Revenge causes the characters in Hamlet to act blindly through anger and emotion, rather than through reason. It is based on the principle of an eye for an eye; this action is not always the best means to an end. Fortinbras, Laertes, and Hamlet were all looking to avenge the deaths of their fathers. They all acted on emotion driven by the want for revenge for their father's deaths, and this led to the downfall of two, and the rise to power of one. Since the heads of the three major families were each murdered, the eldest sons of these families felt that they needed to take some kind of action to avenge their father's deaths; this need to bring honour to their respective families was ultimately the demise of Laertes and Hamlet.
Revenge, being the driving force in the play Hamlet, is also one reason why it is a tragedy. Hamlet makes his revenge everything in his life, consuming him. It is this rage that eventually drives him to madness and murder. It seems ironic that Claudius, Laertes, and Hamlet all died of the same sword. Revenge was the driving force behind three of the main characters of the play, for two it led to downfall, and for the other it led to greatness.
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