Theme of Life in Hamlet- Revenge - Essay Example

? Hamlet s 12 December Theme of Life in Hamlet- Revenge Aristotle was a genius and he set some guidelines for a play to be a tragedy, he believed that the presence of a tragic hero is a must for any tragedy; he also believed that the tragic hero suffers excessively in a tragedy. Hamlet is one such tragedy in which the character of Hamlet suffers excessively because of his tragic flaw. Hamlet is a tragedy and in a tragedy the tragic hero suffers from a tragic flaw. The tragic flaw in Hamlet is the impulsive nature of Hamlet. Hamlet fails to act when he thinks, the whole process of acing upon a decision never happens in Hamlet and the same is the tragic flaw in Hamlet. One thing which stands out in the play is the ability of Shakespeare to manipulate the language; this has been very effectively done in the play. The play is based upon revenge; Hamlet takes revenge of his father’s death in the play. Revenge is a very dangerous motive but a very powerful one. “This drama is one of the great tragedy themed plays by William Shakespeare. The themes of the plot cover indecision, revenge and retribution, deception, ambition, loyalty and fate. Prince Hamlet mourns both his father's death and his mother, Queen Gertrude's remarriage to Claudius. The ghost of Hamlet's father appears to him and tells him that Claudius has poisoned him. Hamlet swears revenge. He kills the eavesdropping Polonius, the court chamberlain. Polonius's son Laertes returns to Denmark to avenge his father's death. Polonius's daughter Ophelia loves the Prince but his behavior drives her to madness. Ophelia dies by drowning. A duel takes place and ends with the death of Gertrude, Laertes, Claudius, and Hamlet.” (The Summary of Hamlet). Delay in Avenging the Death of his Father Hamlet is a very intriguing play and the play is based around the story of revenge which gets delayed. Claudius is the protagonist in the play and Hamlet plays the role of a tragic hero in the play. He gets many chances to kill Claudius but he delays avenging the death of his father, Hamlet gets possibly the finest opportunity when Claudius is seen to be praying in the play but Hamlet does not kill him there, this prolonging of revenge shapes up the play very well and it is easily the highlight of the play. The impulsive nature of Hamlet is another very interesting aspect of the play. Had Hamlet killed Claudius earlier in the play, the play would have lost its charm, the delay in Hamlet’s revenge is one of the biggest factors that intrigues the readers. Let’s now take into consideration the character of Hamlet, as discussed earlier, it can be easily made out that Hamlet was an impulsive person. His Father was the king of Denmark and he was killed by Claudius, who has now become the king by marrying Hamlet’s mother. A ghost tells Hamlet that his father was murdered by King Claudius and this allegation was later proved. Based on this assumption that Claudius killed his father, Hamlet decides to take revenge of the death of his father. Hamlet’s rash actions go on to decide his fate. In the sense that he succeeds in killing King Claudius but prior to this Hamlet ends up killing innocent old man by the name Polonius. Hamlet decides not to kill Claudius while he was praying; this causes an unnecessary delay and only goes on to make the readers believe that the actions of Hamlet were very Impulsive. To conclude with the character of Hamlet it can be said that since revenge was his sole aim, no one could have predicted the future and there are risks involved when a person seeks revenge, so it is fair to say that the death of Hamlet was not surprising as a reader and he pretty much deserved it. This is purely based on the fact that anything can happen when one seeks revenge. “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” (Hamlet). Marcellus speaks this line the word rotten goes to show the atmosphere in Denmark. The atmosphere is very bad because of the crime committed by Claudius. He killed Hamlet to come to the throne and this is exactly what shapes up the play and it is also the plot of the play. “O, That this too too solid flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew.” (Quotes from Hamlet). Hamlet is a revenge play in which Hamlet takes a revenge of his father’s murder which was committed by Claudius who came to the throne after killing Hamlet’s father. The play is an amazing play which became very popular because of the plot and the unseen events which take place in the play. Claudius The Antagonist Let’s now take into consideration the character of Claudius, the villain in Hamlet. He is a very lustful and shrewd character in the play; the same also makes him different from all the other male characters in the play. He is a different male character in the play because all the other male characters in the play strive for justice and moral balance. The readers get a very positive opinion about Claudius initially; he gives a very impressive speech addressing some of the most important issues like death of his brother (Hamlet’s Father) and the tensed situation with Norway. Claudius is seen to be putting his mind to good use in the play, he makes the people comfortable because he knew that failing to do so may lead to a rebellion as there was a change in the government and this was because he took over the throne, so to safeguard his interest he cleverly makes the people comfortable so as to make sure that no conflict at a later stage arises. “His speech juxtaposes the people's loss with the new beginning they will have under his care, and he uses the death of Hamlet's father to create a sense of national solidarity, "the whole kingdom/to be contracted in one brow of woe" (Claudius). Claudius should be looked at a multi faced villain who lets his desires get the better of him. Considering the fact that he kills Hamlet’s father, the ex king of Denmark. He deserves what he gets in the play. He deserved to be killed for the murder of Hamlet’s father, so it is very fair to say that he got what he deserved. Orphelia plays the love interest of prince Hamlet in the play. She is the daughter of Polonius. Polonius makes full use of Orphelia in the play, he turns her into a whore for his benefit and her character displays a lot of originality and simplicity. She lost her mother at a very young age and her father and her brother took care of herself. She showers unconditional love on them. She also loves prince Hamlet unconditionally in the play, despite his impulsive nature; she also completely ignores his brutal nature. She faces a lot of mental trauma in the play because of Prince Hamlet, he kills her father and she goes insane. Considering all these events she certainly did not deserve to go insane, she deserved much better than what she got. Conclusion After reading the play we get an impression that seeking revenge destroys everything, just like it destroyed Hamlet’s life and also the life of his family members. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth shouldn’t be followed; the choice is up to the individual to choose. If a person goes Hamlet’s way then undoubtedly it will lead to devastation on the contrary if a person analyzes the situation and then with a cool head decides not to seek revenge is sure to get better results and life is all about getting better results. Revenge is a very dangerous motive but a very powerful one which destroys everyone involved in the dangerous process of seeking revenge. This tragedy of Hamlet is certainly one of its kinds and Hamlet’s intension to take revenge causes the other characters in the play to suffer and this is one of the features of a tragedy. There is a certain element of madness also in the character of Hamlet; he goes so crazy behind avenging his father’s death that he forgets all the other things in life. His lover goes insane and kills herself but he still does not get affected by the same and goes on an unprecedented quest to avenge his father’s death. To conclude it is very fair to say that the character of Hamlet had only one thing in mind, revenge and the same ruined him and all the other characters in the tragedy. References Claudius. In Shakespeare. Retrieved from: http://shakespeare.about.com/od/studentresources/a/claudiuschar.htm Hamlet. In Spark Notes. Retrieved from: http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/hamlet/quotes.html Quotes from Hamlet. In Literary Quotations. Retrieved from: http://literary-quotations.com/h/hamlet.html Shakespeare William. Hamlet 1.2. Retrieved on 12 December 2013 The Summary of Hamlet. In Globe Theatre. Retrieved from: http://www.globe-theatre.org.uk/summary-of-hamlet-and-characters.htm Read More