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.
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The conflict surrounding stem cell research is, with ethical consideration, whether it is a good or bad. The majority of Americans are advocates due to the possibilities of medical advancement, thus saving thousands of lives. Those in opposition believe that it is against
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Research on stem cells is advancing knowledge about how an organism develops from a single cell and how healthy cells replace damaged cells in adult organisms. This promising area of science is also leading scientists to investigate the possibility of cell-based therapies to treat disease, which is often referred to as regenerative or reparative medicine. There is genuine scientific excitement over the concept of using the body's own cellular building blocks to regenerate damaged or ageing organs. Stem cells are one of the most fascinating areas of biology today. But like ...
...o therapies in humans have ever been successfully carried out using embryonic stem cells,? (Velazquez, n.d.).
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