hamlet
Revenge
How is “revenge” pivotal to understanding the characters and in particular Hamlet and the period of time in which the play was written?
In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the theme of revenge is central to understanding the values and beliefs in society at the time the play was written. It is the characters, and in particular Hamlet that reflect the ideas from different periods of time such as the renaissance and the medieval era. This is shown through one’s ability to take action versus the inability to take action when seeking revenge.
Hamlet is a character that is portrayed to be heavily influenced by the values of medieval society so therefore he felt the need to seek revenge even though it’s not a part of his intrinsic nature. In the beginning of Hamlet, Hamlet desires for revenge on his murdered father King Hamlet killed by Claudius. When the ghost of King Hamlet appears, he requests for Prince Hamlet to seek revenge on Claudius, The ghost states - “revenge his foul and most unnatural murder”. At first, Prince Hamlet shows a desire to seek out revenge; however this changes when he has to take the law into his own hands and commit the evil act of murder. This is when the audience sees a sense of vulnerability for the character of Hamlet. This is because he is portrayed as a post-modern character living in a world subject to his beliefs. As for most characters in the text, revenge is seen as a conventional way of thinking contrasting to Hamlet where revenge is his second nature, therefore the quest for revenge is what inevitably leads to Hamlet’s downfall.
When hamlet is faced with the opportunity to kill Claudius while he is praying, Hamlet denies it because is afraid that Claudius may go to heaven. Hamlet clarifies this with “Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell”. In his first soliloquy he notions that murder is a sin and he mentions god…. This notions that hamlet is a character that uses religion as a tool to control his ethical and moral
How is “revenge” pivotal to understanding the characters and in particular Hamlet and the period of time in which the play was written?
In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the theme of revenge is central to understanding the values and beliefs in society at the time the play was written. It is the characters, and in particular Hamlet that reflect the ideas from different periods of time such as the renaissance and the medieval era. This is shown through one’s ability to take action versus the inability to take action when seeking revenge.
Hamlet is a character that is portrayed to be heavily influenced by the values of medieval society so therefore he felt the need to seek revenge even though it’s not a part of his intrinsic nature. In the beginning of Hamlet, Hamlet desires for revenge on his murdered father King Hamlet killed by Claudius. When the ghost of King Hamlet appears, he requests for Prince Hamlet to seek revenge on Claudius, The ghost states - “revenge his foul and most unnatural murder”. At first, Prince Hamlet shows a desire to seek out revenge; however this changes when he has to take the law into his own hands and commit the evil act of murder. This is when the audience sees a sense of vulnerability for the character of Hamlet. This is because he is portrayed as a post-modern character living in a world subject to his beliefs. As for most characters in the text, revenge is seen as a conventional way of thinking contrasting to Hamlet where revenge is his second nature, therefore the quest for revenge is what inevitably leads to Hamlet’s downfall.
When hamlet is faced with the opportunity to kill Claudius while he is praying, Hamlet denies it because is afraid that Claudius may go to heaven. Hamlet clarifies this with “Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell”. In his first soliloquy he notions that murder is a sin and he mentions god…. This notions that hamlet is a character that uses religion as a tool to control his ethical and moral