Hamlet's Grief: A Journey of Revenge and Fallout

¨The distracted multitude” {Claudius of Hamlet (Act 4, scene 3, p.82)} of Denmark adores Hamlet from Shakespeare 's play, Hamlet. The love of the people does not guarantee a grand personality, however, as Hamlet follows the stages of grief, he hurts those around him to appease this grief induced rage. Spurred on by his father 's ghost, Hamlet begins his quest of revenge where everyone: Ophelia, Gertrude, Rosencrantz, and others have stationed themselves in the crosshairs, painting Hamlet as a pseudo saint.

Hamlet first slights those simply trying to help, such as Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and Polonius, because they have wronged Hamlet by unwittingly aiding a murderer, Claudius. One may think Hamlet may spare Polonius since he “loved Ophelia”

Ophelia genuinely cares for Hamlet and for that affection Hamlet tells her to “Get thee to a nunnery” {Hamlet (Act 3, scene 1, p.55)} because she has sinned, as all individuals have sinned, and “Why, wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners?” {Hamlet (Act 3, scene 1, p.55)}. How rude to say she should never marry when she, like Horatio, behaves properly and sticks with Hamlet through and through. Hamlet even goes as far as to say that he would “give [Ophelia] this plague for thy dowry” {Hamlet (Act 3, scene 1, p.55)} if she “dost marry” {Hamlet (Act 3, scene 1, p.55)}, all this for her wishing to “redeliver” (Act 3, scenes 1 p.54) “remembrances” (Act 3, scenes 1 p.54) Hamlet had given her with “words of so sweet breath composed” (Act 3, scene 1, p.54). Not only does Hamlet repay Ophelia’s kindness with cruelty but he also kills her with the same grief he suffered when he stabs Ophelia’s father without a single thought beforehand. Furthermore, Hamlet cannot seem to allow the dead to rest in peace because after Ophelia dies he finally claims his love for this dead girl while extravagantly attempting to outdo Laertes, Ophelia’s brother, by jumping into Ophelia’s grave and asking Laertes if he

Hamlet doles Gertrude a rather bruising blow for a mother to take, saying she has “Stew’d in corruption,” (Act 3, scene 4, p.74) “In the rank sweat of an enseamed bed” (Act 3, scene 4, p.74). Hamlet punishes Gertrude with his words so severely the ghost eventually appears again to command Hamlet to “step between [Gertrude] and her fighting soul” (Act 3, scene 4, p. 75) because he has taken the slander further than condoned, even for her unfaithfulness toward her dead husband. Not only has Hamlet disregarded his queen, but he has also unceremoniously disrespected his mother as an elder and as his parent when, as his parent, she has only ever looked out for his well being. At the first sign of his madness and possible unhappiness, Gertrude called in the cavalry, sending for Guildenstern and Rosencrantz “instantly to visit/ [her] too much changed son” Gertrude (Act 2, scene 2, p.34) rather than allow Hamlet to suffer a second longer. Regardless of Gertrude’s insignificant wrong doings, Claudius has performed many worse: murder, incest, and conspiring murder all for a crown and alleged love; yet, Hamlet has done worse. Hamlet blatantly hates Claudius for the deeds he has committed, justifiably angry perhaps, but Hamlet goes so far as to refrain from killing Claudius while praying