Revenge: Characters in Hamlet and Great Ax Fall

The central theme of Hamlet is the problem of revenge. Shakespeare shows many ways on how Revenge is not only the main theme but also how revenge is a big problem in the story. The story is a full on blood bash with murder after murder. Shakespeare shows how an eye for an eye is not always the best way to look at things. The book begins with the death of Hamlets father, the old king hamlet. In the scene ii Hamlet and the ghost who is actually the ghost of old King Hamlet talks with hamlet and tells him how he was murdered and who it was. “You must be ready for revenge, too, when you hear me out” (Act 1 scene 5) the ghost tells hamlet right before he tells him about his murder and who it was who committed the murder. Hamlets reply to his father’s request is “haste me to know ‘t, that I, with wings as swift as mediation of the thought of love, May sweep to my revenge” (Act 1, scene 5). In other words he says hurry and tells me about, so I can take revenge right away, faster than a person falls in love. Confused and angry about his father’s deaths, and the ghost of old king hamlet wondering around, hamlet starts to act bizarre and starts to worries his mother Gertrude the queen. Polonius and she are in her chamber awaiting the arrival of Hamlet. Polonius decides to hide behind an arras to eavesdrop on the conversation. Angry with his mother about the betrayal of her husband by marring his brother, he notices someone behind the arras and stabs them thinking it was the king. The queen says his actions was a “rash and bloody” deed and hamlet replies that it was almost as rash and bloody as murdering a king and marry with his brother. (Act iii scene IV). With all that said, this shows how revenge is the theme in hamlet because hamlet wanted revenge on his father’s death, and his mother marring his uncle.
S5a4 Upset about the death of her father Polonius, Ophelia went mad. Singing strange songs and handing our flowers. As Gertrude and Horatio discuss Ophelia (Act IV Scene v), there is a loud noise from somewhere in castle, Claudius calls for the guards and he is told that Laertes has come with a mob to avenge his father’s deaths. After finding out about the misunderstanding that Claudius was not the murder of this father. Claudius ends the (Act IV Scene V) with the phrase “And where the offense is, let the great ax fall. I pray you, go with me: meaning may the guilty party be punished by death. Please, come with me. Ophelia ends her life in the water outside the castle; it is unknown if she killed herself or if her death was an accident. Laertes wants revenge on hamlet for killing Polonius (his father). The King and Laertes set up a plan on how to kill Hamlet. The two fatherless sons were to battle out in a sword fight, Hamlet clueless about the poison on the end of Laertes sword. Hamlet forces Claudius to drink that poisoned wine (Act V Scene II). They all end up dying and story ends, the ending of the story shows how revenge is not the answer to solving a problem. Each person in the play tried to avenge the person they love and it ended there life as well. Revenge is not a solution, but it is a problem.