Hamlet as a Traditional Revenge Hero Essay

Revenge is a major theme in the Tragedy of Hamlet. There were three major families in the play these being the family of King Fortinbras, the family of Polonius, and the family of King Hamlet. The heads of each of these families are all slaughtered within the play. Fortinbras, King of Norway, was killed by King Hamlet during a man to man battle thus entitling King Hamlet to the land that was possessed by Fortinbras. Polonius was an advisor to the King, and father to Laertes and Ophelia was nosy and arrogant and killed by Young Hamlet while he was eavesdropping on a conversation between Hamlet and his mother. King Hamlet was the King of Denmark, and Hamlet's father. He had killed King Fortinbras, only to be killed by his brother, Claudius

Although all three sons swear vengeance of their fathers deaths, Hamlet, a character marked by demurity, thought and sensitivity is the main conduit for Shakespeares expression of the theme of revenge in the play. In contrast to the more two-dimensional Laertes and Fortinbras he is held back from taking deliberate action by a lack of passion and strength of will and he opts to decline any opportunities for revenge unless it coheres perfectly to his most refined strategies. He is the Prince of Denmark and therefore belongs to a social elite. Hamlet can be described as being too noble to take revenge. As a very well educated scholar of Wittenberg University in Sweden he has to think extensively before taking revenge. He feels the need to question revenge yet he is reluctant to do so rashly without considerable thought "thus conscience does make cowards of us all". We see that this happens in the first few moments of the play when Hamlet doubts the ghost is his father and he needs further prompting and reassurance throughout the play "So art thou to revenge, when thou shalt hear". Hamlet constantly rationalises and stops himself from acting with any degree of passion. This could be seen either as a weakness or as a personal strength. Hamlet can and is frequently described, as a man with a tragic flaw, this being that his tendency to contemplate his actions is not a positive quality but that instead this brings about his downfall, and is a source of much distress to him throughout the play.

This refrain, "O what a rogue and peasant slave am I! Is it not monstrous that this player here, but in a fiction, in a dream of passion", comes directly after Hamlet has seen the performance of a speech by the First Player. Hamlet compares himself to the actor, and finds himself wanting. The First Player has produced such an effective performance, with Tears in his eyes, distraction ins aspect with only a pretended cause for emotion, a dream of passion, whereas Hamlet berates himself for having a greater cue for passion and not acting.

Acting is a double-edged word, though. Hamlet notably compares himself to an actor, and considers himself a dull and muddy-mettled rascal. He does not make a comparison with Claudius, Fortinbras or Old Hamlet, all of whom have undertaken real actions instead of simply playing them.

Of course, the comparison with an actor is effective because it is extreme, since an actor has no motivation for his expressions of emotion: as Hamlet remarks, Whats Hecuba to him or he to Hecuba? However, what Hamlet praises is his apparent integrity of mind and body: his whole function suiting/ With forms to his conceit It is not the First Players honesty he admires, but his ability to bring all his powers together for one purpose. He is impressed, not by a good person, but by good acting.

This might suggest that Hamlet is having difficulty fitting himself for the role which the plays events have imposed upon him. There seems to be a distinction throughout, Hamlet between role and character, and Hamlet, though a fascinating character, is something of a failure in the role of revenger.

Even when Hamlet realises that by he will achieve nothing by swearing and soliloquising (remarking ironically sure, this is most brave) he describes himself as like a whore...like a very drab. Its a striking simile after what he has just said, since the one thing whores are famous for is not keeping an integrity between their outward function and their inward conceit. Hamlet doesnt make this connection explicit, but there is no other obvious reason why whore is the first insult he reaches for in this context.

What seems like a fairly straightforward speech by Hamlet, ticking that favourite thematic box appearance versus reality, is in fact far more complex and far-reaching. Hamlet admires the First Player for his complete integrity in an arbitrary role, something which the prince has been unable to achieve.

After the players scene, in which Hamlet revises the play of The Murder of Gonzago by adding in a scene that hints at the murder of King Hamlet, Hamlet now knows that the ghosts story is true and will take the ghosts word for a thousand pound when Claudius reacts to Hamlets trap and makes a sudden exit. He now has no reason not to act. Prior to witnessing Claudius reaction, Hamlet has been debating with himself over the legitimacy of the ghost and its story. He has been questioning himself and whether he is a coward, because all he has done is talk, not having taken any action. Now that Hamlet knows the murderous sin Claudius has committed, Hamlet feels no guilt in avenging his fathers death. The plot takes a turn, as Hamlet becomes more of a man of action than a philosopher.

In the prayer scene, Hamlet misses his best opportunity to kill Claudius and avenge his fathers death. With no guards around, Claudius is alone and he is unaware that Hamlet is lurking in the shadows. The scene is set for Hamlet to take vengeance for his fathers unsettled spirit. However, Hamlet does not kill him, because Claudius is repenting for his sins, allowing him to go to heaven if killed at that precise moment. As ones religion often dictated the afterlife of ones soul, King Hamlet is doomed to an eternity in purgatory. Hamlet does not feel it is fair for Claudius to go to heaven, while his father is at unrest, so he decides instead to kill Claudius while he is doing something sinful. This is ironic because Claudius says he is not really praying; he is just going through the actions of prayer. He doesnt want to give up all that he has gained, such as the throne and his wife, Gertrude. Therefore, Hamlet really did miss a perfect opportunity to kill Claudius, because Claudius would not have gone to heaven after all. This scene shows Hamlets indecisiveness, because after the players scene, he vows to take action in murdering Claudius. However, when the opportunity rises, Hamlet doesnt take it. One might think that Hamlet is just making up excuses to avoid murdering Claudius. In forgoing this opportunity to kill Claudius, Hamlet allows Claudius time to act against him. Claudius attempts to rid himself of Hamlet and the possibility of his crime becoming discovered.