Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Themes in hamlet
Revenge and its consequences
The themes of Hamlet
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Themes in hamlet
Hamlet Today
The story of Hamlet is read today because of it’s numerous relatable themes. Even though the story was published by William Shakespeare in 1603, it still upholds its value as a well written tragedy in the modern critic’s eye. The themes from the play that are still used today in art and everyday life. The play shows how revenge and sex are both issues that people faced back in Hamlet's day and that people are currently facing in the present.
Revenge is used throughout the play in a few different ways. The first time we see the idea of revenge in Hamlet is when prince Hamlet sees his father's ghost. He is instructed to kill Claudius to seek revenge for the murder of King Hamlet while he was sleeping in the garden. The ghost is
The theme of revenge starts off very early in the play, when Hamlet speaks with the ghost of his deceased father. When the ghost tells Hamlet how Claudius murdered him, Hamlet is infuriated and overtaken with feelings of responsibility to right the wrong that has been done; to murder Claudius. The effects of this experience on Hamlet are portrayed clearly in the following quote, "And so I am revenged. That would be scanned: A villain kills my father, and for that, I, his sole son, d this same villain send to heaven;" (p. 161, 3.4). This quote clearly exemplifies Hamlets feeling toward this event. Being his fathers only son, he feels completely responsible for his fathers vengeance. This takes deep roots in Hamlets persona and steers his life down paths that would otherwise have been avoided. This lead him to insanity, whether an act or not- and also led to the destruction of his life and those he loved.
Hamlet's reasons for revenge against Claudius are fairly straightforward. The ghost of Hamlet Sr. informed Hamlet that Claudius killed Hamlet Sr. In doing so, he weakened Hamlet by robbing him of his central role model of masculinity, his father. He also committed the moral sin of killing is own brother and taking his wife. Claudius also deprived Hamlet of his rightful kingship. In addition, Hamlet now knows that his love of his mother is corrupted since she is affectionate towards his enemy.
The themes within the Shakespearean drama Hamlet are several. Let us discuss in this essay some of the more commonly recognized themes.
In my opinion, the plot of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is very interesting so far. Acts 1 and 2 were well put together, but Act 3 is more fascinating. During Act 3, Hamlet presents the play to the king and gives his famous “To be or Not to Be” speech. I enjoyed the idea of the play because it was relatable to modern times. I believe that the play is relatable because Hamlet is “throwing shade” at the King to make him feel guilty for murdering the former king and also for taking his wife. Many people use similar methods now to make others feel guilty about something. Aside from a big production such as a play, they may just say or do certain things to throw hints concerning the matter. Therefore, I thought that this part of Shakespeare’s Hamlet
Revenge is a major theme throughout William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet. This theme provides motivation for characters to murder each other throughout the play, whether or not characters seek revenge for themselves. Because Laertes and Hamlet are so absorbed with wanting to exact revenge upon certain people, they ultimately cause the deaths of all of the main characters in the play. Revenge is the main root of evil in this play.
What make’s Shakespeare’s Hamlet so distinctive and enduring are its many different themes and the number of ways in which it can be interpreted. Hamlet is Shakespeare’s most popular play and one of the most read pieces of literature. Its themes of revenge, death, love and lust are universal and appeal to audiences from all over the world. The play can also be interpreted in a number of different ways which adds to the plays relevance despite its age.
Revenge almost always has the makings of an intriguing and tragic story. William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a perfect example of how revenge unfolds and what it unveils. The play tells the story of Hamlet, the prince of Denmark. Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle, marries his mother soon after his father’s death. Hamlet greatly disapproves of the hasty marriage and suspects foul play. His suspicions are confirmed when the ghost of his father appears and tells him that Claudius murdered him. Hamlet’s father asks him to take revenge upon Claudius, and soon everything takes a drastic change. The courses of revenge throughout Hamlet surround each character with corruption, obsession, and fatality.
Shakespeare’s Hamlet is full of revenge between multiple characters in the play. After seeing the ghost of his father, Hamlet was determined to get his revenge on his uncle, Claudius, for murdering his father and marrying his mother. Hamlet had multiple chances for revenge but was not willing to let his uncle go to Heaven after the crimes he committed. He used schemes and was able to avoid being killed by Claudius. Hamlet’s revenge did not go as planned, seeing that he killed more people than intended and was also killed himself. After the duel between Hamlet and Laertes, Hamlet was finally able to kill his uncle for the wrong actions that he committed.
According to Collins English Dictionary, revenge can be defined as hurting or punishing someone who has hurt or harmed you. The purpose of this assignment is to break down Francis Bacon’s arguments and argue in favor of Hamlet on why he should avenge his father’s death. Hamlet was commanded by the ghost of his father in Act 1 to avenge his foul and unnatural death.
Hopefully, it is easy to see why I believe that revenge is the core theme in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Revenge shapes the entire plot of the play and could be blamed for corrupting Hamlet and Laertes, making them almost evil in their final intentions. Shakespeare highlights the moral implications of revenge, and how a person can be corrupted by their need for revenge. The age-old saying ‘An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth’ is outlined perfectly in Hamlet. You cannot receive a punch, return a punch and then all sit down together for a lovely dinner. The second that you retaliate, it starts a horrible chain that is almost impossible to break.
Hamlet’s father returns from the dead to seek revenge for his wrongful death. He informs prince Hamlet that Claudius murdered him “Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder”(I.v.31) The ghost tells Hamlet to seek revenge for how Claudius has wronged both of them “Doomed for a certain term to walk the night/ And for the day confined to fast in fires/ Till the foul crimes done in my days of nature/ are burnt and purged away” (I.v.14-28).
Revenge is the core theme in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Death of loved ones cause the characters to act blindly through anger and emotion which cause them to carry out revenge. Hamlet has opportunities to kill Claudius, but he waits until the time is right to kill him. Hamlet, and the Laertes both accomplishes their task. Their obsession and need for revenge lead them to their downfalls.
Hamlet is the best known tragedy in literature today. Here, Shakespeare exposes Hamlet’s flaws as a heroic character. The tragedy in this play is the result of the main character’s unrealistic ideals and his inability to overcome his weakness of indecisiveness. This fatal attribute led to the death of several people which included his mother and the King of Denmark. Although he is described as being a brave and intelligent person, his tendency to procrastinate prevented him from acting on his father’s murder, his mother’s marriage, and his uncle’s ascension to the throne.
Many have wondered why Hamlet, a work from around 400 years ago is relevant in modern society. One would think a piece of work written at the time based on a true story would eventually die out as it became irrelevant. That isn't the case of Hamlet and other works by Shakespeare simply because of how Shakespeare is able to wonderfully address the human condition and the fact that the human condition simply does not change within 400 years. As said by Craven a professor at UTSA, “Humans still experience love, loss, betrayal, war, humor and tragedy, which gives Shakespeare a foothold in modern times,”Due to this, Hamlet is still relevant today because its major themes such as love, betrayal, and tragedy are major forces that we as a species still have to deal with. These themes heavily resonates with us and can be seen in popular contemporary works that exist today such as Game of Thrones, The Hunger Games and the Twilight Series which shows us how Hamlet is relevant today because of its portrayal of human traits.
Shakespeare’s revenge tragedy, Hamlet, resonates and maintains a lasting appeal, through the posing of questions, which few about societal issues, such as appearance and reality, action and inaction, revenge and corruption. These themes are represented through the disillusionment shown towards humanity and an exploration of one’s self, where the questions posed by Hamlet are also relatable to the audience. Imagery of decay and disease are weaved throughout the play to reinforce the themes. The exploration of these values and ideas through characterisation and language forms and features, contribute to Hamlet’s lasting appeal and the textual integrity of the play, as they resonate contextually to different audiences.