? Hamlet's dead father's ghost tells him that Claudius not only killed the king but in the two months since the murder, Claudius has also crowned himself king and married his wife and Hamlet’s mother, Queen Gertrude. Hamlet realizes the truthfulness of these facts by watching Claudius’ reaction to the play within the play, “The Murder of Gonzago”, which depicts the way Claudius murdered his brother with poison. After witnessing Claudius’ guilty reaction, Hamlet desires to see Claudius pay for his crime. Yet, given the opportunity to murder Claudius as he prays, Hamlet delays. Many theories have been advanced to account for Hamlet' s delay in seeking revenge. Some of them attribute the prince's hesitation to objective, external circumstances, while others to subjective, internal ones. In my opinion, Hamlet's internal conflict …show more content…

The plot of such a play is the murder by a person in power of a close relative of the main character. Then the main character is faced with the problem of whether or not to seek revenge against a murderer who, by his social importance, is out of the reach of ordinary justice. Hamlet had to be considered a "tragic hero" because the title of the play is “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark”. In a classic tragedy, the events help the character face up to his mistake (confrontation/realization). Through the confrontation/realization, the protagonist either learns from his mistake or dies (resolution). Hamlet, however, has no control over the events which eventually lead to his destruction. The audience witness the anti-heroic qualities of Hamlet that appear after the delay: he plots to damn his uncle's soul, he kills Polonius, he sends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to death

Show More
Related

  • Jimmy Cross The Things They Carried

    1357 Words  | 6 Pages

    By seeking revenge, Hamlet trapped in a cycle of violence that ultimately destroys the entire Danish court. Revenge results in more revenge, and the play depicts a world where everyone is caught in a web of deceit, betrayal, and death. Furthermore, the tragedy of revenge in Hamlet serves as a critique of the futility of revenge itself. Despite Hamlet’s planning and opportunities for retribution, his actions often result in unintended consequences, leading to more suffering and loss.

    Read More

  • Hamlet Self Respect

    1234 Words  | 5 Pages

    There is a direct link between self respect and an individual's response to injustice. When someone treats us poorly, we might feel the need to fight back because of our self respect, but if we don't we’re letting people control and take advantage of us. It's about proving our self worth and equality amongst our peers. In the novel “Hamlet”, Shakespeare has created this man Hamlet who's father the king has been slain by his uncle Claudius, who is now wed to his mother Gertrude. Before all of this happened hamlets life was perfect, he was going to school and had a lovely girlfriend, heir to the throne.

    Read More

  • Gertrude's Deception In Hamlet

    647 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Hamlet: The Aristotelian Tragic Hero

    1358 Words  | 6 Pages

    To further elaborate, Hamlet, explains, “Why, this is hire and salary, not revenge” (Hamlet 3.3.79). Hamlet believes that he will not be doing his father justice if he kills Claudius after he is forgiven of his sins. Hamlet continues, “To take him in the purging of his soul / When he is fit and season 'd for his passage?... / Up, sword, and know thou a more horrid hent” (Ham.3.3.85–88). By not taking advantage of the opportunity, Hamlet once again delays in fulfilling his vow to his father.

    Read More

  • I Am Pigeon Livered And Lack Gall Analysis

    992 Words  | 4 Pages

    Hamlet is presented with several opportunities to pursue his vengeance, but delays each time for multiple reasons in which reveal his true nature. There are many reasons Hamlet restrains from killing Claudius. Firstly, Hamlet does not know whether the ghost should be believed or if it is just the devil in disguise trying to trick him. This is a valid reason because if the ghost is the devil, then Hamlet’s soul will be damned to the Hell. Hamlet’s

    Read More

  • Narcissistic Personality Disorder In Hamlet By Shakespeare's Hamlet

    1583 Words  | 7 Pages

    Introduction: From time immemorial a lot of ink has been spilled on the concept of traumatic psychology developed in men. People have long proclaimed, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” (www.childtrauma.com). Psychological wound brings experiences and help people to grow more strong. Sometimes traumatic growth doesn’t happen naturally, it also can be hereditary.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Hamlet's Indecisiveness

    628 Words  | 3 Pages

    And so am I revenged. That would be scanned, a villain kills my father, and, for that, I, his sole son, do this same villain send to heaven” (line 74-79). Hamlet believes that Claudius is praying and doesn’t want to kill him, because he doesn’t want him to go to heaven. This inability is the tragic mistake that hamlets creates, to his soon to be

    Read More

  • Hamlet Compare And Contrast Hamlet And Ophelia

    932 Words  | 4 Pages

    The story of Hamlet by William Shakespeare is a story of betrayal, revenge, and intrigue. Hamlet, the title character discovers that his uncle killed his father and married his mother effectively stealing the throne. Hamlet decides he must kill his uncle Claudius as revenge for what he had done. However, as the new king, Hamlet isn't sure how to get to him, so he decides to fake madness, but his plan backfires as Claudius doesn't trust him and makes sure he is always watched. In his fumbled plan for revenge, Hamlet accidentally kills Polonius, forces Polonius's son Laertes to seek revenge against him, and drives Ophelia crazy causing her to kill herself.

    Read More

  • What Are The Similarities Between Hamlet And The Great Gatsby

    729 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hamlet, also, could not get over the death of his father. He found out when his father’s ghost came back that his brother, and Hamlet’s uncle, murdered him. He then was willing to do anything possible to get revenge on Claudius, his uncle. Both of

    Read More

  • Abuse Of Power In Elizabethan Era

    1534 Words  | 7 Pages

    Firstly, Hamlet is a play of a man by the name of Hamlet, whose father was murdered by Claudius, his uncle. Claudius murdered the king by pouring poison in his ear to claim the throne for himself. Hamlet is then told by a ghost to murder Claudius for revenge, and he struggles within himself for the length of play whether to do it or not. When Hamlet begins to hesitate it does more damage than good and causes a chain reaction of tragic events, and makes the readers question whether Hamlet is truly sane or not. Claudius’s corruptness begins to show when he uses his authority to order those around him to rid of Hamlet.

    Read More

  • Loss Of Innocence In Hamlet

    731 Words  | 3 Pages

    This behavior caused disrespect and cruelness. While the king is sleeping like he is in heaven Claudius took that from him and sent him into purgatory. This made Hamlet feel even more angry against his uncle and wants to put him to an end. As a result,Hamlet wants to destroy Claudius for every wrong deed he did. Canales 3 Hamlet is severely motivated into killing for his actions.

    Read More

  • Essay On Revenge In Hamlet

    1173 Words  | 5 Pages

    Towards the end of the play, Hamlet finally receives his chance at revenge in the form of a fencing match against Claudius. Although he kills Claudius, a poisonous sword wounds Hamlet, and he exclaims that “O, I die, Horatio./ The potent poison quite o’ercrows my spirit”(5.2.352-353). Revenge distorts Hamlet’s mind to the extent that he challenges Claudius to a fencing match, even though Claudius is out to kill Hamlet. As a result, Hamlet dies, and, in turn, illustrates that revenge hinders logical decision making, and induces dire repercussions.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Death In Hamlet

    1306 Words  | 6 Pages

    Shakespeare presents death as an inevitable act of life, noting that all that is living must eventually come to an end. Due to “Hamlet” being a Shakespearean tragedy, the theme of death recurs throughout the play. Additionally, Shakespeare can be seen as using revenge as the main motive of a character’s murder, which makes “Hamlet” a revenge tragedy. The tragic nature means that by the end of the play, majority of the characters would have died. In this case, many of the characters have died due to murder or suicide.

    Read More

  • Shakespeare Use Of Revenge In Hamlet Research Paper

    1305 Words  | 6 Pages

    By the end of the play, Shakespeare shows how all of the characters attempt to get their revenge and how revenge does not always work out for the best. Hamlet is the main character of the play and it seems as if everything he does is based off his wanting to revenge Claudius for killing

    Read More

  • Essay On Hamlet As A Tragic Hero

    943 Words  | 4 Pages

    Many tragic heroes holds pride as their primary cause to his downfall, but Hamlet’s hesitation throughout the play is his key weakness. During the play of The Murder of Gonzago schemed by Hamlet to confirm Claudius’s act of crime, himself was overwhelmed by self-contempt and guilt. Hamlet blames himself for just standing around cursing like a whore, and urges to seek revenge by heaven and hell. After the performance, Hamlet observes Claudius and found him guilty and prays for forgiveness. But Hamlet give up the good opportunity of killing Claudius because he hopes that his revenge for his father for a moral sake, not committing an impulsive revenge.

    Read More

More about Why Does Hamlet Kill Claudius Essay

Open Document