An Analysis of the Theme of Revenge in Shakespeare's Hamlet

Hamlet

Write Down Essay Is On Hamlet And The Theme Of Revenge

Hamlet is one of the most celebrated plays that were composed by one of the major tragedies that was composed by the famous playwright, William Shakespeare. The play deals in the theory of revenge that is enacted by the son on the death of his father.  However, it might be stated that seeking retribution in its due course leads to the deterioration of the seeker of revenge to the individual or the cause of the revenge. It might further be stated that seeking retribution is not ideal for getting equality because one might become as bad as what one sought revenge against. The following paper attempts an analysis of the theme of revenge as is highlighted in one of the most famous tragedies of William Shakespeare, Hamlet.

The major theme that is highlighted in the play of Hamlet refers to the theme of revenge. The most prominent theme that has been highlighted in this accord refers to the revenge that is sought by Hamlet, the prince when he is made aware of the fact that his father, the late King Claudius was assassinated by his own brother Claudius, uncle to prince Hamlet. The protagonist of the play, Prince Hamlet is observed to have been in search of various proofs and evidences that would help him realize the fact that the late King Hamlet was murdered by Claudius, the present king of Denmark (Hall 2016). Hamlet was informed regarding the uncanny murder of his father by none other than the ghost of his own father. Thus, Hamlet, is observed to have been searching for the ways in which he could verify the truthfulness of statements that were offered by the ghost. However, he does not react and waits to deal with the delivery of the justice towards Claudius. The mental state of the protagonist has been highlighted through the famous soliloquy

“To be, or not to be, that is the question:

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles

And by opposing end them.”

The revenge as is sought by Hamlet is observed to have led ultimately to the death of Hamlet, the death of the only woman he loved and the destruction of the kingdom of Denmark (Simkin 2017).

The play also highlights various sub-plots that are presented through the actions undertaken by the various characters. One of the major characters that have been demonstrating the activity of revenge refers to the character of Laertes (Bratchell 2019). Laertes has been seeking revenge from the prince Hamlet since he had learned the fact Hamlet had killed his father Polonius. The death of Polonius had been the result of an accident when Hamlet had drove his sword into Polonius while mistaking him for someone else. The revenge was sparked in the minds of Laertes when he had received the news of the death of his dear sister, Ophelia and the death of his father Polonius (Haque 2016). The prince of Denmark, Hamlet is considered to be the major cause that led to the death of both Ophelia and Polonius. Ophelia had committed suicide while Polonius was murdered by the prince. This had angered Laertes to the conditions wherein he had been discussing with the present king of Denmark, Claudius regarding the ways in which he could avenge the death of his sister and his father as well. This is properly demonstrated through the following speech of Laertes.

Laertes

“And so have I a noble father lost;  

 A sister driven into desperate terms,  

 Whose worth, if praises may go back again,

 Stood challenger on mount of all the age

For her perfections: but my revenge will come.”

The revenge as had been executed by Laertes is also observed to have been leading to the death of Laertes himself as well.

In the case of Fortinbras, it is observed that the young king has also been seeking revenge of the death of his father. The king of Norway is known to have been seeking revenge from the Danish since he had learned of the fact that his father had fallen dead at the hands of the Danish army (Thomas 2018). Horatio is observed to have been highlighting the fact that the present king of Norway, Fortinbras has been seeking revenge from the Denmark.

“Now, sir, young Fortinbras,

Of unimproved metal, hot and full,

Hath in the skirts of Norway, here and there

Shark’d up a list of lawless resolutes,

For food and diet, to some enterprise

That hath a stomach in’t:”

The revenge as is being sought by Fortinbras is observed to have motivated the young prince of Denmark, Hamlet to strive for and ultimately seek revenge of the death of his father, King Hamlet (Wilson 2019). The revenge as is sought by Fortinbras leads Hamlet to step up his activities that would ultimately lead him to the conditions wherein, he could stand face-to-face with the murderer of his father. The revenge that was being sought by Fortinbras motivated Hamlet to attain the mental state where he would be capable of understanding the will power that is needed in order to seek a proper revenge from the concerned wrong-doer (Sarkar 2016). The play ends with Hamlet dying and thereafter a declaration of Fortinbras as the next King of Denmark.

Conclusion

In lieu of the above discussion, it might be stated that seeking revenge for a crime committed might not finally lead to the gaining of an equality among the individuals involved. Revenge finally leads to an eventual destruction of the people who have been involved in the activity. Shakespeare, the famous playwright is observed to have demonstrated the fact that attempts to take proper revenge against a wrongdoing often leads to the destruction and the deterioration of the person concerned as well. The individual who has been seeking a proper retribution often fails to attain an equal footing with the wrongdoer and thus falls to a place that might be derogatory as compared to the existence of the individual.

References

Bratchell, D.F., 2019. Shakespearean tragedy. Routledge.

Hall, J.C., 2016. A Narrative Case Study of Hamlet and the Cultural Construction of Western Individualism, Diagnosis, and Madness. Journal of Systemic Therapies, 35(2), pp.1-13.

Haque, F., 2016. Revenge and Vengeance in Shakespeare’s Hamlet: A Study of Hamlet’s Pursuit and Procrastination Regarding Revenge. IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science, 21, pp.55-59.

Sarkar, S., 2016. Shakespeare's Negative Attitude towards Women in Hamlet. The Millennium University Journal, 1(1), pp.64-67.

Shakespeare, W., 2003. Hamlet. Simon and Schuster.

Simkin, S., 2017. Revenge tragedy. Macmillan International Higher Education.

Thomas, A., 2018. Writing, Memory, and Revenge in Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and Hamlet. In Shakespeare, Catholicism, and the Middle Ages (pp. 113-147). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.

Wilson, J., 2019. The Meaning of Death in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. ANQ: A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes and Reviews, pp.1-5.