Hamlet was written by Shakespeare. The main subject in the story is about a son’s revenge against his stepfather. The son is Hamlet, who is the son of Hamlet the King. Hamlet suspects on his stepfather, Claudius, about the murder of his father, and then he decides to kill Claudius to take a revenge of his father. “Hamlet's passionate first soliloquy provides a striking contrast to the controlled and artificial dialogue that he must exchange with Claudius and his Court” (Shakespeare Online). Because of this, it is important to determine and analyze the role of revenge in the relationship between a father and a son in Hamlet by W. Shakespeare. Hamlet has conflicts, dilemma and suspicion in the story that drags him a bad fate, which is to be dead at an early age. He accomplishes to kill his stepfather, Claudius just before he dies because of his wish to take revenge on Claudius, although he knows this passion will bring him a bad fate. Therefore, when a son, who loves his father, believes that his father got killed by someone, he can kill the person who killed his father with no mercy.
When Hamlet’s father dies, his mother gets married Claudius, who is his uncle, and then he becomes Hamlet’s stepfather. “Although Hamlet shows clear distress about his mother's marriage to
Claudius, his relationship with her is positive” (Marilena Beltramini). The main thing that bothers Hamlet is why her mother, Gertrude, gets married someone else so quickly right after his father’s death. “Even though his mother's actions lead Hamlet to frequently criticize women in general, in obvious allusion to Gertrude's marriage, and even though Claudius' marriage to Gertrude is one of Hamlet's most important reasons for wanting to kill his uncle…” (Marilena Beltramini). After the marriage, Hamlet never gets jealous of his mother, and he neither thinks nor plans to kill his mother. Hamlet’s suspicion might be related to his psychological condition because there is no evidence to accuse Claudius. But, Hamlet continuously thinks that Claudius murdered his father. He sees a ghost and speaks as below:
Hamlet: Where wilt thou lead me? speak; I'll go no further.
Ghost: Mark me.
Hamlet: I will.
Ghost: My hour is almost come, when I to sulphurous
On William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, after the assassination of his father, Hamlet thinks he is living in a world full of corruption and deceit, where everything is falling apart and everyone is against him. An imminent, exaggerated, and passionate love for his mother is his main feature. Although others argue that Hamlet’s obsession to murder Claudius is strictly to claim revenge for his father’s death, it is Hamlet’s obsessive desire to possess his mother in an unhealthy and, perhaps incestuous, relationship. Hamlet also appears jealous of Claudius, his father-uncle, jealous of him for having Gertrude and for owning the crown. He lives a love-hate relationship with his mother. He is full of anger towards her, but at the same time he
Hamlet has many problems dealing with the fact that his mother married his uncle less than two months after the death of his father. Hamlet sees his mother's remarriage as disgusting and sees murdering Claudius as a way of freeing his mother of an incestuous marriage as well as avenging his father. Hamlet and his mother's relationship is also shown as more sexual than the traditional mother son relationship because of Hamlet's long and private conversation with his mother, as well as his rivalry toward Claudius for his mother's attentions. Hamlet makes numerous sexually allusions. The "closet scene" in Act 3 Scene 4, proves to be essential in understanding Hamlet's and Gertrude's relationship because the
Hamlet really wanted the revenge on Claudius but was really on the fence of what to actually do to follow through with then plan. Claudius was brave to feel so free, as Hamlet had opportunities to take advantage of him and had plenty of hate towards him for more than one reason. The action Hamlet may want and outcome of it, may be completely different as to what his father would do or like him to do.
In the play, “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare, Hamlet struggles to restore honour and certainty in the kingdom. Hamlet’s father, the true King of Denmark was murdered by Claudius so that Claudius could become the king, this was seen as dishonorable as Claudius was the King’s brother, and the right to the throne was not his. Hamlet finds out about the murder and feels he must avenge his father to restore honour and certainty in the kingdom.
We can see the dramatic differences in Hamlet’s facial expression and tone of voice when he starts to talk about Claudius and his mother. Hamlet is revolted by him, he is “a mildewed ear/ Blasting his wholesome brother.” We can hear the disgust in Hamlet’s words as he describes his malevolent uncle and this shows the distorted relationship between them. Finally he turns to his mother. His words are full of deep hatred and utter contempt for her. He asks her how she could have replaced her perfect husband with this foul man: “Could you
According to Kastan, “Hamlet is prevented from enacting his revenge by the discomforting ratios that his literary imitations generate” (4). He is also stopped from executing his revenge because of his inability to separate himself from his father, to be different from what generated him (Kastan 4). By this point, Hamlet is no longer caught between whether to avenge his father or not, it is that he no longer realizes whether he is doing this for his father or for himself. When Hamlet finally does kill Claudius, he does it to avenge not his father, but himself (Kastan 4). “Hamlet dies with no word of the father he has sworn to remember” writes David Scott Kastan, “The act he finally
In modern society humans stand up and fight for what they think is right and fair. Human beings have the desire to avenge what they think is wrong. The theme of revenge has a major effect in the play Hamlet and is a constant throughout the play, it underlies almost every scene. In the play Hamlet, William Shakespeare examines the theme of revenge through the erratic thoughts and actions of the characters Hamlet, Laertes, and Fortinbras. The main revenge plots in the play is Hamlet’s aim to avenge his father, Hamlet Sr, Laertes’ aim to avenge the murder of his father, Polonius, and Fortinbras’ aim to avenge the death of his father, Fortinbras. Having lost their fathers, Hamlet, Laertes and Fortinbras take vengeance on the people that killed them. These plots play a major role in the play presenting the theme of revenge to the audience.
The play “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare is about a guy named Hamlet going through a hard time in life, after the death of his father, and the remarriage of his mother to his uncle. Throughout the play were are able to get a greater understanding of who Hamlet really is. The actions of Hamlet in Shakespeare's master piece “Hamlet” proves him to a revenge seeker, emotional, and crazy.
Although Hamlet knows well enough that he must avenge his fathers’ death, the action of revenge does not come easily to him. Hamlet throughout Hamlet is contemplating the revenge for his father’s death. Hamlet is indecisive, hesitant, and contemplative yet at other times impulsive. He is still, as it is, being influenced by his reason taking into consideration that Hamlet is a scholar. He does not act upon his feelings immediately but decides to investigate further on the suspicions he has about Claudius and his fathers’ death. This attitude tends to make Hamlet procrastinate and only until he has done away with his scholastic characters will he actually play out his Acton.
Hamlet is somewhat discouraged at his mother for marrying so quick, and also for marrying his uncle. “The Ghost, in his nightgown, prompts Hamlet to help Gertrude's 'fighting soul' in her struggle against incest and widow's infidelity,(Findlay p.152) 'Conciet in weakest bodies, strongest works' (Act 3,Scene 4,Lines 113-114).Hamlet then begins his plot on how to kill Claudius. His plan to act insane provides him with the opportunity to speak and act in ways that would otherwise not be tolerated.
Ever since his father’s ghost came to him, Hamlet knew that Claudius was a murderer. He even went as far as to put on a play, showing exactly what Claudius did for many people to see, including his mother, Ophelia, and Claudius himself. After recreating the death of King Hamlet, Claudius stands up to get air. Nobody suspected anything except for Hamlet and Horatio. When discussing Claudius’ actions, Hamlet states, “O good Horatio, I’ll take the ghost’s word for/ a thousand pound.
Throughout the play, Hamlet’s disdain for his mother marriage to his uncle, Claudius, is made apparent. It is because of this union, Hamlet believes that it is his responsibility to separate Claudius from his mother for her own good. Because Hamlet’s father, King Hamlet, was killed his brother, Claudius, is now King and has married Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother. After a play which depicts the death of King
Despite the fact that Gertrude has very little role and few lines in the play still she is central to the action of the play. Prince Hamlet hatred and disgust for her mother as she marries Claudius, is one of the main important reflections of the play. This is because in times of Shakespeare, marrying husband's brother after husband's death was considered as a sin and act of being disloyal with the husband. Secondly, Prince Hamlet also considered Claudius inferior to his father, the late King Hamlet, in all aspects of life.
Hamlets father was king married to Queen Gertrude but Hamlet had to return home to attend his funeral. He was a loving son; mourning, only to figure out his mother (the queen) had already married once more. The Queen’s new husband is King Claudius who is Hamlets uncle and the deceased King’s brother. This betrayal was like none other in Hamlet’s eyes. He knew right anyway from a feeling that Claudius was responsible for King Hamlet’s death. Hamlet even worried and sometimes assumed that his mother was part of the planning or even killing of his father. Returning home immediately became about getting revenge on the people that hurt his family and even in some cases that meant his mother. Hamlet was a smart man and very cunning but in the end it doesn’t work out for anyone.
An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind is a common saying for revenge. Like Shakespeare he based most of his tragedies based on: betrayal, death, lies, and revenge, and they can be view throughout the whole play Hamlet. In the tragedy Hamlet, Shakespeare utilizes Hamlet’s character as a major role in the development of a revenge tragedy by his loss of morality, individuality, and madness throughout the play, further clarifying that indeed Hamlet is a revenge tragedy.