The Theme of Revenge in Hamlet
In Shakespeare's tragedy, Hamlet, the thoughts of revenge are introduced early in the play. At the end of the first act, Hamlet meets the ghost of his deceased father. He is brought to see him by Horatio and Marcellus, who saw the ghost "yesternight" (Shakespeare 1.2.190). During this exchange of words between the Ghost and Hamlet, the Ghost tells Hamlet, "[s]o art thou to revenge, when thou shalt hear." (Shakespeare 1.5.5). He is telling Hamlet to listen closely to what he has to say. Then he tells Hamlet to "[r]evenge his foul and most unnatural murder" (Shakespeare 1.5.23). When Hamlet finds out that it was his Uncle Claudius who murdered his father, Hamlet plots against him to avenge his father's death.
"And this man was called upon to kill. It is almost as if Jesus had been asked to play the role of Napoleon..."(Bloom 12). In Hazelton Spencer's opinion, revenge is "Hamlet's sacred duty" and must be accepted by the reader as such (Bloom 13). Hamlet has been given the task by his father to avenge his death, however he so chooses. Most readers, critics, and commentators agree in thinking that it was Hamlet's duty to kill and that he really delayed in doing so (Bloom 12). Harold Goddard says that, "[h]is delay...was a weakness and disaster, entailing, as it did, many unintended deaths, including his own" (Bloom 12).
Some also said that he delayed in killing his uncle so the play would be five-acts (Bloom 20). He did not murder his father's assassin because the play would have ended to quickly. Some critics, in a sense, partially agree. Edward E. Foster points out that "if Hamlet were simply to proceed to act out the role that has been thrust upon him, the play would be just another...
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...n become another character in the play. Hamlet shows the true genius of Shakespeare.
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Hamlet wishes to avenge the murder of his father and rectify this great injustice. The conflict between his desire to seek revenge and his own thoughts of incompetence is the cause of his initial unrest. "Haste me to know't , that I , with wings as swift / As meditation or thoughts of love , / may sweep to my revenge (1.5.29-31). Here Hamlet pleads to the Ghost of King Hamlet to reveal the name of his murderer.
Currently, the limitations on research are too restricting, as researchers are limited to resources already gathered. There are sixty existing stem cell lines today, already derived from embryos. Researchers are to only use these lines. These limitations severely hinder stem cell research. The government, especially President Bush, should re-evaluate stem cell research.
This report does a fairly comprehensive job on educating the public to the definition of stem cells, describing them as “a diverse group of remarkable multipotent cells that are relatively undifferentiated and unspecialized cells of the body.” Stem cells have the capacity for unlimited self-renewal and the possibility to produce differentiated descendant cell types. The main in...
Before his aborted voyage to England, Hamlet spends the majority of the play (between the first scene of the second act and the fifth scene of the fourth act) deciding what to do about his dead father's command to avenge his "foul and most unnatural murder." Although Hamlet believes that revenge upon his uncle is the morally correct thing to do, and that revenge is required by familial loyalty, he still finds many excuses to delay. The most striking example of an excuse that Hamlet finds to avoid killing his uncle comes in act three, scene three, when Hamlet comes close to killing his uncle, but abstains from doing the deed because his uncle is praying.
For decades, biologists have been using stem cells to figure out possible cures for different diseases and even prevent them. Stem cells are cells that can become useable in certain tissues in the body (according to an infant), or tissue cells that are already found in blood, bones, the brain, and skin (in adults or children). Stem cells are being used for patients with lymphoma (begins in the immune system), leukemia (cancer of white blood cells), and other types of blood disorders.
Snow, Nancy. “Stem Cell Research New Frontiers in Sciences and Ethics”. Houston Community College Library. 2004. Print. 10 Nov 2011.
“Top Ten Things to Know About Stem Cell Treatments.” Www.closerlookatstemcells.org ISSCR. Web 1 November 2013
There are three ways to acquire a sample of stem cells. The first method is very controversial, which is the extraction of an embryonic cell. This embryonic cell can be extracted from aborted fetuses, with the permission of the woman having the abortion. Most people find it unethical to use the fetuses. However, if you do not use it, it just goes to waste. Why not let the fetus help save someone’s life? The second method to extract stem cells are through umbilical cords. The umbilical cord is rich with stem cells. Blood cells from the newborn baby can be used the moment it...
Cohen, Walter, J.E. Howard, K. Eisaman Maus. The Norton Shakespeare. Vol. 2 Stephen Greenblatt, General Editor. New York, London. 2008. ISBN 978-0-393-92991-1
Hamlet is Shakespeare’s most famous work of tragedy. Throughout the play the title character, Hamlet, tends to seek revenge for his father’s death. Shakespeare achieved his work in Hamlet through his brilliant depiction of the hero’s struggle with two opposing forces that hunt Hamlet throughout the play: moral integrity and the need to avenge his father’s murder. When Hamlet sets his mind to revenge his fathers’ death, he is faced with many challenges that delay him from committing murder to his uncle Claudius, who killed Hamlets’ father, the former king. During this delay, he harms others with his actions by acting irrationally, threatening Gertrude, his mother, and by killing Polonius which led into the madness and death of Ophelia. Hamlet ends up deceiving everyone around him, and also himself, by putting on a mask of insanity. In spite of the fact that Hamlet attempts to act morally in order to kill his uncle, he delays his revenge of his fathers’ death, harming others by his irritating actions. Despite Hamlets’ decisive character, he comes to a point where he realizes his tragic limits.
Named the Breakthrough of the year for 1999, human embryonic stem cell research may indeed have the potential to benefit many people who suffer from serious debilitating conditions. Because embryonic stem cells can develop into many different types...
Clark, W. G. and Wright, W. Aldis , ed. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. Vol. 1. New York: Nelson-Doubleday
Vengeance. A vicious, violent way to make oneself feel better about an offense against them. Throughout the tragedy of Hamlet revenge is a recurring theme, amongst all of the characters. Whether this revenge is in physical form, or mental form, it is equally hurtful. Mahatma Ghandi said, “An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.” Ghandi is literally saying that if one person commits a revengeful act, it will create a continuing reaction of bitterness and violence throughout everyone. This quote is highly significant throughout the duration of Hamlet, as it portrays almost precisely, both the plotline of the story, as well as the conclusion. From the murder of King Hamlet to the murder of Prince Hamlet the tragedy is filled with violent acts of revenge.
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.