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.