Theme Of Vengeance In Hamlet
In William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, one of the major themes is revenge/vengeance. Hamlet, the protagonist of the play, has an internal conflict with summoning the courage to kill his uncle, King Claudius, in order to avenge his father’s, Old Hamlet’s, death. Hamlet understands that he needs to avenge his father’s unjustified death, but throughout the play, he struggles with actually taking action instead of constantly thinking about revenge. Through the thoughts and actions of Hamlet, Shakespeare presents to the reader the idea that revenge is hard to achieve or come to terms with, even though it seems like the right thing to do. Hamlet’s quest for vengeance begins in Act 1 Scene 5, in which he is told by Old Hamlet’s ghost that he needs to “Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder.” The ghost describes how Old Hamlet was killed by King Claudius, who poured poison into his ear in order to claim the throne, and that because of this,
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there needs to be justice. Hamlet was very eager to carry out his duty, saying “Haste me to know ’t, that I, with wings as swift as meditation or the thoughts of love, may sweep to my revenge.” His complete readiness to murder his uncle, who he outrightly despises, shows how rash of a decision he is making and how he plans to act quickly on his impulses and emotions. However, this confident and courageous attitude of Hamlet’s does not last long, and he starts to overthink the process of revenge as the play continues. The soliloquy recited by Hamlet in Act 2 Scene 2 reveals his internal conflict in regards to his dilemma with seeking revenge for his father. After he speaks to the players, who are planning on performing a play for the entire court the next day, and watches a snippet of their acting, he is disgusted with himself because one of the players “in a fiction, in a dream of passion, could force his soul so to his own conceit.” The player could conjure up emotions for a scene in a play, while Hamlet, who is facing a real crisis in his life, cannot even get himself to come up with a plan to avenge his father’s death. Instead, he “must, like a whore, unpack [his] heart with words and fall a-cursing like a very drab.” Hamlet realizes that he is a man of words and not a man of action. He promised his father’s ghost that he will seek revenge, but has yet to do anything that fulfills that promise. Hamlet knows he is in the wrong for waiting so long to kill Claudius, but even after this realization, still fails to prove that he is courageous and ready to carry out his duty. Hamlet presents yet another soliloquy in Act 3 Scene 1. However, this soliloquy is more dark and depressing than his last, as he contemplates suicide. He begins by stating “To be, or not to be? That is the question.” Hamlet is so caught up with the struggles he is facing in his life that he feels it is best to just commit suicide and leave those problems behind. This negative mindset illustrates Hamlet’s inability to try to fix the problems he has endured, which thus solidifies his cowardice that he realized he had back in Act 2 Scene 2. As his speech continues, Hamlet declares “And enterprises of great pith and moment with this regard their currents turn awry, and lose the name of action.” In this quotation, Hamlet is basically saying that actions that are not carried out immediately after they are decided are put on the backburner, and are thus forgotten about and are rarely revisited. With this statement, Hamlet is implicitly revealing the fault within himself: that he has failed to stick to his plan of murdering Claudius because he has thought too much on the topic and has not taken any action. His various thoughts hindered him from doing what he initially intended to do. He has had so much time to come up with a way to avenge his father’s death, and he still has not done anything about it yet, despite that fact that he has all the information needed to prove that Claudius is guilty. Through this soliloquy, the reader understands that Hamlet is not strong enough to handle the obstacles that he is currently facing, and that his complex thoughts have taken a toll on his ability to take action in regards to vengeance. There is a small shift in the way Hamlet views himself in regards to his dilemma, particularly when he is around others. In Act 3 Scene 1, Hamlet and Ophelia have a discussion, and during the conversation, Hamlet declares “I am very proud, revengeful, ambitious, with more offences at my beck than I have thoughts to put them in, imagination to give them shape, or time to act them in.” He calls himself “revengeful,” but has failed to fully illustrate how he is so. He also claims he has a lot of ill will inside of him, with more bad thoughts than he has time to complete them in, referring to his plan to kill King Claudius. It is ironic how Hamlet presents himself to be this courageous, revengeful, dedicated man, when earlier in the same act and scene, he contemplates committing suicide because he is so caught up in his thoughts and troubles in his life. Hamlet feels the need to show others in the play that he is indeed a force to be reckoned with, but this mask of his covers up his true self. He is aware of his cowardice, but acts like he is the strongest person in the court, further demonstrating that Hamlet is not the vengeful and ambitious young man that he claims to be, as his lack of action displays. At one point in the play, Hamlet is actually given a seemingly perfect opportunity to kill Claudius. After exiting the play due to his guilt, Claudius goes to his room and prays, so he will be forgiven for his murder of Old Hamlet by God, and possibly go to Heaven for repenting. Hamlet walks in on Claudius and says “Now might I do it pat. Now he is a-praying. And now I’ll do ’t. And so he goes to heaven. And so am I revenged.” Initially, Hamlet believes that this is finally his time to execute Claudius, but yet again, his thoughts overtake his actions. He continues speaking, stating “And am I then revenged to take him in the purging of his soul when he is fit and seasoned for his passage? No.” If Hamlet were to kill Claudius while he is praying, Hamlet would be seen as sinful, and would be sent to Hell while Claudius would find himself in Heaven. Hamlet wants to catch Claudius in an immoral act when he kills him, which is why Hamlet leaves Claudius alone and waits even longer for his chance to get revenge. This moment in the play so far was Hamlet’s closest encounter with Claudius in which he could have carried out his promise to his father’s ghost, but did not act upon it because of his difficulty with coming to terms with seeking revenge. The ghost comes back to visit Hamlet in Act 3 Scene 4, when Hamlet confronts Gertrude.
Hamlet sees the ghost and exclaims “Do you not come your tardy son to chide, that, lapsed in time and passion, lets go by the important acting of your dread command? O, say!” The ghost responds by saying “Do not forget. This visitation is but to whet thy almost blunted purpose.” Hamlet is reminded of his inability to take action, and his father’s ghost is also irritated by this. The ghost seems as though he is tired of waiting on Hamlet to complete his task, which is why he comes to visit him and let him know that he needs to hurry up and decide how he is going to finish getting revenge. The arrival of the ghost at this moment is arguably the moment in which Hamlet understands that he does not have much time left, and that he has been setting the topic of revenge to the side throughout the entirety of the play up to this point. After this meeting, Hamlet turns into the ambitious and vengeful individual he was supposed to be at the very
start. In Act 4 Scene 4, Hamlet’s change of character is noticed, as he states “How all occasions do inform against me, and spur my dull revenge...Now, whether it be bestial oblivion, or some craven scruple Of thinking too precisely on th' event—A thought which, quartered, hath but one part wisdom and ever three parts coward—I do not know why yet I live to say “This thing’s to do,” sith I have cause and will and strength and means to do ’t.” Hamlet admits that he has not been the best at getting his revenge, and that time is ticking. He admits that his various thoughts on revenge mostly come from his cowardice, and that even though he has all the necessary components for vengeance, he has failed to make it reality. He compares himself to Fortinbras and his army, as they are fighting Poland over a small amount of land, and here he is, with his father being murdered and knowing who the culprit is, not even summoning the courage to avenge his father’s death. Because of this discrepancy, Hamlet says “Oh, from this time forth, my thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth!” The true Hamlet, the rash and angry Hamlet, has finally come forth, and from this point on, Hamlet’s vengefulness is on full display, showing that he has fully understood his flaws, and now can showcase his violent capabilities. When Hamlet finds out that Claudius and Laertes have conjured up a scheme to kill him, he enters full revenge mode. He has Rosencrantz and Guildenstern killed in England, and he somewhat wins a fencing match against Laertes, in which Laertes’ and Claudius’ plan backfires on them, resulting in both of their deaths in Act 5 Scene 2. Gertrude and Hamlet also die, and even though more people were killed than Hamlet had intended, revenge and karma had finally taken their courses. Hamlet was able to kill Claudius by forcing him to drink a beverage with poison in it before he died, proving that Hamlet truly did have the willpower and means to kill Claudius before time ran out. He fulfilled the promise he made to his father’s ghost, and he overcame his increasingly complex and dark thoughts to prioritize and complete the most important task at hand he had throughout the play. Hamlet took a long amount of time going back and forth between revenge and if he should seek it or not, but he eventually chose the path he initially started with, and was able to prove himself strong and courageous near the end. William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet introduces theme of revenge, and how it is difficult for one to achieve. Shakespeare presents this idea through Hamlet, the protagonist who is faced with the challenge of avenging his father’s death. Hamlet’s numerous thoughts makes him look like a coward in the eyes of the reader, his father’s ghost, and himself. However, he has a major realization in the play, and demonstrates his full commitment to seeking revenge in the name of his father. His prior inability to accept his duty of revenge turns into a full out dedication to vengeance, establishing the fact that even though revenge is hard to come to terms with, it can eventually be understood, justified, and achieved.
there needs to be justice. Hamlet was very eager to carry out his duty, saying “Haste me to know ’t, that I, with wings as swift as meditation or the thoughts of love, may sweep to my revenge.” His complete readiness to murder his uncle, who he outrightly despises, shows how rash of a decision he is making and how he plans to act quickly on his impulses and emotions. However, this confident and courageous attitude of Hamlet’s does not last long, and he starts to overthink the process of revenge as the play continues. The soliloquy recited by Hamlet in Act 2 Scene 2 reveals his internal conflict in regards to his dilemma with seeking revenge for his father. After he speaks to the players, who are planning on performing a play for the entire court the next day, and watches a snippet of their acting, he is disgusted with himself because one of the players “in a fiction, in a dream of passion, could force his soul so to his own conceit.” The player could conjure up emotions for a scene in a play, while Hamlet, who is facing a real crisis in his life, cannot even get himself to come up with a plan to avenge his father’s death. Instead, he “must, like a whore, unpack [his] heart with words and fall a-cursing like a very drab.” Hamlet realizes that he is a man of words and not a man of action. He promised his father’s ghost that he will seek revenge, but has yet to do anything that fulfills that promise. Hamlet knows he is in the wrong for waiting so long to kill Claudius, but even after this realization, still fails to prove that he is courageous and ready to carry out his duty. Hamlet presents yet another soliloquy in Act 3 Scene 1. However, this soliloquy is more dark and depressing than his last, as he contemplates suicide. He begins by stating “To be, or not to be? That is the question.” Hamlet is so caught up with the struggles he is facing in his life that he feels it is best to just commit suicide and leave those problems behind. This negative mindset illustrates Hamlet’s inability to try to fix the problems he has endured, which thus solidifies his cowardice that he realized he had back in Act 2 Scene 2. As his speech continues, Hamlet declares “And enterprises of great pith and moment with this regard their currents turn awry, and lose the name of action.” In this quotation, Hamlet is basically saying that actions that are not carried out immediately after they are decided are put on the backburner, and are thus forgotten about and are rarely revisited. With this statement, Hamlet is implicitly revealing the fault within himself: that he has failed to stick to his plan of murdering Claudius because he has thought too much on the topic and has not taken any action. His various thoughts hindered him from doing what he initially intended to do. He has had so much time to come up with a way to avenge his father’s death, and he still has not done anything about it yet, despite that fact that he has all the information needed to prove that Claudius is guilty. Through this soliloquy, the reader understands that Hamlet is not strong enough to handle the obstacles that he is currently facing, and that his complex thoughts have taken a toll on his ability to take action in regards to vengeance. There is a small shift in the way Hamlet views himself in regards to his dilemma, particularly when he is around others. In Act 3 Scene 1, Hamlet and Ophelia have a discussion, and during the conversation, Hamlet declares “I am very proud, revengeful, ambitious, with more offences at my beck than I have thoughts to put them in, imagination to give them shape, or time to act them in.” He calls himself “revengeful,” but has failed to fully illustrate how he is so. He also claims he has a lot of ill will inside of him, with more bad thoughts than he has time to complete them in, referring to his plan to kill King Claudius. It is ironic how Hamlet presents himself to be this courageous, revengeful, dedicated man, when earlier in the same act and scene, he contemplates committing suicide because he is so caught up in his thoughts and troubles in his life. Hamlet feels the need to show others in the play that he is indeed a force to be reckoned with, but this mask of his covers up his true self. He is aware of his cowardice, but acts like he is the strongest person in the court, further demonstrating that Hamlet is not the vengeful and ambitious young man that he claims to be, as his lack of action displays. At one point in the play, Hamlet is actually given a seemingly perfect opportunity to kill Claudius. After exiting the play due to his guilt, Claudius goes to his room and prays, so he will be forgiven for his murder of Old Hamlet by God, and possibly go to Heaven for repenting. Hamlet walks in on Claudius and says “Now might I do it pat. Now he is a-praying. And now I’ll do ’t. And so he goes to heaven. And so am I revenged.” Initially, Hamlet believes that this is finally his time to execute Claudius, but yet again, his thoughts overtake his actions. He continues speaking, stating “And am I then revenged to take him in the purging of his soul when he is fit and seasoned for his passage? No.” If Hamlet were to kill Claudius while he is praying, Hamlet would be seen as sinful, and would be sent to Hell while Claudius would find himself in Heaven. Hamlet wants to catch Claudius in an immoral act when he kills him, which is why Hamlet leaves Claudius alone and waits even longer for his chance to get revenge. This moment in the play so far was Hamlet’s closest encounter with Claudius in which he could have carried out his promise to his father’s ghost, but did not act upon it because of his difficulty with coming to terms with seeking revenge. The ghost comes back to visit Hamlet in Act 3 Scene 4, when Hamlet confronts Gertrude.
Hamlet sees the ghost and exclaims “Do you not come your tardy son to chide, that, lapsed in time and passion, lets go by the important acting of your dread command? O, say!” The ghost responds by saying “Do not forget. This visitation is but to whet thy almost blunted purpose.” Hamlet is reminded of his inability to take action, and his father’s ghost is also irritated by this. The ghost seems as though he is tired of waiting on Hamlet to complete his task, which is why he comes to visit him and let him know that he needs to hurry up and decide how he is going to finish getting revenge. The arrival of the ghost at this moment is arguably the moment in which Hamlet understands that he does not have much time left, and that he has been setting the topic of revenge to the side throughout the entirety of the play up to this point. After this meeting, Hamlet turns into the ambitious and vengeful individual he was supposed to be at the very
start. In Act 4 Scene 4, Hamlet’s change of character is noticed, as he states “How all occasions do inform against me, and spur my dull revenge...Now, whether it be bestial oblivion, or some craven scruple Of thinking too precisely on th' event—A thought which, quartered, hath but one part wisdom and ever three parts coward—I do not know why yet I live to say “This thing’s to do,” sith I have cause and will and strength and means to do ’t.” Hamlet admits that he has not been the best at getting his revenge, and that time is ticking. He admits that his various thoughts on revenge mostly come from his cowardice, and that even though he has all the necessary components for vengeance, he has failed to make it reality. He compares himself to Fortinbras and his army, as they are fighting Poland over a small amount of land, and here he is, with his father being murdered and knowing who the culprit is, not even summoning the courage to avenge his father’s death. Because of this discrepancy, Hamlet says “Oh, from this time forth, my thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth!” The true Hamlet, the rash and angry Hamlet, has finally come forth, and from this point on, Hamlet’s vengefulness is on full display, showing that he has fully understood his flaws, and now can showcase his violent capabilities. When Hamlet finds out that Claudius and Laertes have conjured up a scheme to kill him, he enters full revenge mode. He has Rosencrantz and Guildenstern killed in England, and he somewhat wins a fencing match against Laertes, in which Laertes’ and Claudius’ plan backfires on them, resulting in both of their deaths in Act 5 Scene 2. Gertrude and Hamlet also die, and even though more people were killed than Hamlet had intended, revenge and karma had finally taken their courses. Hamlet was able to kill Claudius by forcing him to drink a beverage with poison in it before he died, proving that Hamlet truly did have the willpower and means to kill Claudius before time ran out. He fulfilled the promise he made to his father’s ghost, and he overcame his increasingly complex and dark thoughts to prioritize and complete the most important task at hand he had throughout the play. Hamlet took a long amount of time going back and forth between revenge and if he should seek it or not, but he eventually chose the path he initially started with, and was able to prove himself strong and courageous near the end. William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet introduces theme of revenge, and how it is difficult for one to achieve. Shakespeare presents this idea through Hamlet, the protagonist who is faced with the challenge of avenging his father’s death. Hamlet’s numerous thoughts makes him look like a coward in the eyes of the reader, his father’s ghost, and himself. However, he has a major realization in the play, and demonstrates his full commitment to seeking revenge in the name of his father. His prior inability to accept his duty of revenge turns into a full out dedication to vengeance, establishing the fact that even though revenge is hard to come to terms with, it can eventually be understood, justified, and achieved.