Revenge (Hamlet) Essay, Research Paper

Revenge causes a person to act blindly through anger, instead of reason. It is like the saying, an eye for an eye, Fortinbras, Laertes, and Hamlet were all looking to avenge the deaths of their fathers. They all acted on emotion, and this led to the downfall of two, and the rise to power of one. Since all their fathers were murdered, they all swore that they would take revenge for their fathers. Revenge is one of the major themes in the play Hamlet.

There were three major families in Hamlet. They were, the family of King Fortinbras, the family of Polonius, and the family of King Hamlet. The father of each family were all murdered in the play. King Hamlet killed Fortinbras, King of Norway, during a sword fight, our valiant Hamlet for so this side of our known world esteem’d him did slay this Fortinbras. This gave King Hamlet the land that Fortinbras owned. Polonius was an advisor to the King, and was Laertes and Ophelia s father. He was a nosy and arrogant man, and he did not trust his children. Hamlet killed Polonius while he was eves dropping behind a curtain on a conversation between Hamlet and his mother. How now! A rat? Dead, for a ducat, dead! In the play, Hamlet finds out that King Claudius really killed his own brother, King Hamlet.

All of the sons of the murdered fathers all had one thing in common, they all wanted revenge for their fathers death. All of the three sons swore to revenge and all of them tried their best to do so. They all wanted to use force as their revenge. But Fortinbras swore that he wouldn t harm Denmark. But both Laertes and Hamlet did use force to avenge their fathers. In the time period that Hamlet is in, avenging the murder of your father was part of one’s honor.

Fortinbras was really upset by the death of his father, and he wanted revenge against Denmark because of this it. Fortinbras wanted to, by force, take back the lands that had been lost by his father. Now sir, young Fortinbras as it doth well appear unto our state-but to recover of us, by strong hand and terms compulsative, those foresaid lands so by his father lost Claudius sends messengers to talk to Fortinbras’ uncle, the new King of Norway. His uncle arrests Fortinbras and makes him promise to not attack Denmark, and instead convinced him to attack Poland. 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 against your highness On Fortinbras which he, in brief, obeys, receives rebuke from Norway, and, in fine, makes vow before his uncle never more to give the assay of arms against your majesty. So Fortinbras couldn t really do anything now to avenge his father s death.

Laertes found out about his father’s death, and immediately returned home. 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 and Claudius thinks up of a plan to kill Hamlet. Laertes had brought some poison back with him and planned to put it on the sword when they fight. The King added that Hamlet will be tired and would want a drink, so they should poison a drink for Hamlet also. During the sword fight while Hamlet was not looking, Laertes stabs Hamlet with the poisoned sword and later dies. Hamlet, thou art slain the treacherous instrument is in thy, unbated and envenom’d Ironically, during the sword fight, they both drop their swords and Hamlet picks up the poisoned sword and stabs Laertes with it, killing Laertes.

Hamlet was deeply enraged by his father’s death mainly because he was murdered. In the play, King Hamlet s ghost returns to the castle and speaks with Hamlet, letting Hamlet know that he has been murdered by his own brother, Claudius, the serpent that did sting thy father s life now wears the crown. Hamlet was surprised, and then swore vengeance for his father’s death. He then went on and tried to prove his uncle’s doings, and then finally kills him while he was slowly dying from the poisoned wounds that Laertes did to him during the sword fight. The point envenomed too! Then venom, to thy work here, thou incestuous, murderous, damned Dane, drink off this potion, is thy union here? Follow my mother. This left the King dead, and his father’s death avenged.

The lack of thoroughly thinking things out all led to the deaths of Hamlet and Laertes. Laertes planned with Claudius to kill Hamlet with the poisoned tipped sword, but they had not thought that the sword might be used against them. With Laertes believing the King’s words that Hamlet had murdered his father, he was in a rage, and would not listen to Hamlet’s explanation and apology. I am satisfied in nature to my revenge I stand aloof and will no reconcilement but till that time, I do receive your offer’d love like love, and will not wrong it. Hamlet had many chances to kill his uncle, but his rage overcame his intelligence and he chose to wait. Now might I do it pat, now he is praying a villain kills my father and for that, I, his sole son, do this same villain send to heaven. Hamlet waits until he can kill his uncle while he is performing a sin, unfortunately for Hamlet, this time was when he was being poisoned by Claudius plan. Hamlet forces the King to drink the same poison that killed his mother, Queen Gertrude. Hamlet dies of his poisoned wound. Young Fortinbras regains his fathers land, without use of violence, or death to himself. Hamlet names him new ruler of Denmark before he dies, on Fortinbras. He has my dying voice. Fortinbras regains all of his father’s lost land, and becomes King of Denmark.

Hamlet and Laertes were a lot alike because they both got revenge by killing the other person. Luckily for Fortinbras, he didn t have to do anything because the kingdom of Denmark all took care of one another s death. As a theme, revenge was present in all parts of the play. It is ironic how Claudius, Laertes, and Hamlet all died of the same sword. It is also ironic that the first to seek revenge for their father against Claudius was Fortinbras, who becomes King of Denmark in the end. Revenge was the driving force behind three of the main characters of the play, for two it led to downfall, and for the other it led to greatness.