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Hamlet
In the story The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, by Shakespeare Hamlets father is killed for some unknown reason. Hamlet wanted to find out who would do such a thing. In the play there were many tragedies that occurred thought-out the play. All these tragedies occur because Hamlet decides to wait until he gets his revenge. There was a single event that caused more tragedies to occur as we progress thought the play.
A ghost came into Hamlets life and claimed he know what had happened to his father. At first Hamlet did not believe the ghost. The ghost said, “Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” (1.5.25). The ghost was telling Hamlet he needs to get revenge on the person who had killed his father. Hamlet character progressed
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Hamlet starts to change as he only thinks about revenge. When Claudius was in the church, he could have gotten his revenge there, but he was thinking rationally. Hamlets parents start to worry about him. He has started to isolate himself from everyone. The more days that go by which Hamlet has not gotten his revenge the more he has separated from everyone. Hamlet has stopped talking to everyone even his close friends. Hamlets just wants revenge and his life has become dull, because if he does not achieve this task then it will seem like his life is a waste. In other words Hamlet has just forgotten how to live life and cannot think straight on a daily …show more content…
Hamlets two friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern had been killed. Their death could have been preventing, but every person Hamlet has killed, he was just trying to look out for himself. The more Hamlets had delayed his revenge on Claudius the more paranoid he got. Claudius wanted to kill Hamlet because he was a threat to his thorn. Claudius also found out that Hamlet know the truth about how his father had been tragedy killed, so that Claudius could become the king of Denmark. Hamlet was so paranoid that he started to kill his two friends as he thought they had betrayed him. Hamlet did not feel safe around anyone he know. Revenge is a type of disease that can take the mind over. Hamlet did feel sorry for killing his two friends when he said, “they are not near my conscience” (5.2.59). He thought Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were working for Claudius.
When Laertes died, Hamlet was not really fault. Claudius was evil and made Laertes and Hamlet duel. The sword that Hamlet killed Laertes was actually to be used against Hamlet. Hamlet had killed Laertes with a poisoned sword. Claudius was hoping to get rid of Hamlet by ordering Laertes to poison. Claudius had ordered Laertes as “he sends to know if your pleasure holds to play…take longer time” (5.2.181-183). In this duel Hamlet had to win in order to keep his promise to himself that he wanted to get revenge on Claudius. Hamlet killed another man in order to protect
Ironic as it sounds, Laertes is the person to thank for Hamlet’s eternal peace even though he was the one who poisoned the blade that killed Hamlet. The reasoning behind this is that even though Hamlet and Laertes are responsible for each other’s they both confessed their guilt and asked for each other’s forgiveness, which they both received. Denmark’s Protestant religion states that those who die without the chance to ask for forgiveness will wait in Purgatory until their judgement is passed and if not for Laertes opening up to Hamlet, they both would have passed on to the afterlife without forgiveness and would have to wait in Purgatory. Laertes is also given the credit of bringing to light the foul deeds that Claudius carried out such as the planned murder of Prince Hamlet because if Hamlet were to accuse Claudius of everything he did then the accusation would have been heard by deaf ears because everyone still thought Hamlet was insane at that point. Hamlet was given a final chance to finally take revenge on Claudius for the deaths of those close to Hamlet and restore the kingdom to order. All of this was managed in Hamlet’s final hour when he finally
Once Hamlet lost control there was no way of freeing himself of his obsession and that became his downfall. The obsession came from the emotions of grief and anger, and when he didn't have control they were lost in the obsession. Driving Hamlet insane because the obsession became his central focus allowing the obsession to become what killed him. The consequence of losing himself was actually him suffering death due to his emotions. There was no other way Hamlet could see that would have him live with what he and done and be okay with it. In the end the only logical thing he could do was put a fight until he died. Due to his state of mind the only thing he had control over was the revenge and once that was complete there was nothing left, but to leave his mark and focus his last moments on avenging his father.
“An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind,” Ghandi said, in an attempt to show how revenge will not end once it has begun. Throughout Hamlet this theme is addressed, extremely clearly, and the conclusion, the death of so many characters, many due to revenge, shows how a world filled with extensive revenge cannot exist as a world at all. Hamlet is a deep philosophical story, however, the theme of revenge lies just below the surface, if you look at all of the deaths, you may see that there was a high degree of hatred, bitterness, and anger throughout Denmark.
Vengeance, redemption, and desire plague Denmark’s royal family in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet after a haunting family secret forces Prince Hamlet to choose between morality and honor. After Hamlet’s father dies, the kingdom hastily adjusts to his uncle Claudius’ reign; however, Hamlet remains devastated and loyal to his father. When his father’s ghost unveils that Claudius poisoned King Hamlet, the prince’s devastation mixes with a fervent desire for revenge that eventually dictates his every thought. Despite being ostensibly committed to avenging his father’s death, Hamlet habitually discovers reasons to delay action. As Hamlet’s procrastination persists, his familial relations deteriorate and ultimately cause him to reevaluate his position in society. Furthermore, Hamlet becomes chronically paranoid and calculates each aspect of his plan; therefore, the audience doubts his ability to successfully exact revenge. This paranoia escalates exponentially and fuels an uncontrollable obsession with perfection that usurps his sanity. Although Hamlet remains devoted to his murdered father, his perpetual procrastination eventually leads to mental degeneration through decaying relationships, prompting incessant paranoia, and fostering uncontrollable obsessions.
Claudius says, "and you must put me in your heart for friend, sith you have heard, and with a knowing ear, that he which hath your noble father slain pursued my life."(IV;vii;1-4). This suggests to Laertes that they should allie themselves against Hamlet. Claudius thinks of a plan to kill Hamlet in a way that will leave them both appearing innocent. He states to Laertes "a sword unbated, and, in a pass of practise, requite him for your father."(4.7.135-137). This means that Claudius wants Laertes to duel Hamlet with a sharp pointed sword, and not with a sword that is tipped for safety during dueling. Laertes agrees, but he will also put poison on the tip of the sword so that the smallest scratch will cause Hamlet to die, "I will do 't and for that purpose I 'll anoint my sword. I bought an unction of a mountebank, so mortal that, but a dip a knife in it, where it drowns blood no cataplasm so rare, collected from all simples that have virtue under the moon, can save the thing from death that is but scratched withal."(4.7.138-144). As Laertes and Hamlet duel both of them are wounded with the poisoned sword, when they realize that they will die soon the truth is revealed. Laertes tells Hamlet of the plan he had with Claudius and forgives him for the death of his
Being the primary character, there is a greater focus on Hamlet’s pursuit of revenge, since throughout the play his mind and actions plagued by both uncertainty and angry notions towards his mother’s infidelity rather than the “murder most foul”. Unlike both Laertes and Fortinbras, Hamlet's desire for revenge is not implanted by his own will but rather by his father’s ghost; through his encounter the ghost pleads his son’s loyalty by promising the murder Claudius. Initially Hamlet's interaction with the Ghost was one of curiosity and glee which opposes his prior melanch...
In the beginning of the book Hamlet is visited by the ghost of his dead father who asks him to avenge his murder. "Revenge his foul
With his thinking mind Hamlet does not become a typical vengeful character. Unlike most erratic behavior of individuals seeking revenge out of rage, Hamlet considers the consequences of his actions. What would the people think of their prince if he were to murder the king? What kind of effect would it have on his beloved mother? Hamlet considers questions of this type which in effect hasten his descision. After all, once his mother is dead and her feelings out of the picture , Hamlet is quick and aggressive in forcing poison into Claudius' mouth. Once Hamlet is certain that Claudius is the killer it is only after he himself is and and his empire falling that he can finally act.
Throughout Hamlet, each character’s course of revenge surrounds them with corruption, obsession, and fatality. Shakespeare shows that revenge proves to be extremely problematic. Revenge causes corruption by changing an individual’s persona and nature. Obsession to revenge brings forth difficulties such as destroyed relationships. Finally, revenge can be the foundation to the ultimate sacrifice of fatality. Hamlet goes to show that revenge is never the correct route to follow, and it is always the route with a dead
The king forbade Fortinbras to wage an attack against Denmark, and instead suggested he attack the Poles to vent his anger. Fortinbras agreed to the plan, but had no intentions of following it. Polonius was King Hamlet’s advisor and the father of Ophelia and Laertes, both of whom respected and loved him, despite his arrogant demeanour. Young Hamlet murdered Polonius accidentally, thinking him to be the king eves dropping on a conversation between Hamlet and his mother. "How now! A rat? Dead, for a ducat, dead!" Laertes returned home immediately after hearing of his father's death and confronted the King, accusing him of the murder of his father. Once Claudius told Laertes that Hamlet was responsible for his father's death, he and Claudius concoct a scheme to kill Hamlet using a poison tipped sword. "…Hamlet, thou art slain…The treacherous instrument is in thy, unbated and envenom'd…" Hamlet does indeed die as a result of wounds inflicted by Laertes, but it is the poisoned tipped sword that causes the demise of Laertes as well.
Revenge is a recurring theme in Hamlet. Although Hamlet wants to avenge his father’s death, he is afraid of what would result from this. In the play Hamlet, Hamlet’s unwillingness to revenge appears throughout the text; Shakespeare exhibits this through Hamlet’s realization that revenge is not the right option, Hamlet‘s realization that revenge is the same as the crime which was already committed, and his understanding that to revenge is to become a “beast” and to not revenge is as well (Kastan 1).
“Revenge is a dish best served cold.” This famous saying is an ancient proverb that has been carried out for centuries. The phrase describes that the best payback is one that comes with planning; revenge is bringing the most horrendous pain to your enemies when they are least expecting it. In the play Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, Hamlet discovers that his uncle, Claudius, poisoned his father, late King Hamlet, in order to steal his crown. Not only did his uncle usurp his father’s throne, but he married Hamlet’s mother, Queen Gertrude, as well. After meeting a ghost that claimed to be his father, Hamlet is instructed by the ghost to commit vengeance on his uncle. Hamlet is furious about the cases regarding: murder, incest, betrayal, and deceitfulness, that he is quick to follow through with his orders. Revenge is a dominant theme portrayed throughout Hamlet, influencing the trust between characters, resulting in downfalls and deaths.
“Those who plot the destruction of others often fall themselves” (Phaedrus). This quote was said by a Roman fabulist and it depicts the entire concept of revenge in Hamlet. The nature of revenge causes someone to act upon anger rather than reason. Hamlet takes place in Denmark and is about Hamlet’s uncle who kills his dad to gain power of Denmark. After the killing, Hamlet seeks revenge on his uncle. In the play, there are several characters wanting vengeance like that of Hamlet. Throughout the play, Hamlet, Laertes, and Fortinbras all had a tragic death of a family member which caused their decision for revenge. Consequentially, these revenges caused the demise of two characters and the rise of power of another. The retaliation shown by the Prince of Denmark, as well as Laertes led to the downfall of their government.
First, In Act 1, scene 5 Old hamlet ghost wants revenge for his death. He appears to Hamlets and they both have a private conversation. He tells Hamlet he needs revenge upon his murdered, Claudius. Williams Shakespeare writes “Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder.” (1.5.25). Hamlet swears to the ghost to avenge his death. Williams Shakespeare writes “So uncle, there you are. Now to my word.” (1.5.111). After Hamlet’s encounter with the ghost, Hamlet tells his friends to keep what they saw a secret, never to reveal it to anyone. Williams Shakespeare writes “Never make known what you have seen tonight.”(1.5.147). He goes further to tell them that he will pretend to act insane as instructed. Williams Shakespeare writes “As I perchance hereafter shall think meet to put an antic disposition on” (1.5.173-174). This meeting i...
To call 'Hamlet' merely a revenge tragedy is to look at a single aspect of this multi-faceted drama. In most revenge tragedies the revenger is a fairly simple character but in 'Hamlet' we find a depressed man, a philosopher and a character who is heavily religious presented with a dilemma in which his duty conflicts with his qualms. Hamlet is the character who makes this play what it is. The central character who should be cold and devious is one who longs for death and debates which is worse, killing himself or killing Claudius.