Revenge in Hamlet - Research Paper Example

Revenge in Hamlet One of the most interesting themes by Hamlet is the will to avenge for several things thattook place during this time. It interests readers to know that Hamlet is a revenge tragedy motivated by a particular protagonist who is unable to go through with the act of revenge. As the story flows, we assert that, it is due to the inability of Hamlet to commit revenge for the death of his father that keeps the plot going forward. In addition, the deaths of Laertes, Polonius, Ophelia, Rosencrantz, Gertrude, as well as Guildenstern result due to Hamlet’s delay to avenge. This paper will carry out a research in order to analyze the theme of revenge as brought forward by Hamlet. According to Muir, revenge is prevalent throughout the story (1). To begin with, Hamlet is biter and wants to do the same thing that happened to his father to the person who did it unto him. This research found it worth noting that, Hamlet wanted vengeance against Clause since Clause killed Hamlet’s father. Additionally, Hamlets wants to revenge against Clause for usurping to the throne after murdering his father as well as getting married to his mother. With all those ordeals Clause committed towards Hamlet, it is clear that Hamlet wants nothing else apart from vengeance against Clause. Further research documented that, Hamlet wants to commit revenge against Clause for being elected as the King at the time when he, Hamlet, wanted to be the king. In Shakespeare’s story, revenge plays a critical role in developing action, decisions, and thoughts of different characters. In the second notion, Lartes, sone of Polonius, also seeks revenge for his father’s death. He blames Hamlet pointing out that, Hamlet was the King’s partner in crime against Lartes’ father at the time he was king. Lartes also wants revenge against Hamlet because he is aware that Hamlet killed his father without a distinctive reason, just out of anguish (Muir 1). Moreover, he wants vengeance for he does not conform to the fact that Hamlet is in a relationship with his sister (Opheila). The actions surrounding and decisions that they make are dramatic in thought and play a big role in causing hard feelings towards each other and as a result resolve to opt for revenge. Due to their resentment, the element of revenge is prevalent in Lartes’ speech often throughout the play. Precise in his speech, Lartes portrays essence of bitterness, anger, and consequently need to take action albeit what cometh in his path. As described in the “overview of Hamlet”, revenge is not an outcome of rational thinking but rather a product of morally dubious action (1). Nevertheless, the way he portrays his thoughts is another way of showing the purpose of Hamlet not discovering his reason for delay. This is because, Shakespeare asserts, if Hamlet knew vengeance was morally wrong, he might have ceased within the course of his action. Furthermore, if Hamlet could have decide that committing vengeance against Clause was morally right, he would gone straight away, that very instant, and killed Clause. However, form the initial emotion throughout the notion of his thinking, Hamlet portrays a decision that describes that whatever he is going to do is something not right. He thinks that the ghost might have been dishonest that is why he juggles within his thoughts and ability to take action. Even though he believes, he might be justified to seek vengeance, Shakespeare takes this opportunity to put across that, the reason for this instance is to try to bring forward the best time when revenge might be the right thing to do. Cognitively, he proceeds to make us aware that revenge might not be the right thing to do at any cost. The theme of vengeance in the play is a non-questionable action. This is because, the source of the story is notably not Christian but rather pagan. In this culture, vengeance and compensation were not actions or decisions up for questioning. For instance, how did Hamlet came to discover that Clause killed his father? The ghost, research out, is actually for King Hamlet. The story of the ghost is true following the means by which Hamlet obtained proof of Clause’s guilt of killing his father “The Mousetrap”. –Play within a play- gives proof that the ghost is indeed and practically for King Hamlet. Towards the end of the play, the growth of vengeance transforms into evil or cancerous disease that is indeed growing to affect and possibly harm many other people. Surprisingly, his vengeance grows to be in effect and becomes less of revenge, hence more like an execution for the view and sake of greater good and general saving. With reference from Joyce Moss and George Wilson, Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a play based on consistent actions and decisions of revenge. The theme of revenge leads to downfall of many people (Shakespeare 1). The consuming nature of revenge causes different people to act recklessly since they are driven by emotions as opposed to thoughts or reason. As it sounds, revenge is an emotion that is easily rationalized. However, its one turn deserves the other. Fortinbras stinks of anger and resentment as he points out, an eye for another, which is reasoning, according to him. He is full of anguish since he is in the verge of trying to find out who killed his father and possibly avenge his death. As a result, he implies strategic dimensions of his emotions with his countless explicit talk. In conclusion, most of the tragedies surrounding the theme of revenge in the aspect of the Shakespearean play Hamlet seem explicitly presented. Agreeably, some seem disguised as straight tragedy. For instance, the insanity and the subsequent death of Ophelia imply tragedy found in the story of verbal allusions. Despite some other writers trying to discuss the dimension of tragedy in Shakespeare’s “Hecuba” soliloquy, the lyrical note cannot prevail anymore than the epical, because Shakespeare’s form of order is tragic. In addition, there is a classical model of tragedy indicated when Polonius introduces the players by warning, “indeed Seneca cannot be that much heavy”. Work Cited "Overview of Hamlet." EXPLORING Shakespeare. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Student Resources in Context. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. From http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CEJ2115504909&v=2.1&u=cchs_main&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w Muir, Kenneth. "Shakespeare: Hamlet." EXPLORING Shakespeare. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Student Resources in Context. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. From, http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CEJ2115504271&v=2.1&u=cchs_main&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w Shakespeare, William. "Hamlet." Literature and Its Times: Profiles of 300 Notable Literary Works and the Historical Events that Influenced Them. Joyce Moss and George Wilson. Vol. 1: Ancient Times to the American and French Revolutions (Prehistory-1790s). Detroit: Gale, 1997. 136-143. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. From, http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX2875100032&v=2.1&u=cchs_main&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w Read More