Define Revenge in Hamlet Essays - 1219 Words

Revenge is one’s desire to retaliate and get even. Human instincts turn to revenge when loved ones are hurt. But, these misdeeds of taking upon revenge may lead to serious consequences. In William Shakespeare’s tragedy â€Å"Hamlet,† Fortinbras, Hamlet, and Laertes’s each show how their desire for revenge unavoidably leads to tragedy. The loss of their loved ones caused these characters in Hamlet to take action. Young Fortinbras has built an army to get back the lands his father lost to King Hamlet and Denmark. His actions can be compared to the measures Hamlet is willing to take upon Claudius. Hamlet wants to kill his uncle, Claudius, for killing his father to gain royalty status. Laertes has the same anger as Hamlet killed Polonius,†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Examples gross as earth exhort me:/Witness this army of such mass and charge/Led by a delicate and tender prince,/ Whose spirit with divine ambition puffd /Makes mouths at the invisible ev ent, / Exposing what is mortal and unsure/To all that fortune, death and danger dare,/Even for an egg-shell.† (IV.iv. 49-56). Hamlet admires Fortinbras as a man of action due to building an army and directing them for Denmark to avenge the death of his father. In the end, as Fortinbras successfully becomes King of Denmark, he says: â€Å"Take up the bodies. Such a sight as this/ Becomes the field,/but here shows much amiss./ Go, bid the soldiers shoot.† (V.ii. 403-405). Fortinbras tells the soldiers to clean up the dead bodies and then fire their guns outside honoring of Hamlet. Laertes, a foil to Hamlet in the play, faces similar problems as Hamlet. Laertes learns Hamlet is responsible for the death of his father, Polonius by Claudius. But, in Act III Scene iv, Polonius was hiding behind the arras of the Queen Gertrude’s room and Hamlet killed him accidentally. Claudius took the opportunity to use his manipulative skills and convince Laertes he should kill Hamle t for what he did (Cruttwell). Claudius’ speech to Laertes implies that not acting would show no love for his father, â€Å"Not that I think you did not love your father, but that I know love is begun by time, and that I see in passages of proof†(IV. vii. 111-113). Claudius’ tone influences Laertes to immediately seek revenge onShow MoreRelatedRevenge Themes in Hamlet1077 Words   |  5 PagesIn the play ‘Hamlet written by William Shakespeare in Elizabethan times, the theme of revenge is a constant throughout the plot. Not only does it underlie almost every scene, but it also has a major effect on the story as a whole. 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