hamlet revenge dissertation

Hamlet as a Revenge Tragedy

William Shakespeare is one the greatest playwrights of the Elizabethan period. His most famous tragedy “Hamlet” belongs to the genre of Revenge Tragedy . The term ‘Revenge Tragedy’ takes us to Seneca who created dreadful and tragic incidents, gory actions, and yelling speeches.

The Revenge Tragedy is basically based on killing and crime with different causes. The task of revenge is placed on the succeeding kin. There is so much gross, terror, and bloodshed when the killing is retaliated, and the revenger and all others who are involved in the crime die together in one bloody and violent ending. Based on these points, “Hamlet” , without any doubt, follows the tradition of revenge tragedy .

Hamlet, at the start of the play, is in great despair because of his father’s death. Hamlet’s father was murdered by his evil brother Claudius. More than that Hamlet is also deeply saddened when he learns that his mother has married his father’s murderer i.e. Claudius. So in this way the basic plot is established for this tragedy.

Table of Contents

The supernatural elements:

The supernatural element is a major characteristic of revenge tragedy. In most of the revenge tragedies, the dead’s ghost discloses the crime or offense carried out and the identification of the murderer and passed the responsibility of venging the murder. In the same way, Hamlet is commanded by the ghost of his father with the responsibility of revenging the murder.

Madness in Revenge Tragedies:

In a typical revenge tragedy, the avenger disguises to be insane but in reality he is not mad. The avenger does all this so that he can discover the truth. Hamlet also does the same. Hamlet stages a drama with his friends to find out the truth about his father’s murder. When Hamlet is absolutely sure that it is Claudius who murdered his father, then he spends his entire energy trying to kill him.

If we talk about the state of mind of Hamlet , it was anywhere between sanity and insanity. Hamlet definitely shows a high level of frenzy and mental illness for most part of the play but his insanity most probably too resolved and determined for us to come to an end that he is mad. His speeches are inconsistent and rough, but underneath his erratic expressions frequently lie serious observations that reveal the sensible mind functioning underneath the surface. In all probability, Hamlet’s decision to pretend insanity is a sensible one, taken to bemuse his opponents and conceal his intentions.

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Furthermore, Hamlet finds himself in a distinctive and disturbing situation, one which casts doubt on the basic morals and ethics of his life. He can no more trust society and believe in religion. And, last but not least, Hamlet cannot go in for philosophy, which cannot define ghosts or serve his moral questions.

All these conflicts are going on in Hamlet’s mind and besides these, he is also saddened by the death of his father, his mother’s incestuous marriage, and the duty passed on him by the ghosts of his father, Hamlet is clearly upset and shattered. He most probably is not insane but he is slowly heading towards madness which we can see during many of the exceedingly extreme and heated moments in the play like his encounter with Ophelia in Act 3 Scene 1 and his long conversation with his mother in Act 3, Scene 4.

Read More: Preface to Shakespeare by Dr. Johnson summary

The theme of Revenge in Shakespeare’s Hamlet:

The motif of revenge is outstretched beyond the protagonist. Apart from Hamlet, Fortinbras, and Laertes are also interested in taking revenge. Fortinbras wishes to take revenge on Denmark for the troubles endured by Laertes’ father in a fight with Hamlet’s father. Laertes also wants to take revenge against Hamlet, because Hamlet kills Laertes’ father. Thus, the motif of revenge runs throughout the play.

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Melodramatic Elements in Revenge tragedies:

Besides the aforementioned elements, we can also see melodramatic elements in Revenge tragedy. In “Hamlet” , there are aggressive and violent scenes that are portrayed keeping in mind the Revenge Tragedy convention. For example, there is Hamlet’s madness, and also Ophelia’s madness and her suicide, Hamlet’s killing of Polonius, eavesdropping scene, Claudius planning of sending Hamlet back to England with instruction to kill him on England soil, an aggravated Laertes and Hamlet fighting in the graveyard, and finally the many deaths that transpire in the closing scene of the play.

Shakespeare and the tradition of Revenge tragedies:

Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet” almost consists of all the characteristics of a Senecan revenge play, but Shakespeare has treated the revenge theme so uniquely which makes the play “Hamlet” beyond a mere Revenge Tragedy. Although “Hamlet” is a tragedy of “bloodshed and terror” , the dealing of the theme is not so gross and coarse as that of the traditional Revenge Tragedy. These characteristics have been purified to upraise “Hamlet” beyond mere melodrama. The supernatural element in Hamlet is not ‘gross’ but functions as a tool of justice to penalize the wrong-doer. Also, Shakespeare’s dealing with the motive of duty – a son’s responsibility of taking revenge against his father’s murder – is more complicated than others. In other revenge tragedies , in taking revenge against the murder, the tangible things perform as obstacles. But in Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet” the protagonist’s own moral sense and his ethics are the obstacles. In addition to all these, the language of the play also minimizes the tone of brutality and transforms Hamlet into a superior work of art.

Conclusion:

If we categorize “Hamlet” a mere “Revenge Tragedy” then it would be an injustice to the work, it would disregard its aesthetic supremacy over other plays of this category. The language of the play invokes a distinct world in keeping with great tragedy, the all-inclusive issues it takes up and aims to solve, the complicated nature of its protagonist – all these elements raise “Hamlet” beyond what is traditionally termed “Revenge Tragedy”.

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Hamlet and Revenge

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What is arguably Shakespeare 's greatest play, "Hamlet," is often understood to be a revenge tragedy, but it is quite an odd one at that. It is a play driven by a protagonist who spends most of the play contemplating revenge rather than exacting it.

Hamlet’s inability to avenge the murder of his father drives the plot and leads to the deaths of most of the major characters , including Polonius, Laertes, Ophelia, Gertrude, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. And Hamlet himself is tortured by his indecision and his inability to kill his father's murderer, Claudius, throughout the play.

When he finally does exact his revenge and kills Claudius, it is too late for him to derive any satisfaction from it; Laertes has struck him with a poisoned foil and Hamlet dies shortly after. Take a closer look at the theme of revenge in Hamlet.

Action and Inaction in Hamlet

To highlight Hamlet’s inability to take action, Shakespeare includes other characters capable of taking resolute and headstrong revenge as required. Fortinbras travels many miles to take his revenge and ultimately succeeds in conquering Denmark; Laertes plots to kill Hamlet to avenge the death of his father, Polonius.

Compared to these characters, Hamlet’s revenge is ineffectual. Once he decides to take action, he delays any action until the end of the play. It should be noted that this delay is not uncommon in Elizabethan revenge tragedies. What makes "Hamlet" different from other contemporary works is the way in which Shakespeare uses the delay to build Hamlet’s emotional and psychological complexity. The revenge itself ends up being almost an afterthought, and in many ways, is anticlimactic.

Indeed, the famous "To be or not to be" soliloquy is Hamlet's debate with himself about what to do and whether it will matter. Though the piece begins with his pondering suicide, Hamlet's desire to avenge his father becomes clearer as this speech continues. It's worth considering this soliloquy in its entirety.

To be, or not to be- that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them. To die- to sleep- No more; and by a sleep to say we end The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to. 'Tis a consummation Devoutly to be wish'd. To die- to sleep. To sleep- perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub! For in that sleep of death what dreams may come When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause. There's the respect That makes calamity of so long life. For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, Th' oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of despis'd love, the law's delay, The insolence of office, and the spurns That patient merit of th' unworthy takes, When he himself might his quietus make With a bare bodkin? Who would these fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death- The undiscover'd country, from whose bourn No traveler returns- puzzles the will, And makes us rather bear those ills we have Than fly to others that we know not of? Thus conscience does make cowards of us all, And thus the native hue of resolution Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought, And enterprises of great pith and moment With this regard their currents turn awry And lose the name of action.- Soft you now! The fair Ophelia!- Nymph, in thy orisons Be all my sins rememb'red.

Over the course of this eloquent musing on the nature of self and death and what actions he should take, Hamlet remains paralyzed by indecision.

How Hamlet's Revenge is Delayed

Hamlet’s revenge is delayed in three significant ways. First, he must establish Claudius’ guilt, which he does in Act 3, Scene 2 by presenting the murder of his father in a play. When Claudius storms out during the performance, Hamlet becomes convinced of his guilt.

Hamlet then considers his revenge at length, in contrast to the rash actions of Fortinbras and Laertes. For example, Hamlet has the opportunity to kill Claudius in Act 3, Scene 3. He draws his sword but is concerned that Claudius will go to heaven if killed while praying.

After killing Polonius, Hamlet is sent to England making it impossible for him to gain access to Claudius and carry out his revenge. During his trip, becomes more headstrong in his desire for revenge.

Although he does ultimately kill Claudius in the final scene of the play , it's not due to any scheme or plan by Hamlet, rather, it is Claudius’ plan to kill Hamlet that backfires.

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Home › Drama Criticism › Analysis of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet

Analysis of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet

By NASRULLAH MAMBROL on July 25, 2020 • ( 2 )

With Shakespeare the dramatic resolution conveys us, beyond the man-made sphere of poetic justice, toward the ever-receding horizons of cosmic irony. This is peculiarly the case with Hamlet , for the same reasons that it excites such intensive empathy from actors and readers, critics and writers alike. There may be other Shakespearean characters who are just as memorable, and other plots which are no less impressive; but nowhere else has the outlook of the individual in a dilemma been so profoundly realized; and a dilemma, by definition, is an all but unresolvable choice between evils. Rather than with calculation or casuistry, it should be met with virtue or readiness; sooner or later it will have to be grasped by one or the other of its horns. These, in their broadest terms, have been—for Hamlet, as we interpret him—the problem of what to believe and the problem of how to act.

—Harry Levin, The Question of Hamlet

Hamlet is almost certainly the world’s most famous play, featuring drama’s and literature’s most fascinating and complex character. The many-sided Hamlet—son, lover, intellectual, prince, warrior, and avenger—is the consummate test for each generation’s leading actors, and to be an era’s defining Hamlet is perhaps the greatest accolade one can earn in the theater. The play is no less a proving ground for the critic and scholar, as successive generations have refashioned Hamlet in their own image, while finding in it new resonances and entry points to plumb its depths, perplexities, and possibilities. No other play has been analyzed so extensively, nor has any play had a comparable impact on our culture. The brooding young man in black, skull in hand, has moved out of the theater and into our collective consciousness and cultural myths, joining only a handful of comparable literary archetypes—Oedipus, Faust, and Don Quixote—who embody core aspects of human nature and experience. “It is we ,” the romantic critic William Hazlitt observed, “who are Hamlet.”

Hamlet also commands a crucial, central place in William Shakespeare’s dramatic career. First performed around 1600, the play stands near the midpoint of the playwright’s two-decade career as a culmination and new departure. As the first of his great tragedies, Hamlet signals a decisive shift from the comedies and history plays that launched Shakespeare’s career to the tragedies of his maturity. Although unquestionably linked both to the plays that came before and followed, Hamlet is also markedly exceptional. At nearly 4,000 lines, almost twice the length of Macbeth , Hamlet is Shakespeare’s longest and, arguably, his most ambitious play with an enormous range of characters—from royals to gravediggers—and incidents, including court, bedroom, and graveyard scenes and a play within a play. Hamlet also bristles with a seemingly inexhaustible array of ideas and themes, as well as a radically new strategy for presenting them, most notably, in transforming soliloquies from expositional and motivational asides to the audience into the verbalization of consciousness itself. As Shakespearean scholar Stephen Greenblatt has asserted, “In its moral complexity, psychological depth, and philosophical power, Hamlet seems to mark an epochal shift not only in Shakespeare’s own career but in Western drama; it is as if the play were giving birth to a whole new kind of literary subjectivity.” Hamlet, more than any other play that preceded it, turns its action inward to dramatize an isolated, conflicted psyche struggling to cope with a world that has lost all certainty and consolation. Struggling to reconcile two contradictory identities—the heroic man of action and duty and the Christian man of conscience—Prince Hamlet becomes the modern archetype of the self-divided, alienated individual, desperately searching for self-understanding and meaning. Hamlet must contend with crushing doubt without the support of traditional beliefs that dictate and justify his actions. In describing the arrival of the fragmentation and chaos of the modern world, Victorian poet and critic Matthew Arnold declared that “the calm, cheerfulness, the disinterested objectivity have disappeared, the dialogue of the mind with itself has commenced.” Hamlet anticipates that dialogue by more than two centuries.

Like all of Shakespeare’s plays, Hamlet makes strikingly original uses of borrowed material. The Scandinavian folk tale of Amleth, a prince called upon to avenge his father’s murder by his uncle, was first given literary form by the Danish writer Saxo the Grammarian in his late 12th century Danish History and later adapted in French in François de Belleforest’s Histoires tragiques (1570). This early version of the Hamlet story provided Shakespeare with the basic characters and relationships but without the ghost or the revenger’s uncertainty. In the story of Amleth there is neither doubt about the usurper’s guilt nor any moral qualms in the fulfillment of the avenger’s mission. In preChristian Denmark blood vengeance was a sanctioned filial obligation, not a potentially damnable moral or religious violation, and Amleth successfully accomplishes his duty by setting fire to the royal hall, killing his uncle, and proclaiming himself king of Denmark. Shakespeare’s more immediate source may have been a nowlost English play (c. 1589) that scholars call the Ur – Hamlet. All that has survived concerning this play are a printed reference to a ghost who cried “Hamlet, revenge!” and criticism of the play’s stale bombast. Scholars have attributed the Ur-Hamle t to playwright Thomas Kyd, whose greatest success was The Spanish Tragedy (1592), one of the earliest extant English tragedies. The Spanish Tragedy popularized the genre of the revenge tragedy, derived from Aeschylus’s Oresteia and the Latin plays of Seneca, to which Hamlet belongs. Kyd’s play also features elements that Shakespeare echoes in Hamlet, including a secret crime, an impatient ghost demanding revenge, a protagonist tormented by uncertainty who feigns madness, a woman who actually goes mad, a play within a play, and a final bloodbath that includes the death of the avenger himself. An even more immediate possible source for Hamlet is John Marston’s Antonio’s Revenge (1599), another story of vengeance on a usurper by a sensitive protagonist.

Whether comparing Hamlet to its earliest source or the handling of the revenge plot by Kyd, Marston, or other Elizabethan or Jacobean playwrights, what stands out is the originality and complexity of Shakespeare’s treatment, in his making radically new and profound uses of established stage conventions. Hamlet converts its sensational material—a vengeful ghost, a murder mystery, madness, a heartbroken maiden, a fistfight at her burial, and a climactic duel that results in four deaths—into a daring exploration of mortality, morality, perception, and core existential truths. Shakespeare put mystery, intrigue, and sensation to the service of a complex, profound epistemological drama. The critic Maynard Mack in an influential essay, “The World of Hamlet ,” has usefully identified the play’s “interrogative mode.” From the play’s opening words—“Who’s there?”—to “What is this quintessence of dust?” through drama’s most famous soliloquy—“To be, or not to be, that is the question.”— Hamlet “reverberates with questions, anguished, meditative, alarmed.” The problematic nature of reality and the gap between truth and appearance stand behind the play’s conflicts, complicating Hamlet’s search for answers and his fulfillment of his role as avenger.

Hamlet opens with startling evidence that “something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” The ghost of Hamlet’s father, King Hamlet, has been seen in Elsinore, now ruled by his brother, Claudius, who has quickly married his widowed queen, Gertrude. When first seen, Hamlet is aloof and skeptical of Claudius’s justifications for his actions on behalf of restoring order in the state. Hamlet is morbidly and suicidally disillusioned by the realization of mortality and the baseness of human nature prompted by the sudden death of his father and his mother’s hasty, and in Hamlet’s view, incestuous remarriage to her brother-in-law:

O that this too too solid flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew! Or that the Everlasting had not fix’d His canon ’gainst self-slaughter! O God! God! How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable Seem to me all the uses of this world! Fie on’t! ah, fie! ’Tis an unweeded garden That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature Possess it merely. That it should come to this!

A recent student at the University of Wittenberg, whose alumni included Martin Luther and the fictional Doctor Faustus, Hamlet is an intellectual of the Protestant Reformation, who, like Luther and Faustus, tests orthodoxy while struggling to formulate a core philosophy. Brought to encounter the apparent ghost of his father, Hamlet alone hears the ghost’s words that he was murdered by Claudius and is compelled out of his suicidal despair by his pledge of revenge. However, despite the riveting presence of the ghost, Hamlet is tormented by doubts. Is the ghost truly his father’s spirit or a devilish apparition tempting Hamlet to his damnation? Is Claudius truly his father’s murderer? By taking revenge does Hamlet do right or wrong? Despite swearing vengeance, Hamlet delays for two months before taking any action, feigning madness better to learn for himself the truth about Claudius’s guilt. Hamlet’s strange behavior causes Claudius’s counter-investigation to assess Hamlet’s mental state. School friends—Rosencrantz and Guildenstern—are summoned to learn what they can; Polonius, convinced that Hamlet’s is a madness of love for his daughter Ophelia, stages an encounter between the lovers that can be observed by Claudius. The court world at Elsinore, is, therefore, ruled by trickery, deception, role playing, and disguise, and the so-called problem of Hamlet, of his delay in acting, is directly related to his uncertainty in knowing the truth. Moreover, the suspicion of his father’s murder and his mother’s sexual betrayal shatter Hamlet’s conception of the world and his responsibility in it. Pushed back to the suicidal despair of the play’s opening, Hamlet is paralyzed by indecision and ambiguity in which even death is problematic, as he explains in the famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy in the third act:

For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, Th’ oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely, The pangs of despis’d love, the law’s delay, The insolence of office, and the spurns That patient merit of th’ unworthy takes, When he himself might his quietus make With a bare bodkin? Who would these fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death— The undiscover’d country, from whose bourn No traveller returns—puzzles the will, And makes us rather bear those ills we have Than fly to others that we know not of? Thus conscience does make cowards of us all, And thus the native hue of resolution Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought, And enterprises of great pith and moment With this regard their currents turn awry And lose the name of action.

The arrival of a traveling theatrical group provides Hamlet with the empirical means to resolve his doubts about the authenticity of the ghost and Claudius’s guilt. By having the troupe perform the Mousetrap play that duplicates Claudius’s crime, Hamlet hopes “to catch the conscience of the King” by observing Claudius’s reaction. The king’s breakdown during the performance seems to confirm the ghost’s accusation, but again Hamlet delays taking action when he accidentally comes upon the guilt-ridden Claudius alone at his prayers. Rationalizing that killing the apparently penitent Claudius will send him to heaven and not to hell, Hamlet decides to await an opportunity “That has no relish of salvation in’t.” He goes instead to his mother’s room where Polonius is hidden in another attempt to learn Hamlet’s mind and intentions. This scene between mother and son, one of the most powerful and intense in all of Shakespeare, has supported the Freudian interpretation of Hamlet’s dilemma in which he is stricken not by moral qualms but by Oedipal guilt. Gertrude’s cries of protest over her son’s accusations cause Polonius to stir, and Hamlet finally, instinctively strikes the figure he assumes is Claudius. In killing the wrong man Hamlet sets in motion the play’s catastrophes, including the madness and suicide of Ophelia, overwhelmed by the realization that her lover has killed her father, and the fatal encounter with Laertes who is now similarly driven to avenge a murdered father. Convinced of her son’s madness, Gertrude informs Claudius of Polonius’s murder, prompting Claudius to alter his order for Hamlet’s exile to England to his execution there.

Hamlet’s mental shift from reluctant to willing avenger takes place offstage during his voyage to England in which he accidentally discovers the execution order and then after a pirate attack on his ship makes his way back to Denmark. He returns to confront the inescapable human condition of mortality in the graveyard scene of act 5 in which he realizes that even Alexander the Great must return to earth that might be used to “stop a beer-barrel” and Julius Caesar’s clay to “stop a hole to keep the wind away.” This sobering realization that levels all earthly distinctions of nobility and acclaim is compounded by the shock of Ophelia’s funeral procession. Hamlet sustains his balance and purpose by confessing to Horatio his acceptance of a providential will revealed to him in the series of accidents on his voyage to England: “There’s a divinity that shapes our ends, / Roughhew them how we will.” Finally accepting his inability to control his life, Hamlet resigns himself to accept whatever comes. Agreeing to a duel with Laertes that Claudius has devised to eliminate his nephew, Hamlet asserts that “There’s a special providence in the fall of a sparrow. If it be now, ’tis not to come. If it be not to come, it will be now. If it be not now, yet it will come. The readiness is all.”

In the carnage of the play’s final scene, Hamlet ironically manages to achieve his revenge while still preserving his nobility and moral stature. It is the murderer Claudius who is directly or indirectly responsible for all the deaths. Armed with a poisonedtip sword, Laertes strikes Hamlet who in turn manages to slay Laertes with the lethal weapon. Meanwhile, Gertrude drinks from the poisoned cup Claudius intended to insure Hamlet’s death, and, after the remorseful Laertes blames Claudius for the plot, Hamlet, hesitating no longer, fatally stabs the king. Dying in the arms of Horatio, Hamlet orders his friend to “report me and my cause aright / To the unsatisfied” and transfers the reign of Denmark to the last royal left standing, the Norwegian prince Fortinbras. King Hamlet’s death has been avenged but at a cost of eight lives: Polonius, Ophelia, Rosencranz, Guildenstern, Laertes, Gertrude, Claudius, and Prince Hamlet. Order is reestablished but only by Denmark’s sworn enemy. Shakespeare’s point seems unmistakable: Honor and duty that command revenge consume the guilty and the innocent alike. Heroism must face the reality of the graveyard.

Fortinbras closes the play by ordering that Hamlet be carried off “like a soldier” to be given a military funeral underscoring the point that Hamlet has fallen as a warrior on a battlefield of both the duplicitous court at Elsinore and his own mind. The greatness of Hamlet rests in the extraordinary perplexities Shakespeare has discovered both in his title character and in the events of the play. Few other dramas have posed so many or such knotty problems of human existence. Is there a special providence in the fall of a sparrow? What is this quintessence of dust? To be or not to be?

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Every society is defined by its codes of conduct—its rules about how to act and behave. In Hamlet , the codes of conduct are largely defined by religion and an aristocratic code that demands honor—and revenge if honor has been soiled. As the play unfolds and Hamlet (in keeping with his country’s spoken and unspoken) rules) seeks revenge for his father’s murder, he begins to realize just how complicated vengeance, justice, and honor all truly are. As Hamlet plunges deeper and deeper into existential musings, he also begins to wonder about the true meaning of honor—and Shakespeare ultimately suggests that the codes of conduct by which any given society operates are, more often than not, muddy, contradictory, and confused.

As Hamlet begins considering what it would mean to actually get revenge—to actually commit murder—he begins waffling and languishing in indecision and inaction. His inability to act, however, is not necessarily a mark of cowardice or fear—rather, as the play progresses, Hamlet is forced to reckon very seriously with what retribution and violence in the name of retroactively reclaiming “honor” or glory actually accomplishes. This conundrum is felt most profoundly in the middle of Act 3, when Hamlet comes upon Claudius totally alone for the first time in the play. It is the perfect opportunity to kill the man uninterrupted and unseen—but Claudius is on his knees, praying. Hamlet worries that killing Claudius while he prays will mean that Claudius’s soul will go to heaven. Hamlet is ignorant of the fact that Claudius, just moments before, was lamenting that his prayers for absolution are empty because he will not take action to actually repent for the violence he’s done and the pain he’s caused. Hamlet is paralyzed in this moment, unable to reconcile religion with the things he’s been taught about goodness, honor, duty, and vengeance. This moment represents a serious, profound turning point in the play—once Hamlet chooses not to kill Claudius for fear of unwittingly sending his father’s murderer to heaven, thus failing at the concept of revenge entirely, he begins to think differently about the codes, institutions, and social structures which demand unthinking vengeance and religious piety in the same breath. Because the idea of a revenge killing runs counter to the very tenets of Christian goodness and charity at the core of Hamlet’s upbringing—regardless of whether or not he believes them on a personal level—he begins to see the artifice upon which all social codes are built.

The second half of the play charts Hamlet’s descent into a new worldview—one which is very similar to nihilism in its surrender to the randomness of the universe and the difficulty of living within the confines of so many rules and standards at one time. As Hamlet gets even more deeply existential about life and death, appearances versus reality, and even the common courtesies and decencies which define society, he exposes the many hypocrisies which define life for common people and nobility alike. Hamlet resolves to pursue revenge, claiming that his thoughts will be worth nothing if they are anything but “bloody,” but at the same time is exacting and calculating in the vengeances he does secure. He dispatches with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern , charged with bringing him to England for execution, by craftily outwitting them and sending them on to their own deaths. He laments to Horatio that all men, whether they be Alexander the Great or a common court jester, end up in the same ground. Finally, he warns off Horatio’s warning about dueling Laertes by claiming that he wants to leave his fate to God. Hamlet’s devil-may-care attitude and his increasingly reckless choices are the result of realizing that the social and moral codes he’s clung to for so long are inapplicable to his current circumstances—and perhaps more broadly irrelevant.

Hamlet is a deeply subversive text—one that asks hard, uncomfortable questions about the value of human life, the indifference of the universe, and the construction of society, culture, and common decency. As Hamlet pursues his society’s ingrained ideals of honor, he discovers that perhaps honor means something very different than what he’s been raised to believe it does—and confronts the full weight of society’s arbitrary, outdated expectations and demands.

Religion, Honor, and Revenge ThemeTracker

Religion, Honor, and Revenge Quotes in Hamlet

Thrift, thrift, Horatio! The funeral baked meats Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables.

This above all—to thine own self be true; And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.

Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.

O, villain, villain, smiling, damnèd villain!

O God, I could be bounded in a nutshell, and count myself a king of infinite space, were it not that I have bad dreams.

What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form, in moving how express and admirable; in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god: the beauty of the world, the paragon of animals—and yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust?

The play’s the thing, Wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king.

My words fly up, my thoughts remain below; Words without thoughts never to heaven go.

We defy augury. There is a special providence in the fall of a sparrow. If it be now, ’tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come. The readiness is all.

Now cracks a noble heart. Good night, sweet prince, And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.

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The Motif of Revenge in Shakespeare’s Hamlet: A Literature-Based Dissertation Example

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October 22, 2023

Introduction

Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet, is renowned for its exploration of the theme of revenge. Throughout the play, revenge takes center stage as various characters seek retribution for perceived wrongs. This literature-based dissertation example delves into the motif of revenge in Hamlet, analyzing how IT influences the actions and personalities of the characters, and ultimately leads to their tragic downfall.

1. The Motivation behind Revenge

Revenge, as depicted in Hamlet, stems from deep emotional turmoil and a desire for justice. The main protagonist, Prince Hamlet, seeks revenge against his uncle, Claudius, for killing his father, King Hamlet, and marrying his mother. This act of betrayal triggers Hamlet’s need for vengeance, leading him on a path of self-destruction and tragic consequences.

Revenge is also driven by the concept of honor and duty. In the play, Hamlet is urged to avenge his father’s death by the ghost of King Hamlet, who appears to him and reveals the truth about his murder. This duty to restore honor and uphold the natural order propels Hamlet to take action, even if IT means sacrificing his own sanity and happiness.

2. The Ramifications of Revenge

Revenge consumes the characters in Hamlet, blinding them to reason and causing them to act impulsively. Hamlet’s obsession with revenge leads him to adopt erratic behavior, feign madness, and alienate his loved ones. Likewise, Laertes seeks revenge against Hamlet for the death of his father, Polonius, which ultimately results in tragic consequences for both parties involved.

Revenge also highlights the cyclical nature of violence and its devastating effects. Hamlet’s quest for revenge sets off a chain of events that culminate in a bloodbath, where almost all major characters lose their lives. Shakespeare portrays revenge as a destructive force that engulfs not only the individual seeking IT but also spreads its poison to others, ensuring a tragic outcome for all involved.

3. The Psychological Impact of Revenge

Revenge deeply affects the psychology of the characters in Hamlet, leading to inner turmoil and a sense of moral ambiguity. Hamlet’s constant contemplation of revenge causes him to question his own morality and the consequences of his actions. This introspection manifests in his famous soliloquies, such as the iconic “To be, or not to be” speech, where he ponders the value of revenge and the meaning of life itself.

The psychological impact of revenge is also evident in the character of Ophelia. Her father’s death, a direct result of Hamlet’s actions, drives her to madness and eventual suicide. Shakespeare portrays revenge not only as a catalyst for external conflict but also as a destructive force that tears apart the individual’s psyche, leading to their tragic demise.

The motif of revenge in Shakespeare’s Hamlet serves as a powerful thematic element that drives the plot and shapes the characters. IT explores the depths of human emotions, the consequences of acting on revenge, and the psychological toll IT takes on individuals. Shakespeare’s masterful portrayal of revenge reminds us of its destructive nature and the tragic outcomes IT can bring.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: how does revenge influence hamlet’s actions throughout the play.

A: Revenge fuels Hamlet’s actions and decisions, driving him to feign madness, plot the downfall of his enemies, and ultimately take revenge on Claudius for his father’s murder.

Q: Does revenge lead to any positive outcomes in Hamlet?

A: No, revenge in Hamlet only brings tragedy and sorrow. The characters consumed by revenge face grave consequences, including their own deaths and the destruction of their relationships and reputation.

Q: How does Shakespeare depict the psychological impact of revenge in the play?

A: Shakespeare delves into the psychological effects of revenge through Hamlet’s introspection and Ophelia’s descent into madness. He highlights the moral ambiguity, inner turmoil, and destructive nature of seeking revenge.

Q: Is revenge portrayed as a justifiable act in Hamlet?

A: While revenge is presented as a duty and a means to restore honor, Shakespeare ultimately showcases revenge as a destructive force that leads to tragic consequences for all involved. IT serves as a cautionary reminder of the repercussions of seeking vengeance.

Q: What is the significance of revenge as a motif in Hamlet?

A: Revenge plays a pivotal role in the plot, shaping the characters’ actions, revealing their inner struggles, and ultimately leading to their downfall. IT serves as a complex thematic element that explores the depths of human emotions and the moral complexities surrounding justice and retribution.

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1 Hamlet, Revenge!

Published: December 2002
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This chapter describes a line at the end of Hamlet 's second act that seemingly jars with the brooding self-reproach Hamlet has just expressed after hearing an actor orate about the avenging of Achilles by his son Pyrrhus and about the grief of Hecuba over slaughtered Priam. The editor of the Arden Hamlet believes it to be a later addition put in by someone else, while the editors of both the Oxford and the New Cambridge editions think Shakespeare wrote it himself. This chapter expresses agreement that it was, in fact, Shakespeare's but disagrees about its tone and intent. It argues here that it is actually a nudge to the funny bone of the sophisticated theatergoer of 1601, which resulted from the irrepressible leaking out of the playwright's satiric impulse in the midst of high seriousness. If so, it is a small sign of what happens elsewhere in Hamlet .

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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Hamlet — Revenge And Justice In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet

Revenge and Justice in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet

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151 Hamlet Essay Topics & Thesis Ideas

We know how long students search for interesting Hamlet essay topics. In this post, you will find a list of the most debating Hamlet essay titles and thesis ideas. We’ve also developed a guide on how to write a Hamlet paper and included some helpful Hamlet essay examples.

👍 Hamlet Essay Writing – Tips & Ideas

🏆 best hamlet essay examples, 📜 hamlet research paper topics & thesis ideas, 📌 catchy hamlet essay titles, 🌟 best hamlet thesis ideas, 🔍 easy hamlet essay topics, ❓ hamlet essay questions.

Here, at IvyPanda, we know how daunting can be the task of writing a Hamlet Essay. In this post, you will find out how to write a paper that would get top marks.

Tip #1. Read critically before starting hamlet essay outline

Critical reading will help you to prepare for writing your paper. There are a lot of techniques that can increase your reading speed. You may try some of them, described below:

Highlighting

Grab a few highlighters and use them to underline things that might suit for various topics. For example, use green when you see something pertaining to a tragic hero character analysis; pink for a particular symbol, etc. Don’t forget to make a key, so you know what each color means.

This method helps you to organize your evidence and allows you to see if you have enough support to write your essay.

Note-taking

Take notes and record your ideas and critical aspects while reading the plot. This approach will help you to avoid multiple re-readings. However, be sure to remark what part of the essay your notes pertain to.

Making annotations in the margins of the book, you will ensure that you understand what is happening in a text after you’ve read it. Note the author’s key points, central areas of focus, and your thoughts.

Annotating will help you to summarize, highlight crucial pieces of information, and prepare yourself for writing Hamlet essay prompts that your professor may give you

You can use the methods mentioned above or try any other, or even come up with your own technique. This simple exercise will help you to recall which points to write about in your paper.

Tip #2. Write a detailed outline

Now, when you’ve done the prewriting work, it’s time to focus on what you’re going to write in and create your Hamlet essay outline.

Here’s the trick: the more detailed your outline will be, the less time you will spend on the writing process. If you put a lot of detail in the outline, all you will have to do is connect arguments and make it readable.

If you have to turn in a formal outline, as part of your essay, check that each level has at least two parts.

Tip #3. Write your Hamlet essay thesis statement

A thesis statement is among the crucial parts of your entire essay. It tells your readers what you will write in the rest of the paper. It should correspond with the essay title and act as a short preview of the assignment.

You will bring up may points in the paper, although the thesis should tie all of them together.

Write your Hamlet essay thesis statement during outlining and refine it when you start writing. It is possible to revise it when the essay is already finished, and you see ways to improve the thesis.

Tip #4. Start writing your Hamlet essay

When you begin to write an essay, you can check available samples and titles to get inspiration. However, make it personal. Ask yourself questions.

Here are some question examples: What interests me about the play? Is it Hamlet’s monologues? Is it the figure of the Ghost of Hamlet’s father? Or is it something even more obscure?

If you are still struggling to find your Hamlet essay topics or ideas to add to the paper, check these free samples of high-quality papers!

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“The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark” and “A Raisin in the Sun” In this regard, the decisions of Hamlet, Claudius, Walter, and Lena illustrate the character’s commitment to family despite differences of opinion and disagreements.
The Use of Revenge in William Shakespeare`s “Hamlet” The only character in the play to claim to have first-hand knowledge of the murder of Hamlet’s father and who speaks aloud about them to another character is the ghost of Hamlet’s father.
Human Nature and Morality in “Hamlet” and “Dr. Faustus” These are the problems we are going to discuss in the current essay, and we are going to address for help with it such masterpieces of literature as the play “Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark” […]
A Play Within a Play: Hamlet and Second Shepherd’s Play In contrast to Hamlet, the role of ‘a play within a play’ is to underline onstage and offstage characters and their qualities.
Depression and Melancholia Expressed by Hamlet The paper will not attempt and sketch the way the signs or symptoms of depression/melancholia play a part in the way Shakespeare’s period or culture concerning depression/melancholia, but in its place portrays the way particular […]
“Hamlet” by William Shakespeare: To Be or Not to Be It begins with supernatural such as the presence of the ghost and Hamlet attempting to glance into Claudius’ soul, to the mystery of the crime and the need for revenge. The masterful use of style, […]
Deceiving Appearances in “Hamlet” and “The Lion King” In particular, Claudius and Scar represent villains under the guise of well-wishers, while Rosencrantz and Guildenstern from Hamlet and hyenas from The Lion King appear worse than they seem.
Protagonist in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” The Protagonist plays a major part to achieve the goals of the story while the antagonist is an adversary who struggles against the efforts of the protagonist.
Act 1 Scene 2 of the “Hamlet” Play by Shakespeare The use of honorifics, stichomythia, and imagery is discussed, as well as the aside, the motif of spying, and the overall mood of the scene will be discussed and evaluated. The overall mood of the […]
Key Themes in “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare Among the characters in this play include Claudius, hamlet, Gertrude, Polonius, Ophelia, Horatio, Laertes, Voltimand, Rosencrantz, Osric, ghost of Hamlet’s father, Barnardo to mention but a few Mystery of death is one theme that clearly […]
The Vision of the Main Character in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” The main character of the tragedy is Hamlet, a young man who comes to know about the real reasons of his father’s death from the ghost that claims to be the spirit of his father. […]
Hamlet: The Circumstances That Lead Hamlet to Soliloquy Out of his anger, he worries about the death of his father and the hasty marriage of his mother to his uncle.
The Idea of Insanity in “Hamlet” He is maybe a bit spoiled and used to getting his own way, but he knows he has a duty to the state and to his family and he knows he is destined to someday […]
The Play “Hamlet Prince of Denmark” by W.Shakespeare Hamlet, a Denmark Prince, is the main character in the play. In the climax of the play, Claudius appears to be responsible for the death of King Hamlet.
Hamlet and Forgiveness: A Personal Reflection Some of the most prominent themes in the story are the ideas of mutual forgiveness, people’s motivation to be proactive and take risks, and their willingness to forgive and ask for forgiveness.
Resiliency in Sophocles’ Oedipus and Shakespeare’s Hamlet According to the information provided the reader rises with the question dealing with the resiliency of both Hamlet and Oedipus and what does it mean to them.
Hamlet: A New Type of Independent Thinker Hamlet considers the plan to disturb Claudius and convince the audience of his guilt distracting attention from prayer and confession. Such innovations permeate the entire text, which allows the reader to assert that Hamlet did […]
Hamlet’s Descent Into Darkness: A Tale of Revenge, Death, and Uncertainty Hamlet was thinking about the afterlife and suicide to achieve peace, and during this speech, a reader might feel the pain and despair of the main character.
Hamlet vs. Oedipus Rex: Who Is More Resilient? In Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, Oedipus is a protagonist; he is seeking the truth and is unconcerned about the harm it may pose.
Reality and Illusion in Shakespeare’s Hamlet The last and the greatest deceiving character is Claudius, who is far from being the brave brother of the monarch who ascended to the throne in order to protect the kingdom. It is evident that […]
Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”: Hamlet as a Masculine Character Initially, the themes and scenes of the play were designed for staging at the Shakespeare theatre, and the costumes and the actors’ play were supposed to evoke awe for the rich life of medieval nobles.
Coping With Changes in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” and O’Connor’s “A Good Man…” Tragedies in “Hamlet” and “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” lead characters to rely on the change as a coping mechanism.”Hamlet” narrates the story of an individual dealing with a loss which leads him […]
Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” and the Modern World The tragedy of Hamlet addresses eternal problems: the incompatibility of lofty ideals and dreams with reality, the mismatch between the goals and the means of achieving them, and the role of the individual in history.
Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” Play: Then and Now Hamlet’s cynicism, as well as his sense of meaning, distinguish him as a uniquely contemporary figure and a watershed moment in the theatrical past.
Does Shakespearean Hamlet Love Ophelia? The love that Hamlet has for Ophelia is demonstrated in letters that he wrote to her. Hamlet reminds Ophelia that he is in love with her in the later stages of Act 3 of the […]
Hamlet and Gertrude Relationships in Shakespeare’s Play However, even though Hamlet threatens to murder Gertrude to “wring” her heart, the audience can understand that he loves his mother and wants her to repent of her sins and end the relationship with Hamlet’s […]
Power and Importance of Hamlet’s Role in Shakespeare’s Play The first striking problem of Hamlet is the one of choice, which may be considered a reflection of the main conflict of the tragedy.
Gender Roles and Representation of Women in “Hamlet” Specifically, the author refers to the problem of being confined in the prison of gender stereotypes that can be experienced when reading Shakespeare’s works.
Is Shakespeare’s Hamlet Really Crazy? According to the first one, Hamlet pretends to be mad, so that he is not taken seriously and is not considered as dangerous, under the guise of a madman, he can say anything.
Oedipus and Hamlet Characters’ Contrast and Comparison The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast one of the main characters of literature – Oedipus and Hamlet, as well as to determine the qualities and skills of people which make them […]
“Oedipus King” by Sophocles and “Hamlet” by Shakespeare The protagonist is on the verge of madness: an intelligent and unexcelled humanist in the world, which is an enemy to his ideas. However, Oedipus later comes to terms with his fate and takes responsibility […]
Hamlet: Analyzing Various Scenes On top of this, Hamlet hopes that seeing a replay of the murder of his father would move the king’s conscience to a point where he would be forced to admit his crime.
Human Nature in Shakespearean Tragedy “Hamlet” Soliloquies maintain significant place in the play Hamlet, which start with the beginning of the play, and chase the protagonist almost near the close of the end of the play.
Shakespearean Hamlet’s Character Interpretation For example, Hamlet believed that his mother was loyal to his father and to the kingdom, but he felt unhappy with how events unfolded when grieving.
Hamlet’s Relationship With His Mother and Uncle Hamlet’s assessment of his issues is accurate in the sense that he already associates Claudius with problems, but the prince is too quick to judge his mother.
Supporting Characters in “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark” Shakespeare utilizes secondary characters to depict the theme of friendship and loyalty, as these aspects are influential on the main character.
“Hamlet” by William Shakespeare: Overview In the play Hamlet is a noble soldier with admirable qualities but he avenges the death of his father using his free will.
Genji, Hamlet, Oedipus and Jesus Christ Character Analysis This paper will attempt to asses the characters in the following set of books and plays: The New Testament, Oedipus the King, Shakespeare Hamlet and Shikibu the tale of the Genji.
Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” as the Central Tragedy for Revenge Understanding The core concept of revenge in Hamlet, Shakespeare’s play, is the hesitation of the main character and his doubt moral and philosophical maxims in the whole world; the main idea of the play may be […]
Hamlet’s Parental Relationships The death of his father, the actions of his mother and his existing relationship with his uncle all have Hamlet confused regarding the true nature of the world.
The Character of Gertrude in ‘Hamlet’ The character of Ophelia is responsible for projecting an aura of guilt and deception to the role of women in ‘Hamlet.’ She is not treacherous or complicated, but instead weak and insensibly dependent on the […]
Themes in “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare With consideration of critical responses, use of language and structure, and through a close analysis of Hamlet’s soliloquies, the role of Shakespeare’s characterization of Hamlet in shaping the enduring power of the text is appreciated […]
“Hamlet” Scene Comparison: Hawke’s and Gibson’s Films In both Hawke’s and Gibson’s versions of Hamlet, the original text is used for dialogue between Hamlet and Ophelia as she is sent to trap the reasons for Hamlet’s insanity out of him.
William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” Drama Play These soliloquies are dramatic and ironical, Harold Wilson submits, with an irony that is implicit and eloquent in the extravagances of Hamlet’s rhetoric.
The Reflection of Time in “Hamlet” by Shakespeare Thesis Human existence and purpose of life were considered unimportant because the human soul had a divine nature, thus, they were afraid of death as an unknown state of human existence.
Hesitation and Indeterminacy of Hamlet There is no denying the importance of the fact that the whole fabric of Shakespeare’s tragedy unfolds in Hamlet subjective perception and interpretation of his uncle and mother’ treason.
Hamlet, Ophelia and Insanity in Shakespear’s “Hamlet” The knowledge the Queen has as to the specific nature of Ophelia’s death calls into question her sincerity in her lament.
Gender Equality Question: “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare For the past few centuries, the rise of various movements have marked a certain change in the ideas and philosophies of man regarding the true nature of his existence, the pronounced inequalities of not only […]
Hamlet by William Shakespeare: A Filmic Event In bringing Shakespeare’s classic story of Hamlet to the big screen and reset into a modern context, director Michael Almereyda is forced to reinterpret the role of Ophelia due to significant changes in modern women’s […]
Roles of Poison in Shakespeari’s “Hamlet” It is obvious that Hamlet is the representative of the new world. I think that the answer to this riddle is that his ways of revenge are not good.
Characters in “The Scarlet Letter” and “Hamlet” Film Hester returns to Boston just before her death, in order to be buried in the same grave as Dimmesdale, with ‘A’ inscribed on their tombstone. Much to her son’s anger and disgust, she marries Claudius […]
Comparison of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” and Perrault’s “Cinderella” The paper also includes the analysis of the narratives in accordance with the epic laws introduced by Axel Olrik. In Cinderella’s story, the presence of royalty is only limited to the prince.
Freud and Hamlet’s Relationship with His Mother When analyzing the relationship between Hamlet and his mother, one can note that even at a young age, the Oedipus complex manifests in the boy, which reflects a number of his conflicting experiences about his […]
Ghost in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” Play In Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, the titular character begins plotting his revenge after he encounters the ghost of his father, who informs him of the murder as well as the culprits.
Ophelia and Hamlet’s Dialogue in Shakespeare’s Play In some ways, this scene represents the conflict between Hamlet and the society he lives in, as no one is capable of understanding his concerns.
The Masks of William Shakespeare’s Play “Hamlet” The first thing that has to be determined is the truth behind the claim that Hamlet saw the ghost of his departed father.
Ghosts and Revenge in Shakespeare’s Hamlet Despite the common beliefs concerning the existence of ghosts, it seems that the ghost’s presence is still supported by the testimonies of all characters in the story, including Horatio, Francisco, and the protagonist himself.
Act II of Hamlet by William Shakespeare The King is worried about Hamlet’s madness and starts to suspect that he might have found out the real reasons for his father’s death.
Meditative and Passionate Responses in the Play “Hamlet” This is seen in his soliloquy “to be, or not to be: that is the question; /Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer?
Portrayal of Hamlet in Shakespeare’s Play and Zaffirelli’s Film In fact, Mel Gisbon’s power as an act does not provide a sufficient understanding of his ability to penetrate to Shakespeare’s world and reach the ideas in the play.
Psychiatric Analysis of Hamlet Literature Analysis However, he tells the doctor that he is not actually aware of the reasons that are taking him to his death.
The Value of Source Study of Hamlet by Shakespeare In regards to the intended significance, Stopes, Belleforest, and Shakespeare report that Shakespeare designed the role of the ghost to appear to Hamlet relentlessly to enhance the melancholy motif of the play.
William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Prince of Denmark Generally, the main idea of the play is considered to be the impact of people’s actions on their future.”The ghost of Hamlet’s father does urge him to action”.
Relationships Among Individuals in Shakespeare’s Plays The events that take place in Athens are symbolic in the sense that they represent the sequence of events during the day whereas the events in the forest represent the dream like circumstances.
Canonical Status of Hamlet by William Shakespeare However, the technique has been defended by some of the scholars who argue that Shakespeare’s skill is to develop and emphasize the purpose of duality and dislocation in the play.
Oedipus the King and Hamlet However, the fact is both Oedipus and Claudius managed to get the post of kingship after killing the former kings leaving the seats vacant. In conclusion, both Oedipus and King Claudius attained their crown after […]
How a Film Interprets Hamlet Laurence Olivier’s need to focus on less traditional approaches, his need to shorten the production, and the need to perform a psychological analysis of the characters determine his interpretation of the play ‘Hamlet’.
A Play “Hamlet” by William Shakespear Hamlet decides to prove whether Claudius really killed his father and in act three, he uses the play “The Murder of Gonzago” to get the truth.
Recurring Theme of Revenge in Hamlet On top of this, Laertes wants to revenge the insanity and subsequent death of his sister, which he blames on Hamlet.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in the “Hamlet” Hamlet is a son to the former King and a nephew to the current King Claudius These two characters seem indispensable throughout and serve as informants of Claudius. In the play, they fit in as […]
How Effectively Does Shakespeare Introduce the Characters and Themes of “Hamlet”?
How Does Shakespeare Present Women and Sex in “Hamlet”?
Is Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” Based on a True Story?
What Are the Symbols in “Hamlet”?
Where Did Shakespeare Get His Inspiration for “Hamlet”?
How Does Shakespeare Use Conflict in “Hamlet” as a Way of Exploring Ideas?
What Is the Language Style in “Hamlet” Play?
How “Hamlet” Was Inspired by an Obscure Tale From Finland’s Kalavala?
How Does Shakespeare Introduce the Theme of Madness in “Hamlet”?
What Does “Hamlet” Teach Us About Humanity?
Did William Shakespeare Really Write “Hamlet”?
How Strange Behavior and Ghosts Are Depicted in “Hamlet”?
What Is the Most Important Theme in “Hamlet”?
What Is the Contrast Between Hamlet and Claudius in “Hamlet”?
What Is the the Meaning of Soliloquy in “Hamlet”?
How Perennial Issues of the Human Condition Are Imaged in “Hamlet”?
What Are the Similar Motifs Between “Wuthering Heights” and “Hamlet”?
Why Did Shakespeare Choose Loyalty and Betrayal as Lead Themes in “Hamlet”?
What Are the Inward and Outward Conflicts in “Hamlet”?
How Does Shakespeare Use Language in “Hamlet” to Teach the Reader?
What Is the Significance of “Hamlet’s” Creating?
How Do “Hamlet” Characters Solve Their Mental Problems?
How Crime Fiction and Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” Are Connected?
What Is Corruption and How Its Rampant Impact Is Depicted in “Hamlet”?
Why Is the Ending of “Hamlet” Ironic?
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Great Examples of Hamlet Thesis Statements

Do you need to write a paper on Hamlet? Are you confused and don’t know how to come up with a thesis statement? Read this article and get some more insight into the ways how to write a successful thesis on this popular piece of art!

Hamlet is one of the most famous tragedies created by William Shakespeare. This classic play is extremely important for the English literature. Most students have written an essay on this tragedy at least once during their studies. It is an essential part of their requirements to complete a degree. If you do a profound research, your thesis on Hamlet can break some new grounds and exert an impact on your readers.

One can find a number of topics covered in Hamlet. The most important ones are duality, revenge, and confusion. Meanwhile, the central theme of the tragedy is mourning. All of the themes are eternal: people faced these issues in the times of Shakespeare and we still encounter them in the present days. Therefore, it is not as hard as it may seem to choose a thesis on Hamlet. If you are creative enough, you can come up with an original and interesting thesis statement. All you need to do is to study the tragedy thoroughly to get your opinion regarding it.

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Your Hamlet thesis statement can be related to any of the major topics of the play, including mourning, duality, revenge, and others. Further in this article, you will find several good examples of thesis statements on Hamlet. You can use them as a guide to understand the point and create your own thesis statement.

Thesis Statement Samples

Example 1:The Theme of Revenge in Hamlet “Hamlet is a sorrowful hero who is madly looking for vengeance for his beloved father’s demise, murders everyone who stands on his way, and eventually manages to take revenge by killing King Claudius, the man who murdered his father.”
Example 2:The Theme of Tragedy in Hamlet

“Hamlet’s melancholy, blemish, bogus madness and inability to take action on his desire to seek vengeance for his father’s killing – it all result into his unavoidable but tragic collapse.”

Example 3:The Theme of Hunger for Power in Hamlet

“William Shakespeare, in his famous tragedy Hamlet, tells about Claudius – an antagonist and an egocentric man who is seeking power by all means. He murders his brother and marries Queen Gertrude, his brother’s widow to attain the power he desires so much.”

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What do you think about these thesis statements? Hopefully, they will help you understand how a good thesis on Hamlet should look like and come up with your own excellent statement! If you are creative and original, you will succeed with your paper.

Eddie Izzard delivers solo 'Hamlet' with range, directness of a stand-up comedian

English actor’s straightforward take on the tragedy at chicago shakespeare theater prizes clarity above all..

Eddie Izzard plays all the roles in a “Hamlet” production at Chicago Shakespeare Theater through May 4.

Carol Rosegg

Theater these days requires so much planning to produce — the contracts, the logistics, the schedules of artists and spaces, the required advanced publicity campaigns — that there’s something rare and special about a notable, minimalist yet crystalline version of “Hamlet” just sneaking up on us.

Chicago Shakespeare’s leaders Edward Hall and Kimberly Motes saw stand-up comedian and actor Eddie Izzard’s one-person version of Shakespeare’s tragedy in New York only a month or so ago, and, with a genuine hue of resolution, wrangled it to Navy Pier before the English Izzard takes it to London. It’s coming, it’s here, it’s gone, all in a matter of weeks.

This all contrasts, of course, with the actions of the play’s hero, the famed Prince of Denmark. Even after his uncle Claudius has murdered Hamlet’s father, married his mother and taken the crown all in a speedy couple of months, Hamlet ponders the righteousness of his revenge so long that he seems carried upon the tides of others’ choices.

This version of the play is adapted for Eddie Izzard (who now goes by Suzy off-stage) by her brother Mark and directed by Selina Cadell. The adaptation and production are both quite straightforward, providing a complete, lucid telling of the tale, with Izzard playing all the characters. It takes place on an elegant set, from designer Tom Piper, of white and subtly pink walls effectively representing a castle and yet also suggesting both a prison cell and a modern spa, both appropriate for a play in which Hamlet feels both trapped and overly meditative. Izzard, looking very much like a younger Judi Dench, wears a black jacket suggesting an Elizabethan doublet but that’s also fashionable now, androgynous and sparkly.

Given Izzard’s stand-up history, it’s important to note the raw seriousness of the endeavor. Other than presenting the pathetic pawns, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, as hand puppets, there are few standout moments of injected humor, no more than would expect of any production.

In riveting Court production, ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’ captures worries, wit of Hamlet’s stooges

What is borrowed from stand-up is how Izzard depicts multiple characters on stage, quickly switching physical positions back and forth to represent multiple people conversing. Izzard has never been a mimic or vocally dexterous comic, and she doesn’t try that here. Some characters — the old Polonius with a limp, for example — get a physical difference. The two female characters — Hamlet’s mother Gertrude, whom Hamlet eventually confronts, and his would-be love Ophelia, sadly driven to suicide — are provided a subtly higher, thinner voice and a hand up near the heart. Simple choices for sure, although Izzard also sensitively invests them with a convincing vulnerability.

This is unquestionably an impressive performance, not for the depth of its depictions of individual characters but for its overall storytelling and attention to the language. This could be an ideal first “Hamlet” for a younger theatergoer, as Izzard prizes clarity above all.

Surprisingly, the best scenes from a theatrical perspective might be considered the most challenging. The opening sequence, in which Hamlet and his friend Horatio together witness the ghost of Hamlet’s recently deceased father, not only establishes the playing style but delivers, with simple flashes of light, the sense of the supernatural. And the ending scene — a swordfight with a swirl of twists — delivers both adrenaline and narrative precision without an actual weapon in sight.

There are few flashes of surprising interpretation here, although there is a nuanced attention to Hamlet’s own sense of distance from his emotions. One of the show’s most memorable moments follows Hamlet’s asking for an actor to deliver a speech, replete with oversized emotion, at a fictional death. Before launching into one of the many gorgeous soliloquies that makes this among Shakespeare’s most prized efforts, Izzard’s Hamlet, now alone, takes the spot of the actor and attempts the same gestures, trying to summon the inner drama. He can’t, which leads him to wonder at his own inaction: “What’s Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba/That he should weep for her? What would he do/Had he the motive and the cue for passion/That I have?”

It’s a passionate moment — about a lack of passion, no less — in a show that can seem a bit restrained. But what this “Hamlet” might lack in emotional power, it makes up for in intimacy. Izzard talks to the audience as a stand-up would, not living in some other world but right there, fully present, channeling the story with a type of relaxed ease she has developed over decades.

Eddie Izzard knows how to command an audience. Shakespeare sure knew how to weave complex tales. In this case, the sum does indeed add up.

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Hamlet as a Revenge Tragedy
Is "Hamlet" a Revenge Tragedy? William Shakespeare, English Poets, Playwright, Hamlet, English

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The Revenge Theme in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”
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COMMENTS

PDF Tragic Excess in Hamlet
The word "excessive" is more significant than the word "pride" from the perspective of a theory of tragic excess. In this theory, hamartia is not simply an "error," "mistake," or "flaw.". It is an act or habit of excessively displaying a trait that, if employed moderately, would be perfectly fine.
Hamlet: Literary Context Essay
The best-known revenge tragedy written after Hamlet is The Revenger's Tragedy, by Thomas Middleton, which was first performed in 1606. Despite its title, The Revenger's Tragedy is as much a black comedy as a revenge tragedy. Its violence is deliberately over-the-top and its plot absurdly complicated. Middleton was also influenced by Hamlet ...
The Struggles of Remembrance: Christianity and Revenge in William
Finally I argue that Hamlet exacts his revenge through a particular performance that operates exclusively within his Christian worldview. Ultimately, as I conclude in the third chapter, through the character of Hamlet, Shakespeare also makes the best dramatic use of ... In this thesis, I submit that most of Hamlet's soliloquies
PDF Revenge and Vengeance in Shakespeare's Hamlet: A Study of Hamlet's
visible especially to accomplish the revenge for Hamlet‟s father‟s murder case. With this main plot, Shakespeare did instil another sub-plot of taking revenge. Laertes, who was the another revenge seeker person in the play. He was also adamant to take revenge of his father Polonius‟s murder. In order to do that Laertes was occupied by
(PDF) Hamlet: Understanding the impact of Revenge
Hamlet is a revenge tragedy written by William Shakespeare, which focuses on the. difficulties that arise due to revenge, religion, and indecisiveness, depriving the audience of a. confident ...
Hamlet as a Revenge Tragedy : Thinking Literature
August 2, 2021 by Shyam. William Shakespeare is one the greatest playwrights of the Elizabethan period. His most famous tragedy "Hamlet" belongs to the genre of Revenge Tragedy. The term 'Revenge Tragedy' takes us to Seneca who created dreadful and tragic incidents, gory actions, and yelling speeches. The Revenge Tragedy is basically ...
The Role of Revenge in "Hamlet"
Hamlet's revenge is delayed in three significant ways. First, he must establish Claudius' guilt, which he does in Act 3, Scene 2 by presenting the murder of his father in a play. When Claudius storms out during the performance, Hamlet becomes convinced of his guilt. Hamlet then considers his revenge at length, in contrast to the rash ...
William J. Shakespeare's Hamlet: An Analysis of Revenge Quest
Abstract. In expounding Shakespeare's Hamlet, a trio of important plots comes to the top with great significance; the revenge plot, the Hamlet-Ophelia romance story, and Norway's looming war. The ...
'Hamlet, Revenge!': The Uses and Abuses of Historical Criticism
For more than two centuries critics of Hamlet were in agreement that Hamlet is morally obligated to take revenge on Claudius. It is only in our time that many historical critics have asserted that Elizabethans would not have readily accepted the ghost's injunction as a command that Hamlet must in all conscience obey and that we, if we are to be true to Shakespeare, must respond in the same manner.
Hamlet and Revenge Tragedy: A Reappraisal
Jones explained Hamlet's delayed revenge by re-expressing Hamlet's madness in terms of Freudian repression. He achieved this by subverting the accepted order of things in the play, where an original Hamlet is perceived as sane, and only feigns madness (or perhaps, goes mad) in the course of events. Jones' explanation seemed to provide a neat ...
Analysis of William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Whether comparing Hamlet to its earliest source or the handling of the revenge plot by Kyd, Marston, or other Elizabethan or Jacobean playwrights, what stands out is the originality and complexity of Shakespeare's treatment, in his making radically new and profound uses of established stage conventions.Hamlet converts its sensational material—a vengeful ghost, a murder mystery, madness, a ...
PDF HAMLET AS SHAKESPEAREAN TRAGEDY: A CRITICAL STUDY
substantiate his thesis Elliott notes the similar states of mind evinced in the characters of Hamlet and Claudius during the pivotal prayer scene. Elliott analyzes the prayer scene in the following fashion: Hamlet's Delay: An Objective and Subjective Analysis Compared 119 Normally the king would have guarded himself at this juncture.
What is the role and dramatic function of revenge in Hamlet
Laertes is willing to do whatever it takes to gain his revenge on his father's murder, even "cut his throat i' th' church" (IV.7), meaning that unlike Hamlet, Laertes is more than willing to damn ...
PDF William J. Shakespeare's Hamlet: An Analysis of Revenge Quest
Likewise, Hamlet is a revenge play fascinated by the structure and elements of the Senecan revenge tragedy. Shakespeare, however, has instilled various prominent themes of social teaching, human ...
Religion, Honor, and Revenge Theme in Hamlet
Themes and Colors. Hamlet. Every society is defined by its codes of conduct—its rules about how to act and behave. In Hamlet, the codes of conduct are largely defined by religion and an aristocratic code that demands honor—and revenge if honor has been soiled. As the play unfolds and Hamlet (in keeping with his country's spoken and ...
The Motif of Revenge in Shakespeare's Hamlet: A Literature-Based
Introduction. Shakespeare's tragedy, Hamlet, is renowned for its exploration of the theme of revenge. Throughout the play, revenge takes center stage as various characters seek retribution for perceived wrongs. This literature-based dissertation example delves into the motif of revenge in Hamlet, analyzing how IT influences the actions and personalities of the characters, and ultimately ...
Hamlet, Revenge!
Abstract. This chapter describes a line at the end of Hamlet 's second act that seemingly jars with the brooding self-reproach Hamlet has just expressed after hearing an actor orate about the avenging of Achilles by his son Pyrrhus and about the grief of Hecuba over slaughtered Priam. The editor of the Arden Hamlet believes it to be a later ...
PDF Hamlet and Revenge
The Norwegian prince gathers and army of 'landless resolutes' to attack Denmark in revenge for his father's defeat by Old Hamlet. Hamlet is astonished and ashamed when he sees Fortinbras' army marching to fight for 'a little patch of ground / That hath in it no profit but the name'. Moved by Fortinbras' bravery and determination ...
Revenge and Justice in William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Published: Mar 18, 2021. Plato defined justice as "the preservation of what is right". In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, the dilemma of justice, especially in connection with retribution, takes center stage. The play's characters see justice as a balance that must be preserved, and they utilize vengeance to preserve it.
Hamlet Sample Essay Outlines
Sample Essay Outlines. PDF Cite. The following paper topics are based on the entire play. Following each topic is a thesis and sample outline. Use these as a starting point for your paper. Topic ...
151 Hamlet Essay Titles, Examples, & Thesis Ideas
Check our list of 151 interesting Hamlet essay topics and thesis ideas! 👑 We've collected a list of unique ideas for your research paper topics! Explore the complexity of Shakespeare's tragedy with us! Clear. ... The core concept of revenge in Hamlet, Shakespeare's play, is the hesitation of the main character and his doubt moral and ...
Great Examples of Hamlet Thesis Statements
Thesis Statement Samples. Example 1:The Theme of Revenge in Hamlet. "Hamlet is a sorrowful hero who is madly looking for vengeance for his beloved father's demise, murders everyone who stands on his way, and eventually manages to take revenge by killing King Claudius, the man who murdered his father.". Example 2:The Theme of Tragedy in ...
Eddie Izzard 'Hamlet' review: Actor tells story with range, directness
Eddie Izzard delivers solo 'Hamlet' with range, directness of a stand-up comedian English actor's straightforward take on the tragedy at Chicago Shakespeare Theater prizes clarity above all.