The Concept of Revenge in Hamlet versus the Concept of Revenge in the Book The Oresteia - Assignment Example

 I. The Concept of Revenge in Hamlet versus the Concept of Revenge in the Book The Oresteia The Concept of Revenge A. Revenge Defined So many people in the world have had many unfortunate encounters in life. Bullying, oppression, verbal abuse, being cheated in different situations like money and business, they have asked if taking revenge would seem acceptable if justice in their location is out of reach specially by poor and lowly ones. They believed that wrongdoers should be punished through their own hands knowing that the judicial system is partial, and formal trial looks quite ineffective and usually moved like a snail. Seeking revenge seems like responding directly to one’s emotion thereby attacking the offender through any means whether the action is wrong or just or even approved by authority. Dictionary meaning says that “revenge is the action of inflicting pain on the offender or retaliation for a wrong,” or any form of personal retaliatory action against an individual, institution, or group for some perceived harm or injustice. (Random House Webster Dictionary, p.617) The injured or insulted person strongly believes that to exact his satisfaction, vengeance is the answer. B. Revenge in Philosophy In the ethical context, a virtuous person (person with high regard for moral excellence) would not opt for revenge because he believes that he is taking the wrong turn. In his mindset, the best way to seek justice against a wrongdoer is through an impartial judgment conducted by a third party, that is, the tribunal court. (The Philosophy of Revenge, 2007.)Why would a highly principled person not resort to vengeance? Clearly because he simply adheres to law of ethics or moral standards. However, it still depends on the local institution exercising ethical laws based on its moral and cultural foundation. Normally, a person with moral standards is not going to seek revenge. While revenge is not part of that person’s nature, he or she prefers the offender to get punished if the pain is deep especially when life is at stake. Sometimes, no matter how a person displays goodness, he asks for a divine retribution that bad people must suffer. C. Revenge in History and Literature Many accounts of revenge had been told in history and literature. Take for example the mighty Achilles in his partake in the Trojan War. The invulnerable warrior was not actually a member of the Greek fleet whose intention was to put Troy to ash. Hector, the prince of Troy, who led the famous city to many wars and brought home victories, was the unlikely opponent or would rather say victim of Achilles’ wrath in vengeance for his beloved friend Patroclus. “I will no longer live among men if I do not make Hector pay with his death for Patroclus.” (Hamilton, p.197) It is remembered when Patroclus wore the armor of Achilles in his desire to join the war and belief that the suit is magical. In a battle, Hector on the other hand, believing that the brave soldier he was fighting was the mighty Achilles, killed him with his sword. It was when Patroclus, stabbed on the ground, that Hector soon discovered he was not Achilles. Achilles upon learning the news that his dear friend, whom he considered more than his brother died, he pursued Hector and challenged him in a single battle. Bloody sweat of Hector’s stiff corpse stained the Trojan ground as Achilles pulled him with his chariot. Another example of revenge is the biblical account of Cain. Cain, the first born of Adam and Eve faced challenge of disapproval when God found favor on Abel in some aspects. Abel, Cain’s younger brother was known to be favored by God. Based on the readings on Genesis chapter 4, verses 16 to 23, Cain had developed distaste for monotheistic religion. As told in the web site, www.ziaabbas.com, Cain had become barbaric for unknown reason. When he and his brother had grown up, it is told that God favored the offering of Abel, a first of his flock that he burned for sacrifice. On the other hand, Cain’s offering of fruits was rejected. In another occasion, Cain felt jealous of Abel and planned to slay him. Cain took Abel in a field, there he attacked Abel with a stone and killed him. In the same bible text reference, it is stated: “If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.” Thereby, the concept of revenge was used as early as the time when the world has just been created by God. “Avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay,” said the Lord. (Romans 12:19) However, people seek a payback for actions others have done to them. As the golden rule of Confucius states; “Do not do unto others what you do not want others do unto you,” we avoid placing justice in our hands on the fear of the action bounced back at us. Hence, we do good deeds instead. In contrast, the ideal of Jesus Christ opposing Confucius is on the positive tone, we’d rather “do” what is favorable all the time in order to receive the equal action thereafter. II. Revenge in Oresteia In the trilogy, The Oresteia, written by Aeschylus, Agamemnon is the first of all the murderer of their daughter Iphigenia, whom he sacrificed so as to appease Artemis’ in her wrath against the Greek fleet. (Alan Shapiro, Peter Burian, p.4,) The poor daughter faced the ill-sharpened knives of the hungry Greek soldiers whose desire was to get to Troy and destroy its walls. To no refuse, Agamemnon yielded in offering her daughter because he wanted revenge against the Trojans and fame for his honor. But there is more. Clytemnestra on the other hand, intends to rule together with her lover Aegisthus while Agamemnon was away and even planned the latter’s soonest death. And perhaps, the queen was slightly jealous upon seeing her husband with her new concubine in the person of Cassandra. Thereby, each character portrayed vengeance in varied forms and reasons. In the house of Atreus, in which Agamemnon was one of the sons, doom fell upon its descendants. The trail of curse has never stopped until Orestes, Agamemnon’s son, fulfilled the final mark of revenge. To recall, Orestes killed his own mother, Clytemnestra, in avenge for his father’s death. Clytemnestra killed Agamemnon during his arrival who was just fresh from the victory against Troy. He was axed to death in retribution for Iphigenia’s loss. On the account written by Aeschylus around 450 B.C., Agamemnon faced his tragic death inside his own palace. The morbid event resulted from a horrible motive, passion, inevitable doom, and vengeance. The motive for Agamemnon’s death is no longer the guilt of the lovers (Clytemnestra and Aegisthus) but a mother’s for a daughter killed by her own father. (Hamilton, p.252) Before Agamemnon’s arrival to the palace, vengeance was already there waiting for him. Although he knew all along about his wife’s infidelity, he still had with him a very pretty girl, a remnant of the war, the very daughter of old King Priam, a prophetess whose prophecies no one believed but all came to accomplishment, Cassandra. Felt with no remorse, Clytemnestra came out from the palace doors with her hands stained with the blood of her husband. She said, “Here lays my husband dead, struck down justly by my hand.” Fortified by the word “justly”, Clytemnestra believed what she did was justice for the blood of her sacrificed daughter. In this light, the character of Clytemnestra fulfilled the curse in that house aside from her personal decision in doing the murder. It was a plot however so as to free her and eventually enjoys the kingdom with her lover. Aegisthus disdained to kill Electra, the other daughter of Agamemnon whom he only made her miserable in every way possible until she had hoped that her brother Orestes would return and avenge their father. For a daughter or a son, it was a duty to kill your father’s murderer. But to kill your own mother, whom you sucked for milk during your tender age, is detestable to the eyes of men and especially to the gods. Orestes faced a serious predicament. He was urged to slay his mother primarily because she killed his father. Second, she was guilty of adultery. She had with her Aegisthus for a lover while Agamemnon was busy with his battle in Troy to avenge his brother Menelaus regarding Helen. Orestes asked for Apollo’s help, although he knew that he must fulfill the curse in the family. The sun god said: Slay the two (Clytemnestra and Aegisthus) who slew. Atone for death by death. Obeying the command of Apollo, Orestes uttered, “The dead, I am not guilty there. An adulterer, he had to die.” (Hamilton, p 257.) These words implied the desire of Orestes to cleanse his guilt. Reasoning out that her mother was wicked and the Gods hated her, he had to comply with the command. But the passion of a son clinging to a mother somewhat reigned in Orestes’ heart. That might have prevented the murder except only for the warning of a friend that it was Apollo who wanted the lovers be killed. However, Orestes knew that no crime was beyond atonement. But he sincerely pleaded to Athena to purify him from the sin where the goddess of wisdom granted his hard-earned request. Later on, Athena acquitted Orestes thereby ending the malignant fate in the house of Atreus. III. Revenge in Hamlet A tragic play by William Shakespeare, Hamlet is very predictive in guessing what will happen in the end. The story revolved on the wrath of young Hamlet against his Uncle Claudius who prematurely snapped the throne by plotting to kill his own brother, the King Hamlet himself. As the king of Norway, old Hamlet killed King Fortinbras in a sword battle which later entitled Hamlet. Revenge is dominant throughout the play. The likes of Fortinbras, Laertes, and the young Hamlet had all the same pursuit—to seek revenge for the deaths of their fathers. Young Fortinbras wanted to reclaim the land that had been lost to Denmark because of the pact between King Hamlet and King Fortinbras. For Hamlet, as young as he was, sought revenge for his father with the same pursuit of regaining the kingship. More enraged was he when he learned from his father’s ghost that his uncle Claudius poisoned his father. The King was found dead in his orchard. Now devastated with the death of his father, Hamlet was further disturbed when her mother, Queen Gertrude vowed too quickly to his uncle Cladius in marriage. Hence, Claudius became King of Norway. However, Hamlet had a hint that Claudius would soon dominate the kingdom, would snatch the throne and someday would plot to kill him. On that perspective of killing Hamlet, Claudius was half guilty of the murder that’s why he wanted to get rid of Hamlet in the palace by sending him to England and ordered for his death. Before leaving for England, Claudius was enraged when he was guilt-stricken upon watching the play Hamlet set before the crowd. Hamlet’s purpose was for Claudius to admit his murder, but all was futile because he did not admit. And further retold on www.shakespeare-literature.com, Hamlet was still sent to England even after unintentionally killing Polonius who happened to listen to Hamlet’s conversation with his mother explaining on the issue of guilt about the play. Murder after murder was the result of every move each character portrayed. After learning that her father, Polonius was killed, Ophelia went mad and got drowned and died. Hamlet, who had escaped from the asylum, hid in the graveyard and saw a funeral procession in which he discovered that it was Ophelia who died. Obviously, Hamlet felt grief upon the scene but Laertes was hurt the most. He blamed Hamlet for the death of Polonius and Ophelia and challenged him in fencing. Treacherously, the end of the sword was stained with poison as conspired by Claudius and Laertes so that sooner, Hamlet would die. And if Hamlet wins, a poisonous drink on a victory cup was waiting for Hamlet. Though Hamlet won, he refused to drink it. Queen Gertrude drank it instead and slowly died while Claudius watched with remorse over the death of her queen. While this was happening, Laertes found his sword swipe the portion of Hamlet’s shoulders not killing him instantly. Hamlet retaliated with a blow thereby killing his foe. But just before Hamlet pronounced his death speech, he stabbed Claudius with the poisoned sword and had him drunk the poisonous wine. It was Horatio who was left there standing to tell the people about the tragic story of the royal family. And then as Hamlet instructed, the throne was given to the young Fortinbras, the rightful King of Norway. (Revenge and Vengeance in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, 2000-2009.) IV. Comparison of Revenge in Hamlet and Agamemnon It is a natural human instinct for a son to feel offended over the death of his father.  So is the instance of the two young princes, both spurned by the sudden death of King Hamlet toward destinies of avenging fallen fathers, and Orestes whose pursuit is to avenge his father’s death from two forbidden lovers. Similarly, both mothers were despised for their infidelity, committing adultery no sooner than soon while the legitimate kings were still alive. Hamlet and Orestes by nature were men of good hearts. Hamlet, whom the palace believed he had gone mad because of his love for Ophelia, desired to restore the pride of the lost kingship, although he himself had no intention of seating on the throne. Yet, he ordered that the kingdom be restored to the rightful heir. On Orestes’ case, it was not primarily about the kingship, but it was more about the corruption of his mother, first, as an adulteress, second, as a murderer. However, both men loved their mothers dearly. If we recall the instance where Orestes had a second thought of slaying his mother, the gift of mother and son that prevailed between them defied death, anger, and vengeance. It was just about the adherence to the law of the Olympian gods whom the Greeks venerate more than anyone else among mortals. In the end, the two princes found different paths while they were successful in their own quest. Hamlet died at least contented. For Orestes, who was also troubled by different forms while in the wilderness before seeking for Athena’s approval, almost gone mad. Yet, his plea was granted and he led a good life. The report of his life after restoring peace in the house of Atreus was no longer an issue. V. Conclusion Revenge emerges as something problematic, because it threatens to destruct in an unending cycle until the most powerful city in the world is full of corpses and vultures eating the flesh. We can say therefore that humans take revenge for love and justice or justice as revenge. This is a very simple notion and it has a powerful emotional appeal, especially for those who are victims of oppression and hate. The idea of revenge makes justice the personal responsibility of the person offended, if that person is dead, of someone closely related to him, a close blood relative. The slayer must be killed, and that killing must be carried out by the nearest relative or the most hurt with death. It is a radically simple and powerfully emotional basis for justice, linking retribution to the family and their feelings for each other and for their collective honor. History has told us many accounts on deaths of lords, princes, kings and queens in which the focal point of death is revenge. It is by nature, however, among humans to defend themselves and their family. Even the bible has loads of stories of families coveting wives, husbands, territories, thrones, and riches which their insatiable hearts reached the ends of the earth not finding what they really want. It is human imperfection however, to kill, to steal, to feel grief and remorse, and all the kinds of hate in the world that compel man to betray his own wisdom and go mad. Perhaps, it is human imperfection also to defend love even though love is perfect. Yet, for the love of “something”, humans are forced to do what is wrong. References: 1. Hamlet from BookRags Book Notes. ©2000-2006 by BookRags, Inc. All rights reserved. 2. Hamilton, Edith. “Mythology. Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes.” Warner Books, New York, April 1999. 352 pages. 3. Random House Dictionary. 4th Edition. The Random House Publishing Group, 2001. 4. Abbas, Zia. “Cain the Founder of Atlantis.” Copyright 2008. 23 Nov 2008. 5. Aeschylus, The Oresteia, 458 BC, Ian Johnson, Malaspina University-College, Nanaimo, BC, September 2002. 24 Nov 2008. 6. Brainy Quote. Copyright 2008 BrainyMedia.com. 22 Nov 2008. 7. Johnston, Ian. “Lecture on The Oresteia.” Malaspina University-College. 23 Nov 2008 8. Hunter, James. “Agamemnon.” 03 March 1997; © MCMXCV - MMVI Encyclopedia Mythica™. last modified on 30 November 2005 (Revision 3). 9. Napierkowski ,Marie Rose. "Hamlet: Introduction." Shakespeare for Students. Ed. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 1998. eNotes.com. January 2006. 22 November 2008. . 10. On Philosophy. The Philosophy of Revenge. April 5, 2007. 22 Nov 2008 11. Shapiro, Alan, & Burian, Peter. “The Oresteia, By Aeschylus.” 12. Synopsis: Hamlet, the Complete Works of William-Shakespeare. 2003. Shakespeare-Literature. 24 Nov 2008 13. The Oresteia, © 2002 TheatreHistory.com. 23 Nov 2008 14. Revenge and Vengeance in Shakespeare's Hamlet - Revenge. 123HelpMe.com. 24 Nov 2008. . Read More