Hamlet (Revenge) Essay, Research Paper
Revenge. Revenge causes one to act blindly
through anger, rather thanthrough reason. It is based on the principle
of an eye for an eye, butthis principle is not always an intelligent theory
to live by. YoungFortinbras, Laertes, and Hamlet were all looking to avenge
the deaths oftheir fathers. They all acted on emotion, and this led to
the downfall oftwo, and the rise to power of one. Since the Heads of the
three majorfamilies were each murdered, the eldest sons of these families
sworevengeance, and two of the three sons died while exacting their acts
ofvengeance, revenge is a major theme in the Tragedy of Hamlet.
There were three major families in the
Tragedy of Hamlet. These were thefamily of King Fortinbras, the family
of Polonius, and the family of KingHamlet. The heads of each of these families
are all slaughtered within theplay. Fortinbras, King of Norway, was killed
by King Hamlet; slain bysword during a man to man battle. “?our valiant
Hamlet-for so this side ofour known world esteem’d him-did slay this Fortinbras.”
This entitled KingHamlet to the land that was possessed by Fortinbras because
it was writtenin a seal’d compact. Polonius was an advisor to the King,
and father toLaertes and Ophelia. He was nosy and arrogant, and he did
not trust hischildren. He was killed by Young Hamlet while he was eves
dropping on aconversation between Hamlet and his mother. “How now! A rat?
Dead, for aducat, dead!” King Hamlet was the King of Denmark, and Hamlet’s
father. He had killed King Fortinbras, only to be killed by his brother,
Claudius. “?My offense is rank, it smells to heaven; A brother’s murder?”
Each ofthese events effected the sons of the deceased in the same way,
it enragedthem.
Every one of the three eldest sons had
one thing in common, they allwanted revenge for a slaughtered father. In
the time in which this play isset, avenging the murder of a father was
part of one’s honor, and had to bedone. All of the three sons swore vengeance,
and then acted towardsgetting revenge for the deaths of their fathers.
Young Fortinbras was deeply enraged by
the death of his father, and hewanted revenge against Denmark because of
this occurrence. Fortinbraswanted to, by force, regain the lands that had
been lost by his father toDenmark. “?Now sir, young Fortinbras?as it doth
well appear unto ourstate-but to recover of us, by strong hand and terms
compulsative, thoseforesaid lands so by his father lost?” Claudius sends
messengers to talkto Fortinbras’ uncle, the new King of Norway. He forbid
Fortinbras toattack Denmark, and instead convinced him to attack the Poles
to vent hisanger. “?His nephew’s levies, which to him appear’d to be a
preparation’gainst the Polack; But better look’d into, he truly found it
was againstyour highness?On Fortinbras; which he, in brief, obeys, receives
rebukefrom Norway, and, in fine, makes vow before his uncle never more
to givethe assay of arms against your majesty.”
Laertes found out about his father’s death,
and immediately returnedhome. He confronted the King and accused him of
the murder of his father. Claudius told Laertes that Hamlet was responsible
for his father’s death. He then decides to kill Hamlet to avenge the death
of his father. He andClaudius concoct a plot to kill Hamlet. Hamlet dies
of wounds from thepoisoned tipped sword Laertes used. “?Hamlet, thou art
slain?Thetreacherous instrument is in thy, unbated and envenom’d?” Hamlet
was deeply sorrowed by his father’s death. He spoke to a ghost, andthis
ghost stated that his father’s death was a murder, by the hand of hisuncle,
Claudius. “The serpent that did sting thy father’s life now wearshis crown.”
Hamlet was astonished, and then swore vengeance for hisfather’s death.
He then proceeded to try and prove his uncle’s guilt, andthen finally kills
him while he himself is dying of poisoned woundsinflicted by Laertes during
their duel. “The point envenomed too! Thenvenom, to thy work?Here, thou
incestuous, murderous, damned Dane, drink offthis potion,-is thy union
here? Follow my mother.” This left the Kingdead, and his father’s death
avenged.
The lack of thought used in exacting the
revenge led to the deaths of bothLaertes and Hamlet. Laertes planned with
Claudius to kill Hamlet with thepoisoned tipped sword, but they had not
thought that the sword might beused against them. With Laertes believing
the King’s accusations thatHamlet had murdered his father, he was in a
blind rage, and would notlisten to Hamlet’s explanation and apology. “I
am satisfied in nature?tomy revenge?I stand aloof?and will no reconcilement?But
till that time, I doreceive your offer’d love like love, and will not wrong
it.”. He fightsHamlet, and wounds him once with the poisoned tipped sword;
butunfortunately, their swords are switched, and Hamlet wounds Laertes
withthe sword. That is the wound by which Laertes dies. Hamlet had manychances
to kill his uncle, but his rage outweighed his intelligence; and hechose
to wait until the lord could see no good in Claudius, and then strikehim
down into a world of eternal damnation. “Now might I do it pat, now heis
praying;?A villain kills my father; and for that, I, his sole son, dothis
same villain send to heaven.” Hamlet waits until he can kill hisuncle while
he is performing a sin, unfortunately for Hamlet, the sin isthe poisoning
of his own son in law. Hamlet dies of his poisoned wound. Young Fortinbras
regains his fathers land, without use of violence, ordeath to himself.
Hamlet names him new ruler of Denmark before he dies,and Fortinbras regains
all of his father’s lost land, and becomes King ofDenmark.
Since the Heads of the three major families
were each murdered, the eldestsons of these families swore vengeance, and
two of the three sons diedwhile exacting their acts of vengeance, revenge
is a major theme in theTragedy of Hamlet. As a theme, revenge was present
in all parts of theplay. It seems ironic that Claudius, Laertes, and Hamlet
all died of thesame sword. It is also ironic that the first the seek revenge
againstClaudius, Fortinbras, becomes King of Denmark. Revenge was the drivingforce
behind three of the main characters of the play, for two it led todownfall,
and for the other it led to greatness.