The Evil Character In Shakespeare's Hamlet And Othello

It is a common phenomenon that an evil character is put in a play to create a conflict. This has been done in many plays written by Shakespeare. In some of his plays it is very difficult to tell who the evil character is due to certain dynamics. This difficulty in deciphering who the good and bad people are also occurs in real life. On the other hand it can be very clear to see who is evil and who is not. In Shakespeare’s play King Lear Cornwall is undeniably evil but in Hamlet and Othello there seems to be some controversy. Some believe that the acts that both Hamlet and Othello commit make them evil but others disagree due to the lack of malicious intent. In the play’s Hamlet and Othello the main characters commit terrible acts that on the

The findings in Sarah Casimong in “Does Love Make You Do Stupid Things?” can also be applied to Hamlet. He also had impaired judgement due to his love for his father. Hamlet seemed to think very highly of his father and he sincerely loved him. Hamlet refers to his father at the beginning of the play as “Hercules” and “excellent king”. He also says “He was a man, take him for allin all, I shall not look upon his like again." (I.ii.139-188). This shows how much his father meant to him. So when the ghost of his father tells him that Claudius murdered him; Hamlet felt the need to gain revenge for him. Claudius being the man, who killed his father and then took the throne by marrying Queen Gertrude, makes it logical that Hamlet would have a vendetta towards him. Hamlet began to be consumed with the need to revenge his father and it started to control his life. Ashley Fern wrote, “When people seek out revenge, it tends to consume them entirely. Some people take it way too far and it is hard to control yourself once you get going.” (Fern, Ashley). Hamlet’s life was driven by a need for revenge and his actions couldn’t be controlled because of this. Hamlet’s life was in shambles at this point because what he thought was true was shown to be false. Claudius acted as though he grieved for his father when in actuality he was the one responsible for it. He says, “Though yet of Hamlet

Both Hamlet and Othello had other characters play a huge role in the reason why they do bad things. Othello had Iago who lied to him continuously so that he could watch his demise. While Hamlet had his father to drive him to get revenge and Claudius to be the reason why revenge was necessary. These two characters had no intent on doing terrible things until a seed was planted in their heads. If their actions were done without the input of another character then they could be held accountable as evil characters. Manipulation plays a huge role in the actions of Hamlet and Othello. Othello was truly manipulated into being a person that he was not. Iago says, “I humbly do beseech you of your pardon For too much loving you…I hope you will consider what is spoke Comes from my love…” (3.3. 215-222). Iago makes him believe that he is only telling him about his wife’s infidelity because he loves him. He uses his closeness to Othello against him by making him think that he is looking out for his best interest, even though he is actually making him out to be a fool. Hamlet also has a problem when it comes to being manipulated. Claudius tried to fool Hamlet and the entire kingdom that he knew nothing about his brother’s death. In Act 1 Scene 2 Claudius speaks to Hamlet to try and get him to stop mentioning his father. He wanted King Hamlet to be