...The Theme of Hamlet - Revenge In Hamlet, Shakespeare created three revenge plots; all of the revenges involve a son seeking vengeance for the death of a father. Revenge has caused the downfall of many people. In my opinion, revenge is a very dangerous theory to live by. It will consuming ones nature and causes one to act recklessly through anger rather without any reason. Throughout Hamlet, revenge is a dominant theme. Prince Fortinbras, Laertes, and Hamlet all seek to avenge the deaths of their fathers. But in doing so, three of them rely more on emotion than thought, and take a very big risk, the risk which eventually leads to the downfall and death. In Act 1 Scene 1, Shakespeare was written about Prince Fortinbras's attempts to reclaim the land his father lost to Old Hamlet and that is the first of three revenge plots in the play. King Fortinbras was killed by King Hamlet in a sword battle. This entitled King Hamlet to the land that was possessed by Fortinbras because it was written in a sealed compact. "…our valiant Hamlet-for so this side of our known world esteemed him-did slay this Fortinbras."(Hamlet, Act 1 Scene 1 Lines 85) Prince Fortinbras was enraged by his father’s murder and sought revenge against Denmark. He wanted to take back the land that had been lost to Denmark when his father was killed. "…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…"(Hamlet...
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...To Be: Aristotle’s Tragic Hero Aristotle defined a tragic hero as one that possesses certain characteristics, including a fatal weakness or mistake in judgment (hamartia), a reversal of fortune (peripeteia), a revelation that the misfortune the character experiences has come about due to his own behavior (anagnorisis), enormous pride (hubris), and an ultimate outcome of fate that is greater than deserved. In the 1601 play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the titular character serves as a quintessential example of the tragic hero, embodying every trait that Aristotle outlined in his famous definition. Hamlet’s hamartia is rooted in his excessive introspection and deliberation. As we see in multiple instances throughout the play, Hamlet’s contemplative nature leads to a delay in his actions -- he becomes trapped in his own thoughts, resulting in his disillusionment and detachment from reality alongside a single-minded obsession for avenging the death of his father. For example, when presented with the perfect opportunity to slay Claudius and achieve...
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...Hamlet: a Noble Prince Who Suffers From a Corrupt Environment “Hamlet is a noble prince who suffers from a corrupt world that is not suitable to his sensitive moral nature.” Though some may view Prince Hamlet, a fictional protagonist in the tragic play Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, as a “madman,” he is simply misunderstood by the harsh society of Denmark. Mourning the loss of his recently deceased father, King Hamlet, Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius, inherits the throne and even marries Queen Gertrude after just one short month. Through chaotic and twisted disastrous events, Hamlet must abide by a civilization that evidently has neither structure nor principles. After Prince Hamlet suffers from the death of his father, the rest of Denmark is delighted by the celebration of a new marriage. Claudius, the actual brother of King Hamlet, weds with his widow, Queen Gertrude. Claudius remarks that he wants to bring a new light into Denmark after the city was struck with King Hamlet’s death. The rest of the town is thrilled by the news, excluding Hamlet. How could the city of Denmark recover from their grief after just one month? Eventually, Hamlet’s trustworthy watchmen tell Hamlet that they have been seeing a ghost-like figure that represents the deceased King Hamlet. When the ghost visits yet again, he signals to speak with Hamlet privately. Hamlet quickly learns that Claudius is responsible for his father’s death as Claudius plotted a treacherous scheme to rule over Denmark...
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...William Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Hamlet is a magnificent piece of literature that is teeming with numerous themes. The most prominent theme brought out in this play is that revenge can consume every part of one’s life. William Shakespeare develops this theme through the use of foreshadowing. The mood that is set from the very beginning of the play prepares the reader for the obvious evils that the act of vengeance can lead to. The play is set in Denmark and is centered on Prince Hamlet’s revenge that he seeks for the death of his father by the hand of his uncle, Claudius. Claudius killed his brother in order to gain the throne and marry Gertrude, his brother’s wife. All seems to be in favor of the deceptive pair until one night when Hamlet’s father’s ghost appears to his good friend Horatio and two castle guards, who promptly tell Hamlet. Not believing them, Hamlet waits one night on the rampart of Elsinore Castle to see for himself. He is convinced when the apparition appears and speaks to Hamlet. His father tells him of the injustice that has befallen the family and tells Hamlet to “Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” (I.v.25). He wants Hamlet to destroy the man who had him murdered and who married his widow. Hamlet wants to know of every detail of the crime and tells the spirit “Haste me to know’t, that I, with wings as swift/ As meditation or the thoughts of love, / May sweep to my revenge” (I.v.25-31). Hamlet promises to devote himself to this cause. ...
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