Greed is one of the most relevant and important sins out of the 7 Deadly Sins that is in Hamlet. Greed is great desire and selfishness for wealth power and other higher quality resources. Greed is bad because it can cause people to do bad things and influence them to be corrupt. Greed causes people to put materialistic things before life priorities and relationships and life goals. power can be a source that could change people in many different ways both good and bad. Power can be good because it gives people more authority to choose what can happen and give action to future events like pulling troops out of a country to avoid war, or give the ability to help people for instance give money to a charity if the person is powered with wealth. …show more content…
On the Contrary, in Hamlet, The Desire for power is seeing in a more negative light. In regards to power, greed typically take over and causes people to do things that they wouldn’t normally do in their right mind. Some of the things people do because of greed are killing people, betraying trust, breaking the law, and cutting out relationships from their lives etc. Because of all of these things, greed is one of the biggest examples of sin in Shakespeare's Hamlet. One example of Greed in this play is when Claudius murdered His brother, King Hamlet.
He was filled with greed because he wanted the throne and power to himself. Greed took over to such an extent that he actually poured poison into his ear to kill him. This represents greed because Claudius was King Hamlet’s brother and he wanted to inherit the throne to gain power so badly that he betrayed the trust of the royal family and his brother, committed murder, and committed treason. “That cannot be, since I am still possessed Of those effections, My crown, mine own ambition, and my queen” (3.3, ln 54-56). This quote by Claudius states he had been the convict of the murder of King Hamlet and he confesses the wrong he had done. He however does not show any regret or negative emotion towards the evil actions, exemplifying that greed truly has taken over his every …show more content…
ambition. Another example of greed in Hamlet is Polonius seeking greater power in the Danish court by putting on an appearance of loyalty and concern for the royal family. His daughter Ophelia tells Polonius of Hamlet's behavior toward her, after this, Polonius reports to Gertrude "Your noble son is mad"(2.2, ln 92). In his sycophantic way, he hides behind a wall hanging, or a tapestry, in order to spy on Hamlet for Claudius while Hamlet is speaking with his mother. This act Polonius actually contributes to his own death by making the fatal mistake of calling out to Gertrude because he believed that Hamlet had attacked her. Like Claudius, his treacherous attempt to sabotage Hamlet backfires as he is stabbed by Hamlet through the curtain. This is most likely because Hamlet believes it is Claudius behind the tapestry, although it still ended up benefiting hamlet all in all. One may argue that lust would be the most influential sin shown in the play, mostly because if Queen Gertrude wouldn’t have fallen victim to lust then perhaps the later events may have not occured.
“O Hamlet, what a falling off was there! From me, whose love was of that dignity That it went hand in hand even with the vow I made to her in marriage, and to decline Upon a wretch whose natural gifts were poor To those of mine.” (1.5, ln. 47-53) In this quote the ghost of King Hamlet is saying the Queen went from him, who loved her with the qualities that suits a legitimate marriage, to an evil villain whose gifts were poor compared to his own. But just like you can’t corrupt a true and honest good person, the opposite is also true: a lustful person like her can find satisfaction in a true love, or one full of lust and ingenuine nature. But this sin, although prevalent, isn’t something that would be a main theme of Hamlet. Even through lust you can trace the theme of greed. You are being greedy in pursuing a lustful relationship because it is only something you want to satisfy you in the meantime and isn’t genuine or
pure. Greed has been proven as a very harmful and consequential sin in the play Hamlet. Not only has it caused loss of loyalty, relationships, and purity in character, but it has also gone to the extent of causing persons to commit murder, manslaughter, and treason. The greed for power overtook many in this play, and the greed definitely took its toll. Claudius committing treason by murdering his brother King Hamlet because of the thirst for power is a perfect example of this. It is clear that there are many other sins that are shown in this play, but it’s very obvious to say that greed was one of the most detrimental.
Both Gilgamesh and Hamlet shows humanity’s greedy nature and human’s power. Gilgamesh “touches on the most fundamental questions of what it means to be human: death friendship, nature and civilization, power and violence, travel adventures and homecoming, love and sexuality” (Puncher 33). Hamlet is about the murder of a king by his brother and his brother marrying his wife to become the new king. Throughout both of these plays there are example of characters greed and desire for power.
Greed is the desire to have more of something than others, to the point of excess and selfishness. Envy and greed go hand in hand in Hamlet, and is represented through the character Claudius. Claudius murdered his brother, King Hamlet, because he wanted what his brother had. Claudius reveals why he murdered the King when he is overcome with guilt, he says “ I am still possess'd Of those effects for which I did the murder, My crown, mine own ambition and my queen.”( 3.3.53-55). Meaning he committed the act of murder to obtain the three things he was envious that his brother had: being king, the lifestyle and Gertrude. Claudius could end his envy of his brother and obtain the lavish lifestyle he so desired. Envy and greed intense lead Claudius to commit the condemning act of regicide. One definition of regicide is killing a person of royalty deliberately, in this case, it was King Hamlet. In history, most cases of regicide have been executions or court ordered executions, such as in the cases of King Louis the Sixteenth of France and his wife, Queen Marie Antoinette. King Louis the Sixteenth was sentenced to death after being convicted of conspiring with foreign powers.This contrasts to the regicide in Hamlet because King Hamlet was not put on trial or found guilty of any crime. Claudius was not satisfied with his own life and longed for the life of his brother. Claudius killed his brother for his own personal gain, without justifiable
An indigenous belief at the time, the Great Chain of Being shapes Hamlet’s worldview and controls his actions. Given that “he himself is a subject to his birth” Hamlet is not his own master and “may not, as unvalued persons do, / Carve for himself” without regard to his social responsibilities (1.3.21-23). From this background emerges Hamlet’s initial stance on the sentiment of passion. Even before his desire to avenge Old Hamlet overtakes his reason, Hamlet wishes to find “that man / That is not passion’s slave,” who he “will wear…In my heart’s core, ay, in my heart of hearts” thus making his fledgling argument that passion is to be avoided and one must follow the Great Chain of Being (3.2.67-69). Hamlet believes strongly in the emphasis of the Great Chain on reason which makes him wonder “What is a man / if his chief good and market of his time / be but to sleep and feed?” (4.4.35-37). Without using one’s intelligence and thoughtfulness one risks becoming “A beast,” Hamlet argues that God would not have made humans with “That capability and godlike reason / To fust in [them] unused” (4.4.38-41). Therefore Hamlet must adhere to the Great Chain of Being and rise above life’s temptation to give in to passion and
Claudius was motivated to take the throne for many reasons but one of the mains ones was his enormous greed. Claudius was not happy being the king’s brother, or being super wealthy, but rather he wanted to be the king himself, he wanted to be the wealthiest and most powerful man in entire kingdom. Claudius reflects back on what he has done when he says, “Forgive me my foul murder? /That cannot be; since I am still possessed/ Of those effects for which I did the murder-/ My crown, mine own ambition, and my queen.” (Hamlet 3.3.52-55). Claudius knows that he has done wrong but his greed has consumed him and he cannot simply give up everything he has taken. The wealth and power he has acquired is what he has wanted his whole life and now he cannot imagine himself without it. He has committed a murder and he has married the queen he will now stick to his ambitions and not turn back. Greed is often when someone wants something in an extreme or an excessive amount above what is necessary. A certain amount of everything is
Vengefulness is yet another inexorable human trait. Hamlet's entire character is changed by his need for revenge. He starts out as a serene, learned young man but the need for vengeance twists his soul to the point where he is driven only by his need for pay back.
In Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the playwright uses the motifs of revenge and procrastination, to demonstrate that both of these motifs will always bring corruption and harm to those that make use of them.
Hamlet’s dogged attempts at convincing himself and those around him of Claudius’ evil, end up being Claudius’ best moments. The audience doesn’t have just one view of Claudius; the other characters favorable ideas of Claudius as king and person lets them see the humanity, good and bad, in Claudius. An allegory for the human soul, Claudius is many things: a father, a brother, a husband, and a king. He, like anyone else, has to play the role to the best of his ability, but is still very human and susceptible to the evils of human emotion ranging from concern to jealousy, all of which could have easily fueled his decisions. Page 1 of 6 Works Cited Hamlet, Shakespeare.
Why do people crave power, fortune, and lust when all it leads to is corruption, greed, and/or death? In the play of Hamlet by William Shakespeare, one character's greed for power and fortune leads to tragedy. First, Claudius murders King Hamlet and attempts to kill prince Hamlet inorder to keep the crown to rule Denmark. Secondly, Claudius sets up a plan that involves putting a poisonous pearl in the winner's victory cup that eventually Gertrude drinks. He also puts poision on the tip of the sword that eventually kills Laertes in the duel. Lastly, Claudius sends Rosencranz & Guildenstern to escort Hamlet to England to secretly be killed so that he can keep the crown. One may object that Polonius' death was not the fault of Claudius' greed because Hamlet killed Polonius. However, Hamlet was obsessed with killing Claudius because he wanted to seek revenge for his father. Claudius' Greed for power is to blame for all the tragedies in the play Hamlet.
Claudius feels guilty about killing his brother. We can see Claudius;s remorse when he is talking to God and gives his monologue about his his murder. Therefore, Claudius says, "My stronger guilt defeats my strong intent(pg.165)." This quote proves that Claudius realizes that he made a mistake and he also realizes that he cannot put everything behind him as mich as he wants to. Everything reminds him about his brother, the kingdom, the queen and the crown.
At the beginning of the play William Shakespeare gives us very subtly aspects of King Claudius’s behavior and personality. Admittedly so, King Claudius appears to be the antagonist throughout the story and is pushing Hamlet to his limits. We hear Hamlet’s side of the story, but very spontaneously we get to hear King Claudius’s feelings toward the murder of is brother. In his confession he says, “Oh, my
Hamlet’s obsession with taking revenge destroys the relationships in his life. His furiousness with his mother’s marriage causes him to lose respect for her and wish for no more marriages in Denmark (III. i. 144-152). Hamlet’s loss of respect for women affects his relationship with his girlfriend, Ophelia. He slowly begins to drive her away. Hamlet becomes impetuous and consequently kills Ophelia’s father, which permanently destroys their relationship. Another instance of obsession to revenge is Laertes. He becomes so bent upon avenging his family, that he does not think clearly. Claudius deceives Laertes by persuading him into killing Hamlet so that he remains out of harm’s way. However, their obsession to revenge becomes the foundation of their
Both Claudius and Hamlet are similar in many ways. They both have trouble taking action and are very indecisive. This can be seen when Claudius wants to pray and repent for his sins but has trouble praying because he does not want to give up everything that he has gained from that sin. He refuses to let everyone know that it was in fact him that killed the king and deal with the consequences that would follow, like him losing the power and respect he gained from being king. This indecisiveness can also be seen in Hamlet when he has trouble deciding whether to avenge his father’s death or if Claudius even killed his father. Even though the ghost of his father came to him and told Hamlet that Claudius poisoned him to take his position as king, Hamlet has trouble acting
In general terms, corruption is the act of corrupting or of impairing integrity, virtue, or moral principle. In politics, corruption is the misuse of public power and image.Whether it is realized or not, no country is wholly free of the disease of corruption, and if it is allowed to develop and become significantly strong, it can obstruct the good processes of governing and deteriorate the fabric of society. It can become a barrier to continual development and make it so that essentially no room remains for justice to succeed. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the destructive force of corruption is clearly exemplified through the abundance of imagery concerning decay, death, disease, sickness, and infection as the play progresses. The first and foremost example of this corruptionis the murder of King Hamlet and the resulting incestuous marriage of Gertrude and Claudius, which forms the foundation for corruption becoming a regular happening in the state of Denmark.The disease of corruption in the play stems from Claudius and slowly spreads through Elsinore and eventually results in the collapse of Denmark, which is signified by the takeover of the castle and land by Fortinbras, the nemesis of Hamlet and the Norwegian Crown Prince.Through the characters of Polonius, Claudius, Ophelia, and Hamlet, the evolution and disease-like spreading of this corruption can be observed.
In moderns times we have seemed to forgot how much ideas such as greed, betrayal, love, family, secrecy, and revenge play a huge part in our lives. William Shakespeare's play Hamlet to this very day allowed us to relate and understand those key concepts in our own life. The character’s and how the story is written can relate to nearly anyone that reads the play in some sort of form. For example we see greed being played out on a daily basis through television shows, big corporations suing smaller companies for products, and greed for political power in the eastern hemisphere. Betrayal with people cheating on each other in relationships or just telling a lie from there and now. Love that is pure hearted or false in all aspects for the benefit
Hamlet's character lends itself to a possible motivation for his unwillingness to kill Claudius. He is a scholar, and a student of theology. It is a moral dilemma for Hamlet to kill without a just cause, or kill at all. He wants proof of the part his uncle and his mother played in his father's death. His royal birth leads him to consider his responsibilities to his country, which is Hamlet's internal conflict throughout the play.