Free Essays on Revenge In Hamlet

, the ghost puts the play in motion, for the rest of the story will be governed by Hamlet’s quest for revenge. But for Hamlet, this is not such an easy undertaking. He sees revenge as his moral obligation, but external obstacles and inner conflicts prevent him from carrying it out successfully. Hamlet delays his revenge of his father’s death not because he is a coward but because his psychological feelings and need for a perfect revenge cause him to delay in order to wait for the perfect moment to kill Claudius. Before Hamlet can even begin to enact a plot to kill Claudius, he must first have proof that he is in fact a ... Free Essays on Revenge In Hamlet Free Essays on Revenge In Hamlet Revenge as a main in theme in Hamlet Someone once stated, â€Å"Revenge proves its own executioner†. It has caused the downfall of many people throughout history, for its consuming nature causes one to act recklessly through anger rather than reason. In Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy, Hamlet, this dominant theme of revenge saturates the play and is the manipulative influence behind the actions that make the play a tragedy. In discussing Hamlet and its themes, Patrick Cruttwell describes Hamlet as being â€Å"†¦almost nothing but an embodiment of revenge† (â€Å"Patrick† 235), which ends in the deaths of almost everyone involved. Usually, revenge is seen as an easily rationalized emotion; one turn deserves another. On paper, it seems a simple and easy task to carry out, but the actions of Hamlet and the problems that arise as he attempts to avenge his father’s murder prove otherwise. The ghost of Hamlet’s father, the old King, introduces the first ideas of vengeance into Hamlet’s mind. The ghost tells Hamlet that he was wrongfully killed at the hands of his traitorous brother, the present King Claudius. He urges Hamlet that he must take revenge for his murder and kill Claudius, and says, â€Å"If thou didst ever thy father love/...Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder† (I.v: 29, 31). With these words, the ghost puts the play in motion, for the rest of the story will be governed by Hamlet’s quest for revenge. But for Hamlet, this is not such an easy undertaking. He sees revenge as his moral obligation, but external obstacles and inner conflicts prevent him from carrying it out successfully. Hamlet delays his revenge of his father’s death not because he is a coward but because his psychological feelings and need for a perfect revenge cause him to delay in order to wait for the perfect moment to kill Claudius. Before Hamlet can even begin to enact a plot to kill Claudius, he must first have proof that he is in fact a ... Free Essays on Revenge In Hamlet Revenge in Hamlet According to Webster’s, â€Å"Revenge† means to inflict punishment in return for injury or insult (1245). Throughout the history of literature, the theme of â€Å"Revenge† has been used to portray a critical moment in a character’s life. The outcomes that result are often devastating and mostly, in one way or another, fatal. A Revenge Tragedy is a drama in which the dominant motive is revenge for real or imagined injury. Most Revenge Tragedies end with a scene of carnage that disposes of the avenger as well as his victims (Britannica 538). Revenge Tragedy is a dramatic form made popular on the English stage by Thomas Kyd, a contemporary of Shakespeare, whose Spanish Tragedy is an early example of this type. Such a play calls for the revenge of a father by a son or vice versa, an act that is initiated by the murdered man’s ghost. Other devices found in a Revenge Tragedy include hesitation by the hero, real or feigned madness, suicide, intrigu e, and murders on stage (Girard 160). Without a doubt, the play Hamlet, can be classified as a Revenge Tragedy. It has all of the credentials that are needed to fulfill the requirements in order for it to be recognized as a Revenge Tragedy. â€Å"The play is, in effect, as much about revenge drama as about revenge itself or about Hamlet†(Ray 277). The essence of any tragedy of revenge is that its hero has not created the situation in which he finds himself and out of which the tragedy arises (Gale 225). Therefore, â€Å"Revenge† is a major theme in Hamlet because this theme is developed throughout the entire play and through many characters. For example, Hamlet avenges his father’s death; Laertes seeks revenge on Hamlet for killing his father and abusing his sister; and Claudius seeks revenge on Hamlet because he is aware that Hamlet knows who has killed his father. Thus, the theme of â€Å"Revenge† is repeatedly used throughout the play Hamlet. Although ...