Seeking Revenge In Hamlet Essay

In the tragic play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, the main protagonist, Hamlet, is pulled by two compelling forces: his need for action and fear of life after death. In an attempt to avenge the murder of his father, Hamlet faces a crucial decision: to take revenge on Claudius or to commit suicide. Hamlet’s hesitation to take action is caused by his moral values. Although he is filled with hatred, he cannot get himself to kill his uncle. Hamlet fears “the unknown” and potentially purgatory after death. Hamlet’s compelling ambition to seek revenge on Claudius contributes to the underlying theme: Revenge is an unwarranted action that leads to tragedy. Prince Hamlet’s spark to seek revenge is brought up by the ghost of his father, King Hamlet. When this spirit visits Hamlet and informs him that Claudius was the one who had poured poison down the King’s ear, Hamlet’s hatred for his uncle begins. In
addition to murdering Hamlet’s father, Claudius immediately marries Gertrude, the widow of King Hamlet. This action horrifies Hamlet the most, and he can’t bear to look at his family who sleeps in “incestuous sheets.” Hamlet struggles throughout the whole play, wavering on whether or not to kill Claudius. In one scene, a grave digger shows the symbolic skull of Yorick, a former court jester, to Hamlet in a cemetery. In this moment, Hamlet is looking at death straight in the face. The skull represents the finality of death- was Hamlet ready to face it? Could he actually kill Claudius? This hesitation to take action contributes to the downfall of Hamlet at the end of the play. Every time Hamlet gathers some courage to kill Claudius, he ends up deciding to back off a little longer. Hamlet is still skeptical at the news that King Hamlet’s ghost had given him, so he decides to have the Players perform a revised version of the play “Mousetrap.” After seeing Claudius’ facial reaction, Prince Hamlet confirms that his uncle did indeed kill his father. The guilt of his murderous action was seen all over his face. After the play ends and Claudius is seen kneeling in a church, Hamlet still hesitates and doesn’t kill Claudius on the spot. Hamlet observes that his uncle is praying and repenting his sins, which would allow him to go to heaven if he killed him in that moment. Instead, Hamlet plans to wait until Claudius sins again so that he will go to hell after he kills him. By continuing to contemplate revenge and put off the inevitable, Hamlet unknowingly gets put into a terrible situation which leads to tragedy and death. The main “battle” seen in the last act of Hamlet arises from Laertes’ attempt to seek revenge on Hamlet. Laertes’ father, Polonius, is mistakenly stabbed through a curtain by Hamlet. The prince believed that Claudius was standing behind it and eavesdropping, but it was actually Polonius. This tragic event led to the downfall of Ophelia, Polonius’ daughter. She began to go mad after the murder of her father and eventually drowned in a river while singing sad love songs. The deaths of these two characters outraged Laertes, and an arrangement was made for a duel between Hamlet and Laertes, so that Laertes could avenge the death of his father and sister. Hamlet was at the root of both deaths and caused this tragedy because of his hesitation to kill Claudius.
In the final Act, Laertes and Hamlet fence at the castle.
Claudius, in fear of his nephew, plans to put poison on the tip of Laertes’ sword, so that one graze will kill Hamlet. This plan is followed through with, and Hamlet, gets struck by the weapon, oblivious to the fact that he will die shortly. Laertes accidentally drops his sword, and Hamlet retrieves it and wounds Laertes. In celebration for her son’s apparent victory, Gertrude drinks from a poisoned cup of wine, intended for Hamlet to drink out of. Soon after, the truth comes out and Hamlet is seen as a “hero.” Hamlet takes the poisoned sword and wine, stabs Claudius, and forces him to drink from the cup. All of these actions and deaths leave Horatio, Hamlet’s one trustworthy friend, to tell the truth of this story for years to come. Now, in this moment, Hamlet has to face death, whereas earlier in the play, he was terrified and unwilling to come face to face with it. The many deaths in Hamlet contribute to the meaning of the play; seeking revenge will only lead to hardships and gruesome
deaths. Hamlet’s tragic flaw is his inability to take action to avenge his father’s death. His indecisiveness leads to the deaths of almost every character in Act Five. Instead of taking revenge on Claudius, Hamlet ends up being murdered by him. Ironically, Hamlet never has time to plan his death. At first, he is terrified of the thought and is haunted by what life would be like after death. By the end of the play, he never gets the opportunity to think about his impending death. Claudius determines his fate and Hamlet is forced to die without any last chance to repent his sins or reflect upon his life. Hamlet’s inner conflict, whether or not to avenge his father’s death, delays and leads to the deaths of multiple characters in the play.